Category: Comics

Dark Horse Continues Conan’s Epic Career with Comics Legend Roy Thomas

from Dark Horse Comics:

At last weekend’s C2E2 convention, Dark Horse Comics announced that it would continue telling the epic tale of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian with the return of legendary writer Roy Thomas. Thomas introduced the comic-reading public to Conan in 1970, when he began the highly successful Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics, a title he wrote for ten years. Conan and comics fans will also remember the former Marvel editor in chief’s classic tales from lauded runs as a writer and editor on The Savage Sword of Conan and as the writer of King Conan. Now, in 2010, Thomas returns to the character he helped ingrain into the consciousness of the comics community with Conan: Road of Kings.

“Conan the Cimmerian is one of the most important people in my life — even if he never really existed — and it was a genuine thrill to be asked by Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson to scribe a year’s worth of his darkly epic adventures,” Thomas said.

Continuing where Conan the Cimmerian #25 leaves off, Thomas’s Conan: Road of Kings will tell a twelve-issue epic about the next stage in the adventurous hero’s illustrious life, beginning with a new #1 issue. Featuring art by Mike Hawthorne (Fear Agent), Road of Kings begins this December.

“Conan: Road of Kings picks up the barbarian on the Vilayet Sea, at nearly the easternmost edge of Robert E. Howard’s map of the Hyborian age, and has twelve breathless issues to deliver him — black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand — to the westernmost shores of that age undreamed of,” Thomas continued. “To reach his destination, he must travel the fabled Road of Kings that winds its way through the civilized kingdoms — but along his path lurk inhuman monstrosities, malevolent sorcerers and not a few power-crazed men and women who are determined to see to it that he doesn’t make it.

“Dynamic artist Mike Hawthorne and I intend to make Conan’s westward odyssey a chapter in the Cimmerian’s life that readers won’t soon forget,” Thomas explained. “This will be a quite different take on Conan’s life than the one I pioneered at Marvel in the seventies and the nineties, with new adventures, new antagonists, even new and alternative sides to characters you thought you’d met before.”

The current Conan creative team of writer Tim Truman and artist Tomás Giorello are set to continue their adventures with the Cimmerian, as well. Jumping ahead in Conan’s timeline, King Conan: The Scarlet Citadel features the adventurer years in the future — after he’s become the king of Aquilonia — and adapts one of Robert E. Howard’s original Conan tales. This four-issue miniseries will hit comic shops in early 2011.

Dark Horse Comics is also slated to continue its run of successful Conan reprints with King Conan Volume 1 on sale August 25, The Savage Sword of Conan Volume 8 on sale September 22, and Conan: The Newspaper Strips Volume 1 on sale September 8, all featuring the writing talents of Thomas alongside other greats, like Doug Moench, John Buscema, Gil Kane, Ernie Chan, and more!

Conan, Kull and Solomon Kane are published under license from Conan Properties International LLC, a subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc.

VIZ Media Offers a Battle of Brains Versus Brawn in New Manga Series “Maou: Juvenile Remix”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, brings Maou: Juvenile Remix to North American audiences on May 11th. The new series, by Megumi Osuga and Kotaro Isaka, will be published under the Shonen Sunday imprint, is rated “T+” for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In the city of Nekota, where rapid modernization threatens everything the longtime residents hold dear, one young man stands up to oppose the progress. Inukai and his team of vigilantes, known as Grasshopper, protect the citizens from the rising crime wave and the greedy businessmen bent on turning every block into a strip mall. But what is this public hero’s true motive? Is this angelic man really a devil in disguise?

Ando is a high school student who has the power to make others say out loud what he’s thinking. In this chaotic city, these two will come together to weave a story of courage, determination and confrontation. But will this be enough to uncover Inukai’s secrets and stop the plot to control the city?

“It’s a cat and mouse chase and battle of wills between two sides with differing ideals as creator Megumi Osuga and Kotaro Isaka set the stage for an engrossing story with Maou,” says Alexis Kirsch, Editor, VIZ Media. “The new series shows that as crazy as one’s ideas may seem, as long as you believe in yourself and tackle problems head-on, one has the power to change the world. This is the perfect addition to our Shonen Sunday library and we are excited to bring this intriguing series to our fans.”

