Robot Vol. 1 [Archive]

The Pirate Queen

08-27-2005, 11:22 PM

Damn, those prices make me happy that I preordered it from Dreamland for less than $15!

My copy shipped out late last week, so if nobody comments on it before my copy arrives, I'll put up my thoughts. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday.

Unless you don't mind thoughts on the Japanese version - it's a mostly full-color anthology from a variety of artists, with stories ranging from the sexually explicit to the downright horrific, to almost innocent. Since I don't actually read any Japanese I can't comment on the quality of the storytelling, but the art throughout is really amazing. It'll be kind of interesting to compare what I thought the stories were to what they end up actually being... /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif

bakedleech

08-28-2005, 09:05 AM

Won't your comic shop let you look at it and re-shrink it? Although it came that way, so I suppose they may not have a shrink wrap machine. At any rate I enjoyed it quite alot. The paper and print quality is wonderful and the stories, while short and not connected to each other, were all interesting in their own way. I wasn't expecting it to be as big as it is (8" x 12"), but the size really helps showcase the art. It looks like a coffee-table book rather than a manga. My personal favorites among the stories were Pez and Hot Strawberry, Robo-sparrow, Dragonfly, and Ebony and Ivory. There's an insert card with ads for Robot V.2 and DMP's other books. It was worth the $24.95 I paid for it at least. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

bctaris

08-28-2005, 03:17 PM

ROBOT is basically about cool. It's very pretty and the content, stories averaging 4-10 pages in length, feature more style over meaty narratives. Not to say there are not good stories, because there are some very good ones, but it helps to like short stories to really get into them. Multi-creator short story or serial anthologies like this are exceedingly rare in the imported manga market, with titles like Viz's old Secret Comics Japan being one of the only other examples. So I'm really curious (and hopeful) of how well this will do.

It's very much the same animal as the Kazu Kibuishi edited FLIGHT (http://www.flightcomics.com/flight2_preview.htm) anthology series from Image Comics. Both in the colorful and hyper-creative artistic concepts their respective contributors come up with, from vibrant water colors and inks to intricate computer colorings, but also the themes represented: dystopian sci-fi and fantasy, surreal action-suspense, dreamy and idyllic fantasy, and more grounded but sentimental reality. Some content is pure visual style, more akin to art book pieces, and some stories seem almost nonsensical, playing more to emotion than thought. But it's all very intriguing and entertaining stuff, and can be seen from one angle as an experimental playground for these creators and their entire art-form. Platforms like this should be energetically supported for the potential they hold for the medium. Well worth every cent.

Lungs

08-28-2005, 09:17 PM

[ QUOTE ]
bctaris said:
ROBOT is basically about cool. It's very pretty and the content, stories averaging 4-10 pages in length, feature more style over meaty narratives. Not to say there are not good stories, because there are some very good ones, but it helps to like short stories to really get into them. Multi-creator short story or serial anthologies like this are exceedingly rare in the imported manga market, with titles like Viz's old Secret Comics Japan being one of the only other examples. So I'm really curious (and hopeful) of how well this will do.

It's very much the same animal as the Scott McCloud edited FLIGHT (http://www.flightcomics.com/flight2_preview.htm) anthology series from Image Comics. Both in the colorful and hyper-creative artistic concepts their respective contributors come up with, from vibrant water colors and inks to intricate computer colorings, but also the themes represented: dystopian sci-fi and fantasy, surreal action-suspense, dreamy and idyllic fantasy, and more grounded but sentimental reality. Some content is pure visual style, more akin to art book pieces, and some stories seem almost nonsensical, playing more to emotion than thought. But it's all very intriguing and entertaining stuff, and can be seen from one angle as an experimental playground for these creators and their entire art-form. Platforms like this should be energetically supported for the potential they hold for the medium. Well worth every cent.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for this.

I stopped by the store to pick it up today but they now have shorter opening hours on Sundays (Since last week...Hm) and I missed out by about 5 minutes.
Ah well.

pianocello

08-28-2005, 09:20 PM

The cover makes me think this is one of those racier manga. Am I correct?

Jake_Forbes

08-28-2005, 09:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
bctaris said:
It's very much the same animal as the Scott McCloud edited FLIGHT (http://www.flightcomics.com/flight2_preview.htm) anthology series from Image Comics.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with the comparison to Flight, but the editor is Kazu Kibuishi. Scott McCloud wrote an intro.

