Bluewater Productions Announces Second Printing for "Logan's Run" #2

“LOGAN'S RUN: LAST DAY” #2 RACES OFF THE SHELVES AND GOES BACK FOR 2ND PRINTING WITH NEW COVER


Due to the high demand for the critically acclaimed new series from Bluewater Comics, LOGAN'S RUN: LAST DAY Issue #2 is headed back to the presses for a 2nd printing with a new cover.

“It's overwhelming the praise Logan's Run has been getting,” says Writer Paul J. Salamoff, “It's seems like ever day there's another glowing review and that's extremely validating especially given how much effort I put into telling a compelling story while staying true to the source material”.

With over two dozen stellar reviews from trendsetting websites such as:

Newsarama which raved that “The writing is pretty taut and immersive, making the book a speedy yet satisfying read…Bottom line: I loved it.”

Famous Monsters of Filmland extolled that, “The action is well paced and the story develops just enough to leave me wanting more.”

Aint it Cool News lauded that “Logan's Run: Last Day definitely will have me back to the stores for more.”

To commemorate the success, Bluewater has commissioned a brand new cover from artist Daniel Gete for the re-release, which is now available for order. The Diamond order code for Logan's Run #2 is: DCD # DEC090719

High-resolution images and interview opportunities are available upon request.


About Bluewater Productions:
Bluewater Productions Inc. is one of the top independent production studios of comic books, young adult books and graphic novels. Its extensive catalog of titles includes the bestsellers “10th Muse” and “The Legend of Isis” ”Bluewater publishes comic books in partnership with entertainment icon William Shatner (“TekWar Chronicles”), legendary filmmaker Ray Harryhausen (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sinbad: Rogue of Mars,” “Jason and the Argonauts,” et al) and celebrated actor Vincent Price (“Vincent Price Presents”), Additionally, Bluewater publishes a highly successful line of biographical comics under the titles “Female Force” and “Political Power.”

Bluewater aims to unite cutting-edge art and engaging stories produced by its stable of the publishing industry's top artists and writers.

Following its commitment to green publishing, Bluewater comic books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. FSC certification guarantees that the paper used in Bluewater books contains fiber from well-managed and responsibility harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.

For more information, visit http://www.bluewaterprod.com/.

Maid Sama at the Beach

I read Maid Sama! Volume 4

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which now has an iPhone app).

Vampire Hunter D on Playstation's Digital Comics

IDW AND DIGITAL MANGA LAUNCH VAMPIRE HUNTER D ON PLAYSTATION’S DIGITAL COMICS


Partnership brings first manga title to PSP™(PlayStation®Portable)

IDW Publishing and Digital Manga Publishing forge ahead in the world of digital comics today by bringing the first manga title to Sony’s hot new PSP Digital Comics offering: Vampire Hunter D, as part of continued growth to become one of the best selling manga titles globally. Vampire Hunter D first gained notoriety when it landed ashore as an anime property in the late 1980’s. Its popularity has continued to grow with subsequent feature anime films, English adapted novel series and jumping boundaries over to manga form. With over 17 million copies sold in books, video, and merchandise worldwide, the Vampire Hunter D property now debuts in this new digital medium.

“We’re very excited to release the very first digital manga on the PSP and to kick off our partnership with Digital Manga,” said Jeff Webber, Director of ePublishing at IDW. “Vampire Hunter D is an excellent story to launch the PSP manga catalogue, offering this popular series for manga fans worldwide through this new platform. We’ll be rolling out the first volume of the series as a new chapter each week for the next six weeks.”

With the success of the Vampire Hunter D manga series, Digital Manga Publishing teams up with IDW Publishing to bring what every manga, sci-fi and horror fan has been waiting for through Sony’s PSP. Set in the far future, Vampire Hunter D chronicles the fallout of massive world war. From the darkness of war’s devastation, mutants and a race of vampires known as the Nobility have spawned. They rule the weak with no remorse. Once bitten by a Nobility, one is cursed to become a member of the undead. Villagers cower in fear, hoping and praying for a savior to rid them of their undying nightmare. All they have to defend against this fate is a different kind of danger – a Vampire Hunter.

