Reminder: NEWAVE This Saturday

Press release from Fantagraphics Books:

NEWAVE! Mini Comix Book Launch Party This Saturday at Fantagraphics Bookstore


Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery hosts an exhibition and publication party for NEWAVE! The Underground Mini Comix of the 1980s this Saturday, January 30 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.

Self published mini comics in the 1970s and 1980s were the direct descendants of the Underground Comix movement of the 1960s. Early practitioners photocopied, stapled and distributed their miniature zines at comics conventions and comic book specialty shops. The immediacy and independence of these publications gave rise to today’s popular alternative comics movement.

The exhibition includes original art and graphics by underground mini comix pioneers Jaimie Alder, Jim Blanchard, Wayne Gibson, David Lasky, Wayno, Steve Willis, Dennis Worden, and XNO. NEWAVE editor Michael Dowers will produce and distribute a mini comic on site. A comix jam by contributing artists will be accompanied by music from local indie rock band “iji.”

The Seattle Public Library’s popular “Comixtravaganza” finale also takes place this Saturday. The central branch hosts a comics creating workshop with Fantagraphics friends Greg Stump and David Lasky at 1:00 PM, followed by a career-spanning media presentation by alternative comics titan Peter Bagge at 3:00 PM. Later that evening Lasky and Bagge will be featured guests at the NEWAVE party. Admission is free to all events.

Fantagraphics Bookstore is located at 1201 S. Vale Street at Airport Way in the heart of Georgetown. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00. Phone 206.658.0110. [END]

Bluewater Productions Unveils New "10th Muse" Projects

Press release from Bluewater Productions:

10th MUSE TO THE POWER OF TEN (YEARS) UNVEILS NEW PROJECTS


In celebration of the tenth anniversary of the first publication of 10th Muse, the independent comic book of a lawyer imbued with the essence of the Greek mythological goddess of justice, Bluewater Productions is planning several new projects starting with the February release of the graphic novel 10th Muse: Crossovers.

“You never forget your first love,” said Bluewater president and series creator Darren G. Davis. “10th Muse put us on the map and I've been waiting for the right time to bring her back.”

10th Muse debuted in February 2000 through Image Comics and soon rocketed to #6 on Diamond’s Top 100 beating out several well-known and established titles. The issue featured a story by revered comic book veteran Marv Wolfman.

10th Muse: Crossovers, in stores next month, features several team ups with other well-known characters from the comic world including Shi, Savage Dragon, Tellos, Ezra, Legend of Isis and Judo Girl. Also included is a never-before-seen crossover with Indie favorite Koni Wave.

A virtual who’s-who of top comic talent is included in the book including Billy Tucci, Erik Larsen, Marv Wolfman, Roger Cruz and Mike Wieringo.

In June, Bluewater will be releasing the "10th Muse Cover Gallery" featuring the artwork of Randy Green, Andy Park, Mike Wieringo, Stephen Platt and Roger Cruz.

“Fans have been asking for a while when we plan on bringing 10th Muse back. I always planned for her to return. Now that Bluewater is a fully established publisher and not just the title’s creator, we have more control over operational issues. I wanted to commit to her long term, not just a series of one-shots and special appearances,” Davis said.

Later this year Bluewater plans for the 10th Muse to return as an ongoing monthly series.

“We’ve got a lot of great ideas brewing, but I want the series to recapture the flavor of the original run. It won’t be a series reboot or a continuation with another character as the Muse,” Davis noted. “I want Emma Sonnet fighting bad guys in the courtroom and her alter ego taking on the likes of Aries, Hera and other ne’r-do-wells on Olympus.”

Also planned for later this year are two other high profile projects including a mini-series 10th Muse: The Lost Issues. According to Davis, there were several issues never before published that were, at the time, unusable because of the continuity issues with the hero’s design. These issues were written by Wolfman and Davis and drawn by Roger Cruz and Clint Hillinski.

Another mini-series that continues the crossover tradition, much like DC's popular "Brave and the Bold," will feature 10th Muse in new team-ups with characters from the indie world like Bomb Queen (Image Comics), Demon Slayer, Badger, and others.

