Studio Proteus
Toren Smith moved to Japan in 1986 to license manga for American publication. He had previously made arrangements with Eclipse Comics to provide the necessary publishing support. Studio Proteus was designed as a packager that delivered completed materials to existing publishers. The company handled choice, acquisition, and production of translation and lettering before delivering pages to the publisher. Smith preferred working on a profit-sharing basis because he believed it created greater responsibility on both sides. He also insisted on shared ownership of derivative copyright to save his company in the future. By the early nineties, Studio Proteus worked with three major publishers: Eclipse Comics, Innovation Publishing, and Dark Horse. Work with Eclipse began within months of Smith's first trip to Japan. When Eclipse stopped accepting new manga slots, Smith attended San Diego Comic-Con in 1988. There he licensed Johji Manabe's Outlanders to the fledgling Dark Horse Comics. After meeting fantasy writer Raymond E. Feist for dinner that evening, Smith received advice about selling the comic. Feist told him not to describe how good the work was but instead explain how much money they would make. The following day Smith sold Outlanders to Dark Horse and Yuzo Takada's 3×3 Eyes to Innovation.
Studio Proteus operated from the beginning with quality as its primary directive. Smith refused to work from photocopies of published books and instead shot directly from original art. Award-winning comics letterer Thomas Orzechowski developed techniques for retouching sound effects. These methods were later refined by Japanese manga artist Tomoko Saito. All translators possessed over a decade of experience and had written books, magazine articles, or fiction outside their translation work. Page rates for Studio Proteus letterers and translators stood as the highest in the industry. They also received royalties, a practice unique to Studio Proteus at the time. In some cases, original covers were commissioned directly from the manga artists themselves. This commitment to high standards resulted in numerous awards including Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards and Parent's Choice Awards. The company collected accolades for titles such as What's Michael? and Blade of the Immortal. Over fifteen years, Smith produced seventy thousand pages of manga while maintaining these rigorous production values.
The black and white comics boom imploded in 1988, ending a grace period for early manga publishers. Both Viz and Studio Proteus experimented with wide varieties of manga genres during this time. When the market tightened, only titles appealing to the core comic book store market survived. The crash of the direct sales market in the middle nineties hit the manga business hard again. By the time the market reorganized, only one distributor remained: Diamond Distributors. Over half of all comic stores in America closed their doors due to financial difficulties. Nearly one third of all manga titles were canceled because of lack of sales. Continuing difficulty in getting trade paperback collections into bookstores left manga stalled in the marketplace for several years. Studio Proteus responded by streamlining its production process. They began working with smaller bookstore distributors who viewed manga as a valuable percentage of their total sales. The slump in the late 1990s affected sales across all American manga publishers. Attempts to create manga anthology magazines like Tokyopop Magazine or Animerica Extra proved mostly unsuccessful loss-leaders. Super Manga Blast offered Smith an opportunity to bring readers in via known popular titles while introducing them to different works.
In February 2004, Dark Horse Comics announced it purchased the publication rights to Studio Proteus translations. Reports widely claimed they bought the company itself, but this was erroneous. Toren Smith stayed on as an adviser and translator for selected titles until 2006 when he left completely. In a 2004 interview with The Comics Journal, Smith explained his reasons for selling the company he founded. He stated he was burning out after producing seventy thousand pages over fifteen years. He noted that Tokyopop put out more in a single month than he had produced in his entire career. The manga business moved beyond his league as it became big corporate business. Publishers such as Del Rey and DC entered the market while Japanese companies treated American operations seriously. Smith commented that moving ahead would require him to become more of a corporate type which was not for him. The last manga produced by Studio Proteus staff in flipped format was Blade of the Immortal #131 in November 2007. This made it the longest-running manga ever published in the American format before shifting to graphic-novel-only format.
Despite relatively small output compared to major manga publishers, Studio Proteus collected numerous awards. What's Michael? won the New York Library Book Award in 1991. Blade of the Immortal received
the Will Eisner Comics Industry Award in 2000. Lone Wolf and Cub earned multiple honors including the Harvey Awards in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Akira secured the Will Eisner Comics Industry Award in 2002 alongside Best Archival Collection/Project recognition. The Legend of Mother Sarah won the Parent's Choice Award in 1995. Anywhere But Here appeared on Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten list in 2005. Super Manga Blast received both Harvey and Eisner nominations for its anthology efforts. These accolades validated the company's commitment to literary merit over commercial volume. Even with limited resources, Smith managed to publish works that resonated deeply with critics and readers alike. His dedication to quality production ensured that many titles achieved lasting cultural significance within the American comic book landscape.
Common questions
When did Toren Smith move to Japan to license manga for Studio Proteus?
Toren Smith moved to Japan in 1986 to license manga for American publication. He had previously made arrangements with Eclipse Comics to provide the necessary publishing support.
Which publishers did Studio Proteus work with by the early nineties?
By the early nineties, Studio Proteus worked with three major publishers: Eclipse Comics, Innovation Publishing, and Dark Horse. Work with Eclipse began within months of Smith's first trip to Japan.
What unique payment practices did Studio Proteus implement for its translators and letterers?
Page rates for Studio Proteus letterers and translators stood as the highest in the industry. They also received royalties, a practice unique to Studio Proteus at the time.
Did Dark Horse Comics purchase Studio Proteus itself when they bought the rights in February 2004?
Reports widely claimed they bought the company itself, but this was erroneous. Dark Horse Comics announced it purchased the publication rights to Studio Proteus translations in February 2004.
How many pages of manga did Toren Smith produce over fifteen years for Studio Proteus?
Over fifteen years, Smith produced seventy thousand pages of manga while maintaining these rigorous production values. He stated he was burning out after producing seventy thousand pages over fifteen years.