Closing Down The Shop

It seems that one of my favorite industries has taken a big hit from the economic downturn that has befallen the world. CMX Manga (a subdivision of DC Comics) and Go Comi! have decided to close shop later this summer as a result of falling manga sales. While I haven't dealt too much with Go Comi!, I've enjoyed what CMX Manga was able to bring to the table. Overall, the quality of their work was one of the better in the manga world and I will definitely miss their unique line of manga. The smaller publishers haven't been the only ones affected as both Tokyopop and Viz have had to increase their prices. Tokyopop went as far to change the quality of their paper to something that resembles a recycled newspaper. This caused quite a commotion among avid readers and has since forced Tokyopop to return to a higher quality paper. Viz also made some drastic changes by laying off 40% of its employees and closing its New York City branch. Coupled with the fact that many Manga-ka have decided not to allow their works to be published in the west, I have to wonder what the future of the manga industry is going to look like in a few years.