Worlds Within Worlds...

So, you've probably heard by now that Tokyopop is publishing I Luv Halloween, a three-volume series by Mark Paniccia Benjamin Roman and Keith Giffen. The artwork looks nice, and though the only real description of the story is "It's about the misadventures of a gang of particularly troublesome kids as they trick-or-treat the Halloween night away" I get the feeling this won't be a big plot-driven story... Whether it is good or bad will likely depend on the chemistry and situations of the various crazy characters.

I do think it is good that Tokyopop is continuing to branch out to American creators, but I do have some reservations. It could very well be true that Mark Benjamin wasn't comfortable expanding on his couple of pages of artwork into a full story, but many manga fans seem to want Keith's head on a platter at the moment due to playing loose with manga "adaptations". Hopefully it'll fare better on a title he's mostly writing from scratch. Also, I feel a twinge of nervousness that his reaction until viewing the artwork was that he'd be too busy for another project. It is nice that he feel in love with this enough to do it after all, but does that mean another title somewhere is getting the shaft?

Lastly, I know Tokyopop has a tendancy to hype themselves and manga up a bit, but this has to take the cake:

"I Luv Halloween represents an absolute commitment to put cool stuff into readers’ hands. And there’s so much more coming. This project shows how powerful the manga movement really is. I get pitches all the time from people who have something in their heads that they need to get out. They’re not restricted by an established character’s canon or continuity. Manga allows the creator - no matter how new or established - to do something straight from their hearts."

Someone has been reading a bit too much Yu-Gi-Oh. "My manga can conquer the world! I believe, because of the love Grandpa put into it. The heart of manga..." Of course Yu-Gi-Oh is published by Viz and this new series isn't technically manga, but whatever... :) 
 
Edit: Thanks Alex... I must have been half-asleep.. :)