Official: Mondadori acquires 51% of Star Comics
Official
After the rumors of the last few weeks, the official confirmation arrived a few minutes ago: the Mondadori Group has acquired 51% of Star Comics, one of the main Italian comic book publishers specialized specifically in manga.Antonio Porro, CEO of the Mondadori Group, declared:
The Comics segment has represented, in recent years, an important element of development for the entire book supply chain, thanks also to the significant rate of innovation of the publishing offer that characterizes it and an extraordinary ability to involve new readers: in this segment, Star Comics was the undisputed protagonist. It will therefore be interesting and profitable the exchange of skills between our group and an editorial reality such as Star Comics, whose people have been able to build a recognized and consolidated leadership over time, enriched by a relationship of great value with their audience.
Claudia Bovini, CEO and Editorial Director of Star Comics, added:
For Star Comics it is a great honor to join Mondadori, the first Italian Publishing Group: we have worked for a long time but without particular difficulties to reach an agreement from which both sides will benefit greatly. The comic book publishing market is changing rapidly and thanks to this new partnership we will be able to commit ourselves even more incisively to promote the affirmation of comics as a mass cultural product, just as it has been happening for years in other European countries.
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The acquisition operation envisages that Simone Bovini and Claudia Bovini - who have so far successfully managed Star Comics, leading it to cover the role of leader in the Italian comics market - retain management responsibility and continue to hold the role of Chief Executive Officer of the company. The work will remain in the Bosco headquarters in Perugia, as will the relationships with employees and external collaborations that Star Comics has conducted so far. The transaction also includes the acquisition of 100% of Grafiche Bovini S.r.l., a company controlled by the same Bovini family, focused on printing activities exclusively for products published by Star Comics.
The acquisition will be concluded by June 30, 2022 and is subject to suspension, among others, on the unbundling of the real estate component as well as the consent of the Japanese and Korean licensors who own the rights to some of the company's publications. Any impacts on the guidance relating to the current year, already communicated to the market, will be disclosed upon completion of the transaction.
Three-star SF Gehrig Normand sets official visit date to Wisconsin
Things are continuing to move quickly between the Badgers and recently offered three-star wing Gehrig Normand out of North Richland Hills, Texas.
Evan Flood of 247Sports recently reported that Normand has scheduled three official visits in the month of June, a list that includes Missouri, Wisconsin on June 20-21, and Texas.
“I watched a lot of Wisconsin during March Madness and I always loved the way they played,” said Normand.
Per 247sports, the three-star wing is the No. 109 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, the No. 20 small forward in the country, and the No. 8 player in the state of Texas.
“I’m looking for somewhere I can be as confident as possible, and a school where I can trust the coach and have them trust me so I can put a product on the floor that wins a National Championship,” Normand told BadgersWire.
The Birdville High School standout also holds offers from Colorado State, Kansas State, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Rice, SMU, TCU, Tennessee, Xavier and a host of other schools.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 175-pounds, the Texas native is a tough, versatile scorer, who can space the floor with his three-point shooting, and also uses his size to take defenders off the dribble.
“I’m looking for somewhere I can be as confident as possible, and a school where I can trust the coach and have them trust me so I can put a product on the floor that wins a National Championship,” said Normand.
Coach Gard is in need of a true wing in the 2023 recruiting class, and has zeroed in on Jamie Kaiser and Gehrig Normand, both of which would make a ton of sense in terms of playing style.
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