Tuesday, November 20, 2012

VIZ MEDIA OFFERS FANS A BOUNTY OF HOLIDAY MANGA RELEASES

Wish List Releases Include New Shojo Series, Manga Box Sets New Omnibus Editions, And Adorable Gift Books

San Francisco, CA, November 19, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, gives fans plenty to choose from as it offers a diverse selection of manga (graphic novel) titles that will make thoughtful gifts to suit any budget this holiday season.

The 2012 holiday manga selection features the launch of the brand new shojo series DEMON LOVE SPELL, as well as the recent debut of STROBE EDGE. Shojo fans can further enjoy the celebrated series, OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, in a fabulous new 18-volume box set edition. VIZ Media will also release Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated manga, NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, in a special new box set.

The intense psychological manga masterpiece, LOVELESS, resumes after a four-year hiatus with the release of the new Volume 9, as well as a new 2-in-1 omnibus edition of the series’ first 2 volumes. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION fans can look forward to the release of Volume 13 of the acclaimed sci-fi action series, as well as the launch of a new 3-in-1 omnibus edition. Finally, gaming and pop culture fans can also look forward to the release of the STREET FIGHTER® X SANRIO: WORLD VIEW hardcover gift book and STREET FIGHTER® X SANRIO: STICKER BOOK.

NEW MANGA BOX SETS:

NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND Box Set · Rated “T” for Teens ·
MSRP: $60.00 U.S. / $67.99 CAN · Available Now! 
The NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND Deluxe Box Set collects all 7 volumes of the original celebrated manga (graphic novel) series by Hayao Miyazaki into 2 new hardcover editions packaged in a special illustrated slipcase. In a long-ago war, humankind set off a devastating ecological disaster. Thriving industrial societies disappeared. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Corruption, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. At the periphery of the sea, tiny kingdoms are scattered on tiny parcels of land. Here lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens; a nation given fragile protection from the decaying sea's poisons by the ocean breezes; and home to Nausicaä.

OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB BOX SET · Rated “T” for Teens ·
MSRP: $139.99U.S. / $159.99 CAN · Available Now! 
OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB was created by Bisco Hatori and has been a bestselling series in North America since its debut. In this screwball romantic comedy, Haruhi, a poor girl at a rich kids’ school, is forced to repay an $80,000 debt by working for the school’s swankiest, all-male club – as a boy! There she discovers just how wealthy the six members are and how different the rich are from everybody else. The new box set bundles Volumes 1-18 of the popular manga series and also includes a special notepad featuring full-color character art.


New holiday shojo manga:

DEMON LOVE SPELL, Volume 1 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available December 4th 
In this series by celebrated manga creator Mayu Shinjo (AI ORE!, SENSUAL PHRASE), Miko is a shrine maiden who has never had much success at seeing or banishing spirits. Then she meets Kagura, a sexy demon who feeds off of women’s feelings of passion and love. Kagura’s insatiable appetite has left many girls at school brokenhearted, so Miko casts a spell to seal his powers. Surprisingly the spell works – sort of – but now Kagura is after her!

STROBE EDGE, Volume 1 · Rated “T” for Teens · MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available Now! 
Creator Io Sakisaka’s STROBE EDGE asks the timeless question, “What is love?” Ninako Kinoshita’s friends tell her it’s one thing, but Ninako wants to discover this mysterious emotion herself. When she meets Ren Ichinose, a handsome, enigmatic guy worshipped by all the girls at her school, she finds her heartbeat quickening with excitement! Is Ninako about to experience the many facets of love?


OTHER VIZ MEDIA RELEASES:

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION 3-in-1, Volume 1 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens · MSRP: $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN · Available Now! 

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, Volume 13 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN · Available Now! 
Japan's most controversial anime series is over...but not the manga version of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION! Series co-creator Yoshiyuki Sadamoto's personal interpretation of the iconic Evangelion characters and story is sure to intrigue new and old fans alike. Catch the first 3 volumes of the series in a new 3-in-1 omnibus edition that also features stunning full-color artwork.

In the latest EVANGELION Volume 13, the world hangs in the balance as NERV pilot Asuka fights to survive an onslaught of Evas determined to destroy her. Shinji rushes to help, but he may be too late. Deep inside the NERV command center, Dr. Ikari is about to set in motion the last act of the Instrumentality Project. Everything has gone according to Ikari's plans so far, but even he cannot foresee the role Shinji will play in determining the future!

