559:, blaming it on an ex-employee who allegedly took the artist's information. In turn, Saya made a public statement, voicing that she was easily able to be contacted via her website, that she had never received any payments from the company and that she would never work with Ironcat again. She also stated that Bennett "has no right to say this about his former employee. If they really wish to talk to me, my e-mail address is very easy to find because there were links from their former web page to mine."
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of
Ironcat, relieving Bennett of some leadership pressures, and at the same time causing a culture clash with some longtime employees and members of the Ironcat "family". Prellwitz's involvement in Ironcat led to a surge of activity and some optimism about the company's prospects. In late 2003, attorney and animation journalist Brett D. Rogers was brought on board by Bennett as an investor in the company and adviser to management.
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employee's payment from March 31 to July 3, followed in
September by back pay of only one-third of the $ 1,800 the employee claims to be owed. The records also indicate other former employees have not received some or all of their claimed back pay." ANN later reported both Brown and Johnson eventually received full back pay as of October 27, though it is unknown if anyone else had received their missing pay.
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From this point on, a slow exodus of staff departed the company. Between May and August 2003, several key personnel departed the company, with one of the biggest departures occurring on July 31 (though not reported until
October 6 of that year). Ten key employees departed, expressing grave personal
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On July 15, 1999, Kanzaki and
Bennett fired Kimura, bringing on Steve Bennett's brother Kevin Bennett and their father, Stephen Bennett III, as Ironcat executives. Upon Kimura's departure, an internal investigation took place, and while no conclusive amount was determined, an estimated $ 15,000 had
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In mid-2003, Ironcat received a bailout investment from aspiring author Rachel Ann
Prellwitz, who encouraged Bennett to redouble Ironcat's production of books and to expand its offerings to include furry comics. Now a partial owner of Ironcat, Prellwitz began taking an active role in the management
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and her studio, Studio DoDo. However, facing declining sales and a change in the company's focus, Antarctic Press decided to cancel all of their translated manga titles in late 1997, laying off several employees in the process. One of the employees let go from
Antarctic Press was head translator
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The company would have further turmoil when the elder
Bennett died in late 2000; he had been a key executive in the company and vital to the day-to-day operations. Shortly after Bennett's death, Kanzaki departed Studio Ironcat, taking the rights to his titles as well as the "Studio Ironcat" name
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On
January 28, 2005, Studio Ironcat closed operations and made a statement regarding this matter on their website. From that point, the Studio Ironcat website remained open with orders still being taken for present stock, but the site served as a clearing house for the remainder of Ironcat's
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On
October 6, 2003, Brown, Johnson, and Graphics Editor Ellen Ohlmacher gave an interview to ANN, accusing Bennett of denying pay to themselves and several other company employees. A follow-up report by ANN stated that "inancial documents obtained by ANN demonstrate a three-month gap in one
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Steve
Bennett litigated matters related to the decline and shutdown of Ironcat in the Virginia Court System in 2006. Cases against Ironcat and Bennett personally were dismissed "with prejudice," leaving Bennett free and clear and closing the book on Studio Ironcat.
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As Ironcat's finances deteriorated and internal politics began to leak to the public, the company gained a reputation as a hotbed of "chaos", filled with "high-school politics" amongst staffmembers. At one point the company held a "Save Ironcat" sale at the 2003
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The company, commonly referred to as "Ironcat", published under the Studio Ironcat, I.C. Entertainment and Fuzzy Kitten imprints. They also had an adult imprint, Sexy Fruit. Over the course of its lifespan, Studio Ironcat published over fifty titles.
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s creator, fell through. Gallagher would later write on the Megatokyo web site that the parting between him and Ironcat was amicable, though rumors had it that Bennett stated that Gallagher demanded more money for the license. However, many
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fans noted that Ironcat never shipped out many of their pre-orders for Vol. 1 and also insisted that fans pay in full for pre-orders on Vol. 2 when it had not even gone to press. Gallagher would eventually take Megatokyo to rival publisher
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by Kanzaki and the Bennetts, Office assistant Kathryn Hofer left in January 2000 due to lack of pay and bias treatment, Chief Graphics Designer and Copy Editor Mark Hofmann departed in June 2000, citing an issue with internal, "high-school"
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and frequently used company finances for personal expenses. The drain of funds was enough that the company ended up on shaky financial ground, and emptied Kanzaki (the primary financial backer)'s investment in the company.
