Books & Writing – Page 23

Dr. Grordbort Recommends

from Weta:

Colonial Frolics
We have ridded the factory floor of some of the peskier staff members. Messrs Taylor, Broadmore, Tremont and Launder have been shipped to the North American colonies for a bit of R&R at the San Diego Compartmentalised Picture Essay Jamboree. This is actually the first time Dr. Grordbort’s book VICTORY is available for signing on the North American continent! Greg Broadmore has been equipped with quills and a pint of ink and will be signing like there’s no tomorrow! If you could care less about Mr. Broadmore’s scribbles, you can always gawk at our Three Hand Painted and Customised Rayguns on display instead! The Iron Tiger, Der Adler and The Divine Ray are available EXCLUSIVELY to Jamboree participants (with enough cash). Aren’t they simply delightful?

Cutting Edge High End Contraption to be revealed at Jamboree
We can further divulge that major revelations are afoot at aforementioned convention. Grordbort Industries have been developing this particular little darling for some time and are GREATLY anticipating the unleashment on an unsuspecting public. Can you see what it is yet? We certainly can’t. Check out what the guys on the forum think…

Special Offers for SDCC patrons
At the convention will be a RANGE of Special Offers on Dr. Grordbort’s wares:

Order the Victorious Mongoose Raygun (full scale version US$495, with free shipping within mainland USA) and get the following
- Free miniature Victorious Mongoose
- Free Dr. Grordbort’s Satchel
- Free Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory
- While stocks last at the booth
Purchase any 2 miniature Rayguns and get US$20 off (while stocks last at the booth)
Purchase either VICTORY (US$20) or the Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory (US$15), and get the miniature Victorious Mongoose raygun at half price (US$25)
Get the Righteous Bison at a 10% discount (US$89), plus free shipping within mainland USA and a free Goliathon pin
40% off Dr. Grordbort’s Satchel (US$59), while stocks last

Heed our final warning:
LAST CHANCE to acquire an Unnatural Selector Ray Blunderbuss! Only 3 Left! Out of the 50, now only 3 remain. Order yours now.

Also getting scarce:
F.M.O.M. Wave Disrupter Gun — less than 20 left!

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

Serenity: Who is Shepherd Book?

from Things from Another World:

One of Serenity‘s greatest mysteries is finally revealed in Shepherd’s Tale, filling in the life of one of the show’s most beloved characters — Shepherd Book!

Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew, how did he become one of their most trusted allies, and how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book’s past are uncovered in this original graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil).

A pivotal chapter in the ongoing Serenity saga, Shepherd’s Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right!

Order Your Copy Today

See Other Serenity Products

“Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls” Animation

Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls
“Meet the Girls” Animated Short.

You didn’t know Chibis could dance? Watch this animation.

Factory Entertainment: Comic-Con Exclusives, Golden Gun LE Direct Store Bonus and more!

from Factory Entertainment:

It’s that time of year again! In this week’s newsletter we have a ton of announcements regarding all of our San Diego Comic-Con plans, including exciting convention exclusives! Booth #4044 is going to be “the place” to be and we can’t wait for you to stop by! We’re also very pleased to announce a special and limited exclusive to those of you who have already ordered or are about to order the James Bond Golden Gun Limited Edition from our online store. If you haven’t ordered from us yet, there are now MULTIPLE reasons that you should. Trust us, you don’t want to miss this opportunity… Here we go!

Factory Entertainment — Booth #4044 — July 22-25 — Exclusives

James Bond Golden Gun Limited Edition ‘Q-Branch’ Blue Print
• 11” x 14” Size
• Giclee Print on high quality 140lb archival stock
• Hand Numbered — Limited to just 500 pieces
Just $15 each at the Factory Entertainment booth #4044 while supplies last. Each purchase also includes a special discount coupon, good for a $10 discount on any single item priced over $50 at factoryent.com!

