VIZ Media Offers New Releases for Holiday Season

VIZ MEDIA SHOWCASES A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF NEW MANGA RELEASES TO MAKE UNIQUE GIFT SELECTIONS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

New Releases For BAKUMAN｡, BLUE EXORCIST, DEATH NOTE, D. GRAY MAN, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, VAMPIRE KNIGHT And More Among The Best-Loved Series That Are Sure To Top Holiday Wish Lists

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, offers a wide variety of unique art books and manga (graphic) releases – several of them brand new series – that make ideal gift selections for even the most discriminating fan this holiday season.

From the debut of Natsume Ono’s TESORO and the brand new shojo series, DAWN OF ARCANA, by Rei Toma, to a box set of the recently concluded FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, to the latest editions of popular ongoing titles including BAKUMAN｡, BLUE EXORCIST, DEATH NOTE BLACK EDITION, NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, and the recently launched PSYREN, there will be plenty of aspiring young manga artists, spirit bending exorcists, royal romantic intrigue, charming stories of bonds between friends & family, tales of alchemy and more to complement everyone’s holiday season this year. And for the fan that has been especially good all year, don’t miss two gorgeously illustrated art books for D.GRAY-MAN and VAMPIRE KNIGHT. Each is filled with vivid character art, concept drawings, and insightful artist commentaries and also includes a full-color poster.

BAKUMAN｡,Vol. 8 · Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN· Available December 6th
Average student Moritaka Mashiro enjoys drawing for fun. 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?

BLUE EXORCIST, Vol. 5 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available December 6th
Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret? It won't be easy, especially when drawing his father’s sword releases the demonic power within him!

D.GRAY-MAN ILLUSTRATIONS · MSRP: $21.99 U.S. / $25.99 CAN · Available December 6th
Enter the fictional 19th-century world of D. GRAY MAN with lavish color artwork from its creator, Katsura Hoshino, showcasing her graphic novel and magazine covers and more! Additionally, this book features insightful Q&As between Hoshino and two manga creators who inspire her: Takeshi Obata, the artist behind HIKARU NO GO and BAKUMAN and the smash hit DEATH NOTE; and Osamu Akimoto, the creator of Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo. Kochira has been serialized in the best-selling boy's manga magazine in the world, Weekly Shonen Jump, for 35 years and is the magazine’s longest-running manga series. Edition also includes an exclusive, double-sided, full-color poster.

DAWN of the Arcana, Vol. 1 · Rated “T” for Teens MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN· Available December 6th
Princess Nakaba of Senan is forced to marry Prince Caesar of the enemy country Belquat, tantamount to becoming a hostage. While Caesar is pleasing to the eye, he is also selfish and possessive, telling Nakaba outright: “You are my property.” With only her attendant Loki at her side, Nakaba must find a way to cope with her hostile surroundings, her fake marriage...and a mysterious power!

DEATH NOTE BLACK EDITION, Vol. 6 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN· Available Now!
Don’t miss the final omnibus volume of the Black Edition series collecting DEATH NOTE Volumes 11 and 12. Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by rogue Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST MANGA BOX SET · Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $219.99 U.S. / CAN · Available Now!
This best-selling action series is now available in a complete manga box set! Includes volumes 1-27, plus extras such as Fullmetal Alchemist Novel: The Ties That Bind and a full-color, two-sided poster. Over a 20% savings over buying the individual volumes!

In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical ""auto-mail"" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother's bodies...the legendary Philosopher's Stone.

NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN, Vol. 6 · Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available December 6th
While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai, supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these worlds is Rikuo Nura. He's three-quarters human, but his grandfather is none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three quarters of the time, until his yokai blood awakens. Then Rikuo transforms into the future leader of the Nura clan, leading a hundred demons.

PSYREN, Vol. 1 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available Now!
Ageha Yoshina just got transported to a warped alternate dimension where you've got to fight your way back to our world – or die trying. "Save me!" Those were Sakurako Amamiya's last words to her friend Ageha Yoshina before she mysteriously went missing. Now Ageha's on a quest to find her. He's convinced that the mythical Psyren Secret Society has something to do with the recent rash of disappearances. And now he seems to be caught up as a player in their very deadly game...

TESORO · Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN · Available November 15th
TESORO is a treasure of 14 charming stories about family, friends, couples and unexpected bonds. Written by Natsume Ono over ten years, this is the long-awaited collection of her early work, including numerous illustrations and previously unpublished stories!

