Category: Announcements

YALSA Names Ten VIZ Media Manga Titles to Its 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens List

from VIZ Media:

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!

Maou: 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: 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: viz.com.

Wasn’t under the tree? Get it now with a free gift from Alivan’s

from Alivan’s:

Greetings, friends… Didn’t get everything you wanted from Alivan’s this Christmas? Get it now PLUS A FREE GIFT when you do (read on to find out more) — Click here to shop now.

We want to be sure you get everything you wanted (and with no thank you notes to write). Visit us at alivans.com, spend $30, enter coupon code FREEGRYFF in the Redeem box during checkout… and receive a FREE Gryffindor POA House scarf. That’s right… spend just $30 and receive a FREE GRYFFINDOR SCARF (now through 1/18/11).

And don’t forget any time you order 2 or more of our magic wands you get completely FREE SHIPPING. That is in addition to the FREE SCARF you receive when you use the coupon code above.

Magically,
Finneas Alivan

P.S. Embroidered house patches (and pins) make great additions to robes, sweaters, and more. They are available in all four houses and Hogwarts as well!

VIZ Media Launches 2011 with a New iTunes Anime Promotion for “Buso Renkin” and “Vampire Knight Guilty”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media rings in 2011 and expands its current anime promotion on iTunes in the U.S. (iTunes.com) to include the premieres of Buso Renkin and Vampire Knight Guilty. To celebrate the debuts, you can download the first full episode of both series for FREE from now thru February 1st. All subsequent episodes are available to rent for only $0.99 each, or to own for only $1.99 each.

Please visit itunes.com/anime for complete details.

Buso Renkin (rated TV-14) is based on a popular 10-volume manga series by Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin) and introduces audiences to Kazuki Muto, a high school student who thinks he’s saving a girl from a monster, but it turns out that he’s the one who needs saving! Kazuki is stabbed and killed while fighting a homunculus, a malevolent creature that feeds on humans. A girl, Tokiko Tsumura, revives him by replacing his heart with an alchemical device called a kakugane. With this device, Kazuki can create his own Buso Renkin, a powerful alchemical weapon in the form of a huge lance, capable of destroying homunculi. With his new weapon, Kazuki decides to join forces with Tokiko to eliminate the evil homunculi and destroy their master, the strange and eccentric Papillon Masked Creator!

Vampire Knight Guilty (rated TV-14) is the second season of the hit gothic romance based on the bestselling manga series about a high school populated by a class of vampires. Yuki is torn between the two people she cares for most when Zero is accused of Shizuka Hio’s murder and Kaname refuses to attest to his innocence. Drawn deeper into the world of vampires, Yuki struggles to recall the events of ten years earlier but fails time and again. Kaname evades Yuki’s questions about the past, but when her visions of blood grow more frequent and intense, the past may come to light whether she wants it to or not!

For more information on these and other animated titles from VIZ Media, please visit VIZAnime.com.

Writer Katie Lucas discusses “Monster,” the second chapter of the thrilling “Clone Wars” storyline!

from StarWars.com:

Count Dooku visits the witches of Dathomir, seeking to replace Asajj Ventress with a new, deadlier apprentice. Little does he know that his new protégée — the formidable Savage Opress — has been selected by Ventress herself, and that the Nightsisters have used their witchcraft to transform the warrior into a monstrous killer without remorse, compassion or loyalty. The second chapter of a three-part Clone Wars arc, “Monster” airs at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Friday, January 14 on Cartoon Network.

“I’ve really fallen for Ventress, and here the audience gets to learn a lot about her history. She’s an extremely complicated character,” says Katie Lucas, writer of the three-part Nightsisters arc. “She’s a cold-hearted harpy, but she has good reason to be — and now she’s displaying a much more independent side of herself. Ventress is nobody’s pawn anymore. She finally owns herself. I grew up on Buffy and Tank Girl, so writing for strong females is second nature to me. I listened to a lot of early Hole and The Distillers albums to inspire me while writing these stories; I really wanted to tap into that visceral female rage, and Courtney Love’s snarl certainly tears that right out of you.”

While Ventress has certainly asserted herself and assumed a more powerful role than ever before, “Monster” also introduces an all-new villain into the power struggle. A warrior from the same fearsome race that spawned Episode I’s Darth Maul, Opress is bred and trained to serve — but he is destined to become more powerful than ever his masters had imagined.

“Savage is a lot like Frankenstein’s creation,” says Lucas. “He’s a monster, but you get brief glimpses of a real heart beneath the surface. He’s a complicated character — I don’t think he would have turned to the dark side without the manipulation of the witches. They use him.”