“We’re sure every fan’s anticipation will be met with this launch,” commented Fred Lui, VP Production for Digital Manga Publishing. “DMP and IDW are very proud to have a title such as this—so known throughout the years in the anime/manga fandom – be able to debut it as the first of its kind for PSP. This is just the start of many things to come from IDW and DMP.”

The first chapter of Vampire Hunter D came out last week, and was #1 in the US, and #2 in the UK and European Union in sales for the PSP platform. Stay on top of releases of Vampire Hunter D through the Sony PSP blog.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 1: Chapter #1 ($1.99) is now available through the PlayStation®Store here.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books. For more information about Vampire Hunter D, visit the official website at www.vampire-d.com

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; the BBC's Doctor Who; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics and ComicMix.

IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About Digital Manga Publishing
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Publishing is one of the industry's most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the Western Hemisphere - specifically through the licensing, importation and localization of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for the North American mainstream and subculture markets. In this capacity, Digital Manga Inc. serves as a catalyst for the expansion of Japanese pop culture institutions into global arenas. The company's diverse manga imprint line includes high profile manga/anime titles such as Vampire Hunter D; popular romance titles--Only the Ring Finger Knows; classic iconic titles--Speed Racer Mach GoGoGo; and award nominated titles--Itazura Na Kiss (Young Adult Library Service Assoc.) and Antique Bakery (Eisner Award). Digital Manga Publishing also caters to the young audience with a vast array of educational and instructional line of books with their Edu-Manga series and Let’s Draw Manga series.

Digital Manga Publishing has also established domestic co-publishing ventures with Dark Horse Comics (Trigun, Hellsing, Berserk), as well as foreign co-publishing partnerships with Taiyoh Tosho Publishing, Oakla Publishing, and Shinshokan Publishing--DokiDoki imprint.

For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit http://www.digitalmanga.com/

About the Author
Hideyuki Kikuchi is one of Japan’s top horror writers. Over the past two decades, several of his works have been adapted into live-action and anime movies, including Vampire Hunter D and his first novel, Demon City Shinjuku. Drawing from such inspirations as Horror of Dracula, Kikuchi has spawned over 20 novels in his Vampire Hunter D series.

About the Illustrator
Saiko Takaki, a professional graphic designer, illustrator, and manga artist for close to a decade, has worked on numerous projects for the manga and game industry in Japan. A very close friend of the author, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Takaki was commissioned by DMP to undertake the daunting task of adapting his famous novel into manga form. Hand-picked by Kikuchi himself, Takaki has proven to be one of Japan’s up and coming manga horror artists.

"Takaki's artwork is dynamic, expressive and remarkably detailed yet flows effortlessly as if you are watching rather than reading this story, it is engaging and you find yourself at the end before you've even realized it leaving you wanting more." -SciFi Online

"...stands in the very small circle of great vampire comics." -Comic Book Bin

VIZ Media to Preview "Bakuman" in "Shonen Jump" Magazine

FIND OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP AS A MANGA CREATOR IN THE NEW SHONEN JUMP SERIES BAKUMAN

Two Students Must Have Perseverance, Innovation And An Uncompromising Will To Succeed In The New Series From The Creators Of DEATH NOTE

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of the manga series BAKUMAN。. The series, rated ‘T’ for Teens, will be released on August 3rd under VIZ Media’s popular Shonen Jump imprint and will carry a MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Previews for the series will start to run in the May 2010 issue of VIZ Media’s popular monthly manga anthology – SHONEN JUMP magazine which is on stands now.

BAKUMAN。is written by the author of DEATH NOTE, Tsugumi Ohba, and the artwork is by Takeshi Obata, the artist known for series such as DEATH NOTE, HIKARU NO GO and RALΩGRAD. The story follows average student Moritaka Mashiro, who enjoys drawing for fun, but when his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world?