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Entertainment". For the most part, rebranding the company as I.C. Entertainment was cosmetic, as the company was still referred to as "Ironcat" during this period. In 2002, the company expanded its lineup to include
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came too late to help Ironcat. Deep in debt and unable to obtain additional capital, Ironcat was forced to cease printing its current properties and to decline options to license promising manga titles.
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artists' contracts, and that when Ironcat failed to meet the timetable, the contracts were automatically voided. Afterwards, several artists publicly stated that they would not work with Ironcat again.
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307:, then moving on to a series of other books under its Studio Ironcat and Sexy Fruit imprints. The company signed up other well-known artists and titles, working to become a strong player in the
495:, released in January 2003, was a bonafide hit, with the entire first printing selling out. Ironcat prepared for the release of the second volume when the publishing deal between Ironcat and
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However, while Ironcat had expressed an interest in continuing the series, it would have been difficult as Senior Editor Kei Blue had departed the company in July, and fourteen other
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and professional disagreements with Steve Bennett, with charges of exploitation through unfair work practices and withheld pay. On August 15, 2003, Domestic Affairs Manager
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and lack of pay. Hofer's and Hofman's grievances would later prove to be tragically prophetic, as later employee departures would cite the same problems.
248:. The company was also known for regular turmoil within its wake, primarily during the years 2001–2003. One of these led to a period where the company
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Additionally, Ironcat began to have problems with some of their other artists. The deal with Dean fell through, with Dean opting not to publish
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For the first few years of business, things were running somewhat smoothly, but this changed in 1999, with the first major problem for Ironcat.
286:, who took several projects that had been in the planning stages to his new company, Studio Ironcat. Studio Ironcat was founded in 1997 by
417:, Senior Editor Stephanie Brown and Translator Duane Johnson, as well as four other employees, filed wage claims of over $ 7000 with the
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with Ironcat. A more public disagreement occurred when Bennett stated that Ironcat could not contact Japanese artist Saya, creator of
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magazine had become the focal point of Ironcat's products and a modest hit, boasting a subscription of 600 subscribers. However, at
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would go on hiatus, and that it was awaiting responses from the represented artists before proceeding with plans for future issues.
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artists followed suit. Blue told ANN that a clause specifying a timetable for product release and payment was included in the
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been allegedly stolen by Kimura from Ironcat coffers. However, no charges were filed against Kimura, who returned to Japan.
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contest and compilation. This was brought about by Ironcat's biggest coup, obtaining the publishing licenses for
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and Stephen R. Bennett IV. The new company started publication in January of the following year by releasing the
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published stock. On January 12, 2006, a notice was placed on the front page that the catalog was being sent to a
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published several translated manga series, including Vampire Miyu and several miniseries by
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for final dissolution of remaining stock. The site is now closed.
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By mid-2002, the decision was made to get into the growing
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Comic book publishing companies of the United States
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968:Frederick M. Gallagher III (June 30, 2023).
669:(Ironcat's flagship title for several years)
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879:"IC Entertainment Panel at Anime Usa 2002"
699:(Magazine which serialized various series)
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951:"Otakon - I.C. Entertainment Woes - 2003"
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318:Embezzlement and departure of co-founders
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
1138:Publishing companies established in 1997
995:"It's Official: Megatokyo To Dark Horse"
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222:was a small publishing company based in
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783:(Ironcat's best-known SexyFruit title)
627:(from which the company took its name)
379:International Comics and Entertainment
45:Please improve this article by adding
1047:"Ironcat titles delayed indefinitely"
583:comics. However, only one volume of
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1082:at the Comic Book DB (archived from
806:(Japanese title: いや！, Released 2002)
614:Comics, listed by imprint, include:
571:In late 2004, Ironcat signed artist
905:Mays, Jonathan (November 3, 2003).
