It’s time to play Matchgame! Let’s meet our contestants!  Seven Seas Entertainment has teamed up with big publisher Tor books according to this press release. The company will release licensed, and original manga as well as light novels under the Seven Seas imprint beginning in March 2008.

Of course, this alliance is nothing new in the manga world. Big “respectable” publishers seems to be looking for ways to get in on the manga revolution. Tokyopop and Harper Collins made a mutually beneficial deal. Del Rey created it’s own division, as did the Hachette Book Group, which created Yen Press.  All these pubs license manga of course.  But there seems to be more going on here.  Both Del Rey and Yen Press will be publishing original manga as well. Tokyopop, of course, led the way for OEL. By teaming up with Seven Seas, which initially started as an original content only publisher, Tor can jump into this market with a ready made imprint.

Is this a new trend now? Do publishers see a future in original content manga? Del Rey announced a new series based on the popular novel series “Odd Thomas”. Yen Press has promised to premiere an anthology of original and licensed content by the next San Diego Comic Con. Tokyopop hit it big with their Warriors manga based on the young adult series by Erin Hunter, and has another hit with Vampire Kisses, also based on an YA series. Is adapting novels to manga finally catching on here?  I hope so. Despite what so many other people think, I like OEL manga, and do want to see more.  It will be interesting to see what Tor has in store.

Also, if this means Seven Seas will start getting more of their books out (I’m talking to you Jason DeAngelis. Finish Captain Nemo!) then I’m all for any alliance!