The Prisoner Miniseries 5 Card Prop Set
• Each card features a piece of an original prop used in the filming of the miniseries.
• Limited to 200 sets
• Price $30 each

The Prisoner Miniseries Convention Exclusive Factory Set
• 72 Card Miniseries Base set
• Every set includes 2 exclusive Prisoner Miniseries Promo Cards:
No 1 : Ian McKellen miniseries Hand-Signed Autograph Card
No 2 : Patrick McGoohan Gold Foil Classic TV Series Facsimile Signature Card
• Each set also includes 1 random hand-drawn Sketch Card by one of the following artists: Clayton McCormack, Stacey G, Don Pedicini Jr, David Desbois, Bill Pulkovski, MO, Thanh Bui
• Limited to 400 sets
• Price $35 each

The Green Hornet Black Beauty Limited Edition ‘Green’ Print
• 11” x 14” Size
• Giclee Print on high quality 140lb archival stock
• Hand Numbered — Limited to just 500 pieces
Just $15 each at the Factory Entertainment booth #4044 while supplies last. Each purchase also includes a special discount coupon, good for a $10 discount on any single item priced over $50 at factoryent.com!

On Display
Besides the many exclusives available to purchase at our booth, we’ll also have many items on display for the first time ever, including upcoming releases as well as sneak previews of future products. You will be able to see items from great licenses like:
The Green Hornet
The Princess Bride
The Beatles
Universal Monsters
…and more!

…which leads us to our next HUGE announcement for Comic-Con…

James Bond 007 Original Props On Display
We’re incredibly excited and honored to announce that we will have a number of original ‘screen used’ props from different classic James Bond movies on display in our booth. The props are graciously on loan from the EON Productions archives and make a rare public appearance. Don’t miss them, booth #4044.

Golden Gun Limited Edition — Factory Direct Exclusive
Some great news for every customer who has already placed an order or is about to place an order for the LE Golden Gun directly from our online store, factoryentstore.com. Included at no extra charge will be a set of 5 exclusive golden bullet replicas available nowhere else! That’s right, they are absolutely free and are our way of saying thank you for buying ‘Factory Direct.’ Hurry, this offer is only while supplies last. (If you’ve already placed a pre-order for the LE Golden Gun, you don’t have to do anything. The exclusive bullet set has already been added to your order.)

Green Hornet Contest Winners!
Congratulations to Rick from Kentucky and Tim from Michigan on winning an autographed copy of the amazingly detailed book, The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics, and Television by Martin Grams and Terry Salomonson. Interested in ordering a copy for yourself? Click here to purchase.

VIZ Media Announces Exciting Personal Appearances, Activities and Show Exclusives for 2010 Comic-Con International

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 an exciting roster of personal appearances, panel discussions, events, giveaways and convention exclusives for 2010 Comic-Con International. Comic-Con is the nation’s largest comic book and science fiction event, and takes place July 21-25 at the San Diego Convention Center, California. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2813.

Fans won’t want to miss a very special opportunity to meet comics and pop culture icon Stan Lee, co-creator along with Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King) of the groundbreaking Ultimo manga series (rated “T” for Teens), on Saturday, July 24th. Mr. Lee will be a special guest at the Shonen Jump Panel, scheduled at 10:30AM in Room #9, where fans will get the latest manga and anime news and on-the-spot surprises, including a special Ultimo button for all attendees. Mr. Lee will also make an in-person appearance at the VIZ Media booth for a signing session of Ultimo Volume 2 at 1:15pm.

