Sunday, January 30, 2011

Naruto is 50-Volumes-Old

NARUTO MANGA SERIES REACHES MILESTONE

VIZ Media Set To Release Volume 50 Of Hit Series In February

VIZ Media will release the 50th volume of the NARUTO manga (graphic novel) series on February 1st. The newest adventure of the bestselling series – Water Prison Death Match – will be published under the company’s Shonen Jump imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 / $12.99 CAN.

Killer Bee vs. Kisame! Plus, the realization of Naruto's worst nightmare seems inevitable as the war he's tried to stop for so long looms on the horizon. And Sakura corners Naruto with a reveal that's going knock him for a serious loop. Then, a truth behind the modern ninja world sheds new light on Naruto's true role in the fate of his universe.

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 85 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 among VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime episodes are also currently available for free at http://www.naruto.com/ and through a variety of other web-based, video streaming outlets that have partnered with VIZ Media, including iTunes, Joost and Hulu.

For more information on NARUTO please visit the official website at http://www.naruto.com/.


Friday, January 28, 2011

10 VIZ Media Titles Make YALSA List

YALSA NAMES TEN VIZ MEDIA MANGA TITLES TO ITS 2011 GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS LIST

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, is proud to announce that ten of its manga (graphic novel) titles have been selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) as among 2011’s Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The annual list highlights titles that exemplify the quality and range of graphic novels appropriate for teen audiences. The books, recommended by the association for those aged 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.

Among these, SATURN APARTMENTS, which is published by VIZ Media’s Signature imprint, was ranked among YALSA’s 2011 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens. For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the U.S. leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens.

VIZ Media titles featured on the 2011 YALSA Graphic Novel list include:

AFTERSCHOOL CHARISMA Vol. 1 • by Kumiko Sukane • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
At St. Kleio Academy, all of the students are clones of famous historical figures. Are the clones doomed to repeat the fate of their genetic progenitors, or can they create their own destinies?

BIOMEGA Vol. 1 • by Tsutomu Nihei • Rated ‘M’ for Mature
In a nightmare vision of the future, the N5S virus has swept across the earth, turning most of the population into zombie-like drones! Zoichi Kanoe is humanity’s last hope, and he’s not even human!

BOKURANO: OURS Vol. 1 • by Mohiro Kitoh • Rated ‘M’ for Mature
Saving the world is hard. Saving yourself is even harder.

CROSS GAME Vol. 1 • by Mitsuru Adachi • Rated ‘T’ for Teens
A poignant coming-of-age centered around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street, and the game of baseball!

HOUSE OF FIVE LEAVES Vol. 1 • by Natsume Ono • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
An out-of-work samurai finds himself drawn into a mysterious gang known as the Five Leaves.

LIBRARY WARS: LOVE & WAR Vol. 1 • Original concept by Hiro Arikawa; manga story and art by Kiiro Yumi • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and form a military group to defend themselves – the Library Forces!

MAOH: JUVENILE REMIX Vol. 1 • Original story by Kotara Isaka; manga story and art by Megumi Osuga • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
What do you do when the city's savior is actually a devil in disguise...?

NATSUME’S BOOK OF FRIENDS Vol. 1 • by Yuki Midorikawa • Rated ‘T’ for Teens
Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. Moving to the small town where his grandmother grew up, he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Rieko.

not simple • by Natsume Ono • Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
A young man with a fractured family history travels from Australia to England to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister.

SATURN APARTMENTS Vol. 1 • by Hisae Iwaoka • Rated ‘T’ for Teens • A Top 10 Selection
A touching, character-rich vision of an intriguing new world. Mitsu takes on his late father's dangerous job as a window washer on the Ring circling the earth where all humans have been relocated…

The complete list of YALSA 2011 selections is available at: www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/.

“YALSA is the leader in recommending high-quality literature, including books and media, and we are very gratified to have so many of our titles featured on the organization’s latest list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens,” says Brian Piech, Senior Director, Marketing, VIZ Media. “Millions of teens read manga from their local school and public libraries each week, and we hope these selections give librarians and their patrons a trusted resource for some of the best and latest from the exciting world of manga.”

For more information on these and other VIZ Media manga titles, please visit: http://www.viz.com/.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

BLU's You and Me, Etc.

I read You and Me, Etc.

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps).  This is a Boys' Love title from BLU.


DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 26 2011

DC COMICS

NOV100181 ACTION COMICS #897 $2.99

NOV100266 AMERICAN VAMPIRE #11 (MR) $2.99

OCT100264 BATMAN VS THE UNDEAD TP $14.99

NOV100248 CARTOON NETWORK ACTION PACK #56 $2.99

NOV100222 DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN SOLE SURVIVOR #1 $7.99

NOV100167 DETECTIVE COMICS #873 $2.99

NOV100263 FABLES #101 (MR) $2.99

NOV100257 GOD OF WAR #6 (MR) $2.99

NOV100196 GREEN ARROW #8 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99

NOV100197 GREEN ARROW #8 VAR ED (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99

OCT100327 JACK OF FABLES TP VOL 08 THE FULMINATE BLADE TP (MR) $14.99

NOV100200 JLA THE 99 #4 $2.99

NOV100160 JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #18 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99

NOV100203 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #47 $2.99

NOV100262 NEW YORK FIVE #1 (MR) $2.99

OCT100270 QUESTION PIPELINE TP $14.99

SEP100313 SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING HC BOOK 04 (MR) $24.99

OCT100330 SANDMAN TP VOL 04 SEASON OF MISTS NEW ED (MR) $19.99

NOV100277 SCALPED #45 (MR) $2.99

NOV100150 SHAZAM #1 $2.99

NOV100209 TEEN TITANS #91 $2.99

OCT100204 WONDER WOMAN #606 $2.99

NOV100261 WORLD OF WARCRAFT CURSE OF THE WORGEN #3 $2.99

NOV100221 ZATANNA #9 $2.99

DC COMICS/DC DIRECT
MAY100306 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 8 BLACK LANTERN BLACK FLASH AF PI

MAY100307 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 8 INDIGO TRIBE ATOM AF PI

MAY100308 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 8 ORANGE LANTERN LEX LUTHOR AF PI

MAY100309 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 8 SINESTRO CORP SCARECROW PI

FEB100311 JLA TROPHY ROOM WONDER WOMAN TIARA BRACELETS LASSO $325.00