Manga artists, the forgotten ones after Cmoa and Renta! shutdown

The suspension of two of Japan's biggest digital comic platforms has left a question hanging in the air that goes beyond readers: what happens to the manga artists who live off those sales? Since October 15, Cmoa (コミックシーモア) has kept its service halted due to unauthorized access. Three days later, on the 18th, Renta! did the same. Both have announced measures to compensate users, but there are barely any answers about the authors.

On X (formerly Twitter), messages of concern are piling up. "How are they going to pay manga artists while the shutdown lasts?", "For them this is a matter of life or death", read some comments. The worry makes sense especially in the case of exclusive works: if a manga can only be read on Cmoa or Renta!, its author has no other source of income while the platform remains down.

What they have promised users

Cmoa announced on October 21 that it will not charge monthly subscriptions or unlimited reading services during the period in which they have not been operational. If any payment has been executed due to system issues, they say they will handle it individually. They are also considering returning points that expired while the service was stopped and are preparing a compensation as an apology.

Renta!, for its part, stated on the 18th that rentals that could not be read during maintenance will get "a separate response". They have given no further details.

The companies' response about authors

J-CAST News asked NTT Solmare, the company that operates Cmoa, directly whether they plan to compensate manga artists and publishers. Their response, on October 22, was: "We will check the impact on the parties involved and consider the necessary measures." An answer that confirms nothing, but at least leaves the door open.

Regarding the resumption of service, Cmoa says its priority is to restore reading of already purchased comics and the unlimited reading service on the web. Purchases and payment methods will return "gradually once security is confirmed".

Papyless, the company behind Renta!, was more concise: they refer to the information already published on their official website and cannot answer anything else. The reopening date remains up in the air, "under investigation".

Meanwhile, authors of exclusive works are watching the calendar. Every day without service is a day without income from sales or rentals, and neither platform has yet said whether that lost money will be recovered in some way. The ball is in their court.

Do you think platforms should also compensate manga artists? I'll read you in the comments.