Vampire Knight (rated “T+” for Older Teens) is the newest anime series to captivate fans and is based on the smash hit manga series by Matsuri Hino, also published by VIZ Media. To celebrate the release of DVD Volume 1, the company is pleased to welcome as guests the talented voice actors Mela Lee (Yuki), Vic Mignogna (Zero) and Ethan Murray (Kaname) on Friday, July 23rd. Catch Vic Mignogna in the VIZ Media booth at 11:00am, where he will host the Vampire Knight trivia game. The festivities continue at 1:00pm, where fans will have the opportunity to meet the three voice actors at an in-booth signing session. Round out the day at the Vampire Knight Panel, at 3:30pm in Room #9, where Vampire Knight manga editor Nancy Thistlethwaite and the Vampire Knight voice actors will have an in-depth discussion of the edgy gothic romantic drama. There will also be a raffle, featuring exclusive prizes, for fans who come dressed in their best Vampire Knight costume.

The VIZ Media booth will be an exciting destination on the show floor for fans, with exclusive products available for purchase during special times throughout the show (attendees should check the digital signboard at the front of the booth for the daily schedule). For the Naruto: Shippuden fan, there will be a Naruto: Shippuden Limited Edition Sage Naruto Figure from Toynami and straight-from-Japan full-color reproduction Naruto: Shippuden animation cels (from Digital Manga) featuring favorite characters Naruto and Sasuke. Two special Vampire Knight bundles will be offered: Vampire Knight anime DVD Volume 1 with a Cross Academy armband set, and a set of 6 collectable Vampire Knight pins (armband and pins both from Great Eastern). Also available will be a bundle featuring One Piece Volume 54 (rated “T” for Teens) and One Piece Limited Edition Luffy Mallow (from FUNimation and Shocker Toys), and exclusive Bleach iPhone 3G/3GS cell phone cases from France in two designs featuring Ichigo and Toshiro.

VIZ Media will be offering a variety of fun activities at the booth this year. Fans can pose with their favorite Vampire Knight or Kekkaishi anime characters in a special photo area. Test your knowledge in the Naruto and Bleach trivia games. Try the fan-favorite claw catcher game to snag fun Naruto: Shippuden or Bleach prizes. Everyone’s a winner at the VIZ Media Treasure Trove, where players grab a coin to exchange for cool prizes. Fans can sample the video game area, featuring Namco Bandai Games America with a preview of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 (Rated “T” for Teen) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Scan your badge to enter to win a Naruto Shippuden-branded PSP game system and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 (Rated “T” for Teen) for the PSP (no purchase necessary), and get a Bandai collectible card good for three free Naruto Shippuden episodes on the PlayStation Network.

The VIZ Media collectable tote bag is back in a brand new color for 2010 — get your free bag to see what series are featured this year. Other giveaways include Biomega posters, VIZ Media Bling, Vampire Knight manga samplers, and much more while supplies last!

Finally, VIZ Media is proud to have three manga titles — Oishinbo (rated “T” for Teens), by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki; Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka (rated “T+” for Older Teens), by Naoki Urasawa, Takashi Nagasaki, Macoto Tezka and Tezuka Productions; and Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (rated “T+” for Older Teens), by Naoki Urasawa — nominated for 5 awards for the 2010 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, which are considered the Oscars of the comic book industry. 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. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel on the evening of Friday, July 23rd.

For more up-to-date information on VIZ Media’s activities at San Diego Comic-Con International, visit VIZAnime.com/comiccon.

VIZ Media Announces Special New Promotion for “InuYasha” Feature Films and TV Episodes Available from iTunes, Hulu and VIZAnime.com

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media announces a new promotion for InuYasha episodes and feature films (all rated “T” for Teens) available now from the iTunes Store in the U.S. and Canada (iTunes.com), as well as the streaming content provider Hulu (Hulu.com) and VIZAnime.com, the company’s premier website for anime.

iTunes will offer the first three InuYasha feature films (dubbed) — InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time, InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, and InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, for a special Download-To-Own (DTO) sale price of $4.99 (U.S.) each until August 3rd. Additionally, InuYasha TV episode 1 is available to download for FREE, and episodes 2-167, covering Seasons 1-7, will be 50% off and available for iTunes users to download for only $0.99 each.

Hulu will stream InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (subtitled) for free until August 11th; it will also be available during the same period on VIZAnime.com, the free-to-use interactive web destination that is the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series.

