Tuesday, January 19, 2010

AAM/Markosia Announces "The Dark" and "Freeman of the Armed Services"

Press release from AAM/Markosia:

"The Dark" and "Freeman of the Armed Services" hit the shelves in March


March will see the introduction of two new OGN’s (Original Graphic Novels) from publisher AAM/Markosia, following hot on the heels of recent successes ‘From the Pages of Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Harker’, ‘Serpent Wars’ and ‘Kong: King of Skull Island’.

The Dark, written and created by Chris Lynch with art by Rick Lundeen, is a super-hero sci-fi thriller that challenges the reader’s very perceptions of reality versus fiction. It is the story of Daniel Abbot, a brilliant young scientist on the fringes of the establishment and the creator of Memetech - a technology that encodes information and memories into a liquid form, allowing anyone to literally "drink" the encoded knowledge. Terrified that his invention will be used for military purposes he decides to destroy his research, but not before he takes one last trip ... with disastrous results. Two years on and the genie is out of the bottle. Abbot, having perfected his own version of the technology, fights a one-man war against the spread of his own invention and the collapse of our information culture in the guise of ‘The Dark’.

“We've hidden lots of coded messages throughout the book,” explains Lynch, “Both in the dialogue and in the artwork. From the symbol on The Dark's chest to adverts in the background, everything is there for a reason. Hopefully people will get a kick out of trying to solve the mystery, or at least from looking back after they've read the book for the first time to find all the clues they missed. Either way, we wanted to create something with enough depth to bring people back to re-read the story time and again.”

Also shipping in the same month is Freeman of the Armed Services, written and drawn by industry veteran Huw-J. Freeman is a true archetypal British hero of old, a cross between James Bond, Doc Savage and Captain Britain without the spandex! Action and adventure throughout as our hero takes us back to the good old days where the spirit of adventure and good old-fashioned action reigned supreme. You join Captain Freeman in his search of a mysterious Viking treasure in the frozen north and battling an evil Chinese drug lord alongside Irish gangs in prohibitionist era New York, in a non-stop action-packed adventure akin to the old Saturday morning pulp shows.

“When I decided to take the successful ‘Garth’ strip down from the Daily Mirror website it was with both sadness and excitement,” explains Huw-J. Re-branding the character as "Freeman" was easy as I wanted the character to be 'a homage' to all the creators who went before me, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!”


The Diamond order codes for both books are:

JAN10 0699 THE DARK GN a 18pg preview is available to view online http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=12805

JAN10 0698 FREEMAN OF THE ARMED SERVICES GN a 28pg preview is available to view online http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=24152


About AAM/Markosia:
Launched in 2005 AAM Markosia has been a leader in the independent publishing field, with titles such as and many more. AAM/Markosia will be attending many conventions during 2010, including MCM Expo, Birmingham International Comics Show, Bristol Comic Expo, Mocca, SPX, Comic Geek Speak Supershow. [END]

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The End of Ludwig II

I finally, finally finished reading Ludwig II Volume 2 (Yaoi) (v. 2)

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.



Sunday, January 17, 2010

Rinne and Sakura Meet the Ghost in the Swimming Pool

I finished reading RIN-NE, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  I'm loving this strange series.



Simply a Downer

I finally finished reading not simple

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This manga looks and reads like an American indie graphic novel.  The story is also really padded and way too much of a downer.  Not one of my more enjoyable reading experiences.



Saturday, January 16, 2010

Babymouse in a Soapbox Car

I enjoyed reading Babymouse #12: Burns Rubber

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.



VIZ Media Announces "Crown of Love"


Press release from VIZ Media:

HOW FAR WILL A BOY GO FOR LOVE? FIND OUT IN NEW MANGA SERIES CROWN OF LOVE


The Story of a Teenage Boy Who Becomes a Pop Idol To Get Close To The Pop Idol Girl He Adores

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the debut of Yun Kouga’s shojo manga (graphic novels for female readers) CROWN OF LOVE on February 2nd. CROWN OF LOVE is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, will be published by the Shojo Beat imprint, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Sixteen-year-old Hisayoshi "Kumi" Tajima wasn't looking for love. But after he accidentally bumps into teen idol Rima Fujio, he can't stop thinking about her. Living worlds apart, he'll never have a chance to meet her again. Until Rima's former agent Ikeshiba gives him the perfect opportunity – by turning Hisayoshi into an idol himself! Too bad Rima only sees him as competition for Ikeshiba's attention.

“CROWN OF LOVE offers a complex story of unrequited love between a pair of teenagers who are each on the brink of stardom,” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director, VIZ Media. “Creator Yun Kouga has already attracted legions of North American fans with her popular manga series GESTALT, also published by VIZ Media, and we look forward to readers enjoying this new story about two driven characters who find out that fame and life in the limelight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Yun Kouga began her career as a manga artist in 1986 with the series METAL HEART, which was serialized in Comic VAL. She is also the creator of the popular series LOVELESS and EARTHIAN, along with many other manga and anime projects, including developing the character designs for GUNDAM 00.

For more information on this title, or other shojo titles from VIZ Media, please visit http://www.shojobeat.com/. [END]

Moonstone Books Gives Kolchak More Lovecraft

From Moonstone Books:

Kolchak: Lovecraftian Damnation

Story: CJ Henderson
Art: Robert Hack
Colors: Evan Shaver
Covers: Robert Hack, Doug Klauba
48pgs, color, $4.99

Long awaited sequel to The Lovecraftian Horror!

Tired of waiting for either fame or fortune, all Carl Kolchak really wants out of life is a good meal washed down by good Scotch. As you might guess, once again even such modest wishes aren't in the cards. This time around, the man in the pork pie hat is beset by not only an all-powerful horror from beyond, but one that has gained both a staggering intellect and Necronomicon! Told in “widevision”!

(Robert Hack cover=75%, Klauba cover=25%)

*RETAILER INCENTIVE: any retailer who purchases 2 copies of Lovecraftian Damnation & one copy of Lovecraftian Horror will receive one free copy of Damnation! [END]