MANGA FOR THE MASSES
"In Japan, each new issue of Shonen Jump supplies 3 million teen manga addicts with their next fix. America gets its first dose November 27. The serialized anthology, which will include Dragon Ball-Z and other stories, scrupulously translates the original; the English text and pages even flow from right to left. Each 280-plus page installment is as big as a phone book, but black-and-white illustrations and low-grade paper mean that the cost – $5 a pop – is comparable to skimpy US comics. With Shonen Jump going on sale at stores like Wal-Mart, the mainlining of manga can now begin." - Chris Baker
So, when SHONEN JUMP reaches local comic book stores, it'll probably be sold for P275 to P300. Which makes me wonder, will it sell. Right now, a regular 24-page full-color comic book is P160-P200. Would readers/collectors be willing to shell out the extra cash for a product like SHONEN JUMP?
I also wonder, if the local komiks industry were to produce a 200-page komiks magasin, how much would readers be willing to pay for it. The local komiks is virtually dead and the only remnant is Atlas Komiks. Maybe it needs to try something new to get readers interested again.