DARK HORSE COMICS EISNER WINNERS!
CONGRATS TO MIKE MIGNOLA, RICHARD CORBEN, DAVE STEWART & JUANJO GUARNIDO!
July 27, MILWAUKIE, OR— The Eisner Awards took place on Friday night of Comic Con International. These prestigious awards honor the best of the best within the comics world. With the madness of San Diego Comic-Con behind us, Dark Horse Comics looks forward to an amazing fall publishing schedule ahead. But first, we’d like to congratulate our Eisner Award winners!
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot):
Hellboy: Double Feature of Evil, by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art):
Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad
Best Cover Artist:
Mike Mignola, Hellboy, Baltimore: The Plague Ships
Best Coloring:
Dave Stewart, Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Baltimore, Let Me In (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Neil Young’s Greendale, Daytripper, Joe the Barbarian (Vertigo/DC)
The Eisner Awards are part of, and underwritten by, Comic-Con International, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.
Well done, boys! Well done!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Leroy Douresseaux on STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – The Lost Suns #2
STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC – THE LOST SUNS #2 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE BOOKS
["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]
SCRIPT: Alexander Freed
PENCIL ROUGHS: Dave Ross
PENCIL FINISHES: George Freeman
INKS: Mark McKenna
COLORS: Michael Atiyeh
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Benjamin Carré
32pp, Color, $3.50
I’m not really into that part of the Star Wars Expanded Universe known as Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I like the comic book. Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns is a comic book based upon the LucasArts online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic. While Dark Horse has published two previous series set in the Star Wars: The Old Republic time period, this is the first one set concurrent with the game.
In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, the Old Republic is the time period 1000 to 25000 years before the Battle of Yavin (abbreviated at BBY). For those that don’t know, the Battle of Yavin is the climactic battle in Stars Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, during which Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star.
Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns is set in 3632 BBY and focuses on Theron Shan, a spy working for the Republic Strategic Information Service. Theron’s superior sends him on a mission to find Ngani Zho, the great Jedi who may have important information. Theron has strong ties to the long-missing Jedi, as Zho trained Theron’s mother, Satele Shan. Darth Mekhis, an old enemy of Satele’s, also wants Zho.
As Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Lost Suns #2 opens, Ngani Zho reveals the dark history of the Republic’s war with the Sith and the tragic peace accord. Theron finds Zho, but both his and Zho’s past complicate their mission.
While I’m only vaguely familiar with the whole “Old Republic” universe within a universe, I am enjoying The Lost Suns. The script for the second issue by Alexander Freed, a senior writer on The Old Republic online game, is more streamlined than the one for the first issue. Freed seamlessly weaves back story and the present action to create an engaging, enjoyable read. The art, with its clean compositions and no-frills design, makes it easy to comprehend this story, which is steeped in arcane Star Wars stuff.
B+
Friday, July 29, 2011
Dark Horse Comics Announces $1.00 Comics
DARK HORSE COMICS RELEASES FALL PUBLISHING SCHEDULE PRICING DETAILS!
FIRST ISSUES OF ORCHID, HOUSE OF NIGHT, AND THE STRAIN ARE $1.00!
July 27, MILWAUKIE, OR — Dark Horse Comics announced Preview night at San Diego Comic Con that its fall publishing schedule will include three major heavy hitters in the writing-talent department.
Tom Morello’s Orchid, P. C. Cast’s House of Night, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain will be joining the Dark Horse roster. These titles are sure to keep your eyes on the comics.
The first issue of each of these new series will be priced at $1.00 in comic stores, giving every fan something to talk about and a great starting point to begin reading these amazing new stories!
If you’re a comics fan who’s made the jump to digital, every issue of each comic will be available on release date through Dark Horse Digital for $1.99.
With prices like that on titles like these, expect a high demand and expect to read the whole series. They are not to be missed!
Tom Morello’s Orchid is on sale October 12.
P. C. Cast’s House of Night is on sale November 9.
Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain is on sale December 14.
FIRST ISSUES OF ORCHID, HOUSE OF NIGHT, AND THE STRAIN ARE $1.00!
July 27, MILWAUKIE, OR — Dark Horse Comics announced Preview night at San Diego Comic Con that its fall publishing schedule will include three major heavy hitters in the writing-talent department.
Tom Morello’s Orchid, P. C. Cast’s House of Night, and Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain will be joining the Dark Horse roster. These titles are sure to keep your eyes on the comics.
