COMIKET PRESS

COMIKET PRESS is a twice-yearly zine edited and published by the Junbikai, the group of fans that organize the doujinshi convention Comiket. A new issue is published upon every edition of Comiket; the most recent issue is COMIKET PRESS 35. The zine is published only in print format and sold during Comiket for 100 yen. Circles who buy an application form to participate in a next edition of Comiket receive a free copy of the most recent COMIKET PRESS issue.
Yoshihiro Yonezawa, one of the founders of Comiket and longtime representative of the Junbikai, described the purpose of COMIKET PRESS as follows:
"COMIKET PRESS was created to establish a bridge between the Junbikai, which was said to be rather faceless, and circles. Comiket Appeal contains concrete rules, warnings and information, while the Comiket catalog was conceived as a guidebook for the days of the convention. Both are basically the Junbikai telling people things, but PRESS was intended as a forum where everyone can communicate on the same level."「コミケットプレスは、顔が見えないと言われていたコミケット準備会とサークルの間を繋ぐ目的で創られました。アピールが具体的なルールや注意・情報を伝えるものであり、カタログが当日の案内と注意を中心にしたものであり、準備会側から一方的に発信されていたとしたら、プレスは相互の関係の中でコミュニケーションをとることを目的としていました。」 Yoshihiro Yonezawa, quoted in Yokogawa, Shun (横川俊), ed. 2006. COMIKET PRESS soushuuhen 4 (COMIKET PRESS 総集編 4). COMIKET PRESS soushuuhen (COMIKET PRESS 総集編) 4. P2.
COMIKET PRESS is not to be confused with ComiPress, an unrelated fan-run anime and manga news site that was active from 2006 to 2009 and frequently discussed doujinshi-related topics.
==History==
The first number of COMIKET PRESS was published at the 47th edition of Comiket, in December 1994. Before COMIKET PRESS, the Junbikai published various other information materials since the establishment of Comiket in 1975. To date, 35 issues of COMIKET PRESS have been published, along with several collected editions of back numbers and popular sections.
==Contents==
The zine contains information about Comiket and about the making of doujinshi, meta about more general fannish topics that are relevant for doujinshi fans, and humorous doujinshi-related manga and texts. With the exception of the latter, which could be characterized as fanworks about fandom, COMIKET PRESS does not contain fanworks. Most of the texts and manga in COMIKET PRESS are created by the Junbikai, guest contributors, and anonymous assistants that are affectionately referred to as "the elves" (小人, kobito).
Several recurring sections have appeared in multiple numbers of COMIKET PRESS with varying amounts of regularity. These sections include:
*Hataraku Ojisan (はたらくおぢさん, Men at Work), a long-running manga about the trials and tribulations of the non-fannish support staff who play a vital role during every edition of Comiket, such as security guards, railway personnel, cleaning staff, and delivery people.
*Hito to shite (人として, Being human), a how-to section that talks about various practical things a doujinka may want to do, like corresponding with English-speaking buyers, organizing a convention of their own, making a kopiihon, and so on.
*Janru shoukai (ジャンル紹介, Introduction to a genre). Self-explanatory.
*Sutaffu oshigoto shokai (スタッフお仕事紹介, Introduction to the staff's work). Explanations about the tasks of various kinds of volunteer staff. (These are not to be confused with the staff profiled in Hataraku Ojisan, who are paid non-fannish staff not employed by Comiket itself.)
*Q&A (Questions and answers). The Junbikai answers questions sent in by fans about the running of Comiket, doujinshi in general, and so on.
*Komiketto topikkusu (コミケットトピックス, Comiket topics). Brief summaries (a few sentences) of the latest must-know developments in various areas relevant to doujinka, for instance the running of Comiket, legislation relevant to doujinshi, media incidents, and so on.
*Ankeeto (アンケート, Surveys). Surveys are routinely held among circles, staff, and other Comiket participants, about a wide variety of topics from the genders of participants to how much money circles earn or (more commonly) lose by participating in Comiket. The results of surveys are published in each Comiket catalog as well as in COMIKET PRESS.
*Katarogu shucchouban (カタログ出張版, Official tour of the catalog), another Q&A section.
Besides the recurring section, every number of COMIKET PRESS also contains multiple longer articles about one specific topic. The special focus topics range from general fannish issues to Comiket-specific problems and important news. For instance, recent issues have focused repeatedly on the "Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths" and that law's potential effects on doujinshi fans.
==List of Comiket Press numbers and their special focus topics==
The following is a list of all individual Comiket Press numbers published to date, with their publication dates, editions of Comiket at which they were published, and special focus topics.The transliterations and English translations in brackets are not official.
*COMIKET PRESS 1, December 1994 (C47). 自主規制 (Jishukisei. Self-regulation)
*COMIKET PRESS 2, August 1995 (C48). コミケット２０周年 (Komiketto 20shunen. 20 Years of Comiket)
*COMIKET PRESS 3, December 1995 (C49). 新会場・東京ビッグサイト (Shinkaijo: Tokyo Biggu Saito. Our new location: Tokyo Big Sight)
*COMIKET PRESS 4, August 1996 (C50). どーする？徹夜組 (Do suru? Tetsuyagumi. What to do about people who camp out the night before the con?)
*COMIKET PRESS 5, December 1996 (C51). コスプレの裏側見せます (Kosupure no uragawa misemasu. We'll show you the dark side of cosplay)
*COMIKET PRESS 6, August 1997 (C52). 有明RETURNS!/コミケマナー (Ariake ritaanzu!/Komike manaa. Ariake returns!/Comiket manners)
*COMIKET PRESS 7, December 1997 (C53). ～いい付き合いしてますか～　印刷会社 (Ii tsukiai shitemasuka? Insatsugaisha. So, how do you get along with printing companies?)