Daughter of the acclaimed Star Wars creator, Lucas acknowledges her personal connections to that “galaxy far, far away,” while still recognizing her writer’s responsibility to speak to the quintessentially Earth-bound human experience.

“If I hadn’t been raised in the Star Wars universe, I don’t think there would be any way I could write sci-fi. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve had to adapt,” she says. “Part of being a screenwriter is knowing how to entertain, and the other part is staying true to your own vision. I’ve always been inspired by the truths of our world, universal and personal, here in our reality, and I try to bring as much of that as I can to The Clone Wars.”

The DC You-niverse

from GeekChicDaily:

In your head, it starts with you getting a nice entry-level gig at Wayne Enterprises. Evenings, after the dayjob is done, you put on a costume and head out to slobberknock your adversaries. Saturday night, maybe you get lucky and chat up a Wonder Twin at a keg party; Sunday is spent icing plasma burns and perusing the late edition of The Daily Planet. The buildings tower above you, even as your legend grows… yes, you live in the DC Universe.

C’mon. We all know you’ve long harbored elaborate fantasies about what you’d do if you could somehow slip inside the DCU. Now’s your chance to fire your therapist and make those dreams a (virtual) reality: DC Universe Online goes live today. The game’s backstory is a bit twisty (think time travel, alien overlords and a dead Superman) but an awesomely-animated cinematic lays it all out. You play as a hero or villain that you create and customize, and every player gets an iconic DC character (like Supes, Batman, Lex Luthor, or the Joker, depending) who sends you on assignments and group missions.

Presumably your super-mentor also answers practical queries like “What’s the best Gotham laundromat for dry cleaning tights?” Alternate gaming options let groups of players square off against each other, and there’s even the ability to throw down as your favorite DC character. Basically the only thing the game doesn’t let you do is spend a quiet afternoon playing fetch with Krypto the Superdog. But hey, this is the first version. One never knows what the future might hold… could the next DC legend be you? DC Universe Online is live now.

J!NX: Up to 40% off IDentity Products

from J!NX:

All IDentity Products On Sale Up to 40% Off
Now through January 14, get all J!NX IDentity products for as much as 40% off.

New Design Arcade Winner: Rocks and Minerals
Ah, geology. It’s a science that is often overlooked in favor of disciplines with more flash and boom about them. Don’t be fooled, though. As long as you know where to dig, geology can yield more wealth, power and fame than you can imagine. Try to avoid the ectoplasm, though. It’s fun at parties, but just leaves a big mess afterwards. Congratulations to Minion Graja for an awesome Design Arcade win!

Classic Favorites on Sale for $10

Factory Entertainment: The Green Hornet in Stock Now

from Factory Entertainment:

We’re only a few days away from the highly anticipated theatrical release of the feature film based on the classic radio and TV show, The Green Hornet. We know how excited everyone is to see this year’s first blockbuster and we have plenty of items in stock now to fulfill all of your Kato and Green Hornet in training dreams! Stock up on items that will assist you in fighting crime in style with our fashionable Green Hornet accessories including cufflinks, money clips, rings and more, available in both movie and TV flavors. Don’t have a real Black Beauty to roll in? Start with our screen accurate movie and TV 1:50 scale die-cast versions. …and if that’s not enough to have you saying, “Let’s Roll Kato!” we suggest our highly detailed Green Hornet and Kato movie action figures. It’s been 75 years ago to the month since the Green Hornet was created, what better way to celebrate?!

Green Hornet Clips!
Check out seven exclusive clips of the new Green Hornet movie coming out on January 14th, starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz and Tom Wilkinson!

Follow us on Facebook, we proudly add to the mostly inane babble but we also throw in more than the occasional gem!

Lace Mamba Global to Publish “DARKSTAR – The Interactive Movie” in 2011

from Parallax Studio:

Lace Mamba Global announces that it will publish DARKSTAR – The Interactive Movie, a Science Fiction adventure game for PC and Mac, developed by J. Allen Williams at Parallax Studio.

“DARKSTAR is an extraordinary adventure game. It has been in development for over ten years, and has finally found its international publishing home. DARKSTAR is a perfect addition to our 2011 line up of independent adventure game productions”, says Jason Codd, European Managing Director at Lace Mamba Global. “DARKSTAR, with its extensive use of Full Motion Video, its famous cast and its eclectic mix of science fiction and dark comedy is a real gem in the adventure game genre. We’re confident that legions of PC and Mac players will truly enjoy this absolutely unique interactive movie experience. By publishing DARKSTAR, we once again prove that Lace Mamba Global is dedicated to the adventure game genre and are keen to bring the most exciting developments to our customers worldwide”, he adds.

