''Pulp'' was an American

manga magazine Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is used ...

and literary imprint published by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

from 1997 to 2002. The magazine, which primarily published English-language translations of ''seinen'' manga, was the first English-language magazine that published

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

aimed at an adult readership.

History

During the anime boom of the 1990s, the initial wave of manga and anime titles localized for English-language audiences were aimed at children, such as ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

'' and ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

''. Upon launching in 1997, ''Pulp'' became the first English-language manga magazine to publish manga aimed at an adult audience, and emerged as one of several magazines (along with ''

Raijin Comics ''Raijin Comics'' is a discontinued manga anthology published from 2002 until 2004 in North America by the now-defunct Gutsoon! Entertainment and largely backed by the Sega Corporation at its inception. The collected volumes of ''Raijin Comics'' t ...

'', ''

Animerica Extra ''Animerica Extra'' was a monthly List of manga magazines, manga magazine published in by Viz Media. Established as a companion to the anime news and review magazine ''Animerica'', ''Animerica Extra'' primarily published English-language translat ...

'', and others) to publish manga titles aimed at demographics outside of

children's manga and refer to manga and anime directed towards children. These series are usually moralistic, often educating children about staying in the right path in life. Each chapter is usually a self-contained story. History ''Kodomo'' manga started ...

. ''Pulp'' published editorial features, media reviews, and longform articles in addition to manga. The magazine expanded in February 2000 to incorporate a wider range of content on

Japanese culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Historical overview The ance ...

, such as photography from

Nobuyoshi Araki is a Japanese photographer and contemporary artist professionally known by the mononym . Known primarily for photography that blends eroticism and bondage in a fine art context, he has published over 500 books.The number depends on such things ...

, reviews by

Heinz Insu Fenkl Heinz Insu Fenkl (born 1960) is an author, editor, translator, and folklorist. His autobiographical novel ''Memories of My Ghost Brother'' is widely taught at colleges and universities. He is also an expert on Asian American and Korean literature, i ...

, and "Vulgarity Drifting Diary", a column by sex worker Hikaru Natsumi, nearly doubling the size of the print edition in the process. ''Pulp'' also published Pulp Books, a line of non-fiction books created in partnership with Cadence Books. Sales for ''Pulp'' were consistently low. In May 2002, Viz announced that ''Pulp'' would cease publication with its August 2002 issue, published in July of that year. The final issue of the magazine focused on contributor interpretations of the theme of "Manga Hell", including the

erotic comics Erotic comics are adult comics which focus substantially on nudity and sexual activity, either for their own sake or as a major story element. As such they are usually not permitted to be sold to legal minors. Like other genres of comics, they c ...

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu''; – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and animator. Born in Osaka Prefecture, his prolific output, pioneering techniques, and innovative redefinitions of genres earned him such ...

and the horror comics of

Kazuo Koike was a prolific Japanese manga writer ( gensakusha), novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artful ''seinen'' manga, notably ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' (with Goseki Kojima, 1970–6), '' Lady Snowblood'' ...

. The magazine's unfinished serialization of '' Banana Fish'' continued in ''Animerica Extra'' (which itself would fold in 2004), while other titles were published directly as

graphic novels A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

by Viz under their Editor's Choice imprint.

Serializations

The following titles were serialized in ''Pulp'': *'' Bakune Young'' by *'' Banana Fish'' by

Akimi Yoshida is a Japanese manga artist and a graduate of Musashino Art University. She made her professional debut in 1977 with the short story , published in '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine. Yoshida is best known for the crime thriller series '' Bana ...

*'' Benkei in New York'' by Jinpachi Mori and

Jiro Taniguchi was a Japanese manga writer/artist. His works belong to the gekiga, or "dramatic pictures", genre of manga. In France he was knighted a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. Career Taniguchi began his career as an assista ...

*''

Cinderalla , also known as ''Junko Mizuno's Cinderalla'', is a fantasy-horror manga written and illustrated by Junko Mizuno. It was published by Koushinsya; later an English version was released by Viz Media in 2002. It is one in a line of her new versio ...

'' by

Junko Mizuno is a Japanese manga artist. Her drawing style is often termed as ''Gothic kawaii'' or ''kawaii noir'' style. Art style Mizuno's drawing style, which mixes childish sweetness and cuteness with terror and erotica, has often been termed a ''Goth ...

*''

Dance till Tomorrow is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Yamamoto. It is a romantic comedy which details the life of Suekichi Terayama, a student who will inherit a fortune when he graduates from college and gets married with unexpecte ...

'' by Naoki Yamamoto *''

Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga is a parody instructional book by Koji Aihara and Kentaro Takekuma. Publication history In Japan, the series was originally serialized in Shogakukan's ''Big Comic Spirits''. Shogakukan later published the manga's three ''tankōbon'' volumes ...