InuYasha is a hit TV anime series is based on a massively popular manga (also published by VIZ Media, rated “T+” for Older Teens) by famed creator Rumiko Takahashi, who won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for the series in 2002. Many of Takahashi’s titles have been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. The InuYasha anime series ran for 167 episodes in total and has also spawned an exciting finale series, InuYasha: The Final Act (also available on VIZAnime.com), as well as several successful feature films.

InuYasha
When an enchanted well draws her into the past, Kagome, an ordinary modern schoolgirl, finds her destiny tied to the doglike half-demon InuYasha and a mythical gem called the Shikon Jewel, or “Jewel of Four Souls,” of which the smallest shard can grant the user unimaginable power. Throughout their quest to restore the shattered Shikon Jewel, InuYasha and Kagome have never faced an enemy more deadly or more cunning than the demon mastermind Naraku. With the Shikon Jewel nearly whole and in Naraku’s hands, the race to collect the remaining shards intensifies and a battle of epic proportions is brewing on the horizon…

InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
200 years ago, InuYasha’s father sealed away a powerful demon from a foreign land named Hyoga. A Shikon Jewel shard awakens Hyoga’s son, Menomaru, inspiring him to absorb the remains of his father’s power to take control of the world! It’s now up to InuYasha and his friends to stop this nearly invincible foe!

InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
With their greatest foe seemingly defeated, InuYasha and his friends return to their lives. But their short period of peace is once again shattered as a new enemy begins to emerge. Kaguya, the self-proclaimed Princess from the Moon of legend, begins a plan to plunge the world into a perpetual night of the full moon. InuYasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo must once again unite to face a new threat.

InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler
Many years ago, the Great Dog Demon wielded the Three Swords of the Fang. Upon his death, he bequeathed a sword to each of his sons, InuYasha and Sesshomaru, leaving the third sword, the wrath-filled Sounga, locked away forever. Now that the Sounga’s power has been awakened, these two battling brothers must put away their sibling rivalry and face off against the force that spells doom for all mankind.

To learn more about the InuYasha anime and manga series, please visit VIZAnime.com or ShonenSunday.com.

Comic Book Icon Stan Lee to Make a Los Angeles Personal Appearance to Celebrate His Newest Co-Creation “Ultimo”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media has announced a very special personal appearance by comic book legend Stan Lee on Friday, June 16th at 7:00pm at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles, located at 189 Grove Drive Suite K 30, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Lee is the co-creator of comics’ most iconic superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men. His Barnes & Noble appearance celebrates the release of Volume 2 of his latest co-creation — Ultimo, and he will be autographing copies of Ultimo Volumes 1 and 2.

Ultimo (rated “T” for Teens) is a historic East-meets-West collaboration between Lee and famed Japanese manga creator, Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of the popular Shaman King series. Ultimo, Volume 2 is available in stores now and is also serialized in VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump Magazine.

VIZ Media will also welcome Stan Lee for a special appearance in the company’s booth #2813 on Saturday, July 24th at Comic-Con International 2010, the nation’s largest comic book convention taking place in San Diego, California.

The Ultimo back-story: High above Farmless City, citizens are stunned by the sudden appearance of two floating figures. Are they human boys, monolithic robots, or something much more strange? As the battle ensues between them, destruction and devastation falls on the hapless city. One figure is Vice, who seems to be as evil as his name implies. The other is Ultimo, intent on trying to stop Vice from wreaking more havoc. But who are Vice and Ultimo really? Where did they come from? In Volume 2, with girl and money troubles, life is hard enough for high school student Yamato, but then he stumbles upon Ultimo, a peculiar-looking puppet. Things only get stranger when Ultimo awakens and his archenemy, Vice, shows up. Ultimo and Vice are Karakuri Dôji, the mechanical embodiment of pure good and pure evil, devoid of human emotions that can cloud one’s judgment. Their purpose: to battle to the death to prove once and for all whether good or evil is the most powerful force in the universe.

