Category: Announcements

VIZ Media to Publish the Poignant New Manga Series “What a Wonderful World!”

What a Wonderful World!

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands its notable VIZ Signature manga imprint with the publication of Inio Asano’s What a Wonderful World! on October 20th. The 2-volume series (each sold separately but launch simultaneously) is rated “T+” for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

A poignant collection of intersecting vignettes depicting twenty-something angst, What a Wonderful World! explores the various ways that modern life can be at once ridiculous and sublime, terrible and precious, wasted and celebrated. In Volume 1, what begins with a college dropout bored of her mediocre routine soon becomes a fantastic series of stories about the unexpected ways that different lives intersect. Filled with magical realism in the face of the cold reality of daily modern life, at their core these stories are about young people discovering something precious amidst the chaos of existence. Volume 2 explores similar themes including the cruelty of childhood, the delusion of adulthood, the permanence of death, and how people find a way to remain resolute and laugh in the face of reality.

“Inio Asano masterfully captures the essence of youth, and What a Wonderful World! depicts both the exhilaration and frustration felt by a diverse group of twenty-somethings trying to find their place amidst the impersonal urban sprawl of Tokyo,” says Candice Uyloan, Director, Brand Management for VIZ Media. “Fans of everything from Catcher in the Rye to Reality Bites will find this series an impressive and heartfelt read. Asano’s realistic story is ultimately a commentary on how modern life and the choices one makes impact the struggle to grow up and fit in and we look forward to readers discovering this thought-provoking new title.”

Creator Inio Asano drew initial attention for his short story Hello from Outer Space, which won the 1st Sunday GX rookie prize in 2001. What a Wonderful World! also appeared in the pages of Sunday GX. Asano’s other works include City of Light, Oyasumi Pun Pun and the acclaimed Solanin (which is published in North America by VIZ Media and was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award).

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

“The Guild” Season 3, Episode 6: “Newbtastic”

from The Guild:

“Well, hello.”

The Guild Season 3 Episode 6 “Newbtastic” is now live.

Streaming on MSN
Downloadable in HD on Xbox
Downloadable on Zune

Also, this link to MSN’s Parallel Universe hub is a good one to bookmark, as it defaults to the newest episode.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the LA area, there are 2 chances this month to see The Guild on the big screen with Dr. Horrible — 10/16 at The Egyptian, and 10/30 as part of the Whedonopolis Charity Screening.

One last thing — become a fan of The Guild on Facebook, and share this post with your friends. Thanks.

Last Chance to Vote for Next MIMOBOT Flash Drive

from Mimoco:

Infectious X MIMOBOT Design Challenge: 2 more weeks left for voting!

Thanks for all the awesome submissions!

There are two more weeks left open for voting so don’t forget to give your two cents as to which design will be the next community-designed MIMOBOT USB flash drive to be produced!

infectious.com/contests/mimobot

Dr. Grordbort’s — Soon Anyone Can Stand It

from Weta:

It’s time to take a stand!

Cast from 100% pure Tremontium (tastes and smells a bit like metal in our atmosphere), Grordbort Industries’ Universal Gun Stand is an absolute necessity in polite society.

We regret to admit that its conception was prompted by popular demand — something we normally address with loathing and contempt and generally treat with a fair measure of ignore.

Firstly — it seems not all armed gentry has sufficient mantle-piece acreage to house a growing collection of raygun transportation cases. We’ve been gently nudged with the business end of a thrusk tusk by several esteemed customers until we contrived something size-wise more suburbanesque.

Secondly — many a gentleman has been openly frowned-at (the nerve!) for resting still-smoldering wave oscillation contraputronica on the Louis XV, leaving the charred remains beyond restorability to intended form and purpose.

And as the saying goes — “three steps behind every successful sportsman trots a reasonably contented consort.” Dr. Grordbort therefore sees it as his personal quest to remove any obstacles to a harmonious co-existence with these individuals of the unmistakably fairer, but ironically also completely unfair sex.

Pre-order your Universal Gun Stands now, and we will ship them with an assortment of fitment rods to ensure its compatibility with the entire catalogue of Dr. Grordbort’s full-size ray handguns, including:

The F.M.O.M. Industries Wave Disrupter Gun — The F.M.O.M takes tedious steps like “aiming” out of the equation. Which may help explain why there are: Less than 50 left in the Universe!

The Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector — Dissolves 7/9ths of an African Elephant in 10 Earth seconds. It’s a beauty! Less than 100 left this side of Uranus!

The Manmelter 3600zx Sub-Atomic Disintegrator Pistol — You may commence atomising Moon Soldiers or neighbourhood dogs at your earliest convenience. One for the Boys!

The Victorious Mongoose 1902a Concealable Ray Pistol — Icklest of the full-size rayguns, the Victorious Mongoose can be stealthily carried upon your person, be it tucked in your garter or stuffed in your armpit. You’ll never find a less uncomfortable raygun for such endeavours. Wee!

