The manga industry has two giants partnering in manga publishing, and that’s why readers can’t help but notice. Yes, we are talking about the partnership of the biggest manga publisher and the biggest comic strip publisher worldwide. Kodansha has recently partnered with the comic strip syndicate and well-known publishing company Andrews McMeel Universal to develop an incredible hit. This will be created as a comic, manga, and anime (yes, all three) for the audience.
Both Kodansha and Andrews McMeel Universal are doing this project as part of the annual Script2Comic Contest, which is a competition initiated by Motor Content. In this competition, writers and authors are invited to submit their works, which will further be chosen by judges to win one of four prizes that get your work turned into comics and published.
Yohei Takami, Kodansha’s director of the rights media business division, speaks about how it’s an incredible way to find new talents throughout the world. “This partnership embodies our enduring commitment to discovering new talents in the world of manga and graphic novels,” he mentioned.
“We believe that this contest offers a unique platform for storytellers to bring their visions to life and potentially reach a global audience. As a leading publisher in Japan, we are excited to see the innovative and inspiring works that will emerge from this collaboration and look forward to bringing the winning entries to readers around the world.” He added further.
Interested candidates must be curious as to what the ultimate result will be for the person who wins the grand prize. The winner of this year’s Script2Comic Contest will get their comics converted into a comic by Kodansha and published by Andrews McMeel’s AMP Comics imprint in the US. Eventually, the comic will be converted to TV anime or film anime by Kodansha.
Lastly, Kodansha may, if it chooses, adapt the comic into a manga for publication in Japan, too, along with other territories. As of now, the ownership rights situation and pay that these winning creators would receive has not been disclosed.
If you are interested in participating in the 2024 Script2Comic contest, you can send the submissions now through June 30, 2024. You can visit the website www.script2comic.com for the same.
Navkiran Dhaliwal is a seasoned content writer with 10+ years of experience. When she's not writing, she can be found cooking up a storm or spending time with her dog, Rain.