Steve Bennett of Dark Star Books in Yellow Springs, Ohio asks a question we're also curious about concerning the MIA W.I.T.C.H. comic series from Disney:

In one of those strange coincidences (Identity Crisis /Identity Disc anyone?) we're prone to in the world of comics, Marvel shipped The Witches the same week DC/Vertigo released The Witching, which started me thinking about another 'witch' title currently missing in action.  I'm talking about Disney's W.I.T.C.H., first launched in Italy in April 2001 and since then this manga styled story of five girls with magic powers has been a hit literally all over the world (it's clearly had more than a little influence on The W.I.N.X. Club, animated series from Europe currently running on Fox Kids) - except America.  So when it was announced on line W.I.T.C.H. was finally coming here, I looked forward to being able to place copies in our ever growing manga section.

I waited until I started to think the books release had been pushed back, then learned the series had launched on schedule, just not as comics.  Although that format was a proved success, it was decided instead to release the series here as prose young adults novels with a 16-page comics insert.  And while I'm sure I'll hear a full-throated 'Big deal' from some retailers, I assure you it is very much a big deal for Dark Star.  First, because here we sell an ever increasing amount of comics to an ever growing audience of girls and we'd been denied an opportunity to sell more.  Secondly, but just as importantly, because clearly the misguided thinking behind this move at Disney was 'girls don't read comics' - which will come as a tremendous surprise to the people at Tokyopop.