North American manga publisher Yen Press announced through a press release on January 14, 2010 its own manga reading application for the Apple iPad. This application will allow fans of Yen Press graphic novel series to purchase the digital volumes and read the comics on their iPad. Yen Press also promises previews, short stories, and editorial and creator commentary.
Manga App for Apple iPad from Yen Press
With the release of the company's manga application for the iPad, Yen Press announced the four graphic novel series currently available:
- Maximum Ride by Jams Pattererson and NaRae Lee follows 14-year-old Max and her four friends, all teenagers with the ability to sprout wings and fly, as they avoid being kidnapped by the "School" that genetically engineered them.
- Gossip Girl by Cecily Ziegesar and HyeKyung Baek follows Blair, a teenager looking to get revenge on her ex-BFF after she stole her boyfriend.
- Daniel X by James Pattersonn and SeungHui Kye showcases young Daniel, the only Alien Hunter on earth, fighting some of the scariest outlaws in the galaxy.
- Nightschool by Svetlana Chmakova brings us Alex, a young weirn (a type of witch) going to Nightschool with vampires, werewolves and other witches.
Presently the comics available on the iPad application are mostly made up of graphic novel adaptations of existing novels, and all four series are written and drawn by American creators. No announcement has been made about when Yen Press's Japanese manga series, such as Yotsuba&! or K-on! will be made available on the application.
But, when Yen Press originally announced its digital release of their manga magazine Yen Plus there were no Japanese manga coming in with the premier issue. Since then, manga series have been added to the magazine's roster, so it's safe to assume that it's only a matter of time before some of these manga make it onto the iPad.
Graphic novel volumes purchased on the application will cost $8.99, compared to the Yen Press's usual price of $10.99-$13.99.
Digital Distribution of Manga Through the Apple iPad
Yen Press is not the only manga company to work its way onto the iPad. VIZ Media released its free manga application in November, 2010 with series like Dragon Ball and Bakuman , and the company has been adding manga to the application ever since. Digital Manga Publishing doesn't have a direct manga application, but many of the company's manga series are available through the Kindle, which can be read on the Apple iPad.
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