Good morning friends. This is my first time writing one of these for a while so please be gentle with me as I stumble through this week’s news with you.
First up, Achewood! A webcomic that I am only tangentially aware of via the grace of being a person on the internet, has returned, exclusive to Patreon. A return, Chris Onstad, better known to many as the Achewood guy, credits in part to the use of generative AI. While Onstad’s decision to use AI is certainly a choice, his approach, which involved training the bot with his own work and takes into consideration the limitations of generative AI, feels like it might be the right way to do it. (No one quote me on that, I’m not an expert and all I really know is that he’s not stealing or profiting off of anyone else’s work and frankly, what he does with his own work is between him and the universe).
Viz Media has launched a brand new (and extremely affordable) manga reading app and subscription service. The service will host a wide range of manga from multiple publishers with 15 titles being simul-published in English alongside their Japanese releases. The app can be downloaded on both iOS and Android, however as far as I can tell it’s not yet available in the UK, but we have plenty to be getting on with with the shonen jump app.
Finally, for those of you feeling generous or who may know someone who is, Michelle Perez, author of The Pervert and former WWAC contributor, is trying to get out of Montana. Check out her GoFundMe, organized by Carta Monir, and see if you can help Michelle raise the funds to escape an increasingly untenable living situation and relocate to Michigan where she will be able to assist in the running of Diskette Press.
That’s all for this week. Take care of yourself out there.
