Thursday, November 4, 2010

Bluewater Productions to Turn John Saul Novels into Comic Books



BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS TEAMS UP WITH TOP HORROR NOVELIST JOHN SAUL
 
Horror writer John Saul has written more than 36 novels since penning Suffer the Children in 1977. Most of these have been fixtures on the New York Times Best Seller List. Some have been turned into films and games.

But none of Saul's horror tales have yet been transformed into comic books. This will change, though, as Saul and Bluewater Productions team up to bring two of his horror tales to the world of sequential storytelling.

Bluewater and Saul recently signed a deal to turn both The God Project and The Blackstone Chronicles into comics. Bluewater, of course, has already made a name for itself in the horror genre. The publisher is home to the critically praised Vincent Price Presents horror anthology.

Saul said that he is looking forward to experiencing yet another first in his career.

“I've often thought many of my novels would translate well into graphic storytelling,” Saul said. “I also have original projects that have been conceived specifically as graphic serial novels. I am thrilled to be exploring all of these ventures with Bluewater.”

Both The Blackstone Chronicles and The God Project are favorites among Saul's fans. The God Project focuses on a curse in the town of Eastbury, Mass. Something is taking the town's youngest children, one by one. The Blackstone Chronicles focuses on a curse of a different sort: A vacant insane asylum is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with an upscale shopping mall. But the asylum won't fall so easily.

Darren Davis, president and founder of Bluewater Productions, said that he is excited to work with a writer of Saul's skills. Davis, too, is a fan of Saul's work, and has given himself more than a few sleepless nights after reading the writer's prose.

“Working with John Saul, one of my favorite writers, is a dream come true,” Davis said. “My hope is that we can introduce John's work to a whole new crop of readers. I'd like to make others sleep with the lights on!”

The God Project will be written by David McIntee - who has written authorized franchise novels for “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “Dr Who” & “Space 1999”. The The Blackstone Chronicles will be handled by Tara Ooten & Nathan Ooten.


Bluewater Productions publishes a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels. There 1st venture with a famed novelist S.E. Hinton will be out in 3 weeks. The company has received much press attention for its series of biography comics, which have told the stories behind such luminaries and celebrities as Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, Colin Powell, Lady Gaga and Rush Limbaugh. The company, though, also publishes superhero, young-adult, horror and science-fiction comics.

For more information on Bluewater, visit the company's Web site at http://www.bluewaterprod.com/.


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.


VIZ Media Begins Publication of "Genkaku Picasso"



A TEENAGER’S ARTISTIC TALENT SAVES HIS LIFE IN NEW MANGA SERIES GENKAKU PICASSO FROM VIZ MEDIA
 
Shonen Jump Series Puts A New Spin On Art Therapy With A Unique Story
 
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings the artistic styling of creator Usamaru Furuya’s manga (graphic novel) series, GENKAKU PICASSO, available to domestic readers now. The new property will be published in North America under the Shonen Jump imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Hikaru “Picasso” Hamura, a grouchy teenager with a talent for drawing, dies in a freak accident. The gods decide to revive him, but only on the condition that he use his artistic gift for the good of humanity. Picasso discovers that sketching a person’s aura yields a surreal portrait of their psyche. Stranger still, Picasso can dive into these dreamscapes and help people by exploring their deepest emotions, memories and perceptions.

“GENKAKU PICASSO blends mind-bending artwork with the teenage drama of a talented adolescent who gets a second chance at life,” says Daniel Gillespie, Editor, Shonen Jump. “Using his artistic skill, Picasso is able to draw a picture symbolizing a person's subconscious, and then enter that portrait and manipulate the symbols in order to help them recover from past traumas. The series’ unique plot and multi-faceted characters are sure to engage readers on many levels. We recommend GENKAKU PICASSO to any fan of M.C Escher!”