THE ART OF VAMPIRE KNIGHT · MSRP: $24.99 U.S. / $28.99 CAN · Available Now!
Cross over into the mysterious and deadly world of VAMPIRE KNIGHT with the lush, full-color artwork of Matsuri Hino. This hard cover edition includes an extensive gallery with author comments, a how-to tutorial, and an exclusive poster.

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

X 3-In-1 DELUXE Collectors Edition, Vol. 1 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN · Available Now!
X, the epic series from CLAMP, is now available in this deluxe collector’s edition. The pages have been recomposed in the original right-to-left reading order and restored to the highest quality. Each volume contains three of the original graphic novels, along with gorgeous, full-color illustrations never before published outside Japan!

Kamui Shiro is a young man followed by mystery. Taken from Tokyo by his mother when only a child, Kamui left behind his dearest friends—the gentle Kotori and her brother Fuma—in the aftermath of a terrible incident that claimed their mother's life. Returning to Tokyo following his mother's death, Kamui is a changed young man – moody and distant to his old friends, yet determined to protect them from the dark forces that swirl around him. It turns out that he is the nexus of a great cataclysm to come, and the inheritor to a strange destiny that could decide the fate of the entire world.

For more information on VIZ Media manga titles, please visit: http://www.viz.com/.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like Naruto, Bleach and InuYasha, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at http://www.viz.com/

#IReadsYou Review: DAWN OF THE ARCANA Volume 1

DAWN OF THE ARCANA, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Rei Toma
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Alexander O. Smith
LETTERS: Freeman Wong
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4104-4; paperback, Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN

On a small island, there are two kingdoms:  fertile and prosperous Belquat on the south side and poorer Senan on the north side.  Princess Nakaba of Senan is forced into an arranged marriage with Prince Caesar of Belquat in order to bring peace between the two countries.  Will it work?  Will this even be a real marriage?

In Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 1, Nakaba arrives at the royal palace in Belquat and discovers that everyone is entranced by her red hair, which is not found amongst royalty in either Belquat or Senan.  Also, accompanying her is her attendant, Loki, who is an Ajin.  A race of demi-humans that have the ears and tails of beasts, Ajin are slaves and soldiers in both countries.  Loki’s presence causes more consternation, and Nakaba is soon a prisoner in the palace, and her new husband insists that she is his property.

THE LOWDOWN:  Although she includes a few subplots, creator Rei Toma is as straightforward as she can be in telling Dawn of the Arcana.  If he or she had the time, an adult reader could quickly read this entire graphic novel in one sitting.  Except for some mild innuendo, Dawn of the Arcana is really a comic book for preteens and younger teen readers.  It does not have the dramatic heft to really grab the attention or imagination, for that matter, of adult readers.  It’s not bad at all, but it is for younger readers, after all.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Young readers looking for shojo fantasy will want to try Dawn of the Arcana.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

EDITED: Wednesday, January13, 2021


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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I Reads You Review: ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #3

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #3
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ARTIST: Sara Pichelli
COLORS: Justin Ponsor
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Kaare Andrews
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.
Rated T+

In Ultimate Spider-Man #3 (AKA Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #3), Miles Morales has decided to ignore the powers he got after the strange spider bit him, but his best friend Ganke won’t let him. Even after a heroic act, Miles chooses normal because he is happy to let Spider-Man (who is still alive at this point) be Spider-Man. As Miles settles into his new school, Brooklyn Visions Academy, fate deals him a blow.

At this point in the new Ultimate Spider-Man series, writer Brian Michael Bendis is telling a story driven by characters not living or doing the superhero thing. This is a recognizable story: a teen boy wants to go to school and be normal. Circumstances exist, however, which means that regardless of how hard he tries or works, normalcy simply is not. This issue reminds me of the early issues of The Amazing Spider-Man which featured scenes of Peter Parker finding his way in the world in which his powers placed him, but wanting to be just one of the guys.

The clean drawing style of artist Sara Pichelli deftly visualizes Bendis’ character drama-style story in a way that makes it as exciting as a depiction of super powers. Perhaps, that is why the scenes in which Miles uses his powers seem so fresh, new, and exciting. It’s as if both Miles and the readers were seeing superhero supernatural for the first time.

