Skullkickers #2 Disappears

THE SALES KICK CONTINUES!

SKULLKICKERS #2 sells out at distribution level almost immediately after release

After issue 1 rampaged off shelves and into the hearts and minds of comic fans, SKULLKICKERS #2 follows suit with a distribution-level sell out!

Demand for SKULLKICKERS is soaring, so Image Comics has ordered a second printing of the pulse-pounding second issue. It will be in stores November 10, 2011.

SKULLKICKERS scribe Jim Zubkavich (POPGUN, Street Fighter Legends: Ibuki) says, "When the gang at Image contacted me to let me know that issue #2 had blown through its overprint right after release, I couldn't believe it. My friend Joe Vriens sent a pin-up we intended to put in the back of our next issue, but we quickly drafted that sweet piece as our second print #2 cover."

"Thank you to everyone who has given our fun little fantasy book a chance. We'll keep working hard to earn that support!" Zubkavich adds.

SKULLKICKERS is fantasy action-comedy written by Zubkavich with art by the gifted team of Edwin Huang, Chris Stevens (POPGUN) and Misty Coats.

In SKULLKICKERS, two mercenaries are entangled in a high-class assassination plot, and nothing -- not werewolves, skeletons or black magic -- will stop them from getting paid. If you love fantasy, action-comedy, a touch of black-hearted violence and movies like ARMY OF DARKNESS then SKULLKICKERS is the book for you!

SKULLKICKERS #2 Second Printing (AUG108190), a 32-page full-color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores November 10, 2010. SKULLKICKERS #3 (SEP100497) will be in stores November 24, 2010. Follow the Skullkickers blog at www.skullkickers.com for sneak peeks and more. You can download a free preview of SKULLKICKERS using the Image Comics app from comiXology.


Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit http://www.imagecomics.com/.

First Chapter of Hetalia Volume 2 FREE!

Press release:

October 24 - a day for Hetalia fans, by Hetalia fans. How wonderful!

This holiday definitely belongs to you, and we here at TOKYOPOP wanted to give back to the community who strongly and loyally supported this series for so long.

To show our appreciation, we are offering the 1st chapter of Volume 2 on the comiXology app for FREE!

You heard right!

Starting immediately, you can read the the first chapter of the new volume of Hetalia, two months before it hits the bookstores -- digitally and for FREE!

Hetalia Volume 2 Chapter 1 (called Issue 7) is available now for download at comiXology*!!

This special Hetalia Day offer is for a limited time and ends October 24th at 11:59 pm PST, so be sure to share the news with all your fellow fans.

Click here or search "Hetalia" on the comiXology app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to download!

Have a great Hetalia Day!

App lingo: Hetalia is divided into "Chapters", also referred to as "Issues". Hetalia Vol. 1 has 6 issues, so Hetalia Vol. 2 starts at issue 7.

*The comiXology app is free to download at iTunes. Upon downloading the app, it may take a few minutes for Hetalia to appear in the search feature

Naruto Illustration Book Drops Tuesday, October 26th

NINJA ACTION LEAPS OFF THE PAGE IN THE NARUTO ILLUSTRATION BOOK FROM VIZ MEDIA

 

Full Color Character Portraits By Creator Masashi Kishimoto Are Depicted In Addition To A Fold Out Poster And Collectible Stickers

 

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release of the vividly colored NARUTO ILLUSTRATION BOOK on October 26th. The new soft cover edition is offered by the Shonen Jump imprint, features nearly 100 pages of original illustrations by creator Masashi Kishimoto, and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $27.00 CAN.

Naruto is a young shinobi (or ninja) with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He’s got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his ongoing mission to be the world’s greatest ninja! The NARUTO ILUSTRATION BOOK features a variety of character portraits depicting the young ninja in action, as well as his cohorts including Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi. A color pull-out double-sided poster and a sticker sheet are also included.

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens with more than 100 million copies in circulation to-date. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (NARUTO rated ‘T’ for Teens, and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) are among VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America.

The latest NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime episodes from Japan (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) are currently available for free viewing at VIZAnime.com and Hulu.com. Dubbed episodes are available for download to own through iTunes, PlayStation Network, Amazon, Xbox and more.

For more information on NARUTO please visit the official NARUTO website at http://www.naruto.com/.

Darren Lynn Bousman of Radical Publishing's "Abattoir" at Golden Apple Comics

MEET DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN, DIRECTOR OF THE SAW FRANCHISE FILMS AND MOTHER’S DAY

On October 27th, starting at 5:00 P.M., Golden Apple Comics will present an autograph signing with Darren Lynn Bousman, along with writers Rob Levin and Troy Peteri, for the release of the new comic book from Radical Publishing, ABATTOIR.