Megumi Osuga made her debut in Shonen Sunday R with the manga series, Tonpachi, and also had a short series called Honou no Ana no Yomi featured in Shonen Sunday Super. Maou: Juvenile Remix launched in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 2007.

Born in 1971 in Chiba Prefecture, Kotaro Isaka is one of the most popular Japanese novelists and has received numerous awards. He has many titles under his belt, and most of them have been turned into live-action movies.

To read free previews of Maou: Juvenile Remix or for more information on other Shonen Sunday series, please visit shonensunday.com.

“The Guild” Comic Book

from The Guild:

The Guild comic book, issue #2 (of 3) was released yesterday. This issue features cover art by Matthew Stawicki (shown) and Kristin Donaldson. In #2, we finally get to see all the Guildies. If you want a preview of the comic, Comic Book Resources again has a sneak peek. And like the first issue, the comic is already getting some great reviews — here’s one from Airlock Alpha, and two more here and here. The response from our fans to the comic has been tremendous, from 200+ people showing up to the signing at Golden Apple Comics to reports of The Guild as some people’s first comic book ever purchased. Thanks so much for the support!

Dark Horse Comics alerted us to the fact that due to a distributor glitch, stores in NY, PA, MI, parts of TX and MO, and most of Canada did not receive issue #2 yesterday but will be getting it next week. They also announced the release of issue #1 as an iTunes App, so you can now enjoy the comic for 99 cents on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Here’s the link to the iTunes Store. Dark Horse will release each of the three issues to iTunes, about a month after the print version (exact dates are hard to know, since iTunes has an approval process which affects the release, but we’ll keep you posted).

Pick up your copy from your local comic shop, or buy online from Things from Another World or any number of online retailers.

If you just can’t get enough of the comic, here are some additional links for your enjoyment: Felicia’s blog entry about issue #2, a quick interview with Felicia by Dark Horse, and a cool “Making of” feature that shows issue #1 in various stages of production.

–The Guild management

Irreference Report: April

from Quirk Books:

Dawn of the Dreadfuls Hits New York Times Best-Seller List
Check out this prequel to the original monster mash-up phenomenon, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Read an excerpt and check out the book trailer.

Quirk @C2E2 on Flickr
See photos of all the wacky antics and comic-inspired debauchery at C2E2.

Quirk’s Series of Tubes:
Find Quirk Books on Facebook
Find Quirk Classics on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Watch our videos on YouTube
Admire our photos on Flickr

“Flower in a Storm” Brings On a Frenzied Romantic Chase in a Fun New Shojo Series from VIZ Media

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, offers Flower in a Storm, an imaginative romantic comedy from a fresh new talent of the shojo manga world, Shigeyoshi Takagi. Set to be published under the Shojo Beat imprint and released on May 4th, Flower in a Storm is rated “T+” for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

Riko Kunimi is trying to lead a normal high school life when Ran Tachibana bursts into her classroom carrying a gun and tells her that her life is now his. Ran, who is the richest and most powerful 17-year-old in Japan, wants her as his wife, and he’s not taking no for an answer!

If Ran can’t capture her by five o’clock the next day, he’ll give up, but he has all that money can buy at his disposal. However, Riko has one trick up her sleeve — she has superpowers!

“Flower in a Storm is a zany, sweet, over-the-top story of a girl with superhuman abilities who just wants to lead a normal life and a boy who leads anything but a normal life but just wants to make her his,” says Leyla Aker, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. “We hope shojo readers will enjoy this fresh, funny debut series from a young creator.”

Flower in a Storm is a two-volume series that was originally featured in Lala and Lala DX magazines (also the original home of Vampire Knight). This is the first graphic novel from Shigeyoshi Takagi.

For more information on this title, or other shojo titles from VIZ Media, please visit shojobeat.com.

VIZ Media Titles Dominate “New York Times” Manga Best Seller List

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced that 9 of its manga titles have made the New York Time’s Manga Best Seller list for the week ending April 10th.

VIZ Media Best Selling Manga Titles on the list include (In Listed Order):

  1. Rosario + Vampire: Season II, Vol. 1
  2. Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Vol. 4
  3. Naruto, Vol. 47
  4. The Gentlemen’s Alliance †, Vol. 11
  5. One Piece, Vol. 40
  6. One Piece, Vol. 39
  7. One Piece, Vol. 41
  8. One Piece, Vol. 43
  9. One Piece, Vol. 42

The rankings reflect sales of graphic novels at thousands of retailers and venues nationwide. These include hundreds of independent book retailers; national, regional and local chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; university, gift, supermarket, discount department stores and newsstands.

