Death Note Novel Now on Shelves

Press release from VIZ Media:

PLUNGE INTO THE FATAL LAST CASE OF LEGENDARY CRIME DETECTIVE IN NEW NOVEL DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd

L Has Twenty-Three Days To Live, And Twenty-Two Days to Save The World

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands the thrilling psychological suspense of DEATH NOTE with the release of DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd, a new novel featuring the master detective from the hit animated and manga series. DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd is available now from SHONEN JUMP Fiction and carries an MSRP of $17.99 U.S. / $24.00 CAN.

In an alternative continuity in the DEATH NOTE setting, ace detective L's name has been placed in a Death Note. He has twenty-three days to bring a terrorist group to justice, or they will use a deadly new virus to change the world...by killing off most of humanity.

“DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd offers a fitting finale to the DEATH NOTE saga and contains many events that did not take place in the film,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales & marketing, VIZ Media. “The author, who adopts the nom de plume ‘M’ in tribute to the eccentric detective, creates an intriguing alternate continuity that will intrigue fans of the anime and manga series as well as new readers. Any thoughts of a quiet hospice vanish as L sacrifices his life to save humanity. Edge of your seat suspense awaits readers in this gripping new novel!”

DEATH NOTE: L, change the WorLd features the same format as the original Japanese printing with a hardcover and clear acetate jacket with metallic ink. The cover art is by Takeshi Obata, the artists fo the DEATH NOTE manga series. DEATH NOTE is one of VIZ Media’s top 5 bestselling properties, with over 1 million copies of the manga sold in the U.S. The character of L is extremely popular with fans and has inspired various products such as apparel and stationery as well as spinoff novels and three live action DEATH NOTE films (available from VIZ Pictures).

For more information on DEATH NOTE, please visit Deathnote.viz.com.

Gunslinger Hime

I finished reading Kurohime, Vol. 14

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin. Only half of this volume is devoted to the main narrative. The other half is a bonus story.

Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi Get Bio Comic Books

Press release from Bluewater Productions:

GORE, PELOSI STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT IN TWO NEW COMIC BOOK BIOGRAPHY

Former Vice President Al Gore and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, two of the more polarizing figures on the modern political stage, will be the featured subjects of a pair of upcoming issues of Bluewater Productions’ biography comic series.

Political Power: Al Gore and Female Force: Nancy Pelosi, both scheduled for release in January, highlight the careers of two influential political figures that are shaping the debate on some of the most important issues of the day.
Gore’s story follows his rise as a privileged Senator’s son to his failed bid for the White House to his ascendancy as a prime mover in the climate change and global warming debate.

“What is fascinating about Al Gore is he is a contrast of opposites,” noted the issue’s author Scott Davis, “He’s a cagey politician, but given to sophomoric exaggerations. He’s the embodiment of Big Government and the idealistic conscience of the country.”

Similarly, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, according to writer Dan Rafter, evokes a “love her or hate her” reaction. “She is arguably the most powerful woman in government.”

Like Gore, Pelosi, who represents California’s 8th district (San Francisco), comes from a political family, which includes two mayors of Baltimore. However, forging her own political fortunes, she has risen through the ranks of the Democratic Party to become the first woman in American history to lead a major party in the U.S. Congress.

"What I find most intriguing about her, though, is the amount of anger she seems to inspire from her critics. In this biography, I was hoping to figure out, at least somewhat, why so many people delight in hating Nancy Pelosi." Said Rafter.

The issues are illustrated by Aldo Giordanelli Corbellini (Gore) Andrew Yerrakadu (Pelosi) and cover art is provided by Patricio Carbajal and Jim McDermott.

Both the Female Force and Political Power biography comic book series strive to present even-handed stories of prominent individuals responsible for shaping the political and cultural landscape. Both series launched in 2009.

What a Wonderful World if You Don't Week

I finished reading What a Wonderful World!, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin. I think this volume is much better than the first.

Goodwill Honey Hunting

I finished reading Honey Hunt, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin. This is probably my favorite shojo title, at the moment.

Dark Horse Books to Publish Mogworld

Press release from Dark Horse Comics:

YAHTZEE CROSHAW’S MOGWORLD ARRIVES AT DARK HORSE IN 2010

CREATOR OF THE ESCAPIST’S ZERO PUNCTUATION BRINGS HIS FIRST NOVEL TO DARK HORSE

Coming soon from Dark Horse Books: Critical sensation Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw (The Escapist’s Zero Punctuation Reviews) brings his signature acerbic wit to his debut novel, Mogworld.

Mogworld, a comedic fantasy novel with a twist, is the story of Jim, who, sixty years after dying in a magic-school mishap, is wrenched back to life by a renegade necromancer. All Jim wants is to die properly, once and for all—no easy task for a minor character in a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game).

Croshaw’s animated Zero Punctuation reviews, which package prescient criticism with frenetic animation, off-color humor, and rapid-fire delivery, have made him a household name in the gaming community. Although Croshaw has covered a lot of creative and critical ground in his short career—before Zero Punctuation, he gained a reputation as an independent game designer and blogger, and he recently produced the pilot for a TV series, Game Damage—Mogworld is his first foray into published fiction.

“I love Zero Punctuation, and I had asked Yahtzee to pitch us a book about video games,” explains Mogworld editor Rachel Edidin. “The last thing I expected was a novel draft! And the next thing I knew, I was taking the manuscript home with me—less to finish it than because I had to see what happened next.”

Says Croshaw, “I’ve been trying to write novels ever since I first read Hitchhiker’s Guide at the age of eight, so this is a pretty big deal for me, and I’m very happy to be working with Dark Horse on this. Mogworld is an idea I’ve been kicking around ever since those dark, unproductive three months I spent playing World of Warcraft. It’s a bit of a cynical take on MMOs and the standard Tolkienesque ‘fantasy’ setting.”

Mogworld is announced in conjunction with Croshaw’s first stateside appearance at this weekend’s GameX show in Philadelphia. Mogworld is set to arrive on shelves in August 2010.

The Secret Origins of the Claymores

I finished reading Claymore, Vol. 15

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin. This is a pivotal volume as the secrets of the Claymores, their masters (the Organization), and their adversaries, the Yoma are revealed.