In the opening volume, Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito's proposal because he knows how difficult it can be to reach the professional level. Still, encouragement from persistent Akito and the motivation from a girl he has a crush on help push Moritaka to test his limits!

“BAKUMAN。is an outstanding, behind-the-scenes manga about manga, and the artists who create it, written and drawn by the creative team that produced the DEATH NOTE series,” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director at VIZ Media. “The series is a great read for all manga fans, and especially fun for aspiring artists.”

Born in Tokyo, Tsugumi Ohba is the author of the hit series DEATH NOTE. The writer's current series BAKUMAN。is serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan.

Takeshi Obata was born in 1969 in Niigata, Japan, and is the artist of the wildly popular SHONEN JUMP title HIKARU NO GO, which won the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: Shinsei "New Hope" award and the 2000 Shogakukan Manga award. Obata is also the artist of Arabian Majin Bokentan Lamp Lamp, Ayatsuri Sakon, Cyborg Jichan G, and the smash hit manga DEATH NOTE.

For more information on this title, and other Shonen Jump titles, please visit http://shonenjump.viz.com.

Ross and Edwards' "Turf" Sells Out First Issue

TURF #1 SOLD OUT

Second printing of TURF #1 to be available with TURF #2

The first issue of writer Jonathan Ross and artist Tommy Lee Edwards' critically acclaimed miniseries is sold out at the distributor level, and publisher Image Comics is rushing a second printing to press.

"This is so cool!" Ross exclaims. "Hope everyone who bought this debut issue is going to stick with us to the end because we have some insane stuff planned for this book!"

"I am so proud of the work that Jonathan and I have put into TURF and am really glad that the first issue has been received so well," adds Edwards. "Doing a second printing will hopefully ensure that our series gets into enough readers' hands and get them hooked, because the whole thing just gets better and better with each following issue."

Image Publisher Eric Stephenson says, "I'm ecstatic that the first issue of TURF has sold out. Jonathan and Tommy have worked so hard on this book, and they deserve all of the praise they've received for TURF."

TURF: New York, 1929. The height of prohibition. The cops turn a blind eye while the mobs run the city, dealing in guns, girls and illegal liquor. But the arrival of the mysterious Dragonmir Family from Eastern Europe with more of a taste for blood then booze coincides with a series of brutal attacks on the gangsters themselves. As the gangs fall before the fangs, only a handful of mobsters survive. But an unlikely alliance formed between tough guy Eddie Falco and a character from a LONG way from New York City -- a long way from Earth in fact -- offers the humans a glimmer of hope. As the strong willed young reporter Susie Dale from the Gotham Herald tries to survive in the middle of the maelstrom and an ancient prophecy unfolds, no one can guess who's going to win the battle for this particular slice of Turf.

TURF #1 Second Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores May 19, 2010, the same day as TURF #2 (MAR100405).

Some praise for TURF #1:

"This is a striking debut by Ross into comic book writing! ...Ross and Edwards have created such vibrant characters that they extend past any sort of cliché that they might have otherwise been stuck in. " --Comic Book Resources

"TURF spins a great tale that mixes genres perfectly." --Major Spoilers

"Ross creates a living, breathing world in which fantasy and reality blend together with a true sense depth, and it acts as an anchor for all of the characters and the actions that take place on the page... Don't miss a truly original piece." --Multiversity Comics

"The story suggests it's ready to spring to weird life, which is a good thing for a first issue to do. And perhaps most importantly, the issue took me a lot longer to read than the typical five minutes it takes me to read a comic these days..." --IGN

"Edwards' lines make the NYC of TURF seem very real, it's down and dirty, it's corrupt, but yet he also makes the more fantastical elements feel like they fit. Vampires and Aliens, Edwards makes it all seem like one, very real world." --The Outhouse

"TURF is a hugely impressive debut that, as unlikely as it sounds, may possibly mark the entrance of a major new talent on the scene." --Paradox Comics Group

The Luna Brothers Sheathe "The Sword"

THE FINAL CUT

THE SWORD wraps up with issue #24 and parties on both coasts

The Luna Brothers' critically acclaimed series THE SWORD, published by Image Comics, ends with issue #24, and it will go out with panache at two back-to-back wrap parties in New York City and Los Angeles.