From director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw franchise, Mother’s Day, Repo! The Genetic Opera) comes a chilling, supernatural tale set in the cold beauty of Middle America in the late 80s. After a brutal massacre takes place in a gorgeous house, real estate agent and family man Richard Ashwalt is assigned the impossible task of picking up the pieces and selling the property. As Richard inspects the blood-soaked grounds, a twisted old man arrives at the house with a sinister and terrifying purpose. Richard is about to be drawn into a web of shadows, murders and massacres that will shatter him to his very core!

ABATTOIR issue #1 autograph event will take place in Los Angeles at Golden Apple Comics on October 27th, 2010 from 5-7 P.M. at 7018 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. For more information, please call 323-658-6047.


About Radical Publishing
In a world of publishing where the market is always hungry for the next fresh property, one new publisher is looking to shake things up and is delivering exciting creative products with a bold new business approach. Aptly named, Radical Publishing is leveraging on its experienced leadership, dynamic crew and unique business infrastructure to create that vital connection throughout the media space.

Founded by Barry Levine and Jesse Berger, Radical Publishing is a manufacturer of the next generation of premium comic book products, with a focus on high-concept stories and artwork by marquee and newly discovered talent. In addition, the quality of the work ensures a longer shelf life for each property as a collective library of high concepts. For more information, visit www.radicalpublishing.com.

About Golden Apple Comics
Golden Apple Comics has been the premier comic book & pop culture store in Los Angeles for over 30 years. Always cutting edge & proactive in the community, Golden Apple views this as a great opportunity to attract new readers to our thriving industry. A place in LA for anything groundbreaking in the comic world.

Radical Publishing Offers Artists a Chance to Get Published

GET PUBLISHED WITH RADICAL


Looking to have your artwork published in a Radical comic? Well, now is your chance! Radical Publishing is pleased to announce a new contest to test your illustration skills. Simply draw your best version of the villainous Jebediah Crone, based on a scene from Radical’s newest horror miniseries, ABATTOIR. For each of the first five issues, Radical will select a winner to be featured on a per issue basis, with 5 winners in total. For a chance to be featured in Abattoir #2, upload and email a link of your Jebediah Crone artwork to promotions@radicalpublishing.com no later than November 10th, 2010. Your illustration MUST be based on a scene of Jebediah Crone as seen in the pages of ABATTOIR #1.

Winner #1 will be announced on November 17th with runner ups featured on Radical Publishing’s Facebook page. Each artist is limited to one illustration and all illustrations are judged exclusively by Radical Publishing’s Art Director, Jeremy Berger.

That’s not all. After the release of ABATTOIR #6, Radical will hold a contest for fans to pick the best entry amongst the five individual winners. The winning illustration will then be featured in the ABATTOIR trade paperback collection.

Created by director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw Franchise, Mother’s Day), written by Rob Levin and Troy Peteri and illustrated by Bing Cansino, ABATTOIR #1 goes on sale October 27th, 2010. Taking place shortly after a brutal massacre occurs in a gorgeous house, Real estate agent and family man Richard Ashwalt is assigned the impossible task of picking up the pieces and selling the property. As Richard inspects the blood-soaked grounds, a twisted old man journeys to the house with a sinister and terrifying purpose. Richard is about to be drawn into a web of shadows, murders and massacres that will shatter him to his very core!


About Radical Publishing
Radical Publishing is founded by Barry Levine (producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion, The Last Days of American Crime, Legends, Damaged, Earp: Saints for Sinners and executive producer for the in-development Rex Mundi movie for Warner Bros., written by Jim Uhls and starring Johnny Depp) and entrepreneur Jesse Berger (executive producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion, The Last Days of American Crime, Legends, Damaged and Earp: Saints for Sinners).

For their quality and excellence in 2008, Radical Publishing was granted the Gem Award for “Best New Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors. Radical brings the best writing, storytelling, and fully painted cover and interior art to the global comic book market and currently has production deals with Spyglass Entertainment and Peter Berg’s Film 44 for Hercules, with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil for Caliber, New Regency and Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions for Freedom Formula, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment for Legends, Dreamworks, Sam Raimi’s Star Road Entertainment and Mandeville Films for Earp: Saints for Sinners as well as Walt Disney Pictures for Oblivion. For more information, visit http://www.radicalpublishing.com/.

TOKYOPOP'S "Van Von Hunter" at MockFest 2010

TOKYOPOP's Van Von Hunter announced as Official Selection for Hollywood-based comedy film festival MockFest 2010

TOKYOPOP, the leading manga-lifestyle entertainment company, is proud that its mockumentary feature film Van Von Hunter has been announced as an official selection for MockFest 2010, a festival celebrating the best comedies and mockumentaries from around the world. Van Von Hunter, starring voice actor extraordinaire Yuri Lowenthal (Naruto, Ben 10), marks the feature film directorial debut of producer and entrepreneur Stu Levy, along with visual effects supervisor and filmmaker Steven Calcote. The pair wrote, produced, and appeared in the film.