I think Robot is absolutely gorgeous and I hope people support it so that it can continue. In addition to the Range Murata influence, several of the entries in Robot are reminiscent of Korean game art (which I LOVE). It may not be heavy on story, but as an artbook and talent showcase, it's a winner, and the reproduction by DMP is amazing.

-Jake

bctaris

08-28-2005, 11:01 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Jake_Forbes said:
[ QUOTE ]
bctaris said:
It's very much the same animal as the Scott McCloud edited FLIGHT (http://www.flightcomics.com/flight2_preview.htm) anthology series from Image Comics.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with the comparison to Flight, but the editor is Kazu Kibuishi. Scott McCloud wrote an intro.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, right you are. McCloud is more the spiritual guru. /images/graemlins/wink.gif Yeah, Kazu's a genius as far as I'm concerned, and a great creator of his own work besides.

[ QUOTE ]
I think Robot is absolutely gorgeous and I hope people support it so that it can continue. In addition to the Range Murata influence, several of the entries in Robot are reminiscent of Korean game art (which I LOVE). It may not be heavy on story, but as an artbook and talent showcase, it's a winner, and the reproduction by DMP is amazing.

-Jake

[/ QUOTE ]

The presentation blew me away. This is some serious good quality. DMP is making me ever more happy as this year goes on. I was waiting for one of the companies out of the pack to start producing some high quality work for some extra cost and trusting a good segment of the fans to buy into it, and I certainly have with this and their regular A5-sized, dust-jacketed line.

bctaris

08-28-2005, 11:07 PM

[ QUOTE ]
piano_cello_conducting said:
The cover makes me think this is one of those racier manga. Am I correct?

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha, no, not exactly. /images/graemlins/wink.gif The cover is classic Range Murata poster girl, and he always makes em' alluring no matter the content, from BS6's Mayumi Kino to Last Exile's Tatiana.

You'll get some flesh and some steamy content in a few stories and art pieces, but overall that's not the theme of the anthology. It has stories, in fact, that could appeal to a whole range of ages and interests. That's what makes such a damn fine anthology.

darkhunter

08-29-2005, 01:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Lungs said:
I will be buying it from my local comic shop. The competition is virtually nil so they can charge whatever the hell they want. I could order it from amazon.co.uk but it apparently takes between 4 and 6 weeks to be delivered. Add the shipping costs and it's probably a better idea to just buy it in the shop. Anyway, If I end up getting it tomorrow, I'll let you know if it was worth it /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Wow I guess the U.S. amazon is really different from the UK one. We get 34% off Robot and free shipping if we spend 25UD or more.

I'm seriously gonna pick up Robot after I pay for all my tuition fee. DMP always put high production into their books and I love short stories.

Rhodes

08-29-2005, 01:48 PM

So far I havent been able to find one.

I know there are some for the JP version but from what I can find... its like an anthology series with short stories inside by various artists.

I dont buy those kinds of books since I cant read JP but since this is being released in the states I am guessing it will be translated.

Can anyone compare the quality between the JP and the US version? Paper binding, colors etc...

bctaris

08-29-2005, 01:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Rhodes said:
So far I havent been able to find one.

I know there are some for the JP version but from what I can find... its like an anthology series with short stories inside by various artists.

I dont buy those kinds of books since I cant read JP but since this is being released in the states I am guessing it will be translated.

Can anyone compare the quality between the JP and the US version? Paper binding, colors etc...

[/ QUOTE ]

The US version is what this thread is referring to. My post above gives my initial impression. I don't have the JP version so I can't compare directly, but DMP's book is very high quality, dust-jacketed, the full-color printing spotless, and the paper quality art-book weight and quality. I can't imagine it's any less quality than the Japanese original, unless that was hardcover.

I'm re-reading through some of it. Doesn't look like any of the staff have it listed for review in the near future. I might put something together detailing out some of the content tonight or tomorrow.

KomoriKiri

08-29-2005, 05:31 PM

[ QUOTE ]
bctaris said:
I can't imagine it's any less quality than the Japanese original, unless that was hardcover.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got the original, and it is not a hardcover. I've got the English version on order, so I can try to do a comparison whenever it comes in (Amazon has developed a habit of holding my orders for weeks).