LOVELESS 2-in-1, Volume 1 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN · Available Now! 

LOVELESS, Volume 9 · Rated “T+” for Older Teens ·
MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN · Available Now! 
In LOVELESS, Ritsuka Aoyagi is alone in the world – never fitting in at school and alienated from his own past by a fragmented memory. When his beloved older brother Seimei is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to find answers. His only lead is Soubi, a mysterious, handsome college student who offers him an intimate link to his brother’s other life: a dark and vibrant world of spell battles and secret names. LOVELESS 2-in-1 omnibus edition also includes 6 full-color pages, as well as 50 pages of bonus comics and insightful artist commentary from Yun Kouga previously not published in North America.

STREET FIGHTER® X SANRIO: WORLD VIEW · MSRP: $12.99 US / $14.99 CAN · Available November 13th
Life is not a video game. But don’t you sometimes wish it was? The characters of Street Fighter video game series, with the help of Hello Kitty and Friends, have lived through countless battles and learned many life lessons along the way. Now you can learn how to live like a warrior too!

STREET FIGHTER® X SANRIO: STICKER BOOK · MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN · Available November 13th
The two legendary brands – Street Fighter and Sanrio – come together in the coolest sticker book ever with more than 65 stickers, bumper stickers, and paper doll stickers featuring Street Fighter characters as well as Hello Kitty and Sanrio Friends.

For more information on these and other titles available from VIZ Media, please visit: www.viz.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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VIZ MEDIA CAPTURES THE ATTENTION OF YOUNGER FANS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH A COLORFUL ARRAY OF MANGA AND GRAPHIC NOVEL RELEASES

Catch The Latest All-Ages Releases For POKÉMON, MR. MEN AND LITTLE MISS™, MAMESHIBA, REDAKAI, VOLTRON FORCE®, And WINX CLUB In Time For The 2012 Holiday Season!

San Francisco, CA, November 19, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, delivers a colorful collection of manga and other graphic novel selections that are sure to excite kids and younger fans and catch the attention of their gift-giving friends and family members this holiday season.

Published under VIZ Media’s VIZ Kids imprint, the titles include the latest full-color graphic novel volumes for MR. MEN AND LITTLE MISS™, MAMESHIBA, REDAKAI, VOLTRON FORCE®, and WINX CLUB. VIZ Media has also released several new POKÉMON ADVENTURES manga box set editions for the BLACK AND WHITE, RED & BLUE, and SILVER & GOLD series.

LITTLE MISS DAREDEVIL: The incredible Race · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $6.99 U.S. / $7.99 CAN · Available Now! 
VIZ Media’s MR. MEN And LITTLE MISS collection features comic book versions of characters from the popular Mr. Men And Little Miss™ series of children’s books, originally created by author Roger Hargreaves in 1971. LITTLE MISS DAREDEVIL: THE INCREDIBLE RACE takes readers along for a wild ride as this spunky LITTLE MISS scales the top of Mount Dillydale, takes a wrong turn and rockets into outer space, and proves that no thrill’s too thrilling for Little Miss D!




MAMESHIBA: WE COULD BE HEROES · Rated ‘A’ for All Ages ·
MSRP: $6.99 U.S. / $7.99 CAN · Available Now!    
Are they beans? Are they dogs? Not quite either one – they're Mameshiba! These cute friends are back for more laughs, more trivia, and more adventure! This time, the intrepid legumes travel to a magical land, combine to form a giant robot, and help a friend in love. Plus, Tiger Bean stars in three adorable shorts created by Lark Pien (Long Tail Kitty, Mr. Elephanter)!

POKÉMON ADVENTURES RED & BLUE Box set · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $49.99 U.S. / $56.99 CAN · Available Now! 
Capture the excitement of POKÉMON ADVENTURES with Volumes 1-7 of the series in a box set that also features a collectible poster! All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen into the pages of this action-packed manga adventure! Red doesn't just want to train Pokémon, he wants to be their friend too. Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl seem game. But independent Pikachu won't be so easy to win over! And watch out for Team Rocket, Red... They only want to be your enemy!

