Konjiki no Gash!! author sues Shogakukan
TBS news reports that Konjiki no Gash!! author Raiku Makoto has sued publisher Shogakukan for 3.3 million yen (US$33,000) in damages for losing the original copies of several pieces of colour art. The reason for having sued for the amount mentioned is because the pieces have artistic value.
Original colour art for Gash has sold for 354,000 yen (US$3540) and 164,000 yen (US$1640) when Raiku gave his art for a charity auction, so the amount is probably based on that.
Raiku had said 2 weeks earlier that he’ll never work with Shounen Sunday again after Gash ended and would reveal his reasons soon, I guess this was what he was talking about.
Update: Raiku has updated his blog with all the details of the lawsuit, which includes details of how badly the Shogakukan editors treat their manga authors.
June 7th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Zepy, this news shocked me. ;A; And I always thought that Shogakukan treated their writers well, especially in Sunday since you have veterans like Adachi and Takahashi in it. To consider that one of their once stronger mangakas was treated like this saddens me. ;A; And here I was looking forward to Raiku-sensei’s mangas with Sunday.
I hope things get settled for him and probably switched to a new publisher who will treat him well.
June 7th, 2008 at 4:28 am
It’s only his point of view and he might have imagining the facts he was treat badly while taking opportunity his editor lost his colored pages (which is a common lawsuit tactic). And honestly, he doesn’t draw that well to sue his editor for the lost of some pages…
Moreover, it’s irrevelant to base the value of his drawings on a charity auction since people tend to pay more …for the charity.