On Thursday, May 13th, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., the Luna Brothers will appear at MIDTOWN COMICS - Grand Central (459 Lexington Avenue, corner of 45th Street, New York City, NY; www.midtowncomics.com). Then, the Luna Brothers fly to the Left Coast on Friday, May 14, where they will be at GOLDEN APPLE COMICS (7018 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA; www.goldenapplecomics.com) from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. An exclusive SWORD print will be available at both events (limited to 100 copies per event), and the Luna Brothers will be signing at both events. The Golden Apple Comics event will also feature a reading of the script for the final issue.

"We're really excited to celebrate THE SWORD with all of the fans," say the Luna Brothers. "We've spent a little over two years on this series, and the fans have been there every step of the way. We hope that everyone has a great time at these events!"

THE SWORD tells the story of Dara Brighton, a young woman who witnesses the murder of her family at the hands of three very powerful elemental beings who are after a sword in her father's possession. In the aftermath, Dara attains the sword, which gives her incredible abilities beyond her wildest imagination. In THE SWORD #24, Dara Brighton's epic quest for revenge against the three elementals who murdered her family comes to its conclusion.

THE SWORD #24 (MAR100401), a 40-page full color comic book for $4.99, will be in stores May 12, 2010. Also available are THE SWORD: FIRE, collecting issues #1-6; THE SWORD: WATER, collecting issues #7-12; and THE SWORD: EARTH, collecting issues #13-18.

I Reads You Review: FEVERED KISS (Yaoi Novel)

Creators: Arika Kuga with Taishi Zaou (spot illustrations) with Translation by Design (translation)
Publishing Information: DMP/DokiDoki, B&W, paperback, 168 pages, $10.95 (US)
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-56970-091-4 (ISBN-13)

Fevered Kiss is a yaoi novel from writer Arika Kuga with full page illustrations from Taishi Zaou (who also produces work under the name “Mikiyo Tsuda”). This is the story of two young men who fall in love and share hot kisses, but can’t (or won’t) speak what is on their minds in matters of love.

College student Satori Okada is a straight-laced guy, but at an end-of-the-year party, he has more drinks than usual. A night of conversation and friendship turns into morning, when Satori wakes up in bed with fellow student Naotaka Asou. They lovemaking is good, and Satori can’t (or won’t) push Asou away. After that night, however, all Asou wants to do is kiss Satori, and they are the most passionate and fevered kisses Satori has every experienced. But what are Asou’s intentions, Satori wonders? Asou won’t go further than kisses, nor does Asou express his feelings.

Then, Satori discovers two people connected to Asou. One is an apparently jealous former lover named Iizuka Shunpei. The other is a beautiful young woman from another college, Yasumi Takahashi, whom Satori sees with Asou. Will these confused lovers ever learn to talk to each other?

In addition to being a yaoi novel, Fevered Kiss is also a light novel, a form of Japanese novel targeted at teen readers. Light novels are also relatively short (essentially a novella) and come with illustrations. This is definitely yaoi – boys’ love featuring explicit sex between male lovers, and using words, writer Arika Kuga creates love scenes that are as steamy as anything a yaoi manga artist can draw. This novel isn’t light on the bump and grind, but it’s not just about sex. Fevered Kiss is deeply romantic, and Kuga fills it with the kind of romantic melodrama and soap opera conflict that will have readers quickly flipping pages.

Taishi Zaou’s 12 or so illustrations add a nice touch to the book, but while Zaou is quite good at drawing characters, this story doesn’t necessarily need her contributions. Fevered Kiss’ words will get you hot all on their own.

Buy Fevered Kiss (Yaoi Novel)