Creator Usamaru Furuya made a splash with his 1994 manga debut in the legendary “underground” manga magazine Garo with his innovative four-panel series Palepoli. He also created a gag series called Short Cuts for Young Sunday magazine, which was later serialized in the English-language manga magazine Pulp and published as a graphic novel by VIZ Media (rated ‘M’ for Mature). His other works include Jisatsu Circle, a manga adaptation of the film, Suicide Club, The Chronicles of the Clueless Age, a collaboration with the writer Otsuichi, and Happiness, a series of shorts that ran in IKKI magazine. GENKAKU PICASSO is Furuya’s first series for Jump SQ.

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


Wednesday, November 3, 2010

I Reads You Review: PRINCESS PRINCESS 5


Creator: Mikiyo Tsuda (cartoonist); Earl Gertwagen (translation)
Publishing Information: DMP/Juné Manga; B&W paperback, 200pp, $12.95 U.S.
Ordering Numbers: ISBN 10: 1-56970-850-9; ISBN 13: 978-1-56970-850-7

Rated “YA” for “Young Adults 16+”

Princess Princess is a manga series from Mikiyo Tsuda that was collected in five volumes by Digital Manga Publishing’s imprint, Juné Manga. Princess Princess has characteristics of both shojo manga and the boys’ love subset, shounen-ai manga.

Princess Princess has shojo manga elements like teen romance and high school politics. There are some romantic moments between the male characters, but that is more shounen-ai than it is the explicit boys’ love subset, yaoi. The male cast can be described as being bishounen or “beautiful boys,” a term used to describe male characters that are androgynous or clearly feminized.

Princess Princess is set at Fujimori Academy. Every year, a few boys become “princesses.” These male students dress as girls for special events and cheer on athletic squads, warm hearts, keep up school spirit, etc. Basically, by appearing in drag, these already androgynous boys have “princess power.” This is ability to smile, look pretty, and speak in a magical falsetto voice, and it all makes everyone in the school feel happier. This year the princesses are Mikoto Yutaka and the nearly-inseparable pair, Tohru Kouno and Yuujirou Shihoudani.

In Princess Princess 5, it is election season at Fujimori, and the race for student council president has torn the princesses and the school apart. Tohru Kouno and Yuujirou Shihoudani are doing everything they can to help and support Akira Sakamoto, whose older brother is the great “Sakamoto-Sama,” a former student council president.

Meanwhile, Mikoto has sided with Toui C. Mitaka, an aloof and haughty transfer student. Tall with long blond-hair, Mitaka is ambitious and sees everyone and every position as a mere stepping stone on his way to future success as a businessman. Tohru and Yuujirou despise Mitaka, and the school is in turmoil, with everyone taking sides. The soft-hearted Akira, however, is determined to play peacemaker even if it costs him the election.

Digital Manga Publishing (DMP) eventually created an imprint for titles like Princess Princess, named “DokiDoki.” This new imprint was a place for titles for female readers that were somewhere between younger teen-oriented shojo manga and shounen-ai. In fact, DMP published the Princess Princess sequel, Princess Princess Plus, under DokiDoki.

Princess Princess 5 isn’t exactly boys’ love, although there is some romance between male students, both obvious and sublimated. What does that make Princess Princess? It’s like a comedy set at an all-girls school, except the girls are actually boys – some girlish, some effeminate, and some typically teen male.

I have to admit that I enjoy this kind of shojo/shounen-ai hybrid. There is something interesting about these boys getting along and working out their problems, even after all the fussing and fighting. This is simply an idealized and fantasy version of male-bonding that both women and men like (although the men might not admit it). In this volume, there is storyline that has Tohru accompanying Yuujirou home and helping Yuujirou work through some family issues. It exemplifies this series vibe of seeing male friendship through rose-tinted glasses.

Princess Princess 5 is good character drama and good boys’ something, and readers who like this sort of thing will certainly enjoy this.