For more information on Ultimo please visit Ultimo.viz.com or shonenjump.com.

Weta: Sir Ian McKellen and new District 9 gun

from Weta:

Listen to Ian McKellen on the Weta Cast
Gandalf himself, Sir Ian McKellen, made a stop at Weta Workshop during his stay in Wellington last week. Sir Ian was in town with Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which is currently touring after a successful run in London. We met in the Weta Cave and had a few words with the always gracious Sir Ian. Daniel has also interviewed French sculptor Pierre Matter. He was at Weta last year — this interview has been “in the can” for a while, but that has not made it any less interesting. Regardless whether you are or aren’t familiar with Pierre’s work, you should tune in and visit his website so you get the visual stimulants along with the interview. Pierre’s work is awe inspiring. Get Episode XVI of the Weta Cast here!

NEW! Arc Generator Miniature
Joining the Assault Rifle in Weta’s range of miniature alien weapons from District 9 is the familiar Arc Generator. Familiar because its full-size counterpart is just about to be delivered to the lucky ones who pre-ordered. Order Your Arc Generator Miniature Here! This is an incredible miniature model of the full size gun, cast in metal it carries significant weight. Dave Tremont has done a fantastic job with Greg Broadmore’s iconic design.

Download and print our Comic-Con Specials!

Doctor Who Helmet Extravaganza!
Does your alien 1/4 scale helmet collection need a boost? For a week, we’re offering these helmets at US$20 OFF! That’s US$39 | GBP25 for the Cyberman Leader Helmet and for Lord President Borusa’s Headdress and US$29 | GBP19.20 for each of the other four. Gorgeous, incredibly detailed pieces of metal, each on its own stand and weighing in around 2 lbs, these helmets represent some of the creepiest aliens ever seen on the small screen, lovingly modelled by David Tremont, Weta’s resident Wholigan. And thanks to some international currency fluctuations we’re able to offer these at a fantastic price.

Dinner and Tall Tales with Dr. Grordbort’s Venusian Hunting Party!
Join Dr. Grordbort and his team for tales of Venusian rustics and ray guns in an ‘out of this world’ dining experience. The hunting party will meet at the Weta Cave and be escorted to Cafe Polo for a sumptuous four course dinner in an exclusively themed setting. More information and how to book!

Weta Cave museum change-out — tell us what you think should be in the cabinets!
Once a year, the Weta Cave gets a make-over. The mini museum has some of its displays replaced with new and exciting props, costumes, weapons, dummies and all sorts of objects from Weta’s recent as well as distant past. Go to the forum on the Shadow and Flame and tell us which are your favourite Weta props and make a case for why they should be on display.

We’re also having a book launch at the Weta Cave 14 August. Read more about this event on Facebook.

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

VIZ Media and POW! Entertainment Welcome “Ultimo” Co-Creator Stan Lee for a Personal Appearance at 2010 Comic-Con International

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), and POW! Entertainment (POW!) are proud to welcome comic book legend Stan Lee for a special signing at the VIZ Media booth #2813 on Saturday, July 24th, at Comic-Con International 2010 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.

Stan Lee will appear at the VIZ Media booth at the nation’s largest comic book convention to help celebrate the release of Ultimo Volume 2. Ultimo (rated “T” for Teens) is the historic collaboration between Stan Lee and famed Japanese manga creator Hiroyuki Takei, and has been serialized in Shonen Jump Magazine since its debut in 2009. Volume 2 is available in stores now. Starting at 4PM on Thursday, July 22nd, and Friday, July 23rd, the first 60 fans to purchase Ultimo Volume 2 at the VIZ Media booth each day will receive a ticket to have their copy personally autographed by Mr. Lee on Saturday, July 24th, at 1:15PM.

VIZ Media will also welcome Stan Lee as a special guest at the Shonen Jump panel, scheduled for Saturday, July 24th, from 10:30-11:30AM in Room 9.

