Hi,

The Bookseller’s graphic novel supplement has an excellent feature on new publishers in the genre (including ourselves). Read it here.



Cheers,

Kev.

Manga musings – The rise of UK manga

Doujinshi in the UK seems to be on the rise, as the manga market grows and people begin to experiment more with creating their own volumes. As well as this, we’ve seen quite s few small publishers follow in Sweatdrop’s footsteps and produce UK manga. Dimensional is one such promising publisher – but we’ve also had the pleasure of perusing a copy of Hiyama, from Tabella, which is currently on sale for £7.99.
The book is by ‘Gruff79’, and tells the story of a dystopian future in which the police have lost all control of a now lawless society. Gangs are common, organised crime is on the up, and there seems to be only one kind of justice on offer – that of the vigilante. For years, the Hiyama family has served as a kind of protector of the people of sorts, bringing violent and often horrific vengeance upon those who have committed crimes.
The story is brutal, compelling and dark, but unfortunately the art style isn’t quite up to the same ambitious standard as the plot. The story is planed to span six volumes, and if your a fan of underground or pulp comics you’ll definitely find something to like here, although others might find it a little rough around the edges.
If you want to find out more about UK-made manga, check out www.tabella.co.uk for more information about Hiyama volume one and future releases, as well as www.sweatdrop.com for scores of titles from various artists, and www.dimensionalmanga.com for the latest output from this UK publisher.

Thanks to Neo for taking the time for such a detailed review (though we think the comments about the artwork are, perhaps, a little harsh).

Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,

We took this snap in our local Waterstone’s at the weekend (for no other reason other than we were thrilled to actually see it on the shelves).



Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,

There’s been another excellent review of Hiyama published on Myreviewer.com. Check it out here:

http://www.myreviewer.com/default.asp?a=109796

Cheers,

Kev.

Soldier Magazine, in its November issue, has just published an interview with Gruff79. As well as talking about his experiences in the Army (including his tour of duty in Iraq), Gruff also talks about his inspiration for Hiyama. Click the link above to view the article in the digital edition of the magazine.

Kev.

Hi,

Myreviewer.com has just published a review of Hiyama. Check it out here:

http://www.myreviewer.com/default.asp?a=109483

Thanks to Si @ Myreviewer for taking the time to write such a detailed review.

Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,

After what seems like ages, we’ve finally taken delivery of Hiyama and People aren’t scary. Visit our shop for details.

Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,
Here are the xmas posting dates:
1st Class UK 20/12/08
2nd Class UK 18/12/08
Special Delivery UK 23/12/08
Air Rest of World 10/12/08
Air Europe 12/12/08
Surface Rest of the World 20/10/08

Cheers,

Kev.

First customer review on Amazon:
“I would say it's excellent for a first effort...but that would imply it's not that good...which it is. It's thouroughly superb. Gripping storyline, especially if you like seeing 'the bad guy' get what's coming to him in inventive, and often very gory ways. Would recommend to anyone, and I'm eagerly awaiting volume 2.”
C Clark

Hi,

I’m afraid that all the advance stock of Hiyama has now sold out. However, we will be getting more in a couple of weeks. If you’d like to be informed of when the book will be back in stock drop us an email, and we’ll let you know when it comes in.

Cheers,

Kevin & Julie.

Hi,

We’ve just seen the first review of Hiyama, from Grovel.org.uk

“The British seem to be particularly good at dystopian near-future sci-fi, and its comic creators certainly don’t shy away from the genre. Hiyama is the latest to fan the flames with a manga-esque illustrative style disguising a horrific future, where corruption in the criminal justice system is so rife the honest police have to hire vigilantes to impartially carry out justice. So when the Hiyama family is terrorised by one of country’s most violent gangs, it’s left to their daughter to wreak revenge.
Set over six volumes, this epic series looks set to thrill horror and sci-fi fans for some time to come.”

Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,

We’ve just taken delivery of the advance copies of Hiyama, so the book is now available directly from our shop. Numbers are limited, however, until the rest of the print run arrives from the printer, so sales will be on a first come, first served basis (in the interests of fairness, sales will be limited to one copy per order).

Cheers,

Kev & Julie.

Hi,

Just finished a new video preview for Hiyama. Check it out on YouTube, etc. and let us know what you think.

Cheers,

Kev.

Hi,

We’ve recently set up our CafePress.com shop. This will expand to include fantastic artwork from our books, available on T-shirts, posters, etc. Do check it out and, if you’ve got a special request let us know. We’ll be changing the content regularly, so check back regularly.

All the best,

Kev.

Hi,

We’ve just made a movie preview of Hiyama available; just visit the Hiyama page and click the preview link. It’s a 79mb file, so you need a good broadband connection, and a Quicktime plugin for your browser. Alternatively, check out a lower quality version on YouTube.

Please, let us know what you think.

Kev.

A new independent publisher specialising in the graphic arts and manga is hoping to take advantage of rising interest in the genres.
Dorset-based Tabella Publishing has been created by Kevin Quinn, who has ten years’ experience in publishing, and his wife Julia. Its early titles include books by local artist Marilyn Allis, while the first book in a six-volume manga series called Hiyama, hand-drawn by a serving member of the British Army, will launch in September. The company has been targeting local galleries and bookshops, and also plans to publish books on digital photography.
“We’re evolving into an arts and graphics list with an interest in manga,” Quinn said. Film adaptations of Japanese and American graphic novels were fuelling an interest in that genre,” he added. “Everyone seems to be jumping on the manga bandwagon at the moment, and people are becoming much more accustomed to seeing it in the shops.”
Tabella – Latin for writing tablet – will publish between four and five books by the end of the year, and hopes to double its output in 2009. It is distributing its books itself. More information about availability can be found at www.tabella.co.uk.

Hi, this is the new website for Tabella Publishing.