Righteous Bison Indivisible Particle Smasher — Light-weight and super-wieldable, the Righteous Bison is deceptively powerful. And an absolute steal at not very much money at all! Real Imitation Metal!

And PLEASE don’t forget not to miss the opportunity to make your views heard (or at least read): Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Forum.

This is how you find us online!
http://fans.wetaNZ.com/Magnus/ | Twitter: @wetaworkshop | Facebook: Weta Workshop

New Neil NOW: Episode 6 “The Fairy Strikes Back” is Live

from The Legend of Neil:

The sixth and second to last episode of the season has arrived. It’s definitely one of our favorites. A whole heck of a lot of poop hits the fan on this episode when the Moblins and Neil square off and Neil’s relationships with the Fairy and Old Man get pushed to the limits.

This episode was probably the most difficult to shoot as it rained on us most of the day, so I’m really proud that we were able to pull out what I think is one our best efforts story wise. I hope you enjoy it as well, feel free to tell me if you do or don’t on Facebook and Twitter. And as always, support the show and buy a t-shirt!

Dragon Wars gets housebroken! Plus, Plan 9 Encore this week!

from RiffTrax:

When we heard that Korean studio Younggu-Art Movies was making a picture called Dragon Wars, we were both excited and disgusted at the same time. Excited because we have had many conversations about which Korean movie studio would direct our “dream” dragon movie, and the name Younggu-Art Movies just kept coming up. But we were also disgusted, because the movie title failed to provide its own abbreviation as part of the title.

This is a major gripe that we have with just about every single movie that has ever come out: Abbreviations of a movie’s title should always be included as part of the title. In today’s busy web 2.0 world, who has time to refer to anything by its whole name? However, we run into trouble when movies don’t specify how we should abbreviate their titles, and competing, non-standard abbreviations are adopted. Fortunately, our disgust was misguided, as Dragon Wars bucks the trend and includes its own abbreviation in the title: D-War. A true abbreviation, where Dragon becomes D and Wars becomes War, Dragon Wars: D-War provides the consumer with something so sorely missing from movie titles today: Choice.

So whether you choose to experience the fantastical creatures and hi-octane action sequences of Dragon Wars, or prefer the ancient story of a love that knows no bounds of D-War, you must know one thing: this D-movie D-bites D-hard.

Mike, Kevin and Bill decided to D-riff Dragon Wars: D-War, because a fan in attendance at our 2009 Comic-Con panel suggested it. The moral of the story? Don’t do that.

Get it here.

And don’t forget! This week is the RiffTrax Live Encore of Plan 9! Get tickets and showtimes here.

Steampunk Month at TOR

from Tor.com:

It’s goggle-wearing, lace-gloved, dirigible-driving, sepia-toned, steam-powered, retro-futuristic party time.

In other words, October is Steampunk Month on Tor.com! All month, we’ll be hosting special content, including giveaways, wallpapers, reviews, and posts by guest bloggers from the steampunk community.

Check out the Steampunk Month index page to see what’s going on; Tor.com being a well-oiled machine, we’ll naturally update it as each post goes up.

To start you off, we have an interview with Diana Vick, vice-chair of the upcoming Steamcon, on what steampunk means to her and the dubious joys of running a con. You can also check out this review of George Mann’s The Affinity Bridge — a cracking good yarn, and just the thing to get you in the mood.

The Return of Ahsoka

from StarWars.com:

Ahsoka Tano is back as The Clone Wars: Rise of the Bounty Hunters debuts on Cartoon Network on Friday, October 2 at 8pm (check local listings). In the two-part season premiere, the young Padawan leads clone forces that are outnumbered on the planet Felucia. Her actions land her in hot water, and she is assigned guard duty within the Jedi Temple. It’s no quiet assignment, however, since there are villains plotting moves against the Jedi within their very headquarters.

This time, Ahsoka will have to tangle with enemies far more formidable than disposable battle droids. She’s going to go head-to-head with Cad Bane, notorious bounty hunter.

“Ahsoka is in a bit over her head with these bounty hunters,” admits Ashley Eckstein, the actress who voices Ahsoka. “Ahsoka at times, can be very headstrong and think ‘Okay, I can take them down; I can achieve everything! I can get ’em’, but she’s sometimes in over her head.”

Over a year ago, Ahsoka Tano’s debut came as a bit of a surprise to longtime fans — after all, who knew that Anakin Skywalker had a Padawan during the Clone Wars? Now, though, the young Togruta apprentice is an established character within the pantheon of Star Wars heroes, and especially beloved among young fans who have taken to the animated series.

“I think The Clone Wars resonates with kids so much because there’s nothing else like it on television,” says Eckstein. “It allows these kids to imagine themselves as superheroes, basically. What kid does not want to have a lightsaber and be a powerful Jedi and fight for good? Be a good guy and be able to do that?”

The Jim Henson Company Announces “Fraggle Rock Forever” Collection

Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection

from The Jim Henson Company:

The Jim Henson Company announced that it is launching a new merchandise collection, Fraggle Rock Forever, based on the global fan-favorite brand that is as popular today as it was when it premiered more than 25 years ago. The collection slated for both the specialty and department store market will have a tiered rollout with a selection of product due in store for holiday 2009 with much more to come in spring 2010.

