Massive Goods

Massive Goods
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded2013
Founders
FateOn hiatus (as of June 2019)
Headquarters
New York, NY
,
United States
Area served
ProductsGay manga, clothing
Websitemassive-goods.com

Massive Goods (or simply Massive) is a fashion brand and manga publisher. The company works with LGBTQ and feminist comic artists in Japan, particularly gay manga (bara) artists, to create products featuring their artwork, and English-language translations of their works.

History

Massive was founded in 2013 by Anne Ishii and Graham Kolbeins concurrent with the release of The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame: Master of Gay Erotic Manga (Picturebox), the first English-language publication of works by Gengoroh Tagame, which Ishii and Kolbeins co-edited with Chip Kidd.[1] Massive first released a line of t-shirts featuring artwork by Tagame and Jiraiya,[2] which gained popularity in the LGBTQ hip-hop scene.[3]

On June 7, 2019, Massive went on hiatus. While the company continues to fulfill online orders, it is not presently planning new product launches or events.[4]

Fashion

In partnership with other brands, Massive has launched several fashion and accessory lines, primarily featuring Jiraiya's artwork. In June 2014, Massive, Jiraiya, and Opening Ceremony launched a product line to commemorate Pride Month which featured apparel, accessories, and a Tenga sex toy.[3][5] That same year, Mission Chinese Food and Massive released a t-shirt collaboration, also featuring art by Jiraiya.[6] A second collaboration with Opening Ceremony and Jiraiya, "Power-Up Massive", launched in 2015,[7][8] along with a line of swim briefs with artwork by Jiraiya created by Pretty Snake, the fashion brand founded by Project Runway contestant Joe Segal.[9]

Publishing

In December 2014, Fantagraphics published Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It, the first English-language anthology of gay manga.[10] Co-edited by Ishii, Kolbeins, and Kidd, Massive was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Anthology.[11]

Massive has published several English-language translations of dōjinshi, including Cretian Cow by Gengoroh Tagame,[12] and Caveman Guu and Two Hoses by Jiraiya.[12][13]

In 2016, Massive co-produced with Koyama Press an English-language translation of What is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good For Nothing Artist and her Pussy, a graphic novel memoir by Rokudenashiko.[14] The memoir was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.[15] That same year, Massive began work with Pantheon Books on the English-language translation of My Brother's Husband, Gengoroh Tagame's first all-ages manga.[16] The first volume in the series, translated by Ishii, won an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.[17]

Massive Gay Manga, a publishing imprint set to launch under Bruno Gmünder Verlag in 2017, was cancelled following the dissolution of the company.[18]

Artists represented

Publications

References

  1. ^ Randle, Chris (December 31, 2014). "Size Matters: An Interview With Anne Ishii". The Hairpin. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  2. ^ Girl, Galore (June 27, 2014). "PRIDE: Anne Ishii of MASSIVE on Jiraiya Opening Ceremony Collection". Galore. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Trebay, Guy (June 23, 2014). "Opening Ceremony Turns to Manga Comic Artist for Gay Pride Week". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Dear MASSIVE Family". Instagram (@massivegay). June 7, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  5. ^ Torres, Eric (June 20, 2014). "Massive for Opening Ceremony". Gayletter. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  6. ^ Kolbeins, Graham (November 24, 2014). "MASSIVE x Mission Chinese Food". Gay Manga!. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  7. ^ Penzlein, Isabel Asha (June 24, 2015). "Power-Up Massive". Opening Ceremony. Retrieved September 3, 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Kolbeins, Graham (June 24, 2015). "MASSIVE for Opening Ceremony Summer '15 Lookbook". Gay Manga!. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Kolbeins, Graham (December 4, 2015). "MASSIVE x Pretty Snake". Gay Manga!. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  10. ^ Nichols, James (February 2, 2015). "'Massive: Gay Erotic Manga And The Men Who Make It,' Chronicles Gay Japanese Manga". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Asselin, Janelle (April 22, 2015). "2015 Eisner Award Nominations Announced". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c "Caveman Guu". Printed Matter. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "TWO HOSES by Jiraiya". Massive Goods. February 14, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Kirby, Robert (April 28, 2016). "What Is Obscenity? The Story of a Good for Nothing Artist and Her Pussy". The Comics Journal. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  15. ^ Schaub, Michael (February 22, 2017). "L.A. Times Book Prize finalists include Zadie Smith and Rep. John Lewis; Thomas McGuane will be honored". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  16. ^ Green, Scott (September 25, 2016). "Massive Goods Teams Up With Pantheon For Omnibus Of Canadian-Set "My Brother's Husband"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  17. ^ McMillan, Graeme (July 21, 2018). "2018 Eisner Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  18. ^ Iddamsetty, Anshuman (February 6, 2019). "The Asian Gay Thing". Vanguard (Podcast). Shopify Studios. Event occurs at 15:40. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "Cretian Cow by Gengoroh Tagame". Massive Goods. 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  20. ^ "Gengoroh Tagame Sketchbook". Massive Goods. October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.