Thank your for voting in the first Rising Stars of Manga UK & Ireland competition. The voting is now closed.

If you missed out, you can still check out all the contestant’s fabulous entries and further RSOM updates on the RSOM profile page here. RSOM UK & Ireland will be available in bookstores April 2006.

The Rising Stars contest has been a huge success, being the first big break for a number of creators who now publish books at TOKYOPOP. Among the creators from RSOM 2 are Lindsey Cibos (Peach Fuzz), Wes Abbott (Dogby Walks Alone), Marty LeGrow (Bizenghast), Bettina Kurkowski (My Cat Loki). And in RSOM 3 there are even more—Nathan Mauer (Atomic King Daidogan), Felipe Smith (MBQ), Irene Flores and Ashly Raiti (Mark of the Succubus), Re:Play (Christy Lijewski). The list goes on and on. RSOM continues not only because it’s a very neat thing, but because it’s still the best place for us to scout new talent.

Now eight new mangaka have joined the ranks of Rising Stars. They thrilled us with dramatic tales, touched our hearts with poignant moments, and each have a bright future ahead of them. The full list of Rising Stars prizewinners and judges from RSOM UK & Ireland 2 will be available here.

Don’t forget, Rising Stars of Manga 7 (that’s the US competition) is wrapping up as we speak. Entries must be postmarked by January 12, 2007, so don’t delay and send yours today!