Apeiros World Odyssey - December 2025 Update
It's been a while...
Hello all,
It’s been some time since a real post on Substack, 2025 hasn’t been without its own unique challenges, adventures, and doubling down on grinding out the work on Apeiros World Odyssey.
So while progress slowed, we hadn’t stopped. Deciding to put all the focus these past couple of months on redoing a few of the chapters/story and rethinking my understanding of manga...
A decision that was greatly influenced by this book:
The tl;dr - My Xerox Parc Moment
Kazuhiko Torishima was the 6th Editor-in-Chief of the world’s most popular manga magazine... Shonen Jump at Shueisha, the publisher of the magazine. And also the man directly responsible for discovering Akira Toriyama from a contest Toriyama entered on a whim and who obviously came to create the world’s most influential manga series that broke through to introduce Japanese manga and culture to the world at large in a mainstream way.
I mention this because I wanted to learn EXACTLY how my predecessors in this space (Japanese artists and publishers) think and approach the art form. Had I had this book back in 2022/23 (the english version only released this year) I would have approached Apeiros World ‘very differently’ and so I pivoted on some things to align with the most purist way of manga.
Eventually I’ll do an in-depth review of the book at some point.
Since manga and anime have become mainstream (like Hip-Hop), there’s some dilution in the sense of “what truly is or isn’t” manga. Something Torishima touches on throughout Ultimate Manga Techniques.
What gives this book a strong placement above many other “How-to Draw Manga” books is that this one gives the perspective of not just an EIC of a large publisher, but the Japanese cultural mindset that breaks down the fundamentals of manga. Not just a bunch of ‘subjective’ artistic choices.
Yes, I’m aware Bakuman exists...but like I mentioned, this book covers the fundamentals in a more practical way than in Bakuman.
Volume 01 Status
Now that you all know why things have been radio silent due to the mini ‘training arc’ I’m wrapping up the final details on this last chapter that has come to be my favorite so far and that I hope to have it out to you all ASAP after the changes to the lettering and typesetting has been completed.
We’re still going at a good pace to close out this final chapter while juggling the other demands and responsibilities of life, so we thank you all for your patience and support so far. It hasn’t gone unnoticed or unappreciated and will be rewarded when things are ready for a full-blown announcements on ETA. (Yes, this means 2026 😣)
Lorecraft Podcast
During this time I’ve been working diligently on a new podcast with my brilliant co-host Ava Do. We cover topics such as creativity, entrepreneurship, writing and storytelling; and interviewing other creatives to learn their perspectives and backgrounds. So please give a view, like, follow, and share!
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More cool things on the way. Thank you all,
~Doni
Dope update!! Excited to see what all the hard work is creating!