Me: First of all I would like to thank Dallas Middaugh for taking some time out of his busy schedual to do this interview with me.  Mr. Middaugh, would you mind telling everyone a little bit about yourself and what you do?

Dallas: I’m the director of manga for Del Rey. Basically, I’m in charge of selecting the manga we publish, overseeing the editorial process, and consulting with the sales and marketing departments as needed.


Me: What are some of the things you did before you joined Del Rey?

Dallas: I worked at Viz as the director of sales and marketing for about 2-1/2 years. For the six years prior to that, I worked at Prima Games. Prima is a video game strategy guide publisher, and I did a lot of different jobs while I was there. I was an editor, mostly of strategy guides (although I did edit Gerard Jones epic history of American comics, The Comic Book Heroes, as well). I worked on the web site for a bit. But for most of my time there, I handled licensing.

I also did some work last year as a producer on Tenchi Muyo GXP for Funimation. Mainly, I coordinated between Del Casher’s sound studio, California Digital Post (who hired David Walsh to direct the voice work) and Funimation. That was in between my Viz and Del Rey work, during which time I did some sales representation for two graphic novel companies as well.


Me: Is there any particular reason you left Viz to join Del Rey?

Dallas: I didn’t leave Viz specifically to join Del Rey. I started freelancing in early 2003 and did some sales work with Oni Press and Slave Labor Graphics to help expand their presence in bookstores. I also did that production work that I mentioned. It was about six months after I left Viz that I was approached by Del Rey.


Me: How would you say the release of Del Rey's first manga books were received?
Were they loved by all or despised?

Dallas: If I have to choose just one, I’ll go with “loved by all”! In all seriousness, the books were well-received. They sold well, were reviewed well, and generated mostly positive comments in the message boards that I visited. There were criticisms, of course, and we’ve done our best to address them in subsequent releases.


Me: Out of all the series you've released so far, which series has been the most
loved by everyone and/or which one was the best selling title so far?

Dallas: Our top title, without a doubt, has been Tsubasa, although Negima has been a very close second. Tsubasa is a lot of fun, and it represents CLAMP at the top of their game. Holic and Gundam SEED have done quite well, also, but Tsubasa and Negima are two of the top-selling manga in the country.


Me: Out of all the titles Del Rey released, which is YOUR favorite?!

Dallas: It’s a close call, but xxxHOLiC probably edges out the rest for me personally. I really enjoy CLAMP’s characters, humor, and storytelling style. The art in Holic (which is how we refer to it at Del Rey and Kodansha) is stunning. The line work is detailed and the art is black and white – there are very few shades of grey. Other manga use tone and shading to great effect, and CLAMP manages in Holic to not use them, also to great effect.


Me: Outside of Del Rey's manga, is there a particular manga series that you love to read
and can never get enough of?

Dallas: This could be quite a list, so I’ll just hit the highlights. Planetes can’t come out fast enough as far I’m concerned. Tezuka’s Phoenix and Adolf are up there along with Miyazki’s Nausicaa. Rurouni Kenshin, One Piece, and Naruto are great fun, and I’ve always enjoyed Lone Wolf and Cub and Battle Angel Alita. I could go on, but this list would get a little long...


Me: Does Del Rey have any upcoming titles that you can tell us about?

Dallas: Our next two titles are The Wallflower (Yamatonadeshiko Shichihenge) and Othello, both excellent, hilarious shojo manga. Wallflower is laugh-out-loud funny – it’s the story of one girl and four guys, all living in the same house together. The guys are the most beautiful bishonen on campus, and they’ve been offered their room and board for free, but only if they can turn Sunako into a proper young lady. And Sunako, who is dark, moody, and obsessed with horror films, isn’t exactly eager...

Othello is the story of Nana and Yaya. One is a meek high school girl that bullies like to push around, but who has a secret life on the weekends doing cosplay in Yoyogi Park. The other is a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of girl who won’t stand to be pushed around by anyone. The twist is that they’re actually the same person. It’s a funny, dramatic series that I hope fans will enjoy reading.

I will confess that I’ve acquired another three titles, but it will be a few more weeks before I can announce those!

Me: Before you had released any manga titles news hit that Ken Akamatsu's manga
"Negima" was going to be censored and there was a huge protest about that. Can you tell us how that made you feel, and how it effected Del Rey's desision to not censor "Negima?"

Dallas: I’m opposed to editing manga personally, and my feeling is that if we can’t publish a title unedited, we shouldn’t be publishing it. This is the general feeling at Del Rey now, and it was the Negima discussion that really crystallized our views. So in a weird way, I’m kind of glad it happened.

Of course, a publisher can never say never. It does happen on occasion that an ongoing manga just suddenly shifts direction in way that no one could have anticipated. It’s happened to other publishers, and I hope it doesn’t happen to us, but you never really know for sure.

Me: Since you released "Negima" uncut have you gotten any complaints about the
series from people who found the content to be offensive?

Dallas: No, we haven’t.


Me: Do you watch anime?

Dallas: I do! Although I read manga a lot more than I watch anime.


Me: What is your favorite series?

Dallas: I can watch any Miyazaki film over and over again, and I often do. Because Laputa was how I was introduced to anime, that will always be one of my favorites.


Me: You were one of the main team player's when it came to putting together "Shonen Jump" right?  Now that you've left Viz, are you going to be creating any more manga anthologies ("Shoujo Monthly" maybe)?

Dallas: We have no immediate plans to do so.


Me: Do you have any idea of where manga will be in five to ten years from now?

Dallas: I believe the audience for manga will continue to grow substantially over the next five to ten years. I see a lot of growth in the short term, but also a lot of generational growth. I mean, think about it – a lot of manga readers today are in their teens, and in ten years, many of them will be starting families. What do parents buy for their kids to read? The same things they read growing up. So I think we’ll continue to see the market grow as more and more people understand that manga is a great way to tell stories – for children or adults!

Me: After learning of all you've accomplished in your carrear are there any
future projects you have planned that you would like to share with us?

Dallas: Ah... that would be telling! Talk to me again in a couple of weeks!

The above interview is © Kevin T. Rodriguez, and the interview cannot be reprinted in whole or in part without permission.
All rights reserved.