Wraith
Maybe I'll become an evil genius and destroy the world and THEN I'll feel better

chloes_fork

09-01-2005, 01:05 PM

Is the binding solid on your copy, bctaris? There were reports that the initial printing was falling apart on people, and that DMP went back to press to fix the problem. But Animefringe just updated with a brand new review that again talks about the binding coming loose. I'm really looking forward to this book -- have it pre-ordered from Amazon -- but the binding issue is concerning.

bakedleech

09-01-2005, 03:37 PM

The binding was fine on both copies I opened. As the employee, I had to trade in the perfect one for the one with the bent corner. ;_;

darkhunter

09-01-2005, 03:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Is the binding solid on your copy, bctaris? There were reports that the initial printing was falling apart on people, and that DMP went back to press to fix the problem. But Animefringe just updated with a brand new review that again talks about the binding coming loose. I'm really looking forward to this book -- have it pre-ordered from Amazon -- but the binding issue is concerning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Binding Issue Corrected for Retail Version (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=786)

chloes_fork

09-01-2005, 04:02 PM

[ QUOTE ]
darkhunter said:
[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Is the binding solid on your copy, bctaris? There were reports that the initial printing was falling apart on people, and that DMP went back to press to fix the problem. But Animefringe just updated with a brand new review that again talks about the binding coming loose. I'm really looking forward to this book -- have it pre-ordered from Amazon -- but the binding issue is concerning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Binding Issue Corrected for Retail Version (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=786)

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I know. That's what I was referring to when I said the problem had reportedly been corrected. It just concerned me that Animefringe's brand spanking new, hot off the press review was reporting the same problem, at the same time the book is reaching retailers.

bctaris

09-01-2005, 06:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
[ QUOTE ]
darkhunter said:
[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Is the binding solid on your copy, bctaris? There were reports that the initial printing was falling apart on people, and that DMP went back to press to fix the problem. But Animefringe just updated with a brand new review that again talks about the binding coming loose. I'm really looking forward to this book -- have it pre-ordered from Amazon -- but the binding issue is concerning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Binding Issue Corrected for Retail Version (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=786)

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I know. That's what I was referring to when I said the problem had reportedly been corrected. It just concerned me that Animefringe's brand spanking new, hot off the press review was reporting the same problem, at the same time the book is reaching retailers.

[/ QUOTE ]

No problem with mine. But I tend to treat things pretty gently anyway, especially artbook-y thing like this, so I'm not sure how much effort it would take to loosen pages from the binding or if the pages are just supposed to fall out on their own...(if there's still a problem in the first place.)

darkhunter

09-01-2005, 06:25 PM

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
[ QUOTE ]
darkhunter said:
[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Is the binding solid on your copy, bctaris? There were reports that the initial printing was falling apart on people, and that DMP went back to press to fix the problem. But Animefringe just updated with a brand new review that again talks about the binding coming loose. I'm really looking forward to this book -- have it pre-ordered from Amazon -- but the binding issue is concerning.

[/ QUOTE ]

Binding Issue Corrected for Retail Version (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/reviews/display.php?id=786)

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I know. That's what I was referring to when I said the problem had reportedly been corrected. It just concerned me that Animefringe's brand spanking new, hot off the press review was reporting the same problem, at the same time the book is reaching retailers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Are you certain the reviewer didn't get an advance copy at a con? Cuz animefringe comes out once a month.

chloes_fork

09-01-2005, 06:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
darkhunter said:
Are you certain the reviewer didn't get an advance copy at a con?

[/ QUOTE ]
Not even remotely certain. /images/graemlins/happy.gif I was just asking the question, since some folks here apparently had copies in hand.

Jumbo

09-01-2005, 11:44 PM

My binding seems to be holding together. It does like to make plenty of snapping/creaking sounds if I try to open the pages all the way but then again nothing has fallen out or anything. (It reminds me of my copy of Murata's Like a Balance Life where it almost wants to come apart but hasn't yet.)

I also checked the back index and mine is indeed a first edition so not sure how different later editions turned out.

Regardless the book is indeed impressive. If I had to complain about something it would be the fact that the Murata and Ugetsu portions of the book (Which to me were originally part of the "big sell") were very short. Good but short. I would have hoped they had does something more along the lines of Yoshitoshi ABe.