The suggested retail price (SRP) for the upcoming Crossovers trade paperback is $17.99. Pre-ordering is currently available at several outlets and bookstores using the ISBN #: 978-1-61623-926-8.

"10th Muse" has been optioned by Castle Bright Studios who has a deal with Universal Pictures.


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”), 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.

Following its commitment to green publishing, Bluewater comic books are printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. FSC certification guarantees that the paper used in Bluewater books contains fiber from well-managed and responsibility harvested forests that meet strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.

For more information, visit http://www.bluewaterprod.com/. [END]

Strange is the Strange Love Hurts

I read Love Hurts: Aishiatteru Futari

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin.  This a boys' love title from TOKYOPOP's imprint, BLU.

Moonstone Books Announces The Phantom Ghost Who Walks #11

From Moonstone Books:

THE PHANTOM: GHOST WHO WALKS #11

Story: Mike Bullock
Art: Silvestre Syzilagyi
Colors by Bob Pedroza
Covers : Steve Scott
32pgs, color, $3.99

“Godfall” Part IV (of V)

In the aftermath of last issue, The Ghost Who Walks must pay a visit to some old friends. While the first provides helpful insight into the coming war, the second visit leads to the hunter becoming the hunted in the depths of the darkest house in all of Africa.

(Cover A=90%, Cover B=10%)

”Definitely worth checking out, whether you're a Phantom fan or not." – Scoop

“One of the most incredible Phantom comics I've ever read.” – Comixtreme [END]

Pop Japan Travel Headed to Tokyo International Anime Fair

Press release from Digital Manga Publishing:

Pop Japan Travel, the premier tour company for pop culture-themed tours to Japan, is pleased to announce a new tour designed with the anime fan in mind: a trip to Japan for the 2010 Tokyo International Anime Fair!

The tour will allow North American anime fans and otaku to experience the largest anime industry event in Japan, giving them a first look at new anime projects and series scheduled for the Spring and Summer TV season in Japan. The tour will also include visits to hubs of otaku culture like Akihabara and Nakano Broadway, the Ghibli Museum, a chance to view the cherry blossoms in bloom, a visit to an animation studio, and much, much more. The tour is being organized in cooperation with Kintetsu Travel, one of Japan's most respected travel companies, and will mark the first time that Pop Japan Travel has organized a tour to the Fair.

“This is a truly unique tour,” says Gigi Guiting, tour organizer. "We'll also be making our first trip to a Cosplay Cafe for dinner and taking our first tour out to picnic by the cherry blossoms. We're going to have an amazing trip!"

The tour is scheduled to take place from March 24 until April 1. The cost of the tour will be $1985 and includes all accommodations, round trip airfare to Japan from Los Angeles, dinner in a cosplay-themed restaurant, transportation, professional bilingual tour guides, entrance fees to all activities, and a customized guidebook created exclusively for the tour. Participants can also arrange their own travel to Japan and attend the tour for $1360 – a price that Guiting calls “the lowest land only price we’ve ever offered!” Pop Japan Travel will also be offering an extension of the tour to the port city of Yokohama and the history-filled city of Kamakura!* People interested in taking the tour may visit http://www.popjapantravel.com/ or e-mail popjapantravel@gmail.com to sign up. Applications received before February 1 will receive a $50 discount on their tour, and all applications are due by February 23.


DIGITAL MANGA'S POP JAPAN TRAVEL is the original and premiere provider of pop culture themed tours of Japan. Since 2003, PJT has operated more than 15 tours with themes focused on Japanese anime, manga, games and more. Pop Japan tours offer a careful balance of the hyper-modern world of J-pop culture and the rich traditions of ancient Japan, and PJT is the ONLY tour agency to provide exclusive experiences such as visits to anime and game studios, meetings with manga artists, and more.