B+

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VIZ Media iPad App Now Available

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES FREE VIZ MANGA iPAD APP

App Debuting with NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, BLEACH and Other Greatest Hits of Manga; DEATH NOTE Volume 1 As A Free Download for a Limited Time

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its long-awaited digital manga (graphic novel) application for the Apple® iPad™ mobile device, launching today for FREE download through the iTunes Store. With this launch, the VIZ MANGA APP instantly becomes the leading destination to read Japanese manga on the iPad, with a downloadable library of the most popular manga series in the world.

The VIZ MANGA APP will launch on its first day with five legendary manga series, BLEACH Vols. 1-2, DEATH NOTE Vols. 1-2, DRAGON BALL Vol. 1, NARUTO Vols. 1-2, and ONE PIECE Vols. 1-2, as well as the recently launched BAKUMAN。 Vol. 1. In Week 2, the shojo fan favorite OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB Vol. 1 joins the lineup. All volumes will be available for purchase and download directly within the application for $4.99 per volume. In addition, DEATH NOTE Vol. 1 will be available as a FREE download for a limited time only. Readers are encouraged to check the app regularly, as new additions to the store and free Chapter 1 previews of other forthcoming manga series for the iPad will also be featured and added on a frequent and regular basis.

“Fans have been clamoring for an official manga-dedicated app from the moment they heard of the iPad’s existence,” says Alvin Lu, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VIZ Media. “It’s easy to see how manga and the iPad make for a perfect and natural fit. The VIZ MANGA APP is a great start, and this is just the beginning of manga’s brave new world. Look for plenty more developments to come.”

For more information on the VIZ MANGA APP, please visit www.VIZ.com/apps/.

Shrapnel: Hubris #3 Now in Stores



SHRAPNEL: HUBRIS #3 (3 of 3)
Creator NICK SAGAN & MARK LONG
Writer NICK SAGAN & CLINNETTE MINNIS
Artist CONCEPT ART HOUSE
Letterer SEAN KONOT
Cover Artist STEPHAN MARTINIERE

Diamond Order Code: MAY101101
On Sale: November 3rd, 2010
Price: $4.99
Page Count: 56
Format: Full Color

The concluding chapter in the sequel to Radical’s critically acclaimed graphic novel, Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising.

Savior to some, terrorist to others, controversial ex-marine “Sam” Narayan returns to the war-ravaged red planet of her birth to raise an army against those who would tyrannize her people. Yet at the onset of Sam’s campaign, she begins to slip into the darkness of her own soul, putting her army and cause at risk of annihilation by the most formidable foe of all…herself.

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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 3 2010

DC COMICS

MAR100236 ABSOLUTE ALL STAR SUPERMAN HC $99.99

SEP100222 ADVENTURE COMICS #520 $3.99

SEP100278 AUTHORITY #28 $2.99

JUL100146 BATMAN AND ROBIN #16 $3.99

JUL100190 BATMAN AND ROBIN DELUXE HC VOL 02 BATMAN VS ROBIN $24.99

AUG100199 BATMAN BATTLE FOR THE COWL TP $14.99

SEP100169 BATMAN CATWOMAN FOLLOW THE MONEY #1 $4.99

SEP100181 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #50 (NOTE PRICE) $4.99