Ultimo represents a rare East-meets-West production between comics legend Stan Lee, co-creator of many iconic superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of the popular Shaman King manga series, published in Japan by Shueisha and in North America by VIZ Media.

For over half a century, Stan Lee has been synonymous with superhero comics. In addition to co-creating countless memorable series and characters, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, and Daredevil, he served as the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics. Lee remains a hugely respected and dynamic figure in the entertainment industry and continues to develop a variety of film, television and video game properties.

“We are extremely honored to have a legend of Stan Lee’s stature as a guest at the VIZ Media booth for a special signing at Comic-Con this year,” says Christopher Boily, Shonen Jump Editor-In-Chief. “The groundbreaking collaboration of the Ultimo manga has been a great success, and we are also extremely excited to welcome Mr. Lee as a guest at this year’s Shonen Jump panel in celebration of the release of Volume 2 of Ultimo!”

Stan Lee and his producing partner Gill Champion’s company, POW! Entertainment, worked with VIZ Media parent company Shueisha, and with JEA and Dream Ranch to facilitate the development of Ultimo. Champion, POW!’s COO and President, says, “Fans won’t want to miss Ultimo Volume 2 as more of the mysteries surrounding the Karakuri Dôji are finally explained. The characters that Stan and Hiroyuki Takei have created together are both classic and unique at the same time, with many different aspects that both manga and American comic fans will enjoy!”

For more information on Ultimo, Shonen Jump and VIZ Media please visit Ultimo.viz.com or shonenjump.com. You can also stay up-to-date on all Shonen Jump happenings by following ShonenJump on Twitter.

New Exclusive MIMOBOTs for SDCC and more!

from Mimoco:

Mimoco hits the road this summer for stops at the Taipei Toy Festival, San Diego Comic-Con, and Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando! We’re happy to unveil the first of our exclusive MIMOBOT designs…

Star Wars MIMOBOT: Mimoco celebrates the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back. We’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back with a limited run Lobot MIMOBOT (edition of 1,000). The exclusive will only be available at San Diego Comic-Con (July 21-25) and Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando (Aug 12-15). Now you can connect Lobot’s brain to your computer via USB in 2GB to 16GB capacity. Learn More!

2010 Taipei Toy Festival EXCLUSIVE! We’re happy to be back in Taiwan for this week’s 7th annual Taipei Toy Festival where Monster Molly MIMOBOT makes her grand entrance. Created by Hong Kong illustrator and designer toy pioneer, Kenny Wong, and produced in collaboration with Monster Taipei, this exclusive Artist Series MIMOBOT is a limited edition of 500 units. Learn More!

Infectious X MIMOBOT Design Challenge: Unmasked! The Design Challenge submission period ends on July 15. Have you Unmasked your MIMOBOT yet?! DEADLINE: July 15, 2010.

More 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back! The Vader Project Book & Auction. By now you must have heard of The Vader Project, curated and produced by DKE Toys, having premiered in May ‘07 at Star Wars Celebration IV. Now on July 10, Freeman’s Auction House will be offering 100 Darth Vader Helmets re-imagined by today’s most notable underground artists like MIMOBOT Artist Series collaborators tokidoki, Gary Baseman, David Horvath, Suckadelic, and more. Check out the auction, and maybe you’ll fall in love with one of the $1,500 and up pieces. Or pick up one of these coffee table books showcasing the entire collection for a paltry $40. Happy bidding!

Video Premiere: MIMOBOT Goes to Rothbury! Here’s some fresh memory from last year’s fest, including exclusive concert footage and interviews with the likes of Matisyahu, King Sunny Adé, & Jamie Janover. Enjoy! WATCH NOW!