*Tour extension subject to extra charge. Contact Pop Japan Travel for more information. [END]

VIZ Media Announces Dinosaur King from VIZ Kids Imprint

Press release from VIZ Media:

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF DINOSAUR KING


New Manga From VIZ KIDS Imprint Will Delight With Imaginative Characters And Fun Storyline

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the release of Volume 1 and 2 of the new VIZ Kids series DINOSAUR KING. This manga is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry a MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

DINOSAUR KING by creator Yohei Sakai tells the story of Max who is obsessed with dinosaurs. He knows his Tapejara from his Pteranodon and can find fossils better than a trained paleontologist. When he discovers a stone tablet that transports him to the age of dinosaurs, it's a dream come true—until it becomes a nightmare. From King, his new dinosaur friend, Max learns that an evil genius named Dr. Z has enslaved the dinosaurs so he can use their hidden powers to take over the world! Now Max has to defeat Dr. Z and his Alpha Gang to save the ancient beasts and life as we know it. Volume 1 will release February 2, 2010.

In Volume 2, which will release in April of this year, King's mother is trapped somewhere in Alpha Mountain, and it's up to Max to rescue her. But Dr. Z has set perilous traps for him at every turn! He and King are more in sync than ever with their attacks, but will it be enough to defeat the Alpha Gang and conquer Alpha Mountain? Both volume one and volume two contain bonus trading cards inside, limited quantities available. Volume 2 will be releasing in April 6, 2010.

The titles under the VIZ Kids imprint offer engaging manga and manga-related content intended specifically for a younger audience. All VIZ Kids products share the same core values of strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and lots of good humor in an effort to delight a whole new generation of readers.

For more information on this title or other VIZ Kids titles, please visit http://www.vizkids.com/. [END]

Dark Horse Offers "Mass Effect" Digital Comic

Press release from Dark Horse Comics:

DARK HORSE AND EA ANNOUNCE THE NEW SMASH HIT COMIC, MASS EFFECT: REDEMPTION

THE YEAR’S MOST ANTICIPATED NEW COMIC SERIES EXPLODES OFF OF THE PAGE AND ONTO YOUR iPHONE!

Tomorrow, the year’s most anticipated video game Mass Effect 2 is released nationwide. In celebration, Dark Horse and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced that the comic will be released to the iPhone mobile comics platform.

Mass Effect: Redemption tells the exciting back-story that led up to the events of Mass Effect 2, the eagerly anticipated video game developed by the award-winning creative team at BioWare. The game’s lead writer Mac Walters takes up the pen to give fans exclusive insight into the events that unfolded between the conclusion of the original Mass Effect, and the beginning of Mass Effect 2. Scripted by John Jackson Miller (Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, The Invincible Iron Man) and drawn by Omar Francia (Star Wars Legacy), this four-part series explores the exotic and dangerous future Milky Way of Mass Effect, revealing previously unseen locations, aliens, and enemies of this rich science fiction landscape.

The Mass Effect trilogy is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding a crew of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, stunning space exploration and emotionally engaging characters, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience. Mass Effect 2 is scheduled for release on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC on January 26, 2010 in North America and January 29, 2010 in Europe and has been rated ‘M’ for Mature by the ESRB and ‘18+’ by PEGI (please visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.eu for more information on ratings). For more news from the development team, please follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official website at http://masseffect.bioware.com/.

“We've been trying to figure out a way to not only profit from these new technologies, but to use them in a way that it would drive customers into the stores of our loyal retailers” said Dark Horse Director of Communications, Dirk Wood. “We came up with the idea of this staggered release in hopes of accomplishing just that.”

Mass Effect: Redemption is the fifth title to arrive in Dark Horse’s ever-growing stable of comics available on the iPhone platform. Other titles available now include Gerard Way’s smash hit Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite, Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, Terminator: Death Valley, and multiple titles the critically acclaimed line of Star Wars comics. The first issue will hit iTunes February 3rd, just in time for the release of second issue of the series.

For more information, please visit http://www.darkhorse.com/Features/Mobile.

About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the U.S. and is recognized as one of the world's leading publisher of licensed comics material.

About BioWare
BioWare develops computer, console, handheld, mobile and online video games focused on rich stories and memorable characters. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's best-selling titles, including the award-winning Baldur's Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Sonic™ Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (for the Nintendo DS™). Original BioWare-created intellectual properties include Jade Empire™ and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect™. With studios in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montréal (Québec), and Austin (Texas), BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy roleplaying game, Dragon Age™: Origins, Mass Effect 2™, the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™, as well as several unannounced projects. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by the world's leading electronic entertainment publisher, Electronic Arts. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com

*BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS Freestyle™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

*BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. . All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. [END]