The first issue of each of these new series will be priced at $1.00 in comic stores, giving every fan something to talk about and a great starting point to begin reading these amazing new stories!
If you’re a comics fan who’s made the jump to digital, every issue of each comic will be available on release date through Dark Horse Digital for $1.99.
With prices like that on titles like these, expect a high demand and expect to read the whole series. They are not to be missed!
Tom Morello’s Orchid is on sale October 12.
P. C. Cast’s House of Night is on sale November 9.
Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain is on sale December 14.
Naoki Urasawa Gets Eisner Award - About Damn Time
VIZ MEDIA’S NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS WINS A 2011 EISNER AWARD
Manga Masterpiece Recognized With The Comic Book Industry’s Most Prestigious Award
San Francisco, CA, July 28, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, is proud to announce that NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS was recognized with an Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia category during award ceremonies held at the recent Comic-Con International event in San Diego, CA. NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS is published in North America by VIZ Media’s Signature imprint. Volume 17 of the series will be released in August.
20th CENTURY BOYS is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns.
For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
“We’re elated to have NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS recognized by the comic book industry such a prestigious award,” says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Director at VIZ Media and editor for the title. “Urasawa‘s tense and dramatic storylines have firmly established him among the very top echelon of manga creators. With this, and other acclaimed series such as NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER and PLUTO: URASAWA ´ TEZUKA, Naoki Urasawa continues to push the boundaries of the manga genre, and we look forward to this award bringing his work to the attention of many new fans across North America.”
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the "Oscars" of the comic book industry [Utter foolishness - Leroy] and are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit and several award-winning graphic novels). The awards are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the largest and oldest comic book convention in the United States.
Naoki Urasawa's career as a manga artist spans more than twenty years and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of Japan. Born in Tokyo in 1960, Urasawa debuted with BETA! in 1983 and hasn't stopped his impressive output since. Well-versed in a variety of genres, Urasawa's oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such as a romantic comedy (YAWARA! A FASHIONABLE JUDO GIRL), a suspenseful human drama about a former mercenary (PINEAPPLE ARMY; story by Kazuya Kudo), a captivating psychological suspense story (NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER), a sci-fi adventure manga (NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS), and a modern reinterpretation of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (PLUTO: URASAWA X TEZUKA; co-authored with Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, and with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions). Many of his books have spawned popular animated and live-action TV programs and films, and 2008 saw the theatrical release of the first of three live-action Japanese films based on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS.
No stranger to accolades and awards, Urasawa is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award, a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, and has received the Kodansha Manga Award. Urasawa has also become involved in the world of academia, and in 2008 accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he teaches courses in, of course, manga.
For more information on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS and other VIZ Media manga titles, please visit www.viz.com/manga.
Manga Masterpiece Recognized With The Comic Book Industry’s Most Prestigious Award
San Francisco, CA, July 28, 2011 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, is proud to announce that NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS was recognized with an Eisner Award in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia category during award ceremonies held at the recent Comic-Con International event in San Diego, CA. NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS is published in North America by VIZ Media’s Signature imprint. Volume 17 of the series will be released in August.
20th CENTURY BOYS is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns.
For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
“We’re elated to have NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS recognized by the comic book industry such a prestigious award,” says Andy Nakatani, Editorial Director at VIZ Media and editor for the title. “Urasawa‘s tense and dramatic storylines have firmly established him among the very top echelon of manga creators. With this, and other acclaimed series such as NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER and PLUTO: URASAWA ´ TEZUKA, Naoki Urasawa continues to push the boundaries of the manga genre, and we look forward to this award bringing his work to the attention of many new fans across North America.”
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the "Oscars" of the comic book industry [Utter foolishness - Leroy] and are named for renowned cartoonist Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit and several award-winning graphic novels). The awards are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at Comic-Con International in San Diego, the largest and oldest comic book convention in the United States.
Naoki Urasawa's career as a manga artist spans more than twenty years and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of Japan. Born in Tokyo in 1960, Urasawa debuted with BETA! in 1983 and hasn't stopped his impressive output since. Well-versed in a variety of genres, Urasawa's oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such as a romantic comedy (YAWARA! A FASHIONABLE JUDO GIRL), a suspenseful human drama about a former mercenary (PINEAPPLE ARMY; story by Kazuya Kudo), a captivating psychological suspense story (NAOKI URASAWA’S MONSTER), a sci-fi adventure manga (NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS), and a modern reinterpretation of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (PLUTO: URASAWA X TEZUKA; co-authored with Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, and with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions). Many of his books have spawned popular animated and live-action TV programs and films, and 2008 saw the theatrical release of the first of three live-action Japanese films based on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20TH CENTURY BOYS.