'' by

Koji Aihara is a Japanese manga artist from Hokkaido. Aihara grew up reading the works of Osamu Tezuka. He made his debut with ''Hachigatsu no Nureta Pantsu'' in 1983, which ran in '' Weekly Manga Action Magazine''. He is one of the authors of '' Even a M ...

and

Kentaro Takekuma is a Japanese manga author. He is one of the authors of ''Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga''. He is also the story writer of ''Super Mario Adventures''.Heartbroken Angels'' by *'' No. 5'' by

Taiyō Matsumoto is a Japanese manga artist from Tokyo. He has won several awards, including the Shogakukan Manga Award, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize and Eisner Award. ''Ping Pong'' and ''Blue Spring'' have been adapted into live-action feature films. Ani ...

*''

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

'' by

*''

Short Cuts ''Short Cuts'' is a 1993 American comedy-drama film, directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver. The film has a Los Angeles setting, which is ...

'' by

Usamaru Furuya is a Japanese manga artist. Biography During elementary school, Furuya enrolled in the Osamu Tezuka Manga Correspondence Course and by the time he reached high school he had discovered a darker, more underground style. He graduated from Tama A ...

*''

Strain Strain may refer to: Science and technology * Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes * Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule * Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...

'' by

Buronson , known by the pen names and , is a Japanese manga writer. Making his debut in 1972, he first found success with the hardboiled detective manga series ''Doberman Deka'' (1975–1979) alongside illustrator Shinji Hiramatsu. He is best-known for ...

and

Ryoichi Ikegami is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He is best known for ''Crying Freeman'' (1986–1988), written by Kazuo Koike, and ''Heat'' (1999–2004), written by Buronson. The latter won the 2 ...

*''

Tekkonkinkreet , also known as ''Black & White'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Taiyō Matsumoto, originally serialized from 1993 to 1994 in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits''. The story takes place in the ...

'' by

*''

Uzumaki is a Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Junji Ito. Appearing as a serial in the weekly ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1998 to 1999, the chapters were compiled into three bound volumes by Shoga ...

'' by

Junji Ito is a Japanese horror manga artist. Some of his most notable works include ''Tomie'', a series chronicling an immortal girl who drives her stricken admirers to madness; ''Uzumaki'', a three-volume series about a town obsessed with spirals; and ...

*''

Voyeur Voyeurism is the sexual interest in or practice of watching other people engaged in intimate behaviors, such as undressing, sexual activity, or other actions of a private nature. The term comes from the French ''voir'' which means "to see". A ...

'' by

Hideo Yamamoto is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the creator of the manga series ''Ichi the Killer'', which was adapted into a live-action film by Takashi Miike in 2001, and ''Homunculus''. Recurring themes in his manga are crime, sexual devi ...

*'' Voyeurs, Inc.'' by

Titles serialized in ''Pulp'' were also published as

collected editions Collected may refer to: * ''Collected'' (Black 'n Blue album), 2005 * ''Collected'' (Demis Roussos album), 2015 * ''Collected'' (Joe Jackson album), 2010 * ''Collected'' (k-os album), 2007 * ''Collected'' (Limp Bizkit album), 2008 * ''Collec ...

by Viz under a ''Pulp''-branded literary imprint with its own unique

trade dress Trade dress is the characteristics of the visual appearance of a product or its packaging (or even the design of a building) that signify the source of the product to consumers. Trade dress is an aspect of trademark law, which is a form of intelle ...

Reception and legacy

''Pulp'' has been noted as being "instrumental in disseminating manga culture" in North America. The magazine was regarded positively by critics and commentators, with

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ( ...

calling the magazine "amongst the best things currently being published in the English language" and '' Wizard'' describing the magazine as "some of the coolest, most subversive manga being translated into English today." Reflecting on the magazine's commercial failure, Viz editor

Shaenon K. Garrity Shaenon K. Garrity is a webcomic creator and science-fiction author best known for her webcomics ''Narbonic'' and '' Skin Horse''. She collaborated with various artists to write webcomics for the Modern Tales-family of webcomic subscription serv ...

described ''Pulp'' as publishing "manga most people just weren't ready for, stuff that was too smart, sexy, bloody, creepy, surreal, or just plain untranslatable for prime time." In 2010 Viz launched the literary imprint Viz Signature and the

digital distribution Digital distribution, also referred to as content delivery, online distribution, or electronic software distribution, among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content (media), content such as Sound recording and reproductio ...

platform SigIKKI (an online English version of ''

Monthly Ikki was a monthly ''seinen'' manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It tended to specialize in underground or alternative manga, but it had its share of major hits as well. The magazine started in 2000 as a spin-off of Shogakukan's ''Weekly Big ...

''), both of which publish manga aimed at adult audiences. ''Pulp'' was noted by Viz as a forerunner to both platforms, with Viz editorial manager Leyla Aker stating that SigIKKI was jokingly referred to as "''Pulp'' 2.0" in internal planning discussions.

Notes

References

External links

''Pulp'' official website
(defunct, link via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

) * {{Viz Media Monthly magazines published in the United States Anime and manga magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1997 Magazines disestablished in 2002 Magazines published in San Francisco

History

Serializations

Reception and legacy

See also

Notes

References

External links