Honey and Clover Anime DVD Box Set Coming Soon

Press release from VIZ Media:

VIZ MEDIA BRINGS THE ANIMATED SHOJO TITLE – HONEY AND CLOVER – TO FANS IN A SPECIAL UNCUT DVD BOX SET

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will release the first Uncut DVD Box Set for the animated Shojo title, HONEY AND CLOVER, on September 22, 2009. The 3-disc set featuring 13 episodes will be rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $59.90 U.S. / $85.99 CAN.

Based on the popular manga series created by Chica Umino, HONEY AND CLOVER is a romantic comedy about a group of art school students who try to find their way through college. But when an innocent and talented 19-year-old girl enters their lives, things get a lot more complicated as love triangles result.

What do you get when you cross creativity with self-discovery and unrequited love? Art school! Yuta Takemoto has no idea what's in store for his life when he enrolls at a Tokyo art college, but he finds out right away it'll never be dull! Love triangles form as fast as friendships when both Takemoto and senior classmate Shinobu Morita fall hard for shy artistic prodigy Hagumi Hanamoto. And while architecture student Takumi Mayama secretly pines for an older woman, dazzling ceramicist Ayu Yamada pines for him! Confused yet? Welcome to the bittersweet world of HONEY AND CLOVER..

The HONEY AND CLOVER manga series was created by Chica Umino and has sold more than 5,300,000 copies in Japan. In 2003, the series won the 27th Kodansha Manga Award, Japan's most prestigious comics award. The series was also adapted into an anime series in 2005 and finally into a live action film in 2006.

For more information please visit honeyandclover.viz.com.

Set available at Amazon: Honey and Clover: Box, Vol. 1

Second "Spy vs. Spy" Book Simply Delightful

I just finished Spy vs Spy Masters of Mayhem (Mad) and I put the review up at the Comic Book Bin. This is the second of three books reprinting Spy vs. Spy paperbacks that have been out of print for decades. The strips reprinted in these three books were produced by Spy vs. Spy creator Antonio Prohias. Many of these strips, which originally appeared in Mad Magazine, have not been seen for more than 40 years.

The Comic Book Bin Announces Mobile Edition

The Comic Book Bin, a pop culture website where I'm a writer, has sent out a press release announcing that it now has a mobile edition:

The Comic Book Bin Offers Mobile Contents

First comic book news site to offer mobile -friendly news contents to mobile users. The Mobile Edition of The ComicBookBin.com is compatible with the iPhone,the iPod touch, the Palm Pre, Nokia phones, Nokia tablets, Blackberry phones, Windows CE phones and Android phones.

Calgary, Canada (PRWEB) September 16, 2009 -- The ComicBookBin.com, a premier comic book media outlet announced the Mobile Edition of its popular comic book review and news Website. The Mobile Edition of The

ComicBookBin.com contains the same articles as the Classic Edition with an interface that's easy to use for mobile device users of portable devices such as e-Book readers and wireless phones like Apple iPhone's, the Palm Pre, or Blackberry smartphones.

Site publisher and founder Hervé St-Louis says "We have close to 12,000 articles at The ComicBookBin.com and all of this content is available for mobile devices users in a friendly interface that loads quickly. Mobile users will appreciate accessing our latest contents, updated every day and will make a visit to The ComicBookBin.com part of their daily routine." The ComicBookBin.com's Mobile Edition is perfect for business and transit users or travelers waiting to catch an airplane to their next comic book convention.

We will continue to develop the Mobile Edition of The ComicBookBin.com until it offers as much value as possible to mobile device users." The ComicBookBin.com is currently ahead of most comic book-related Websites in offering a Mobile Edition of its contents. "We've looked around and couldn't find a comic book-related Website and very few in the entertainment industry that had mobile-friendly contents." But unlike most Websites with mobile contents, mobile users of The ComicBookBin.com are not forced to use the Mobile Edition. ComicBookBin.com visitors can switch easily from the Mobile Edition to the Classic Edition. The Mobile Edition of The ComicBookBin.com is located athttp://www.comicbookbin.com/mobile/mobile.html

About The Comic Book Bin:

Founded on August 8, 2002, The Comic Book Bin is a Web-based magazine on comic books that also comprehensively covers video games, action figures, fan films, films, and books. Located in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada, next to the Rocky Mountains, "The Bin" is owned by Coolstreak Cartoons Inc., a cartoon animation studio owned by The Comic Book Bin's publisher, Hervé St-Louis. Writers and editors from The Comic Book Bin are located in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.[END]

The Phantom Takes on the Hammer this Winter

Press release from Moonstone Books:

PHANTOM DOUBLE SHOT : KGB NOIR!