“It’s exciting to see such a wide variety of VIZ Media titles reach this level of popularity,” says Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President, Sales, VIZ Media. “From the irresistible bite of Rosario + Vampire to the high seas pirate adventures of One Piece to the romantic shojo hijinks of The Gentlemen’s Alliance, these titles continue to show the diversity of the manga genre and its strong appeal among readers of all ages and interests.”

Rosario + Vampire: Season II, Vol. 1
Rated “T+” (For Older Teens)
Shonen Jump Advanced
Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters — no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and other unnamable monsters out of his wildest nightmares!

Yu-Gi-Oh! R, Vol. 4
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
The twisted Yako Tenma has taken control of the gaming company KaibaCorp, using its high-tech dueling machines to resurrect the dead… but the original master of KaibaCorp is not happy! Kaiba, Yugi’s archrival, challenges Yako to a duel to see just who will control Japan’s biggest gaming company. Can Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon stop Yako’s evil plan. Look for an ultra-rare Angel 07 Card inside! (Limited quantities available).

For more information on Yu-Gi-Oh! and to read free online previews of the manga, please visit ShonenJump.viz.com.

Naruto, Vol. 47
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
Naruto inches ever closer to discovering the true identity of his nemesis, Pain, but is it worth it as the frustrated ninja begins to morph at last into the dreaded Nine Tails? Plus an unexpected confession reveals incredible secrets about his past as Naruto prepares for the ultimate battle with Pain. Can the chakra-challenged Naruto win when one misstep could spell disaster?

For more information on Naruto and to read free online previews of the manga, please visit Naruto.com.

The Gentlemen’s Alliance †, Vol. 11
Rated “T+” (For Older Teens)
Shojo Beat
Haine goes to Shizumasa and Takanari’s grandfather, the head of the Togu family, to ask him to release the twins from their fate. He tells her she must pass the same trial the twins went through for determining the Togu heir. Haine agrees, but little does she know that a former friend is now out for her life.

For more information on The Gentlemen’s Alliance † and to read free online previews of the manga, please visit ShojoBeat.com.

One Piece, Vol. 39
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
Sanji, Usopp and Franky are on their own against the Navy as the rest of the Straw Hats hurry to catch up to the speeding Sea Train. But freeing Robin from the clutches of CP9 won’t be an easy task with a train full of enemies. And even if they do reach her, does she even want to be rescued?!

One Piece, Vol. 40
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
Hankering for a fight, Luffy’s got a jump start on the battle to rescue Robin and Franky before they’re sentenced by the Navy’s court at Enies Lobby. Now that the Straw Hats and the Franky Family have banded together, the World Government is in for an epic battle. But did the Navy deceive Robin into sacrificing herself in order to trap the Straw Hats?!

One Piece, Vol. 41
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
Robin and Franky have been captured by CP9 and locked in the courthouse on Enies Lobby. The Straw Hats and Franky’s crew must join forces if they want to save their friends. But before they can rescue them, they must face Spandam’s six deadly assassins. Can the two groups work together, or will CP9 finally win?

One Piece, Vol. 42
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
The Straw Hats have infiltrated the Tower of Justice to save Robin, but they still need a special key to release her. One of the CP9 assassins holds the right key, but Luffy and his crew may have to defeat them all. Can the Straw Hats thwart CP9 and rescue Robin?

One Piece, Vol. 43
Rated “T” (For Teens)
Shonen Jump
Luffy has made it to the tower where Robin is being held captive, but in order to save her he must get past the deadly assassin Rob Lucci. The rest of the Straw Hats are busy fighting their own battles to find the key that will free Robin. Can the crew find the right key in time?!

For more information on One Piece and to read free online previews of the manga, please visit OnePiece.viz.com.