On the plus side there were tons of other stories that were simply incredible. I've flipped through Picnic - By Naruko Hanaharu at least 20 separate times. Dream of the Empty Cage - By Miggy is also another one of my favorites color-wise.

Hemohemo - By YUG and Ebony and Ivory - By Suzuhito Yasuda were also pleasant surprises. I was also happy to find out there was Makoto Kobayashi stuff as well.

Short Murata/Ugetsu and funky binding or no, it was still money well spent. Pretty incredible eye candy in there.

darkhunter

09-02-2005, 12:02 AM

I just can't believe volume 2 is going to be release in May 2006. That's like about 9 month away.

chloes_fork

09-02-2005, 07:43 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Jumbo said:
I've flipped through Picnic - By Naruko Hanaharu at least 20 separate times.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, he was one of the big selling points for me, along with ABe and Murata (of course). I've run across some of his hentai doujinshi online. /images/graemlins/noseblef.gif Really remarkable artist.

Now if only Amazon would get stock of the book and ship. Don't know what the delay is, since others already have it in hand.

kio

09-02-2005, 11:13 AM

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Now if only Amazon would get stock of the book and ship. Don't know what the delay is, since others already have it in hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I preordered mine from amazon in March and mine hasn't shipped yet either. I've found that amazon tends to stock/ship out DMP books significantly later than everyone else. All of the DMP books I've preordered from amazon over the past year have been ordered months in advance and I've always had to wait at least several weeks after release to get them.

The Pirate Queen

09-02-2005, 11:31 AM

[ QUOTE ]
kio said:
[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Now if only Amazon would get stock of the book and ship. Don't know what the delay is, since others already have it in hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I preordered mine from amazon in March and mine hasn't shipped yet either. I've found that amazon tends to stock/ship out DMP books significantly later than everyone else. All of the DMP books I've preordered from amazon over the past year have been ordered months in advance and I've always had to wait at least several weeks after release to get them.

[/ QUOTE ]

DMP seems to be using a similar route to get to book stores (and Amazon) to the one Dark Horse uses - very slow. They do tend to get to comic shops pretty quickly, though.

chloes_fork

09-02-2005, 11:41 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Dani said:
DMP seems to be using a similar route to get to book stores (and Amazon) to the one Dark Horse uses - very slow. They do tend to get to comic shops pretty quickly, though.

[/ QUOTE ]
But most comic shops are going to be selling the thing at full retail, instead of the significant discount Amazon offers. I'll wait, though reluctantly.

The Pirate Queen

09-02-2005, 04:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
[ QUOTE ]
Dani said:
DMP seems to be using a similar route to get to book stores (and Amazon) to the one Dark Horse uses - very slow. They do tend to get to comic shops pretty quickly, though.

[/ QUOTE ]
But most comic shops are going to be selling the thing at full retail, instead of the significant discount Amazon offers. I'll wait, though reluctantly.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just one more reason why I love Dreamland Comics - the 40% off they offer on DMP preorders is quite nice.

MadL

09-04-2005, 01:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Dani said:

DMP seems to be using a similar route to get to book stores (and Amazon) to the one Dark Horse uses - very slow. They do tend to get to comic shops pretty quickly, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

According to DMP's website, they're using Diamond exclusively to distribute this book at least, which might explain why comic shops seem to be getting it quicker than bookstores.

Animenation's front page says they got some copies in -- I might just pay the extra and get it now. This looks too good to wait for. Even Publishers Weekly gave this a pretty good review.

Jumbo

09-08-2005, 10:43 AM

Actually about that May 2006 thing... My local comic dealer noticed a solicitation for vol. 2 in the latest issue of Diamond. I'm not sure if this means that we will actually see it before the end of the year or not but he seemed pretty sure that it would be out within the next couple months.

Of course I also don't have much of a clue as to how Diamond works but I got the impression that they wouldn't put a solicitation for something that was to be released in May of next year. But then again... -_-; Maybe there is someone else that has flipped through the latest Diamond and can give a better explanation of what exactly a solicitation in Diamond means.

Riari

09-08-2005, 11:12 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Jumbo said:
Actually about that May 2006 thing... My local comic dealer noticed a solicitation for vol. 2 in the latest issue of Diamond. I'm not sure if this means that we will actually see it before the end of the year or not but he seemed pretty sure that it would be out within the next couple months.