J. Allen Williams, Producer, Director and Writer of DARKSTAR recently said “Lace Mamba Global is a perfect fit for a project like ours. Their commitment to bringing unique and cutting-edge entertainment to gamers everywhere while providing an unparalleled classic gaming experience is second to none. Their team knows how to take a release and put it out there with all the value-added extras that players want — they listen to the fans.”

DARKSTAR is set in the post-apocalyptic future in the year 2499. Captain John O’Neil awakens from cryogenic sleep aboard the lost and damaged starship Westwick. The ships’ computer voice informs O’Neil that he has been asleep for over 312 years, such a long time that his memories are gone — a side effect of being in hibernation centuries too long. A breath-taking journey through space and time begins as the player explores the haunted starship searching for answers and clues as to what the true mission is. Backstory cinema is unlocked as areas are unlocked and made accessible, and the epic story unfolds on this drifting and broken starship somewhere on the other side of the Galaxy as it orbits a strange, alien planet. Players must utilize their wits and ingenuity to discover what has happened to the Earth, the starship, and its crew. They must find out what has happened to O’Neil’s partner Ross Perryman, why Pilot Paige Palmer still slumbers in her cryo-chamber and who savagely murdered Navigator Alan Burk during his long session in suspended animation. O’Neil soon discovers that the Earth has been destroyed and the crew of the Westwick are the sole surviving members of the human race… or are they?

DARKSTAR, both an adventure game and an interactive movie, features more than 13 hours of Full Motion Video sequences to tell its amazing story. More animated footage than any other game in history is packed into this adventure with over two-dozen exhilarating alternate endings. The cast of live actors features Clive Robertson starring as Captain John O’Neil (Sunset Beach/StarHunter), as well as the original cast of the American cult television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000, including Trace Beaulieu, Beth “Beez” McKeever, Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl, Frank Conniff and J. Elvis Weinstein. DARKSTAR is narrated by the late, great Peter Graves (Mission: Impossible/Airplane/A&E’s Biography Series), his final performance.

DARKSTAR combines the best of the adventure game genre with science fiction filmmaking in this ground-breaking production. With elements of dark humor, horror, and classic sci-fi, DARKSTAR introduces you to live-action characters in a pre-rendered, fully animated storytelling tool that allows you to wander, search, discover, and enjoy this refreshing and strange world at your own pace.

Lace Mamba Global will publish DARKSTAR worldwide, starting in the UK in Q2 2011.

Enter the RiffTrax Remix contest and win some dough!

from RiffTrax:

Pull out sound clips from RiffTrax MP3s and create your own remixed video! It can be a movie, TV show, video game cut scene, virtually anything will work! You have until the end of January to upload your clip to YouTube and tag it with “rifftraxremix2011”. (You must use this tag for your video to be eligible!)

There is no minimum length requirement, just make it funny!

Our favorite video will win a prize of $100 cash and $100 credit for purchases at RiffTrax.com! For more info, visit RiffTrax Remix Contest!

Fates Are Sealed in a Final Showdown as Epic Manga Adventure “InuYasha” Concludes

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced the release of the final installment of Rumiko Takahashi’s longtime bestselling manga (graphic novel) series, InuYasha, on January 11th. Fans won’t want to miss even a single page of the action in Volume 56, Curtain of Time, which is rated “T+” for Older Teens and carries an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. InuYasha is published under VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint.

Kagome, a modern-day high school girl, is pulled into Japan’s ancient past! There, her destiny is linked to a dog-eared half demon named InuYasha. Together, they battle evil demons who seek to acquire the shards of the legendary Shikon Jewel and wield its incredible power. But can Kagome and InuYasha stop feuding with each other long enough to save the feudal or modern world — let alone both?

In the climactic showdown, the demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw InuYasha and Kagome together… or pull them apart forever?! Find out in the exciting concluding volume!

The spotlight on manga creator Rumiko Takahashi began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another — Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma ½ from 1987 to 1996, and InuYasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel. These, as well as her newest manga series, Rin-ne, are also published in North America by VIZ Media.

Also catch InuYasha anime episodes — for free — on VIZAnime.com.

More information on InuYasha, or other Shonen Sunday titles from VIZ Media, is available at ShonenSunday.com.