For more information on these titles, or others from VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

VIZ Media Transports Readers to “Kingyo Used Books” — A Fantastic Place Where Readers Find Their Dreams in Manga

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, transports readers to an unassuming store that stocks all the manga a fan could ever desire with the release of Kingyo Used Books on April 20th. The new series, by Seimu Yoshizaki, will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated “T+” for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

In Kingyo Used Books, a businessman discovers how his childhood memories can brighten his day. An art student finds inspiration. An archer hits a surprising bull’s-eye. A housewife rediscovers romance. A teenager discovers his true self in the pages of a manga magazine. Welcome to Kingyo Used Books, a place where people find their dreams in manga…

“Kingyo Used Books is the little shop that every fan dreams of. The endearing vignettes that take place there show how peoples’ lives can be affected by books in a significant way,” says Leyla Aker, Senior Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. “Kingyo Used Books uses a variety of genres to take readers on a journey that traces the history and evolution of manga. We hope this new series will strike a chord that inspires fans to similarly revisit a cherished manga title from their own past.”

Kingyo Used Books is currently featured in Japan in IKKI magazine, home to some of the most innovative and compelling titles in the world of contemporary manga. The series is also featured at SigIKKI.com, VIZ Media’s unique online destination for edgy new manga designed for mature audiences.

Seimu Yoshizaki was born in Kanagawa, Japan. She made her manga debut with Aka–chan to Tenshi (Baby and Angel) in 1989. Aside from Kingyo Used Books, which is currently being serialized in IKKI magazine, she is the creator of many other titles, including Telekinesis (Yamanote TV Kinema Room), Ugokashiya, Kaban Toshokan and Deka Girl.

For more information on other SIGIKKI titles and to check out a sneak peek of chapter one through eight of Kingyo Used Books, please visit SigIKKI.com.

“Batman Beyond” Continues!

from Things from Another World:

Terry McGinnis — the Batman of the future — and an elderly Bruce Wayne — the original Batman — are the sworn protectors of Neo-Gotham, but when someone targets The Dark Knight’s old foes, the new Batman must begin a case that reaches back into Bruce Wayne’s past and puts Terry’s future directly in danger!

This summer heralds the long-awaited return of the popular Batman Beyond franchise! The six-issue Batman Beyond miniseries will be penned by Emmy Award-nominated animation writer Adam Beechen (Batman: The Brave and the Bold) with art by Ryan Benjamin (Batman & the Outsiders).

Fans of Batman Beyond won’t want to miss the Superman/Batman Annual #4 from writer Paul Levitz and artist Renato Guedes starring the Batman Beyond characters!

Pre-order Batman Beyond #1

Log In & Set Up a Batman Beyond Series Subscription

Pre-order Superman/Batman Annual #4

Find Out What It Takes to Make It to the Top as a Manga Creator in the New Shonen Jump Series “Bakuman”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of the manga series Bakuman. The series, rated “T” for Teens, will be released on August 3rd under VIZ Media’s popular Shonen Jump imprint and will carry a MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.
Previews for the series will start to run in the May 2010 issue of VIZ Media’s popular monthly manga anthology — Shonen Jump magazine which is on stands now.

Bakuman is written by the author of Death Note, Tsugumi Ohba, and the artwork is by Takeshi Obata, the artist known for series such as Death Note, Hikaru no Go and Ral Grad. The story follows average student Moritaka Mashiro, who enjoys drawing for fun, but when his classmate and aspiring writer Akito Takagi discovers his talent, he begs Moritaka to team up with him as a manga-creating duo. But what exactly does it take to make it in the manga-publishing world?

In the opening volume, Moritaka is hesitant to seriously consider Akito’s proposal because he knows how difficult it can be to reach the professional level. Still, encouragement from persistent Akito and the motivation from a girl he has a crush on help push Moritaka to test his limits!

“Bakuman is an outstanding, behind-the-scenes manga about manga, and the artists who create it, written and drawn by the creative team that produced the Death Note series,” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director at VIZ Media. “The series is a great read for all manga fans, and especially fun for aspiring artists.”

Born in Tokyo, Tsugumi Ohba is the author of the hit series Death Note. The writer’s current series Bakuman is serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan.

Takeshi Obata was born in 1969 in Niigata, Japan, and is the artist of the wildly popular Shonen Jump title Hikaru no Go, which won the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: Shinsei “New Hope” award and the 2000 Shogakukan Manga award. Obata is also the artist of Arabian Majin Bokentan Lamp Lamp, Ayatsuri Sakon, Cyborg Jichan G, and the smash hit manga Death Note.

For more information on this title, and other Shonen Jump titles, please visit shonenjump.viz.com.