Of course I also don't have much of a clue as to how Diamond works but I got the impression that they wouldn't put a solicitation for something that was to be released in May of next year. But then again... -_-; Maybe there is someone else that has flipped through the latest Diamond and can give a better explanation of what exactly a solicitation in Diamond means.

[/ QUOTE ]

I kinda glanced through my Diamond Previews for August and September and it's not under Digital Manga Publishing for either month. This doesn't count any Previews Updates or anything I might have missed. I did see that there is the Japanese Robot Vol. 03 being solicited in the International section.

Do you know which catalog he saw it in?

(Some things are solicited six months in advance - particularly the import toys. I'm ordering in September for figures that will not appear until January 2006. Yay!)

chloes_fork

09-08-2005, 11:16 AM

Well, DMP's own site still says 5/06, and I'd tend to believe them over Diamond.

Jumbo

09-09-2005, 09:16 PM

Yeah, I went back and talked w/ him again and cleared it up. It was indeed the Aug. Previews and it was for the Japanese version in the international section.

Thanks for mentioning that or he may have tried to order that one.

Akasan

09-09-2005, 09:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Jumbo said:
Yeah, I went back and talked w/ him again and cleared it up. It was indeed the Aug. Previews and it was for the Japanese version in the international section.

Thanks for mentioning that or he may have tried to order that one.

[/ QUOTE ]

Quick question, are they stocking volume 1 up? Or is it ordered by special request?

Akasan

09-09-2005, 09:23 PM

imanawesomething

09-09-2005, 11:08 PM

Two weeks ago I took a three-hour trip to Anime Castle and literally took the last copy of Robot they had in stock. Actually, there was another copy, but it wasn't shrink wrapped and the cover was bent (they tried to give me that copy at first, but I did a switcheroo >.<). My copy also says first edition, and no loose pages yet, hope it stays that way.

Anyway, the book is absolutely gorgeous. The big draw for me is that the US sees zero printed works from the mangaka in Robot 1. For many, this is their first exposure stateside. A lot like Murata, ABe, Okama, have been involved in various anime, but they are more prolific in the field of art books, doujinshi, and manga. For example, Okama (whose contribution in Robot is Oputon - the sleeping girl piece) has his own absolutely gorgeous colored manga/artbook called Hanafuda that's also published by Wani Magazine in Japan. He is also artist of Cloth Road, a new manga from the creator of R.O.D, Hideyuki Kurata. Unfortunately neither of those works will see American publication anytime soon, or ever, because they're kind of obscure and hard to market. So, it's really great that he can get at least a little bit exposure in America.

I think the only manga of Robot contributors that have been released Stateside thus far are Sho-U Tajima's Madara, Mami Itou's Pilgrim Jager, and Kei Sanbe's Testarotho. And all three are overlooked titles... Madara is kinda dull so maybe it deserves it, but Pilgrim Jager and Testarotho are very good.

But, about the actual book: I'm also very impressed with Naruco Hanaharu's Picnic. It has a great atmosphere, and the characters are very likable. I was kind of sad to see the manga end so quickly, I wanted to spend more time with Tohko and Yuu-chan /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif . Hanaharu is also mangaka of the Kamichu! manga, so after reading picnic, I'm expecting great things from him in that work.

What really surprised me though is Yasuto Miura's Biting Summer Play. On Wani's/DMP's website the preview image for this looked really pedophilic. And it was pedophilic in a somewhat subtle way and disturbing way, but story-wise, it's an excellent piece of work. The twist in the end totally shocked me. The pre-war 20th century Japan setting is rare in manga too.

Similar to Biting Summer Play, Kei Sanbe's Moonlight had an unexpected ending, and great art. And the girl/s in that piece are of legal age /images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif ... and very nude at one point /images/graemlins/noseblef.gif ...

btw, if you liked YUG's HemoHemo, check out the anime PetoPeto-san. He is character designer. It's very moe as well, but it deals with serious topics like racism.

Jumbo

09-10-2005, 11:31 AM

Riari might be best handled to answer this one... ^^;

From what I remember they were soliciting volume 2 of the Japanese version of robot. (I remember the cover art they showed was that of vol. 2 in Japan anyway) I don't recall seeing anything for vol. 1 in either eng. or Japanese.

