Kodansha USA Pushes Many Print Releases Back, Digital Still Moving Forward

The direct market has ground to a halt since Diamond stopped sending shipments of new comics to local shops. Most publishers have also stopped releasing new content in solidarity with shops. Kodansha USA Publishing is doing something similar, but with a new twist. Many of its Spring and Summer 2020 print titles will be pushed back to a later release date this year, however all previous scheduled Kodansha Comics and Vertical titles will still be released digitally on their original sale dates.

All backlist orders will be filled by Kodansha USA Publishing’s distribution partner, Penguin Random House. Additionally, some new titles will still maintain their release date including the debut of Wave, Listen to Me!, Tales of Berseria: Volume 3, and Drifting Dragons: Volume 4.
Alvin Lu, Kodansha USA Publishing President and CEO says:

We’re very, very lucky to be working with incredibly resilient and resourceful retail partners and our fantastic distribution partner at Penguin Random House, who are stepping up and keeping the essential lifeline of books open during an unprecedented disruption to our day-to-day business. Getting manga to readers is the top and only priority for us at Kodansha USA Publishing, which we will continue to do during this extraordinary time.

The full publishing schedule for Kodansha through May 2020 can be found on Kodansha’s website. This is a bold move against the direct market, so I’m curious as to how it will play out. Manga isn’t quite the same as western comics so I’m sure it won’t have the same effect as a publisher like Marvel or DC making a move like this.