Jim Woodwring and the Weathercraft Tour

ANNOUNCING JIM WOODRING’S WEATHERCRAFT TOUR

This week, comic book shops and many bookstores across America began selling Jim Woodring’s WEATHERCRAFT, one of the most eagerly-anticipated graphic novels of 2010.

Beginning this Saturday in Seattle, author Jim Woodring embarks on a rare tour of the Pacific Northwest, California Bay Area, and New York in support of his first-ever original graphic novel, WEATHERCRAFT. In each city, Jim will entertain audiences a fantastic slide show and discussion of the hidden meanings behind every mysterious idea and totem in WEATHERCRAFT. And in Brooklyn, on June 18, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to view all of the original artwork from the book, as well as many preliminary pieces that went into making it.

05/22/10
6PM • Seattle WA • FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKSTORE & GALLERY

06/09/10
7:30PM • Berkeley CA • PEGASUS & PENDRAGON BOOKSTORE

06/10/10
7:30PM • San Francisco CA • THE BOOKSMITH

06/17/10
6PM • New York NY • FORBIDDEN PLANET

06/18/10
6PM • Brooklyn NY • SCOTT EDER GALLERY

06/19/10
7PM • Brooklyn NY • DESERT ISLAND COMICS

06/25/10
7:30PM • Portland OR • POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS

ABOUT WEATHERCRAFT: After 30 years of making acclaimed comic books, Jim Woodring has created his first-ever, long-form original graphic novel. Weathercraft sends Jim’s sloth-like character, Manhog, on a psychedelic quest for enlightenment. Woodring’s transformative imagination lures the reader in and makes that person part of a looping story in which actions speak and words don’t exist. Wooodring’s fluid panels and detailed linework makes this journey though the “Unifactor” universe one that rewards with exquisite new discoveries upon every reading.

Jim Woodring lives in Seattle, WA with his wife.

WEATHERCRAFT: Black-and-white, 104 pages, 7" by 9.75" • ISBN: 978-1-60699-340-8 • $19.99 US

“The ancient myths and folk tales of all cultures which have been preserved for so many centuries have meaning for us today because the fantastic elements in them are rooted in immutable reality. The Frank stories belong to this class of literature.” – Francis Ford Coppola


"Jim Woodring may be the most important cartoonist of his generation. The Frank stories are masterpieces, each and every one. Read them. Re-read them. Re-re-read them. Every cell in your body will remember this spellbinding, visionary work." – Scott McCloud

For more information visit www.fantagraphics.com/jimwoodring


COMPLETE LISTING INFORMATION:

Saturday, May 22, 6-9PM:
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale St. (@ Airport Way)
SEATTLE, WA
206.658.0110
www.fantagraphics.com/bookstore

Wednesday, June 9, 7:30PM:
Pegasus & Pendragon Bookstores
2349 Shattuck Ave.
BERKELEY, CA
510.528.3254
http://www.pegasusbookstore.com/

Thursday, June 10, 7:30PM:
The Booksmith
1644 Haight Street
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
415.863.8688
http://www.booksmith.com/

Thursday, June 17, 6PM:
Forbidden Planet
840 Broadway
NEW YORK, NY
(212) 473-1576
http://www.fpnyc.com/

Friday, June 18, 6-9PM:
Scott Eder Gallery
18 Bridge St 2-I

BROOKLYN, NY
718.797.1100
http://www.scottedergallery.com/
Exhibition of Weathercraft original artwork and artist reception

Saturday, June 19, 7-9PM:
Desert Island Comics
540 Metropolitan Avenue
BROOKLYN, NY
718.388.5087
http://www.desertislandbrooklyn.com/

Friday, June 25, 7:30PM:
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W Burnside
PORTLAND, OR
503.228.4651
http://www.powells.com/

New Manga Series Introduces Gourmet Hunter

APPETITE MEETS ADVENTURE IN ACTION-PACKED NEW SHONEN JUMP SERIES TORIKO

It’s Eat Or Be Eaten As A Gourmet Hunter Tracks Exotic Big Game For His Clients’ Expensive Palates In Ferocious New Manga Debut

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delivers a new manga property that expertly blends action-adventure with the thrill of the hunt with the release of TORIKO on June 1st. The new series, created by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, will be published under the SHONEN JUMP imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In a savage world ruled by the pursuit of the most delicious foods, it's either eat or be eaten! This is the great era of gourmet food! And only Toriko can track down the ferocious and exotic wildlife coveted by the world's best restaurants and wealthy food connoisseurs. As a Gourmet Hunter, Toriko tracks and defeats the tastiest and most dangerous animals with his bare hands. But has he met his match with an eight-legged alligator the size of a tank?