I'm thinking that maybe the first English volume might have stirred more interest and now they are thinking they might try their hand at the Japanese version but who knows. They may have solicited the Japanese ver. of Robot long ago but I'm not sure who Diamond's ordering of older titles etc. works...

chloes_fork

09-15-2005, 10:28 AM

[ QUOTE ]
kio said:
[ QUOTE ]
chloes_fork said:
Now if only Amazon would get stock of the book and ship. Don't know what the delay is, since others already have it in hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

I preordered mine from amazon in March and mine hasn't shipped yet either.

[/ QUOTE ]
Seems my copy has finally entered the shipping process. I trust yours has as well. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

MrDisco

09-21-2005, 07:47 PM

mine arrived today (from amazon.com).

i'll do a better comparison between this and and the jp edtion but 2 things caught my eye:

A round "Parental Advisory - Explicit Content" sticker ON THE COVER OF THE FREAKING BOOK!. Was the shrink wrap not enough? Could you not have put the sticker ON the shrink wrap. Idiotic bone head marketing decisions like this is an example of why this hobby is no longer as fun for me as it used to be. i'm not even going to try and remove it as it will probably damage the cover (and just to point out, the cover is by Murata, an artist who I will go to nearly any lengths to purchase his work. To have it defaced like this is an insult to his artwork).

Part of the text on one of the pages inside was cut off (the words appear along the outer edge of the page).

The Pirate Queen

09-22-2005, 07:19 AM

[ QUOTE ]
MrDisco said:
A round "Parental Advisory - Explicit Content" sticker ON THE COVER OF THE FREAKING BOOK!. Was the shrink wrap not enough? Could you not have put the sticker ON the shrink wrap. Idiotic bone head marketing decisions like this is an example of why this hobby is no longer as fun for me as it used to be. i'm not even going to try and remove it as it will probably damage the cover (and just to point out, the cover is by Murata, an artist who I will go to nearly any lengths to purchase his work. To have it defaced like this is an insult to his artwork).

[/ QUOTE ]

They put the sticker on because shrink wrap gets taken off all the time in bookstores, sometimes by the employees, and when you have something with art as explicit as this, with a cover that doesn't really hint at that, you have the potential for a really nasty situation.

For the record, the sticker comes off really, really easily - no damage to the cover, no sticky residue, even.

MrDisco

09-22-2005, 01:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Dani said:
They put the sticker on because shrink wrap gets taken off all the time in bookstores, sometimes by the employees, and when you have something with art as explicit as this, with a cover that doesn't really hint at that, you have the potential for a really nasty situation.

For the record, the sticker comes off really, really easily - no damage to the cover, no sticky residue, even.

[/ QUOTE ]

that's bogus. Del Rey has been able to shrink wrap thier manga titles. I think a simple note to retailers that this is a 16+ title is enough to get the message across that the shrink wrap should remain on. other (import) art books with similar content doesn't suffer the same indignities (and they too are ordered from the same Previews catalog).

i tried picking away at it and it wasn't coming off as easy as you say it should /images/graemlins/sad.gif

Noodle

09-22-2005, 01:25 PM

[ QUOTE ]
MrDisco said:

that's bogus. Del Rey has been able to shrink wrap thier manga titles. I think a simple note to retailers that this is a 16+ title is enough to get the message across that the shrink wrap should remain on. other (import) art books with similar content doesn't suffer the same indignities (and they too are ordered from the same Previews catalog).

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, it's not bogus. Hundreds of employees, across any given chain, in any number of stores are all supposed to be told and remember one book should be shrinwrapped? Books either come shrinkwrapped, or they don't. It is rarely a decision made in a specific store. Sometimes, sure, but rarely.

Also, if a store employee is asked, they will open a book so that a potential customer can look through the book. Or, they open one copy so that multiple copies aren't opened by every person who wants to look at them first. It also helps keep damaged copies to a minimum. As for other artbooks and the like - that's determined entirely by the publisher, not a retail outlet.

MrDisco

09-22-2005, 01:32 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Noodle said:
Actually, it's not bogus. Hundreds of employees, across any given chain, in any number of stores are all supposed to be told and remember one book should be shrinwrapped? Books either come shrinkwrapped, or they don't. It is rarely a decision made in a specific store. Sometimes, sure, but rarely.