373:Name change and employee departures
250:did business under a different name
1153:2006 disestablishments in Virginia
929:Mays, Jonathan (October 6, 2003).
610:Titles published by Studio Ironcat
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1143:Companies disestablished in 2006
1108:Steve Bennett's official website
828:(Released 1999, by Ippongi Bang)
747:(Released 1998, by Ippongi Bang)
587:was released under this banner.
458:and made notable at the time by
422:Department of Labor and Industry
365:itself (having been named after
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1148:1997 establishments in Virginia
850:(Released 2002, by Senno Knife)
524:By June of that year, however,
812:(Licensed, but never released)
454:trend pioneered by competitor
226:, dedicated to publication of
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47:secondary or tertiary sources
931:"Strife at IC Entertainment"
1009:"Studio Ironcat Shuts Down"
16:American publishing company
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970:"relax, we understand j00"
618:Ironcat/I.C. Entertainment
520:magazine and author strife
403:and horror titles such as
367:his manga of the same name
637:New Vampire Princess Miyu
575:, licensing her webcomic
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997:. ICv2. August 29, 2003.
658:(Released 2002, by Saya)
385:, or a change to evoke "
224:Fredericksburg, Virginia
190:Fredericksburg, Virginia
135:2003 Studio Ironcat logo
907:"Inside Studio Ironcat"
709:My Code Name is Charmer
352:During the post-Kimura
34:relies excessively on
1075:Grand Comics Database
957:on November 21, 2008.
632:Vampire Princess Miyu
465:Rising Stars of Manga
300:Vampire Princess Miyu
1055:. December 23, 2003.
1035:on January 15, 2006.
1017:. February 1, 2005.
887:. October 15, 2002.
840:(Released 2003, by
818:(Released 1998, by
796:(Released 2000, by
735:(Released 1997, by
687:(Released 2002, by
273:From 1993 to 1997,
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1133:Manga distributors
1052:Anime News Network
1014:Anime News Network
936:Anime News Network
912:Anime News Network
884:Anime News Network
826:Bang's Sexplosion
752:Hanaukyo Maid Team
666:Futaba-kun Change!
642:The Vampire Dahlia
563:Attempted comeback
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511:Dark Horse Comics
305:Narumi Kakinouchi
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977:. Retrieved
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769:Namir Deiter
764:Fuzzy Kitten
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737:Ippongi Bang
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722:Mantis Woman
713:The Wanderer
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979:October 15,
854:Heart Core
838:I Love You
798:Senno Knife
689:Hiroshi Aro
674:Panku Ponk!
662:Dragon Wars
652:Crusher Joe
647:Vampire Yui
476:Maelyn Dean
395:shōjo manga
291:Kuni Kimura
284:Kumi Kimura
230:and later,
211:Ironcat.com
163:Kuni Kimura
1117:Categories
1064:References
727:Hyper Doll
696:Amerimanga
600:liquidator
545:AmeriManga
541:AmeriManga
534:AmeriManga
526:AmeriManga
518:AmeriManga
501:Megatokyo'
486:AmeriManga
452:Amerimanga
232:Amerimanga
145:Publishing
69:newspapers
36:references
1104:(archive)
974:MegaTokyo
793:Bizzarian
774:SexyFruit
704:MegaTokyo
553:Real Life
530:AnimeNEXT
506:Megatokyo
493:Megatokyo
481:Real Life
471:Megatokyo
444:Megatokyo
303:manga by
237:Megatokyo
213:(archive)
99:June 2010
624:Iron Cat
460:TOKYOPOP
419:Virginia
415:Kei Blue
342:Thailand
324:industry
242:webcomic
197:Products
141:Industry
1080:Ironcat
1073:at the
1071:Ironcat
804:Oh My!
732:Doctor!
327:website
311:genre.
264:History
207:Website
177:Defunct
159:Founder
151:Founded
83:scholar
757:No Bra
434:Otakon
201:Comics
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862:Notes
848:Eden
338:Japan
334:fraud
228:manga
90:JSTOR
76:books
981:2023
474:and
387:Iron
180:2006
154:1997
62:news
478:'s
462:'s
390:Cat
383:DBA
252:as
38:to
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