VTN Comics (Off to Bluer Skies)

"The Absolute Batman #25 Cover!" When I saw the cover image for DC’s newly announced Absolute Batman # 25, I was genuinely stunned! In the best possible way!! It was an overwhelmingly positive and wonderful shock!!! Apparently, this Batman cover was created as an homage to the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump! I was deeply, so deeply moved by the DC editorial team and the extraordinary creators who brought that cover to life. But what moved me even more was the reaction from comics fans. Fans from all over the world welcomed it, cheered it on, responded with their purchases and praise, and recognized its value. I thought their reaction was a breathtakingly beautiful message in itself. For some people, this remarkable Batman cover might seem like a bold challenge, or simply a fun one-time event. But I saw it as a message. A message that something greater than ourselves exists in our world, something almost divine. And a revelation that the time has come to embark on a vast and extraordinary journey. The Batman cover tells us that all of us who make up the world of comics are, ultimately, one. We are all friends. We are family. We are people who learn from one another. This is not about who teaches whom, who defeats whom, who dies, or who wins! The great American comics tradition is not going to die or lose to anything else. This was never a contest about winning or losing in the first place. Yes! That’s right! The Batman cover is telling us exactly that. All we do is learn from one another, influence one another, admire one another, and respect one another. Seeing that cover filled me with a gratitude I can hardly put into words. It made me want to express just how deeply I respect and admire the history of American comics, and how much I want to walk alongside it toward the future. I have been talking about this to everyone for a long time. I have been saying it privately for many, many years. And I have been speaking about it publicly through my manga tutorial books, YouTube, and other channels for at least the past five years. Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Bande Dessinée, Webtoons—all the different forms that make up the world of comics. We are one family. I have always said that the future of our business should be about all of us growing together. That is why this moment moves me so deeply. When I saw the news about the cover and the reaction from comics fans on X, I was so excited that I immediately called Steve on LINE in Canada. He was asleep, so I woke him up, and we talked excitedly for an entire hour. I also called my best friend Marshman, with whom I once developed WatchManga app, and talked with him for thirty minutes. (I’ll explain another time why I had so much to say to my friend, Marshman.) Now, it is time for us to stop this foolish talk about winning and losing. We should be ashamed that ideas and arguments that belong in the early twentieth century are still being heard in our cultural businesses today. Culture has no end. The only end to culture is its destruction through barbarism and vandalism. Unless it is deliberately destroyed, culture continues to live. It goes through the natural ups and downs of life, sometimes growing stronger, sometimes weaker. And humanity finds ways to enjoy and share it. NETFLIX DOES NOT REPLACE MOVIE THEATERS. MOVIES DO NOT REPLACE THE STAGE. WE SIMPLY MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER, BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM THAT BECOMES MORE COMPLEX, MORE SOPHISTICATED, AND MORE POWERFUL. The moment we realize that we are all one family, and that we can move forward together, we begin to see truly enormous business opportunities. That is the secret of our world that I have come to understand, and it is something I have continued to insist upon. Everything in the world of comics matters. Even things like little comics printed on bubble-gum comics, BDs drawn on the walls of restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral, or simple instructional comics on chopstick wrappers showing people how to hold chopsticks. All of these are assets and sources of inspiration for the future of our business. A vast global business worth tens of billions of dollars could emerge from them. The combined market capitalization of the companies involved could be ten times that amount. But to make this happen, we need everyone in the world of comics. Everyone needs to grow stronger. We need to bring out the great things that have been with us for generations—the treasures sleeping in the vast storehouse of our comics history. That is why I hope DC will continue to make the most of the challenge its creators have taken on, and the message that has emerged from it. Other players in the business should pay attention to the message created by DC and Batman fans. WE ARE ALL FAMILY. AND BECAUSE WE ARE FAMILY, WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER. AND THAT IS WHERE THE OPPORTUNITY LIES! #AbsoluteBatman #DCComics