No stranger to accolades and awards, Urasawa is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award, a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, and has received the Kodansha Manga Award. Urasawa has also become involved in the world of academia, and in 2008 accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he teaches courses in, of course, manga.
For more information on NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS and other VIZ Media manga titles, please visit www.viz.com/manga.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Natsume's Friends
I read Natsume's Book of Friends, Vol. 8
I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).
I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).
Leroy Douresseaux on FRAGMENTA 3: On the Record
FRAGMENTA 3: ON THE RECORD
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS
WRITER: John Ira Thomas
ARTISTS: Carter Allen, Jeremy Smith
56pp, Color, $7.00
I am a big fan of the comics, graphic novels, and various publications put out by Candle Light Press. Go read Zoo Force/Not Zoo Force.
In recent years, Candle Light Press and its leading man of letters, John Ira Thomas, have published small mooks (magazine/book) collecting odds and ends concerning CLP’s comics, graphic novels, aborted projects, etc. Those include Fragmenta: The Art of the Writer and Fragmenta 2: Cross Nurses & Agile Clothes.
Fragmenta 2, from Thomas and artist Will Beard, focused on stories that never made it all the way to finished form as a comic book or graphic novel. Thomas also shared his aborted attempts to create horror comics that capture the feel of cheap movies, especially horror/exploitation movies. It’s a must have.
Now, comes Fragmenta 3: On the Record. It’s a bit different. Fragmenta 3 is part script book, part history, and part transcripts based on recordings (record LPs). The material inside is based on real creators, real events, and fictional characters from actual comic books and graphic novels. The content of Fragmenta 3, however, is not necessarily based on actual published works.
Readers who are familiar with CLP’s comics and graphic novels will love Fragmenta 3. The opening two pages are a history of and manifesto about comic book creators dealing with Hollywood. It’s fun to read, and makes a lot of good points about staying true to the characters and what that means for creators, fans, and media rights holders. For me, reading the scripts was like experiencing old time radio programs, but since I am a fan of old time radio, perhaps, I’m just projecting my favorite things onto Fragmenta 3.
Like most anything Candle Light Press publishes, Fragmenta 3: On the Record is smart, funny, engaging, and simply a good read.
A-
Visit the CLP store: http://candlelightpress.com/shopper/
http://www.candlelightpress.com/
--------------------------------
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Leroy Douresseaux on STAR WARS: JEDI – THE DARK SIDE #3
STAR WARS: JEDI – THE DARK SIDE #3
DARK HORSE BOOKS
["Star Wars Central" review page is here.]
SCRIPT: Scott Allie
ARTIST: Mahmud Asrar
COLORS: Paul Mounts
LETTERS: Michael Heisler
COVER: Stéphane Roux
32pp, Color, $2.99
Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side is a recently launched Star Wars comic book series from Dark Horse Comics. It is set during “The Rise of the Empire” era, which is essentially the time period of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. This particular story takes place two decades before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
In Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side, the Jedi Council sends Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his headstrong Padawan Xanatos, the beautiful Jedi Master Tahl, and the Padawan Orykan Tamarik (whose master is deceased) to the planet Telos IV. Their assignment is to quell the unrest caused by the mysterious death and possible assassination of High Priestess Liora.
As Star Wars: Jedi – The Dark Side #3 opens, Qui-Gon attempts to bring peace between Xanatos and his father, Lord Crion, the ruler of Telos IV. Father and son have a difficult relationship, made even more difficult by Crion’s pride and Xanatos’ stubborn ways. Xanatos’ sister, Nason, also tries to bring her brother and father together, but she may be endangering herself. Meanwhile, the dissidents on Telos IV grow bolder, and the mysterious Jedi figure that may be behind the planet’s troubles is revealed to Qui-Gon,
Writer Scott Allie has turned Star Wars into a high-quality court drama and conspiracy thriller. This is more like a summer potboiler prose novel than a comic book. Artist Mahmud Asrar does his best work in depicting the Jedi in action. His art captures the jumping, flipping, cart-wheeling Jedi of The Phantom Menace in still pictures that don’t lose the energy of the moving image originals. I didn’t think that I’d like this, but I’m actually looking forward to more, especially because Allie presents a richly characterized version of Qui-Gon.
A-
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)