Digital Manga Continues Its Dominance of Manga Kickstarter Campaigns

Oh, Digital Manga. Beloved DMP. One would think that they would have given up on Kickstarter after the last massive campaign and the amount of criticism they have received for using it so much in the past 2-3 years. But, y'know, it still works for them, so why not?

After the success of the Ludwig B Kickstarter - which had followed a behemoth disaster of a multi-title Tezuka campaign that ended in failure and an overwhelming disbelief in the system - DMP is now doubling down with not one, but two campaigns running concurrently: reprinting the classic yaoi series Finder and printing the Tezuka 2-volume title Alabaster.

Manga Worth Reading has a good post on the entire situation, including a look at Alabaster's stretch goal and how the company is openly responding to critiques of its current Kickstarter strategy. Read the comments, too!

Personally, I haven't backed a DMP Kickstarter since they licensed Barbara. It's not because of a lack of interesting titles worth funding; I just don't like DMP's newfound reliance on Kickstarter for everything from licensing to reprinting. It shakes one's confidence in DMP as a company and makes one wonder what their finances look like if they need to crowdfund so much.

However, if you want to see a title in print a lot and DMP is the one fixing to release it, Kickstarter or not, then go ahead and fund 'em. Support your favorite manga titles! In an era of digital piracy and scanlations, putting your money where your mouth is - especially for manga, a niche product in the world of books - is more vital than ever before.