[/ QUOTE ]

Think about it. if there is a sticker on the front that says parental advisory, what employee is going to open it up and leave it on display? that would be a problem with the retailer and that employee, the publisher shouldn't have to deface the product.

[ QUOTE ]
Also, if a store employee is asked, they will open a book so that a potential customer can look through the book.

[/ QUOTE ]

again if an underage customer is asking to see such a book then the retailer should do the right thing and say no. how would a sticker on the front cover disuade someone from flipping through an open book? that doesn't make any sense.

[ QUOTE ]
As for other artbooks and the like - that's determined entirely by the publisher, not a retail outlet.

[/ QUOTE ]

no what i meant was that import books from Diamond arrive without any type of shrink wrap and there haven't been any major uproars over how they are sold.

look all i'm saying is that our drive for political correctness and trying to keep adult materials out of children's hands is getting rather silly. the argument that shrink wrapped is removed by a retailer so we'll place the sticker on the front cover doesn't have any logic because you're still going to young people flip through the open book.

witega

09-22-2005, 01:36 PM

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MrDisco said:

that's bogus. Del Rey has been able to shrink wrap thier manga titles.

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You are seriously comparing Robot and Negima? If any publisher besides Del Rey was putting out Negima, they wouldn't even bother shrink-wrapping it. DMP's treatment of Robot is consistent with every other real 'mature' title out there - Berserk from Dark Horse, Arm of Kannon and Battle Royale from Tokyopop, Saikano from Viz, etc, etc. In fact, you should be glad that it is just a removable sticker and not actually printed as part of the cover which is more typical, and what I fully expect from Del Rey when they begin printing actual mature works like Basilisk.

(Its also worth noting that Del Rey is a subsidiary of one the largest American publishers. They have long-standing relationships to suppliers and retailers and a level of market share which gives them some actual leverage when it comes to how they want to present their product. DMP is a little guy who has to do what they are told if they want suppliers and retailers to carry their product. If retailers say they are concerned about carrying adult material, Del Rey can say 'let's talk' and work on compromies; DMP doesn't have that option).

MrDisco

09-22-2005, 01:43 PM

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witega said:
You are seriously comparing Robot and Negima?

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i am comparing the actions taken; not the content.

look obviously everyone disagrees with me. thats fine. as an art book collector i view the actions taken much differently then everyone else here.

Noodle

09-22-2005, 01:49 PM

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MrDisco said:
Think about it. if there is a sticker on the front that says parental advisory, what employee is going to open it up and leave it on display? that would be a problem with the retailer and that employee, the publisher shouldn't have to deface the product.

again if an underage customer is asking to see such a book then the retailer should do the right thing and say no. how would a sticker on the front cover disuade someone from flipping through an open book? that doesn't make any sense.

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I don't really want to derail the thread farther, but in the interest of clarification: My knowledge comes from many years in the publishing and retail book business. 3 separate entities, positions all along the food chain. I'm not saying you're wrong, but what I said was a realistic portrait of how things generally work.

Oh, and by the way, while this does depend somewhat on state and store, book retail employees are in fact not allowed to card/comment/anything minors for buying or looking at books, regardless of ratings, unless it is actually "adult" - like a Playboy magazine. To do so is against the law--it has nothing to do with "doing the right thing." Can't stop them from looking at sex books, either.

[ QUOTE ]
look all i'm saying is that our drive for political correctness and trying to keep adult materials out of children's hands is getting rather silly. the argument that shrink wrapped is removed by a retailer so we'll place the sticker on the front cover doesn't have any logic because you're still going to young people flip through the open book.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't disagree. But it doesn't change the facts. That's all I'm going to say on the matter -- I have to deal with the stickers on my books just as much as the next person...

kio

09-22-2005, 08:30 PM

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chloes_fork said:
Seems my copy has finally entered the shipping process. I trust yours has as well. /images/graemlins/happy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it took a great long while, but I finally saw a charge on my account for this book so mine should be shipping soon /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif.

I'm looking forward to this, especially after everyone's comments so far. I'm curious about the content and how 'mature' or graphic is actually is, though. I remember seeing an odd illustration from what I think was this book (the japanese version on ebay a while back) and it kind of disturbed me /images/graemlins/sweat000.gif. But I was also blown away by the artistry of the few pages I saw so long ago, so I can't wait to get my copy /images/graemlins/happy.gif.