Coming this December from Moonstone, a mini-series that pits the Phantom against The Hammer, a group of ex-KGB agents intent on restoring the USSR to its place as a world super-power. Each of the six issues will feature a chapter from the Phantom’s tale, as well as stand-alone stories spotlighting characters you’ve come to know and love from Moonstone Books.

In the main feature, The Phantom uncovers The Hammer’s plot to destroy the United States in retaliation for the downfall of their former empire. The Ghost Who Walks, trailing what he believes to be an ordinary arms dealer, finds himself embroiled in a nuclear weapon purchase. If The Hammer succeeds in detonating the device, the entire US eastern seaboard will pay the ultimate price. It’s up to The Phantom to see that they don’t.

In the second feature, issue one spotlights the debut of Moonstone’s newest pulp hero, straight from the mind of Phantom writer Mike Bullock: Death Angel! Armed with sonic and tachyon emitters, DA creates a hypnotic state in the mind of those feeling the Angel’s judgment. This time, it’s members of The Hammer, trying to coerce a defense contractor to give up state secrets they can use to further cripple America. But, they certainly didn’t count on the Angel of Death!

Issues two through six will bring related stories featuring Kolchak, Captain Action, Buckaroo Banzai, The Spider and fan favorite femme fatale Domino Lady.

Santa won’t be the only red man coming for Christmas, The Hammer is falling, don’t miss out!

24pgs, $2.99

Moonstonebooks.com

Happy Birthday Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner

Sixty years ago, September 16, 1949, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner debuted in the Looney Tunes cartoon short, Fast & Furry-ous, written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones. This cartoon can be found in the Looney Tunes - The Spotlight Collection Vol. 1 (Premiere Edition)
or Looney Tunes - Golden Collection

George W. Bush's Best Day Ever - The Anniversary

Truthout writer, William Rivers Pitt, takes a look at September 11, 2001 as the best day of former President Bush's life and at how it turned out to be train wreck for practically everyone else in this column. I agree.

Eight months into his presidency, many people were probably betting that Dumya...err...Dubya was a one-term Commander-in-Chief. It took four airplanes to give Bush the shield that would protect him from his political enemies, his deserved fate (marginalization), and, for a long time, criticism. Worse, he gained unprecedented power to wage war abroad and, in some ways, at home.

Naruto Shippuden Movie out on DVD this Fall

Press release from VIZ Media:

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES THE TEENAGE NINJA ACTION ADVENTURE OF NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE ON DVD THIS FALL

Feature Film Featuring the World’s Most Popular Ninja is the First with the Teenaged Naruto on a Dangerous New Mission that May Cost His Life

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the DVD release of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE on November 10th. The new film is the fourth in the NARUTO movie series, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and will have an MSRP of $24.92 U.S. / $35.99 CAN.
In the newest animated feature film adventure, a powerful spirit that once threatened to destroy the world is back! Naruto's mission is to protect a priestess named Shion, who is the only one with the power to seal away the monster. She also has the uncanny ability to predict someone's fate. Her latest prediction: Naruto will soon die. Naruto's only hope is to abandon Shion, but that's not Naruto's style. He decides to face her fatal prediction head-on--and die!

“The NARUTO Shippuden story arc is largely about growing up and as the world’s most popular ninja grows into adolescence, so have millions of his fans,” says Brian Ige, VIZ Media Director of Sales, Home Entertainment. “Naruto’s missions have become even more dangerous, and even fate will test Naruto’s skills and self confidence in this latest adventure as a mysterious princess foretells his death. We invite fans to check out all the action in this new feature film this fall!”

The NARUTO Shippuden manga and animated series pick up two years after Naruto left to train with his teacher and mentor Jiraiya. Now a teenager, the stories in the new series take a more mature and sometimes darker approach as Naruto returns to the Hidden Leaf Village to reunite with his old friends and discovers they are stronger than before – and maybe even stronger than he is! For Naruto, the spirit of a nine-tailed fox spirit trapped inside him is a metaphor for adolescence. There is a powerful force in this spunky teenager and he must learn to conquer it and overcome his own uncontrollable spirit and emotions while battling an array of villains and completing near-impossible missions.

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens and has sold more than 92 million copies to-date. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (NARUTO rated ‘T’ for teens, and NARUTO Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for older teens) are some of VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. NARUTO is a co-production of TV TOKYO, VIZ Media parent company Shueisha Inc., and Pierrot Co., Ltd.

For more information on NARUTO Shippuden, and to view NARUTO Shippuden episodes (subtitled) please visit the official NARUTO website at www.naruto.com. In addition, DTO (dubbed) is also available on iTunes. Classic NARUTO episodes can be viewed on hulu.com, Playstation Network, Xbox Live, Amazon VoD and iTunes.