“Fans will be in for a truly wild ride with over-the-top action in TORIKO,” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director at VIZ Media. “Toriko uses his incredible strength and superb hunting skills to track down the most exotic ingredients for his clients’ expensive and unusual tastes to create the ultimate dinner!”

Creator Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro made his debut in Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1996. He is best known for the 2001 series, Seikimatsu Leader Den Takeshi! (A Tale of a Leader in The End of the Century Takeshi), for which he won the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga. His current series, TORIKO, began serialization in Japan in 2008.

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

OEL Manga, The Dreaming, Being Developed as 3D Film

TOKYOPOP and Odin's Eye team up to produce The Dreaming film

Graphic novel adaptation set for Australian 3D live-action production

Cannes, France (May 18, 2010) - Sydney-based international sales and production entity Odin's Eye announced today a partnership with Tokyo- and Los Angeles-based media company TOKYOPOP to produce a feature film adaptation of TOKYOPOP's successful manga graphic novel series The Dreaming.

Written by Sydney native Queenie Chan, suspense thriller The Dreaming has been published worldwide in 17 languages. The feature will be adapted for the screen by Brisbane-based writing team Shayne Armstrong and Shane Krause. Producers Stu Levy (Priest, Van Von Hunter) and Michael Favelle (Crush, Three Blind Mice) have brought on Los Angeles- and Sydney-based Kate Woods (Looking for Alibrandi, Bones, Without a Trace) to direct.

The haunting, gripping tale's themes of isolation and atonement resonate with its teenage audience and also provide insight into the fascinating Aboriginal culture in Australia. When teenage students begin disappearing at an all-girls boarding school in the Australian wilderness, twin students Jeanie and Amber set out to unravel a 100-year-old mystery.

Levy said, "The Australian bush is a rich setting for spooky stories, and The Dreaming takes the environment to a deeper level, one in which exists the very fabric of human existence, first postulated by Australia's indigenous people thousands of years ago." Favelle added, "Our intention is to craft a supernatural thriller carried by the psychological mood of the piece, much like The Shining did a generation ago."

Emphasis will be placed on the stylization and production design of the stereoscopic 3D cinematography while keeping focus on the characters. Woods explained, "The Dreaming is a contemporary take on a classic tale and an opportunity to push the boundaries of this genre." Levy added, "We're excited to partner with Kate - her ability to capture a character's voice is top-notch, which will elevate The Dreaming far beyond the level of a typical suspense genre film."

Screen New South Wales is providing the first phase of development finance, and production funding will come from a mix of Australia's producer's offset, private equity, and pre-sales. Production is planned for 2011, working towards a late 2012 release.


About TOKYOPOP:
Founded by multi-cultural media visionary Stu Levy, TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company's global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with offices in the UK and Germany, in addition to its Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto the new social networking site www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, which are licensed in 50 countries in more than 30 languages, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP's award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.


About ODIN'S EYE:
Established in 2006 by Michael Favelle, Odin's Eye Entertainment (OEE) is a Production and International Sales Agency that specializes in working with both emerging and established filmmakers. OEE is not focused on any sole genre, however it is attracted to films that are high concept, unique, stand out in the marketplace. OEE currently represents over 35 films, from Australia, Asia and North America. The films it represents are an eclectic mix of feature films and documentaries. OEE is currently handling and selling Surf film GOING VERTICAL and horror sensation DAMNED BY DAWN.

You are the Scheming Political Father

I read Millennium Prime Minister Volume 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has a new version of its iPhone app).  This is a DokiDoki title from DMP.

Bluewater Productions Announces Taylor Lautner "Fame" Bio

TAYLOR LAUTNER COMIC BOOK BIOGRAPHY COMPLETES TWILIGHT SAGA FOR BLUEWATER

Bluewater Productions has already completed comic book biographies of Twilight actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and of the author who first brought Twilight to life, Stephenie Meyer. In August, the comics company will add actor Taylor Lautner to the mix.