“We have found Fraggle Rock to be an extremely desirable franchise among the hip fashion industry around the world. The property’s appeal is especially strong to many of the young men and women who loved Fraggle Rock as kids and who are now working in the apparel, accessories and retail business,” said Melissa Segal, Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company.

The Fraggle Rock Forever collection, which celebrates the whimsy and celebratory spirit of the classic series, will feature product in categories including apparel, tote bags, belt buckles, jewelry and classic plush. In addition, adult Halloween costumes aimed to appeal to Fraggle fanatic men and women will be available in 2010. Deals have been completed in the U.S. with Bioworld Merchandising, Manhattan Toy, and Rasta Impasta and in the UK with Fashion UK as well as with the popular fashion driven chain Zara which will have Fraggle Rock tees available in their stores around the world.

Also bringing the collection to a new level are hot trend driven designers such as Dr. Romanelli based in Los Angeles and Carri Munden of London based Cassette Playa who appeal to fashion influencers. They are collaborating on the creation of a range of high end clothing which will be featured in upscale boutiques this holiday season. Dr. Romanelli will also be interpreting the brand via a micro-site at drdoozer.com which will host not only the collection of tees, hoodies, jackets, and posters but will also house Fraggle Rock music remixes by hot artists plus clips from the series. (An “under construction” teaser page is online now with the full site to go live in November.) Also, part of this boutique designer collection will feature a high end costume jewelry line designed exclusively by Anita Ko in collaboration with jeweler Pascal Mouawad.

Lionsgate is rounding out the Fraggle Rock assortment with the release of Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series Collection. In addition a new DVD special, A Merry Fraggle Holiday, and the much requested Fraggle Rock: The Complete Final Season (Season 4) will be debuting on DVD in time for the holiday 2009 shopping season.

The Jim Henson Company is also launching virtual merchandise including video ring tones and mobile wall paper. The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation.

Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include Sid the Science Kid, and Pajanimals. Features include The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, MirrorMask, and Unstable Fables. Television productions include Fraggle Rock and the sci-fi cult series Farscape. With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment.

The Company is currently in production on 40 episodes of Dinosaur Train, an animated preschool series teaching concepts of natural science and history, set to debut on PBS KIDS in fall 2009. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand continues to produce Puppet Up! — Uncensored, a live puppet improvisational show that runs monthly at the Avalon Hollywood. The Company has also announced the creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim Henson’s earliest sketches, and The Jim Henson Company: Discoveries, an acquisitions banner that celebrates outstanding third party produced independent film, television and video productions from around the globe embodying the Company’s enduring legacy.

The Sushi Catalogue App Now Available on App Store

from Shogakukan:

Shogakukan, Inc., one of the largest publishing houses in Japan, today announced The Sushi Catalogue App is now available on the App Store. The Sushi Catalogue App is a unique culinary companion for the Japanese cuisine and sushi lover, which depicts 80 different kinds of traditional Japanese sushi that are fully explained, cross-referenced and illustrated.

Whether going on an overseas trip to Japan or just down the street to the local sushi bar, The Sushi Catalogue is a useful companion for iPhone and iPod touch users,” says Mr. Yamamoto, Producer of The Sushi Catalogue, Shogakukan. “The Sushi Catalogue has it all and presents information in an easy-to-reference way giving people informative and fun ways to understand and interact with these unique traditions.”

The fun app makes it easy for iPhone and iPod touch users to access a variety of sushi dishes and sub-categories like different types of toppings and seasonal availabilities, as well as variations on traditional preparation and presentations. Viewing a particular sushi dish in landscape mode enlarges the image; sliding the screen to the left or right switches the view to other entries.

For two weeks only, beginning today through October 15th, Shogakukan will give iPhone and iPod touch users a special 50% discount for this fun sushi guide application. The Sushi Catalogue complements other handy Shogakukan apps for the iPhone and iPod touch, including the Daijisen Japanese-Japanese Dictionary, which contains 230,000 entries, derived terms, phrases and The Pocket Progressive English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary. The Daijisen Dictionary App is a useful tool for studying the Japanese language and makes it possible to search for many terms, including the latest buzzwords and recently added vernacular, quickly and effortlessly. The app also has an entertaining 8×8 crossword puzzle game with hints given in Japanese.

The Sushi Catalogue App is available for $4.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at itunes.com/appstore/.

The Legend of Neil: Comic-Con 2009 Panel

from The Legend of Neil:

Since we’re still a few days away from the premiere of episode 6 of season 2, I thought you all might like to check out our Legend of Neil panel at Comic-Con 2009 featuring Sandeep, Tony Janning, Mike Rose, Felicia Day & Scott Chernoff and moderated by Chris Albrecht. Thanks to YouTube user grossemeise for taping and uploading the vids:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Damn we look sexy…