Inspired by and based upon the manga series created by Mike Schwark and Ron Kaulfersch, Van Von Hunter is a live-action comedy that follows its title character on a journey deep into the heart of manga and anime fandom. From the mythical world of Dikay, to the cold, hard streets of Hollywood, then across the ocean to Tokyo, this Van-tastic voyage is also filled with cameos by top manga and anime personalities as it embraces otaku culture around the globe.

"We are truly thrilled to see Van Von Hunter so well-received by MockFest 2010," says Levy. "It's just a real shame they took our documentary, which extracts the shocking truth about Van Von Hunter's glorious rise from slayer of beasts to big man in Japan, and presumed it to be a "mockumentary" and a comedy. Everything in that film is true--perhaps sad, but indeed true. And anyone who attempts to laugh at it is laughing at all of us. We're sort of outraged--but in a good way."

Van Von Hunter will be screening at MockFest on Sunday, November 14, and there will be a Q&A session with the filmmakers after the screening. For more details on Van Von Hunter and MockFest, go to http://www.mockfilmfest.com/.


Van Von Hunter
TOKYOPOP

Credits
Director: Stu Levy, Steven Calcote
Screenwriters: Stu Levy, Steven Calcote
Based on the graphic novel by: Mike Schwark, Ron Kaulfersch
Producers: Stu Levy, Steven Calcote
Editor: Daisuke Kinouchi
Director of Photography: Jake Avignone
Visual Effects: Jason Milligan
Music: Benjamin Chan

Cast
Van Von Hunter: Yuri Lowenthal
Holly O'Hara: Heather Marie Marsden
Patrick Shaunessey: Travis Stevens
Sho Matsuhashi: Himself
Hiromoto Sensei: Shin-ichi Hiromoto
Shoji Kawamori: Himself
Running Time - 102 minutes

About TOKYOPOP
Founded in 1997 by international media entrepreneur Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP established the market for manga in North America, introducing the term to the English language in the process. Over its history, TOKYOPOP has published over 3000 books, distributed anime and Asian films on home video and television, licensed merchandise to consumer goods companies, created graphic novels of major brands such as Warcraft, Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Hannah Montana, and led the way digitally in social media, e-commerce and user-generated content. TOKYOPOP's brand expanded internationally with offices in Europe and Japan and a network of over 160 partners in more than 50 countries and 30 languages. Taking its Manga Revolution beyond the page, TOKYOPOP has begun producing live-action and animated film and television content based on its extensive intellectual property library, including Priest, Van Von Hunter, and another 20 projects currently in development, along with America's Greatest Otaku, an 8-episode reality show filmed during its 2010 summer-long, 28-city national tour. For more information, visit http://www.tokyopop.com/ as well as www.twitter.com/tokyopop and www.facebook.com/tokyopop.

I Reads You Review: AIR GEAR, VOL. 11

Creator: Oh!great; Makoto Yukon (translation and adaptation)

Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback, 202 pages, $10.99 (US), $12.50 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-50814-0 (ISBN-13)

Rating “OT for Ages 16+”

Air Gear is a shonen manga created by manga-ka, Ito Ōgure, who works under the pen name, Oh!great. The series takes place in a world where the most popular sport is Air Trecks, a highly advanced form of inline skating. The series focuses on Itsuki “Ikki” Minami. A student and juvenile delinquent, he is also a prodigy at Air Trecks and may become the “Sky Keeper.” To compete with other Air Trecks teams, Ikki and his friends form their own team, Kogarasumaru.

In Air Gear, Vol. 11, Ikki becomes something of a rock star in the world of Air Trecks, but now he’s forgetting where he came from and also his friends. In a bid to move Kogarasumaru up in the rankings, Ikki challenges Team Potemkin to a fight on their home turf, Shinonome Battleship Island, an island partly made of boats. Also, a trip to Kyoto brings Kogarasumaru into conflict before and during the trip.

Air Gear is like a combination of the shonen manga, Yakitate!! Japan and Reborn! Air Gear is full of fantastic weird characters like both, and focuses on the dynamics of a gang or criminal organization – like Reborn! Like both, Air Gear is an action comedy, and creator Oh!great is good at drawing both action and comedy.

In the action scenes, the artist displays solid draftsmanship with imaginative compositions. The storytelling is a bit wild and incomprehensible, at times – the kiss of death in graphic storytelling, but here, is much less catastrophic for the narrative. He’s great at drawing objects, landscapes, cityscapes, etc. He can also warp and deform anatomy and backgrounds for the appropriate comic effect or whatever comic tone is appropriate for a particular scene.

Although I had a hard time following Air Gear and catching onto the concept, I would read this again. The idea of football played by athletes wearing inline skates or high-flying martial arts done while wearing inline skates intrigues me. Air Gear is more weird than stupid, or at least that is what a fool for shonen manga would say.