Lautner, who plays shape shifter Jacob Black in the Twilight films, will get his own comic from Bluewater this August. The 32-page Fame: Taylor Lautner will retail at comic shops, Amazon.com and other online sites for $3.99.

Lautner was a relatively unknown actor until he made his debut in the popular vampire-romance movies. Those days are over. Today, Lautner is as much a household name as are Stewart and Pattinson.

Lautner is also a committed actor. He studied martial arts and packed on 30 pounds of muscle for his role in the Twilight movies.

Of course, Lautner's smile and chiseled features haven't hurt his popularity, either, at least not among the movies' largely female audience.

Kimberly Sherman, who's penned the biography comics of both Pattinson and Stewart, also wrote the new Lautner comic. Warren Martineck, an artist for DC Comics' WildStorm studio, provided the interior art, while JuanMar Studios produced the comic's cover.

You can see exclusive pages of the comic book on MTV: http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/05/17/taylor-lautner-comic-book-preview/

“The Twilight series has become a pop culture phenomenon,” said Darren Davis, president and founder of Bluewater Productions. “It's transformed previously unknown actors into superstars. It seems that the same thing is happening with Taylor Lautner. We at Bluewater are happy to bring Taylor's story to his fans, and hope that his comic helps introduce these readers to the joys of graphic storytelling.”

Bluewater Productions has carved out a niche for itself with its top-selling line of biography comics. The company's Fame line of biographies, which chronicles the life of influential celebrities, will debut this May with comics focusing on Pattinson and Lady GaGa. Both titles are available then at comic book stores on May26th as well as Amazon in which the comics have ranked up to #300 on the site.

Bluewater also publishes the Female Force and Political Power line of comics. These biographies have features such powers as Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela and Sarah Palin.

For more information about Bluewater Productions, please visit the company's Web site at 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.

For more information, visit www.bluewaterprod.com.

Legendary Michael Golden and Joe Jusko Tour Europe

Michael Golden and Joe Jusko Headline "LEI 2010 Euro Spring Tour"!

Paris, The Netherlands, Brussels -- The Eva Ink Artist Tour for May 2010 is underway! And this year sees the bi-annual event reprising the successes of two years ago by bringing back two illustration heavy hitters for the adventure-- creator Michael Golden and illustrator Joe Jusko!

"I admire the work of both of these talents immensely," says Renee Witterstaetter of Eva Ink Artist Group, "And I'm very happy to welcome them both back on the tour. It's seldom that we invite the same creators back so soon, but the demand for Joe and Michael was high, both from the fans of their work in Europe, and from the store owners themselves!"

And it's certainly no wonder!

Artist/writer/creator Michael Golden, co-creator of the X-men's Rogue character, is known for his detailed pencil work on "The 'Nam," "Micronauts," "G.I. Joe Yearbook," and "Dr. Strange, " among much more!

Milestones in Golden's career include the co-creation of "Bucky O'Hare," which led to an animated series and toy line designed by Michael, "The Mirconauts," as well as "Spartan X" with editor Renee Witterstaetter. Currently, Golden's work can be seen with new covers on "Spiderman 1602," "Iron Man", "Heroes for Hire", "X-Men," "Demon's Regret, " "Mice Templar," and many more. In addition, Vanguard Production's extensive art book, "Excess: The Art of Michael Golden," is on a second printing, while Creator Chronicles has also recently released a two part candid DVD on Michael and his career.

Michael has served as an Editor at DC Comics as well as Senior Art Director at Marvel Comics, and has worked on scores of movie production projects, including some currently in development. His art has been the focus of gallery shows in places as diverse as Gijon and Barcelona, Spain, New York, Antwerp and Brussels, while his class on storytelling has been conducted from Spain to Brussels to Canada to The United States and most recently in China. He was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Lille, France.

Following the successful "Heroes and Villains" sketchbook" released last year, Michael's new hardcover art book "Michael Golden: MORE Heroes and Villains," has just hit the stands, and his work on the Eva Ink project "Kerry and the Scary Things," is due out in October.

Joe Jusko is undoubtedly one of the best known Fantasy, Pin-Up and Comic Artists in the world today. His career has spanned almost 30 years, starting with the sale of his first cover for Heavy Metal Magazine in 1977 at the age of 17. Since , Joe has worked for almost every major comic book publisher, producing hundreds of images for both covers and interiors.