*COMIKET PRESS 8, August 1998 (C54). コミケットの事務作業 (Komiketto no jimusagyo. Comiket's administration)
*COMIKET PRESS 9, December 1998 (C55).コミケットの基礎知識 (Komiketto no kisochishiki. Basic facts about Comiket)
*COMIKET PRESS 10, August 1999 (C56). 税金対策マニュアル (Zeikin taisaku manyuaru. How to deal with taxes)
*COMIKET PRESS 11, December 1999 (C57). 踊る印刷会社 (Odoru insatsugaisha. Dancing printing companies)
*COMIKET PRESS 12, August 2000 (C58). 著作権ってなんだろう？ (Chosakuken tte nan daro? So what is copyright?)
*COMIKET PRESS 13, December 2000 (C59). スタッフの天国な地獄な一日１ (Sutaffu no tengoku na jigoku na ichinichi 1. Staffers' day in heaven and hell, part 1)
*COMIKET PRESS 14, August 2001 (C60). スタッフの天国な地獄な一日２ (Sutaffu no tengoku na jigoku na ichinichi 2. Staffers' day in heaven and hell, part 2)
*COMIKET PRESS 15, December 2001 (C61). MR名人達人編 (Manrepo meijin tatsujin hen. Manrepo masters and experts)
*COMIKET PRESS 16, August 2002 (C62). コミケのそこにある危機 (Komike no soko ni aru kiki. Comiket crisis moments)
*COMIKET PRESS 17, December 2002 (C63). 好きになちゃった・海外イベント (Suki ni nachatta: kaigai ibento. How we learned to love conventions overseas)
*COMIKET PRESS 18, August 2003 (C64). なぜなぜ？どーして？企業ブース (Naze naze? Doushite? Kigyou buusu. Why, why? Why are there company booths at Comiket?)
*COMIKET PRESS 19, December 2003 (C65). 52000人の本音 (52000nin no honne. 52000 voices speak out)
*COMIKET PRESS 20, August 2004 (C66). 気になる作家ベスト１００ (Ki ni naru sakka besuto 100, The 100 creators you're keeping an eye on)
*COMIKET PRESS 21, December 2004 (C67). (Kokai suru zo (warau). Bienare. We're going to regret this (lol). Biennale.)
*COMIKET PRESS 22, August 2005 (C68). コミックマーケット３０周年　子連れ参加論争パートI (. 30 Years of Comiket; The controversy over bringing children to Comiket, part I)
*COMIKET PRESS 23, December 2005 (C69). サークルディスプレイ　子連れ参加論争パートII (. Circle displays; The controversy over bringing children to the Comiket, part II)
*COMIKET PRESS 24, August 2006 (C70). コミケの取材を逆取材 (Komike no shuzai wo gyakushuzai. Covering the media's Comiket coverage)
*COMIKET PRESS 25, December 2006 (C71). 追悼 米沢嘉博 (Tsuitou Yonezawa Yoshihiro. In memoriam: Yonezawa Yoshihiro)
*COMIKET PRESS 26, August 2007 (C72). (to be added)
*COMIKET PRESS 27, December 2007 (C73).
*COMIKET PRESS 28, August 2008 (C74).
*COMIKET PRESS 29, December 2008 (C75).
*COMIKET PRESS 30, August 2009 (C76).
*COMIKET PRESS 31, December 2009 (C77). 52000人の本音パートII (52000nin no honne paato II. 52000 voices speak out, part II)
*COMIKET PRESS 32, August 2010 (C78).　コミケットスペシャル５in水戸 (Komiketto Supesharu 5 in Mito. The fifth Comiket Special in Mito). Also　緊急特集：どうする・どうなる？東京都青少年条例 (Kinkyu tokushu: do suru, do naru? Tokyoto Seishonen Jorei. Emergency special coverage: What can we do, and what's going to happen? The Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths)
*COMIKET PRESS 33, December 2010 (C79). コスプレ進化論 (Kosupure shinkaron. On the Origin of Cosplay)The title is a joking reference to Shinkaron (進化論), the Japanese title of Charles Darwin's book On the Origin of Species.)
*COMIKET PRESS 34, August 2011 (C80).　コミケットの基礎知識パートII (Komiketto no kisochishiki paato II. Basic facts about Comiket, part II)
*COMIKET PRESS 35, December 2011. どうする・どうなる？東京都青少年条例 (Do suru, do naru? Tokyoto Seishonen Jorei. What can we do, and what's going to happen? The Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths)
==Collected editions==
Older issues of COMIKET PRESS are collected and reprinted as five-issue collections titled "COMIKET PRESS Soushuuhen" (COMIKET PRESS 総集編, "COMIKET PRESS compilation"). The collections are edited to make various rubrics from the collected issues appear together, and do not preserve the original page numbering of the separate issues. The collections are often reprinted and offered for sale during Comiket and in some second-hand doujinshi shops such as Comiket Service, usually for 500 yen. The first collection has been reprinted nine times so far.
To date, the following five collections have been published, all edited by Shun Yokogawa:
*COMIKET PRESS 総集編 1, 2000. Contains COMIKET PRESS 1-5
*COMIKET PRESS 総集編 2, 2000. Contains COMIKET PRESS 6-10
*COMIKET PRESS 総集編 3, 2003. Contains COMIKET PRESS 11-15
*COMIKET PRESS 総集編 4, 2006. Contains COMIKET PRESS 16-20 
*COMIKET PRESS 総集編 5, 2009. Contains COMIKET PRESS 21-25
*はたらくおぢさん総集編, 2008. Containts parts 1-16 of the recurring Hataraku Ojisan manga (also included in the compilatins listed above). Sold for 300 yen.COMIKET PRESS 35, p25.
==References==
Category:Doujinshi