The Complete Ouija Interviews

The Complete Ouija Interviews

Chances are that you’ve played with a Ouija board at some point in your life, as part of a childhood slumber party, slightly inebriated college gathering, or Hallowe’en dare. Typical of the majority of spirit board sessions, the answers to your questions were probably disappointingly vague, a “yes” or “no” interspersed with a bunch of random gibberish.

In The Complete Ouija Interviews, author Sarah Becan shows how interesting conversations with the dead can be when you’re lucky enough to make contact with ghosts who have good communication skills. Even more compelling, Becan reveals, “The collected stories in this book all come from actual Ouija board sessions, which occurred during the three years that my brother Jeff lived and worked at a hostel on Nantucket Island.” Who needs an Interview with the Vampire when you can read interviews with real otherworldly spooks?

The Complete Ouija Interviews was originally published as a short series of handmade mini-comics:

Sample panels from the mini-comics are posted at each of the links above, and an excerpt from the Ouija Interview #1 mini-comic is also available to read online, serving as a preview of the Ouija Interviews.

Assisted by a 2009 Xeric Foundation Grant, the mini-comics were then collected into one volume by Becan’s Shortpants Press, “an independent small press from Chicago dedicated to making unique, interesting, and really cool minicomics, zines, prints and art books.”

At the beginning of The Complete Ouija Interviews is a foreword written by Becan’s brother, Jeff, in which he gives a brief history of the Ouija board and the time the Becan siblings spent on Nantucket, including a description of a Ouija board session that may convince some readers that the toy really is a conduit to the deceased. The four Ouija interviews then follow, in the order that they were published as mini-comics. In the first interview, we’re introduced to Theo, who was murdered after getting caught cheating on his wife with a woman he gleefully describes as having “big knockers”. Despite being an unrepentant womanizer, it’s hard to dislike the villain in this tragic romance, as he claims to have sincerely loved both women, and takes full responsibility for the transgressions that led to his untimely demise. Next, we meet Chip, a young, gay ghost who’s a smart aleck with a penchant for telling truly tasteless jokes. It’s difficult to tell whether anything Chip says is serious or truthful, especially when he claims to have been reincarnated as a strawberry, but he does reveal some potentially intriguing information about the afterlife. Chapter three features a conversation with an adorable little girl who was murdered when she was only ten years old. Becan and her brother David sat at the board during this session, and Naomi indulges in a bit of shameless adolescent flirtation with David, telling him that she loves him. Naomi’s story becomes less light-hearted, though, when she’s asked about the identity of her murderer, and her answers imply that she was killed by a pedophile who was known to her and her friend. The fourth installment in the Ouija tales, the longest and most in-depth of the interviews, takes up about a third of the book, and is also the darkest and saddest of Becan’s stories. The brother and two sisters interviewed were murdered by their father, who killed their mother, as well. As if that weren’t horrifying enough, it slowly becomes clear, to the reader’s discomfort, that murder wasn’t the only crime committed against one of the sisters. It’s Agatha’s story that will haunt readers most, long after the final page of the book is read.

In addition to the main stories, the book includes a half dozen mini-interviews, bonus material brand new to The Complete Ouija Interviews. Scattered throughout the compilation, these vignettes spotlight ghosts who pop in to offer brief, yet poignant, comments or words of advice to the living.

The Complete Ouija Interviews is a very professional-looking independent publication, the perfect-bound volume covered in a heavily textured feltweave paper that feels hand-made and is embossed on the front with an image of Theo. While it resembles, in size, the cute novelty gift editions sold as impulse items at bookstores, The Complete Ouija Interviews is distinguished by its elegant sepia-toned art and meaningful content. The presentation is deceptively simple, but effective: Pages consist of single panels with narrow caption boxes containing Becan’s interview questions running unobtrusively across the top. The interviewees float against a plain background that approximates a Ouija board with the numbers and letters wiped off, their answers printed in traditional comic strip speech balloons. Like in Peanuts, the characters manage to display a remarkable range of expressions and emotions with very few drawn lines. The minimalist ghosts, using slight head tilts and subtle eye and mouth shifts, are far more expressive than the fully rendered superhero figures found in big-name comic books.

If you’re looking for a comic that will truly touch your heart, then passing over The Complete Ouija Interviews would be a grave mistake, since reading it is sure to lift your spirits.

Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult and up (12+) for implied violence, adult themes, sexual content, and crude bodily humour.

Order directly through the Shortpants Press website, or check with your local comic book store.

The Complete Ouija Interviews is distributed by Shortpants Press. For more information on the book and its author, visit jakze.com. Shortpants Press may also be followed on Twitter.

Dark Horse to Kick Off New Gold Key Comics Program at C2E2!

from Dark Horse Comics:

Dark Horse and Classic Media announced today that this weekend’s C2E2 convention will be the launch for the much-anticipated new Gold Key Comics program. Fans will have the chance to meet Dark Horse President Mike Richardson and creator Jim Shooter, and gain insider information on what to expect from this summer’s upcoming releases. News of the line was first announced at San Diego Comic Con International 2009, and fans have been anxiously awaiting details ever since.

“Jim and I share a great affection for these terrific characters. We have some very exciting ideas on how to introduce them to a whole new generation of fans.” said Mike Richardson, president of Dark Horse Comics. “C2E2 is just the beginning.”

“I’ve done this long enough to know when it feels right — and it does — so there’s a chance, at least, that it is. I stand on the shoulders of giants like Manning, Newman and Du Bois,” said Jim Shooter. “On top of that I’ve had terrific support from Mike Richardson and Senior Editor Chris Warner, plus great art from Bill Reinhold and Dennis Calero. Overture, curtain, lights…!”

In addition, throughout the C2E2 weekend, Dark Horse will announce the creative teams and more titles in the works for Gold Key. Then, the new line will kick off in print only a few weeks later, on Saturday, May 1st, as part of Free Comic Book Day, and fans can look for exciting promotional Apps on iTunes in early May.

Doctor Solar, the first title in the line, will arrive in stores this summer!

VIZ Media Nominated in Multiple Categories for the 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, announced today that three of its manga titles and one creator have been nominated in several categories for the 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards for a total of 6 nominations, as announced by Comic-Con International on April 8, 2010.

Named for pioneering writer and comic artist Will Eisner, the awards recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings, and are given each year as part of the annual Comic-Con International convention. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 23rd during Comic-Con, at which VIZ Media will be a major exhibitor and participant in the programs offered. VIZ Media titles are consistently nominated for the Eisner Awards, and in 2008, took home the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Japan for Tekkonkinkreet: Black & White, by acclaimed creator Taiyo Matsumoto.

The nominated titles from VIZ Media are:

Oishinbo by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki

  • Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka, by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki

  • Best Limited Series or Story Arc
  • Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, by Naoki Urasawa

  • Best Continuing Series
  • Best U.S. Edition of International Material — Asia

In addition, Naoki Urasawa is nominated for Best Writer/Artist, for his work on Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys and Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka. According to the nomination list, Urasawa-sensei is also the creator with the most nominations.

“We are so excited that VIZ Media again has several nominees in the coveted Eisner Awards,” states Alvin Lu, Vice President, Publishing VIZ Media. “These awards recognize excellence in the comics industry, and we are honored to be considered among such a diverse group of nominees.”

Oishinbo by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki
VIZ Signature
Rated “T” for Teens
Oishinbo (or “The Gourmet”) depicts the adventures of journalist Shiro Yamaoka, who writes for the fictional newspaper Tozai News. When the paper’s top executives decide to create “The Ultimate Menu” to celebrate the paper’s 100th anniversary, Yamaoka, known for his reputation as a foodie with culinary skills to match, is given the daunting assignment. With the help of his coworker Kurita, Yamaoka begins an epic saga to find unique and tasty dishes that will compose this ultimate bill of fare. The subject of the debut volume is classical Japanese cuisine, and features delicious stories on subjects like how to prepare a proper dashi (the broth that is one of the building blocks of Japanese cooking), green tea, and red snapper sashimi. Each subsequent volume of Oishinbo focuses on specific foods and culinary trends such as sake, sushi, vegetables, rice dishes, ramen, and izakaya (pub) food.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki
VIZ Signature
Rated “T+” for Older Teens
(Nominated in Three Categories)
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka is a modern reinterpretation of the work by the master of manga, Osamu Tezuka. In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something is after the seven great robots of the world. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case — and he eventually discovers that he is one of the targets!

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa
VIZ Signature
Rated “T+” for Older Teens
(Nominated in Three Categories)
Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren’t for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.