Formats and samples

From the inbox:

* Format diversity continues to spread among manga publishers, with VIZ Media announcing VIZBIG editions that collect three regular volumes in a slightly larger trim size book. The first series to get this treatment are "Rurouni Kenshin," "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z," all of which will be out in May with an expected price of $17.99. TOKYOPOP (what is it with manga publishers and all-caps company names?) has already jumped into this area with Ultimate Editions — large, thick hardcover editions — of series such as "Fruits Baskets" and "Battle Royale."

* One of the MySpace comics players I forgot to mention in my 2007 wrap was Boom! Studios, which launched this week its new title "North Wind" for free on MySpace the same week the print version arrives in comics shops. The book is written by David DiGilio, who penned the film “Eight Below” and created the ABC series “Traveler.”

* A sample chapter from “Waldo’s Hawaiian Vacation,” the upcoming graphic novel sequel to the cult 1984 pic “Repo Man,” is available on the web along with ordering info. The book, announced last summer, is written by Alex Cox, who wrote and directed the original film.