Saturday, October 10, 2009

Dark Horse Offers Peak at Upcoming Charles Vess Art Book

Press release from Dark Horse Comics:

CHARLES VESS BRINGS YOU THE MOON

Charles Vess is one of the most revered artists in the field of fantasy and comic art. The three-time Eisner Award winner has worked on some of the most recognizable comic properties of all time, including Jeff Smith’s Rose and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, a retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which he and Gaiman shared the prestigious World Fantasy Award.
For over thirty years Vess has positioned himself, through his art, as the best fantasy illustrator in recent history.

Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess collects decades of the artist’s unparalleled work and is scheduled to be released by Dark Horse on December 23, 2009. The hardcover, full-color, 200-page book costs $39.99.

But as a special treat, Dark Horse is happy to announce that the entire book is now available on darkhorse.com for collectors, art connoisseurs, and newly introduced fans to browse for free.

“This book has taken a bit over two years from the completion of my initial layouts to actually seeing print,” said Vess. “So, in an effort to make certain that you know that the book will indeed be available this December, we are giving you a sneak peak of the entire 200 pages.”

“Above all,” Vess continued, “there’s the unique opportunity to view all the projects that you’d never have a chance to see except in a book like this: a 16’ bronze sculpture, event posters for local organizations, private commissions and previously unpublished paintings done just for the pure pleasure of doing them.”

Vess’s art immerses readers into a place of such fantasy and grandeur, one hopes to stay forever lost in the beauty. His masterful use of paint and brush stand out in an age of digital design, harking back to the golden age of illustration.

Dark Horse invites you to step into a realm of imagination and wonder. Anyone interested is welcome to join the magical journey.

To enter the world of Charles Vess, direct your browser to: darkhorse.com/features/ecomics and click on the Drawing Down the Moon icon.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Something is Really Wrong with These GOPeople - An I Reads You Juniors Special

At a weekly GOP meeting, held at a gun range, of all places, Republican candidate, Robert Lowry, took shots at a target upon which the initials of his opponent - DWS (for Debbie Wasserman Schultz) - were scrawled. Other targets included those made to resemble gunmen wearing traditional Arab head scarves, the kaffiyeh.

Go here to laugh...and cry.

The Illumi-Nation: Common Nobel Peace Prize Misconceptions

The Associated Press via Yahoo! News provides the following list of misconceptions about the Nobel Peace Prize:

An award that generates as much interest as the Nobel Peace Prize is bound to be surrounded by myths. Geir Lundestad, secretary of the secretive committee that awards the prize, outlines for The Associated Press some of the most common misunderstandings:

• Myth: The awards committee announces a shortlist of candidates.
The committee does not release the names of any candidates and keeps records sealed for 50 years.

• Myth: A campaign for a particular candidate can sway the awards committee.
A campaign could have the exact opposite effect on the fiercely independent committee, which does not want to appear influenced by public pressure.

• Myth: Candidates can be nominated until the last minute.
The nomination deadline is eight months before the announcement, with a strictly enforced deadline of Feb. 1.

• Myth: Anyone can nominate a person or group for the Peace Prize.
No, although Nobel statutes on who can nominate were slightly broadened in 2003. They now include former laureates; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.

• Myth: The prize can be revoked if a laureate does not live up to the standards of the peace prize.
There are no provisions for revoking the prize.

• Myth: The prize can be awarded posthumously.
The prize was award posthumously only once — in 1961, to former U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammerskjold, after he was killed in a plane crash in Africa. The rules were amended in 1974 to prohibit posthumous prizes.

• Myth: The prize is awarded to recognize efforts for peace, human rights and democracy only after they have proven successful.
More often, the prize is awarded to encourage those who receive it to see the effort through, sometimes at critical moments.

RNC Chair Michael Steele Determined to Prove that He is a Good House Nigga

The real question Americans are asking is, “What has President Obama actually accomplished?” It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights. One thing is certain — President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action.

Colored Republican National Committe Chairman Michael Steele issued the above statement about President Barack Obama receiving the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

President Barack Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

The complete text for the citation awarding President Obama the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, as provided by the Associated Press:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts.

The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.
For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Boys over Flowers Epilogue Due Soon



Press release from VIZ Media:

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE CAPTIVATING EPILOGUE TO BOYS OVER FLOWERS MANGA


Acclaimed Series that Helped Define the Shojo Manga Genre Concludes with a New Release that Contains Two Short Stories


VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delights fans of shojo manga (graphic novels for girls) with the announcement of the upcoming release of BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX on October 13th. The new volume is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.


BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX is a collection of two new short stories by Yoko Kamio, the creator of the acclaimed BOYS OVER FLOWERS series. The new epilogue takes place one year after the end of the original BOYS OVER FLOWERS story, which concluded with Volume 36. It also contains a section with some of the important events in the series that show the characters maturing, plus a special bonus strip!


“Yoko Kamio, one of the most beloved shojo manga creators of all time, just couldn't stay away from some of her favorite characters and we’re proud to announce the publication of BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX,” says Candice Uyloan, Product Marketing Director, VIZ Media “This volume serves as a fitting conclusion to a series that helped to establish the shojo manga genre in the U.S. and fans won’t want to miss this chance to get reacquainted with main character Tsukushi.”


Creator Yoko Kamio made her manga debut in 1986 with WAITING UNTIL 20 and her other notable manga series includes I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU and MARY’S LAMB. Her seminal title BOYS OVER FLOWERS (published in the US by VIZ Media), followed the romantic and social dramas of a girl in high school, broke sales records selling over 35 million copies and went on to become the best-selling shojo manga in Japan. The series went on to win the 1996 Shogakukan Comic Award in the shojo category. BOYS OVER FLOWERS was also adapted into a successful animated series and live action film.


For more information on this title as well as other shojo titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.viz.com.

VIZ Media to Publish "Boys over Flowers" Epilogue





Press release from VIZ Media:



VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE CAPTIVATING EPILOGUE TO BOYS OVER FLOWERS MANGA



Acclaimed Series that Helped Define the Shojo Manga Genre Concludes with a New Release that Contains Two Short Stories



VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delights fans of shojo manga (graphic novels for girls) with the announcement of the upcoming release of BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX on October 13th. The new volume is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.



BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX is a collection of two new short stories by Yoko Kamio, the creator of the acclaimed BOYS OVER FLOWERS series. The new epilogue takes place one year after the end of the original BOYS OVER FLOWERS story, which concluded with Volume 36. It also contains a section with some of the important events in the series that show the characters maturing, plus a special bonus strip!



“Yoko Kamio, one of the most beloved shojo manga creators of all time, just couldn't stay away from some of her favorite characters and we’re proud to announce the publication of BOYS OVER FLOWERS: JEWELRY BOX,” says Candice Uyloan, Product Marketing Director, VIZ Media “This volume serves as a fitting conclusion to a series that helped to establish the shojo manga genre in the U.S. and fans won’t want to miss this chance to get reacquainted with main character Tsukushi.”



Creator Yoko Kamio made her manga debut in 1986 with WAITING UNTIL 20 and her other notable manga series includes I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU and MARY’S LAMB. Her seminal title BOYS OVER FLOWERS (published in the US by VIZ Media), followed the romantic and social dramas of a girl in high school, broke sales records selling over 35 million copies and went on to become the best-selling shojo manga in Japan. The series went on to win the 1996 Shogakukan Comic Award in the shojo category. BOYS OVER FLOWERS was also adapted into a successful animated series and live action film.



For more information on this title as well as other shojo titles from VIZ Media, please visit http://www.viz.com/.