A

Leroy Douresseaux Reviews: CLiNT #12

CLiNT #12
TITAN MAGAZINES

WRITERS: Mark Millar, Frankie Boyle, Nathan Edmondson, and Mark Sable
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr., Mike Dowling, Tonci Zonjic, Leinil Yu, and Paul Azaceta
INKS: Tom Palmer, Mike Dowling, Tonci Zonjic, Gerry Alanguilan, and Paul Azaceta
COLORS: Dean White, Jamie Grant and Jim Devlin, Sunny Gho, and Matt Wilson
LETTERS: Chris Eliopolous, Clayton Cowles, and Thomas Maur
98pp, Color, $6.99 U.S., £4.25 UK

In 1987, a young Mark Millar wrote to comic book artist (and sometime writer) Dave Gibbons, who was ascendant with the attention of the legendary comic book series, Watchmen. In his letter, Millar suggested that he and Gibbons collaborate, and Gibbons was gracious in his reply. Both letters are reprinted in CLiNT #12 as part of an interview of both men as they tease their upcoming project, “The Secret Service.”

CLiNT is a comics and comics culture magazine edited by superstar comic book writer Mark Millar and published by Titan Magazines. Every issue of CLiNT contains actual comics and interviews related to comics, as well as the occasional piece on movies and pop culture. It is a newsstand British comic or “boys comic” magazine in the tradition of 2000AD (among others) that serializes multiple comics. However, most of the comics in CLiNT have been published in comic book form prior to their CLiNT appearance.

CLiNT #12 comes with some big news from the publisher. The magazine will now be released in the United States at the same time as it is in the United Kingdom, in this instance, November 23rd in the U.S. and November 24th in the U.K.

As with previous issues, CLiNT #12 includes a chapter of Millar and John Romita, Jr.’s Kick-Ass 2 (Chapter 12). It is deranged as ever, but Millar manages to create a poignant moment or two, basically by dropping some consequence-of-actions on the characters. The second Millar offering is Chapter 7 of Superior, which is penciled by Leinil Yu. It is a superhero fantasy drama/comedy about a crippled boy who gets to be the comic book superhero he loves. It is strange and is darker in tone than its brightly colored art would suggest.

Thanks to a summary page, I have a better idea of what is going on in Rex Royd from stand-up comic and writer Frankie Boyle. But it still seems to me like a masala of Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, and Brian Bendis post-modern superhero ideas. There is also the conclusion of writer Nathan Edmondson and artist Tonci Zonjic’s Who is Jake Ellis?, which was recently published as a comic book miniseries by Image Comics. I read it and had no idea what was going on because I had not read the earlier issues. I like Zonjic’s art, though.

My favorite comic in this issue is Graveyard of Empires from writer Mark Sable and artist Paul Azaceta, which is being published as a miniseries by Image Comics. A war comic, Graveyard of Empires is set in Afghanistan at a small American base, F.A.C. Alamo, and focuses on the servicemen, their boredom, fear, and pastimes. It’s very good, and reminds me of the Oscar-winning film, The Hurt Locker. I don’t know how I will feel about it later because it is apparently a zombie comic, although zombies don’t appear in this installment.

The issue ends with a “Badass Cinema” article by Vern (http://www.outlawvern.com/) gives readers an overview of “Arthouse Badass.”

A-

http://www.clintmag.com/

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

DC COMICS

SEP110161 ALL STAR WESTERN #3 $3.99

SEP118094 ANIMAL MAN #1 3RD PTG $2.99

SEP110100 AQUAMAN #3 $2.99

AUG110245 BATGIRL TP VOL 03 THE LESSON $19.99

JUL110249 BATMAN THE BLACK MIRROR HC $29.99

SEP110125 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #3 $2.99

JUL110307 BATMAN YEAR ONE DVD BATMAN MAQUETTE $125.00

APR110270 BLACKEST NIGHT ACTION FIGURE BOX SET PI

SEP110159 BLACKHAWKS #3 $2.99

SEP110173 DC COMICS PRESENTS LIFE STORY OF THE FLASH #1 $7.99

SEP110211 DIABLO #1 (OF 5) $2.99

SEP110220 DMZ #71 (MR) $2.99

SEP110102 FLASH #3 $2.99

SEP110107 FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #3 $2.99

AUG110247 GOTHAM CITY SIRENS TP VOL 02 SONG OF THE SIRENS $17.99

SEP110141 GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #3 $2.99

JUL110254 GREEN LANTERN OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 $75.00