SEP100192 BRIGHTEST DAY #13 $2.99

AUG100221 CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #53 $2.99

OCT090339 DC CHRONICLES SUPERMAN STATUE $99.99

SEP100240 DC COMICS PRESENTS CHASE #1 $7.99

SEP100239 DC COMICS PRESENTS THE FLASH GREEN LANTERN #1 $7.99

DEC090317 DC DYNAMICS SUPERMAN STATUE $195.00

SEP100217 DOOM PATROL #16 $2.99

SEP100282 DV8 GODS AND MONSTERS #8 (OF 8) $2.99

SEP100218 FREEDOM FIGHTERS #3 $2.99

AUG100204 GREEN LANTERN AGENT ORANGE TP $14.99

SEP100308 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #31 (MR) $2.99

JUL100244 HOW TO UNDERSTAND ISRAEL IN 60 DAYS OR LESS HC (MR) $24.99

AUG100203 HUMAN TARGET TP $17.99

SEP100309 IZOMBIE #7 (MR) $2.99

SEP100230 JONAH HEX #61 $2.99

SEP100216 JSA ALL STARS #12 $3.99

SEP100276 LOONEY TUNES #192 $2.99

SEP100179 RED HOOD LOST DAYS #6 (OF 6) $2.99

SEP100277 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #3 $2.99

SEP100235 SECRET SIX #27 $2.99

AUG100207 SGT ROCK THE LOST BATTALION TP $17.99

SEP100182 SUPERBOY #1 $2.99

SEP100316 SWEET TOOTH #15 (MR) $2.99

SEP100284 TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM #6 (OF 6) $3.99

AUG100275 UNKNOWN SOLDIER #25 (MR) $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 3 2010

MARVEL COMICS

AUG100558 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #647 $4.99

SEP100587 AVENGERS ACADEMY #6 $2.99

SEP100595 AVENGERS THOR CAPTAIN AMERICA OFF INDEX MU #7 $3.99

SEP100717 AVENGERS X-MEN TP MAXIMUM SECURITY $39.99

SEP100610 BULLSEYE PERFECT GAME #1 (OF 2) $3.99

SEP100613 CAPTAIN AMERICA MAN OUT OF TIME #1 (OF 5) $3.99

AUG108225 CHAOS WAR #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG PHAM VAR (PP #941) $3.99

SEP100597 CHAOS WAR #3 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP100729 ESSENTIAL AVENGERS TP VOL 04 NEW ED $19.99

SEP100654 GENERATION HOPE #1 $3.99

SEP100609 HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD #6 $2.99

AUG100703 HEROIC AGE TP $24.99

SEP100630 IRON MAN LEGACY #8 $2.99

SEP100631 IRON MAN MAGAZINE #4 $6.99

SEP100632 IRON MAN THOR #1 (OF 4) $3.99

JUL100657 KABUKI HC VOL 01 (MR) $29.99

AUG100614 MARVEL HOLIDAY MAGAZINE 2010 $9.99

SEP100557 MARVELMAN FAMILYS FINEST #5 (OF 6) $3.99

AUG100644 NAMOR FIRST MUTANT #3 $2.99

SEP100553 OZMA OF OZ #1 (OF 8) $3.99

SEP100636 PUNISHER IN BLOOD #1 (OF 5) $3.99

AUG100715 PUNISHER MAX KINGPIN TP (MR) $19.99

SEP100675 SCARLET #3 (MR) $3.95

AUG100689 SENSE & SENSIBILITY PREM HC $19.99

AUG100700 SIEGE TP $19.99

AUG100706 SPECTACULAR SPIDER-GIRL TP LAST STAND GN $19.99

AUG100621 SPIDER-MAN #7 $2.99

MAY100654 SQUADRON SUPREME BY MARK GRUENWALD OMNIBUS HC $74.99

MAY100655 SQUADRON SUPREME BY MARK GRUENWALD OMNIBUS HC VAR $74.99

SEP100673 STRANGE TALES 2 #2 (OF 3) $4.99

SEP100649 TASKMASTER #3 (OF 4) $3.99

MAY100658 THOR BY MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI OMNIBUS HC COIPEL CVR $64.99

MAY100659 THOR BY MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI OMNIBUS HC DM VAR ED $64.99

SEP100542 TRON ORIGINAL MOVIE ADAPTATION #1 (OF 2) $3.99

SEP100644 WARRIORS THREE #1 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP100658 WOLVERINE #3 $3.99

SEP100548 WOMEN OF MARVEL #1 $3.99

SEP100666 X-MEN TO SERVE AND PROTECT #1 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP100651 YOUNG ALLIES #6 $2.99