TokyoPop, GoComics sign exclusive deal for mobile phone distribution

[ENGLISH] America’s most prolific and fan-friendly manga publisher, TOKYOPOP, has announced an exclusive agreement with longtime mobile partner GoComics, a leader in digital entertainment. The new agreement, which strengthens the partnership between the two companies, will bring a host of new TOKYOPOP titles to mobile phones in the coming months. TOKYOPOP will be featured in the new expanded GoComics mobile comics and manga offering — available through the mobile Internet or in the new GoComics Mobile Manga + Comics application. There will also be a stand-alone TOKYOPOP mobile Internet deck. With these new platforms, GoComics reaches every comic fan with a mobile phone, including iPhones and smart phones. Comics and manga can be read for free with ads, or they can be purchased individually using points-based subscriptions.

« Our Mobile Manga is a great user experience and satisfies discriminating creators, editors and fans alike. A major reason for this is GoComics’ commitment to quality, simplicity, and an artistic adaptation that preserves the manga pacing while converting pages into a panel-by-panel format, » said TOKYOPOP Director of New Product Development Jeremy Ross. « We look forward to building on the success of our initial mobile manga anthology with GoComics’ « freedom of choice » offering — fans can now select their favorites from a wide catalog of titles. »

« We’ve always enjoyed a fantastic relationship with TOKYOPOP. They have been the first manga publisher to be deeply committed to mobile publishing, » said Jeff Webber, Vice President of Product Development for GoComics. « This expanded partnership is exciting for us, but it’s also great news for manga fans, as it means we’ll be launching lots of new titles. It’s a big win for fans of mobile manga! »

For more information, visit www.gocomics.com/manga/ .

About TOKYOPOP

Founded by multi-cultural media visionary Stu Levy,TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company’s global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with offices in the UK and Germany and partnerships in Australia and China, in addition to its original Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto the new social networking site www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, which are licensed in more than 40 countries and 30 languages, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP’s award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.

About GoComics and uclick, LLC

GoComics (www.gocomics.com) is the flagship consumer brand of uclick, a leading digital entertainment provider offering a broad mix of popular products for the Web and mobile phones. The mobile division brings comic books, manga, comic strips, illustration, video and games to mobile consumers worldwide. Their feature lineup includes top brands such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yu-Gi-Oh!, TOKYOPOP, Paul Frank, and many more. GoComics products are available through top U.S. carriers and leading distributors worldwide.

For more information on uclick, visit www.uclick.com.