Japan’s popular comic books or “manga” will not be confined in bookstores, stands and comic stores anymore. Soon, comic fans will get them straight in their Wii.

Kadokawa, Kodansha, Shueisha and Shogakukan are Japan’s biggest names in comic book production and they are teaming up to bring the world’s first digital versions of their magazines to Nintendo’s Wii console.

These four companies partnered up with a Japanese based software manufacturer for this project called Librica. Through this, the four comic producers will be able to deliver their product through Wii Ware software channels.

The coalition of manga makers will also target other gaming platforms. According to reports, other manga manufacturers will also be invited to sell their comics thru this system once it is launched.

There is no confirmed date however as to when this service will start.

This arrangement will further boost Japan’s comic industry. The industry sales amounted to ¥481 billion (US$4.47 billion) in 2006. That sale is equivalent to 22 percent of the sales volume and 37 percent of copies of the entire magazine industry in Japan. Those numbers are decreasing in the past years and this venture, as experts sees it will greatly help the country’s comic industry.

Source: PC Mag