Wizard's world: UnderGroundOnline chats with Wizard publisher Gareb Shamus about the comics-to-film trend, the WizardWorld conventions, and the effects of manga on the direct market:

"It's had a tremendous effect because manga will expand the reach of the audience; there is a lot more material for younger kids, there's a lot more material for girls, and it really expands the material for guys, too. They go into a lot more themes than a typical US book, so that's really helping to expand a lot of that marketplace. Also, it's really helping to expand a lot of the distribution areas, such as into the bookstores and the trade markets and even the comic book shops. It's adding more diversity to the shelves, which is great."