In addition to his work at Marvel over the years, Joe has produced art for many other companies and characters, including DC Comics, Crusade Comics, Innovation Comics, Harris Comics, Wildstorm Comics, Top Cow Productions and Byron Preiss Visuals, to name just a few. His recent work includes miscellaneous cover paintings for 'The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles', 'Vampirella' , and Sheena, among others. The next project due out on to highlight Joe's amazing work is "Joe Jusko: Savage Beauty," a hardcover art book from Eva Ink Publishing.

Jusko's work has earned him myriad awards and honors, including two "Favorite Painter" Wizard Fan Awards, multiple trading card awards, a Golden Lion Award from the Burroughs Bibliophiles (previous recipients include Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo) and a Chesley Award nomination for best cover .

The LEI 2010 Euro Spring Tour includes stops at:
Paris-- Diablo Blanc Comics-- May 21st and May 22nd
The Netherlands, Breda-- Der Stripspecialist-- May 27th
Brussels-- Utopia Comics-- May 28th and May 29th
Brussels-- Ganshoren Comics Festival-- May 30th

"We look forward to seeing all of our friends at all these stops," continued Renee, "And, hey, if you are a store in Europe and would like to be on future tour itineraries, drop me an e-mail. We love to work with new people as well, and meet fans we haven't met yet!

"Stories from the last two years of tours are legend, " laughs Renee. "It will be exciting to see what this year holds."

Golden and Jusko will be signing and sketching at all stops, as well as offering 4 prints each exclusive to the tour, while supplies last. For more information on the stores, locations, and any commission rates, contact Renee at: evaink@aol.com

Comics Critics at Skylight Books

Comics Critics Unite at Skylight Books May 27th!

BEN SCHWARTZ, SAMMY HARKHAM, and ROBERT FIORE discuss BEST AMERICAN COMICS CRITICISM at SKYLIGHT BOOKS!

Bookforum critic Ben Schwartz, editor of the new anthology Best American Comics Criticism, will discuss comics and comics criticism with Kramers Ergot editor and acclaimed cartoonist Sammy Harkham and comics critic Robert Fiore at L.A.'s SKYLIGHT BOOKS!

WHEN: Thursday, 05/27/2010
7:30pm - 9:30pm
WHERE: Skylight Books
1818 N. Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90027

Whether you choose to call them “comics lit,” “graphic novels,” or just “thick comic books,” book-length narratives told in words and pictures confidently elbowed their way into the cultural spotlight in the first decade of this new millennium — beginning with the simultaneous 2001 release of Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth and Daniel Clowes’ David Boring, and continuing on through ground-breaking and best-selling works such as Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis, Robert Crumb’s Genesis, Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, and Joe Sacco’s Palestine.

This renaissance in turn brought forth a chorus of critical commentary that not only addressed these recent works, but also initiated a much-needed look back at the previous century’s neglected and forgotten masterpieces.

This chorus, as presented in The Best American Comics Criticism, comprises both criticism (Douglas Wolk on Frank Miller and Will Eisner, Robert C. Harvey on Fun Home, Donald Phelps on Steve Ditko and Phoebe Gloeckner) and history (David Hajdu on the 1950s comic-book burnings, Jeet Heer on Gasoline Alley, Ben Schwartz on Little Orphan Annie, Gerard Jones on the birth of the comic-book business), as well as revelatory peer-on-peer essays by novelists (Jonathan Franzen on Peanuts, John Updike on James Thurber) and cartoonists (Chris Ware on Rodolphe Töpffer, Daniel Clowes on Mad’s Will Elder, and Seth on John Stanley).

Add in still more voices (The Daily Show’s John Hodgman on Jack Kirby, Sarah Boxer on Krazy Kat, Ken Parille with a meticulous deconstruction of Clowes’s David Boring), and a selection of revelatory interviews with comics masters (Kim Deitch, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Marjane Satrapi, Will Elder, Chester Brown) and cartoonist tête-à-têtes (Eisner/Miller, Jonatham Lethem/Clowes, Dan Nadel/Sammy Harkham), and The Best American Comics Criticism offers a riveting and comprehensive look at a medium finally come into its own—not just creatively, but in terms of the respect and prominence within American culture it has so long deserved.

The Best American Comics Criticism is edited by Ben Schwartz, a contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, The Atlantic On-Line, and Bookforum.