Publishers Weekly is reporting that Viz Media is moving closer to near-simultaneous English and Japanese manga publication, although English-language readers will be limited to the digital format. Viz is planning to launch Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha, a "weekly digital serialized manga anthology", in January of 2012. The digital anthology will eventually replace Shonen Jump (its print-media equivalent), which will be phased out by March.

This news will come as a blow for readers who prefer their manga printed on actual paper, but it should also come as a boon for people who hate waiting, as the turnaround for Japanese-to-English publication will now be a mere two weeks.

Labels: ebooks, manga