SEP110219 HELLBLAZER #285 (MR) $2.99

SEP110149 I VAMPIRE #3 $2.99

SEP110145 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #3 $2.99

JUL110292 PREACHER HC BOOK 05 (MR) $39.99

SEP110111 SAVAGE HAWKMAN #3 $2.99

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SEP110143 SHADE #2 (OF 12) $2.99

JUL110264 SHOWCASE PRESENTS GHOSTS TP VOL 01 $19.99

SEP110117 SUPERMAN #3 $2.99

SEP110162 TEEN TITANS #3 $2.99

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SEP110156 VOODOO #3 $2.99

FEB110284 WORLD OF WARCRAFT ALLIANCE COLLECTIBLE COIN SET (RES) $69.99

FEB110283 WORLD OF WARCRAFT HORDE COLLECTIBLE COIN SET (RES) $69.99

APR110269 YELLOW LANTERN 1/4 SCALE POWER BATTERY & RING PROP $35.00

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

MARVEL COMICS

SEP110660 5 RONIN TP $16.99

SEP110688 AGE OF APOCALYPSE BY BILLY TAN POSTER $8.99

SEP110563 ALPHA FLIGHT #6 $2.99

SEP110565 ANNIHILATORS EARTHFALL #3 (OF 4) $3.99

SEP110612 ASTONISHING X-MEN #44 $3.99

SEP110527 AVENGERS ORIGINS SCARLET WITCH AND QUICKSILVER #1 $3.99

SEP110531 AVENGERS SOLO #2 (OF 5) $3.99

SEP110550 CAPTAIN AMERICA AND BUCKY #624 $2.99

SEP110619 DAKEN DARK WOLVERINE #17 $2.99

SEP110551 FANTASTIC FOUR #600 $7.99

SEP110509 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #510 $3.99

AUG110637 IRON MAN 2.0 #10 $2.99

SEP110632 KAPOW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD SPECIAL #1 (MR) $2.99

AUG118087 KICK-ASS 2 #5 (MR) (PP #990) $2.99

SEP110515 MIGHTY THOR #8 $3.99

SEP110654 MIGHTY THOR BY FRACTION PREM HC COIPEL DM VAR ED VOL 01 $24.99

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SEP110641 MMW X-MEN TP VOL 04 $24.99

SEP110642 MMW X-MEN TP VOL 04 DM VAR ED 35 $24.99

SEP110534 SECRET AVENGERS #19 $3.99

SEP110679 SKAAR KING OF SAVAGE LAND TP $15.99

SEP110571 SPIDER-MAN #20 $2.99

SEP110680 SPIDER-MAN ORIGIN OF HOBGOBLIN TP $29.99

SEP110659 THOR HEAVEN AND EARTH HC $19.99

SEP110673 ULTIMATE COMICS CAPTAIN AMERICA TP $14.99

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SEP118072 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #2 3RD PTG ANDREWS VAR (PP #994) $3.99

SEP110655 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN DOSM FALLOUT PREM HC $24.99

SEP110656 ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN DOSM FALLOUT PREM HC DM VAR ED $24.99

SEP118073 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #2 3RD PTG ANDREWS VAR (PP #994) $3.99

SEP110657 UNCANNY X-FORCE DARK ANGEL SAGA PREM HC BOOK 01 $24.99

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AUG118172 X-MEN SCHISM #3 (OF 5) X PTG VAR (PP #992) $3.99

AUG118174 X-MEN SCHISM #5 (OF 5) X PTG VAR (PP #992) $3.99

IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for November 23 2011

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT110426 CURIOUS CASES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES GN $19.99

SEP110323 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #11 $3.99

SEP110326 DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS #13 $3.99

SEP118078 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING #1 2ND PTG (PP #994) $3.99

SEP110283 GODZILLA KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #9 $3.99

OCT110425 IN THE SHADOW OF SHERLOCK HOLMES SC NOVEL $16.99

SEP110259 JACK AVARICE IS THE COURIER #4 (OF 5) $3.99

JUL110327 LOCKE & KEY GUIDE TO KNOWN KEYS ONE SHOT $3.99

AUG110351 LOVECRAFT LIBRARY HC VOL 01 HORROR OUT OF ARKHAM $16.99

MAY110370 PARKER MARTINI ED HC $75.00

SEP110272 ROCKETEER JETPACK TREASURY ED $9.99

JUN110375 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ULT COLL HC VOL 01 $49.99