New Fiction and Other Fun Offerings from Tor.Com

from Tor.com:

It’s No Small Offering
But it is “Small Offerings,” a short story by Nebula and LOCUS Award-winning writer Paolo Bacigalupi. Originally published in Pump Six and Other Stories, and like many of the stories in that collection, “Small Offerings” takes us to a near future where… well… I really don’t want to spoil Paolo’s beautifully-timed reveals. Suffice it to say I’m glad it’s not the future yet.

Baby, Don’t Hurt Me
Whether you’re a terminally clumsy teenager with a thing for a terminally moody vampire or just an average couple living on Mockingbird Lane, Scott Brundage says that love is love.

WANTED!
Ross McDonald, for the crime of being totally awesome. An artist and letterpress enthusiast, Ross makes paper props for movies, most recently the wanted poster for Jonah Hex, featuring Josh Brolin’s scarred-up mug. He takes us through his process and his discussions with the studio as well as some history on wanted posters.

As Long As Mark Wahlberg Doesn’t Cover It…
Jason Heller has been finding us a lot of lesser-known science fictional musical gems, and this week, it’s Jermaine Jackson’s “Escape from the Planet of the Ant Men.” Overshadowed by “Thriller” and sadly lacking a cool music video — perhaps one could be mixed from Star Trek and Them! — the song is an unabashed tribute to classic science fiction, and only one example of this Jackson’s attempts to fuse SF and pop music.

AHH!
The frogs have taken over Dan Goldman’s Red Light Properties!

Rewatch Central
This week on Torie Atkinson and Eugne Myers’ Star Trek rewatch, the Enterprise crew faces “The Ultimate Computer.” (And then Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was like, “Nuh uh.”)

Reread Corner
Leigh Butler has reached the heights! She wraps up The Path of Daggers with chapter 28 and chapters 29-31; the reread index is here.

In The Lord of the Rings reread, Kate Nepveu takes us to “The Houses of Healing.”

Fun factoid:
The epic Isner-Mahut tennis match at Wimbledon lasted longer than all three Lord of the Rings theatrical releases; by the time Isner won, after eleven hours and five minutes of play, they were just twenty minutes short of lasting as long as the special editions. That’s some serious warrior spirit.

VIZ Media Simulcasts Exclusive New Anime Series “Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan” on VIZAnime.com

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 launch of a brand new anime series — Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan — on VIZAnime.com, the company’s premier website for anime. The first subtitled episode of the new fantasy action-adventure series about a junior high school student that is part human and part yokai (supernatural demon), premiered for free after the series debut in Japan; free new episodes will be simulcast mere hours after it airs in Japan each Monday.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, based on the best selling Nurarihyon no Mago manga series in Japan, is being offered under the Shonen Jump imprint, home to other exciting properties including Bleach and Naruto. While the day belongs to humans, the night belongs to yokai, supernatural creatures that thrive on human fear. Caught between these worlds is Rikuo Nura. He’s three-quarters human, but his grandfather is none other than Nurarihyon, the supreme commander of the Nura clan, a powerful yokai consortium. So, Rikuo is an ordinary teenager three quarters of the time, until his yokai blood awakens. Then he transforms into the future leader of the Nura clan, leading a hundred demons.

“We are pleased to expand the line-up on VIZAnime.com with the exclusive simulcast of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, reaffirming our commitment to bringing the latest series from Japan,” says Ken Sasaki, Senior Vice President & General Manager of VIZ Media. “We are excited for fans to explore the fantastic world of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, and share their thoughts and start discussions through the social network features of VIZAnime.com!”

VIZAnime.com is a free-to-use web destination that is now the permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series. Over 1,100 episodes are currently available, and new content is added on a weekly basis. Series currently featured on VIZAnime.com include Bleach, Buso Renkin, Death Note, Honey and Clover, Hikaru no Go, InuYasha, InuYasha: The Final Act, Kekkaishi, Nana, Naruto, Naruto: Shippuden, One Piece and The Prince of Tennis.

To view subtitled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan animated episodes (rated “T” for Teens) and other VIZ Media animated titles, please visit VIZAnime.com.