POKÉMON ADVENTURES GOLD & SILVER Box set · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $49.99 U.S. / $56.99 CAN · Available Now! 
The excitement continues! Complete your POKÉMON ADVENTURES collection with volumes 8-14 of the venerable series in this box set that also includes a collectible poster. Catch more exciting Pokémon adventures starring Gold and his rival Silver! First someone steals Gold's backpack full of Poké Balls (and Pokémon!). Then someone steals Prof. Elm's Totodile. Can Gold catch the thief – or thieves?! Keep an eye on Team Rocket, Gold... Could they be behind this crime wave?

POKÉMON BLACK AND WHITE Box set · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $34.99 U.S. / $39.99 CAN · Available Now! 
Meet Pokémon Trainers Black and White in this box set of eight volumes! His entire life, Black has dreamed of winning the Pokémon League! Now he embarks on a journey to explore the Unova region and fill a Pokédex for Professor Juniper. White has an exciting career as the Trainer of a talented troupe of performing Pokémon. She dreams of making her Tepig Gigi a star! Together, Black and White continue on their journey... What surprising new Pokémon – and people – will they meet next?!

REDAKAI Vol. 1· Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN · Available Now! 
Follow the adventures of Team Stax as they race against competitors searching the world for mystical Kairu energy, the primal power of the universe.  In the hands of good, Kairu is a living energy that guides the universe. But in the hands of evil, Kairu is the most destructive power in the world. Those who can harness it can eventually obtain the highest rank of Kairu warrior: Redakai. Ky, Maya and Boomer are Team Stax. Together they plan to conquer the Kairu!

WINX CLUB, Vol. 4: DRAGON’S FLAME · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $6.99 U.S. / $7.99 CAN · Available Now! 
The WINX CLUB graphic novels follow the magical adventures of five best friends – Bloom, Stella, Musa, Tecna and Flora – at Alfea, a school for fairies in the amazing dimension of Magix. This group of beautiful fairies fights evil using their unique magical powers! As they battle scary monsters and troublemaking witches, the girls become stronger fairies and closer friends. In volume 4, after The Trix steal the power of the Dragon Flame from Bloom, they set out to seize control of the whole Magix dimension! As the Winx Club battles The Trix and Bloom tries to get her power back, some unexpected help comes from Aisha – the Fairy of Waves – and the magical Pixies!

VOLTRON FORCE®, Vol. 5: dragon dawn · Rated “A” for All Ages ·
MSRP: $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN · Available December 4th  
Years ago, Voltron mysteriously disappeared, and the five lions were scattered throughout the universe. Over time, the lions were recovered by the original Voltron Force: Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Princess Allura, and Commander Keith. Now, with the help of three new recruits, Voltron rises again, to defend the universe once more! In the latest volume, there’s a species of dragon on Planet Doom that hatches every hundred years. The eggs are just about to hatch, and Maahox orders the Drule army to collect them and ship them off to Planet Arus! Will the dragon dawn be too much for the Voltron Force?

For more information on these and other titles available from VIZ Media’s VIZ KIDS imprint, please visit: www.vizkids.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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THE MR. MEN SHOW™ and DILLYDALE™ © 2012 THOIP (a Sanrio Company). All rights reserved.

Baltimore Comic-Con Welcomes Buckingham, Gibbons, Hughes, Levitz, Perez, the Simonsons, and Sohn in 2013

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - November 20, 2012 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is happy to announce the next group of confirmed guest for the 2013 show, taking place the weekend of September 7-8, 2013. Mark Buckingham, Dave Gibbons, Adam Hughes, Paul Levitz, George Perez, Walter Simonson, Louise Simonson, and Allison Sohn will all be attending our 14th Annual showBuckingham Doctor Who 6 cover !

Mark Buckingham, who is best-known and most-celebrated for his work on the long-running Vertigo title Fables, began his career in 1990 working with Neil Gaiman on Miracleman from Eclipse Comics. Working on such titles as 2000 AD, Hellblazer, and Shade, the Changing Man, he became a mainstay at DC Comics after taking over art duties on Fables with issue #6. His run on the popular imprint title has earned him four Eisner Awards, including Best New Series in 2003, Best Serialized Story in 2005 and 2006, and Best Artist/Penciler/Inker in 2007.Gibbons Watchmen 1 

Legendary artist Dave Gibbons is best known for his collaboration with Alan Moore on the seminal mini-series, Watchmen. With a career that spans more than four decades, Gibbons has provided artowrk for 2000 AD, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Dark Horse Comics, and has worked with such characters as Judge Dredd, Captain America, Superman and Batman. He is currently working on The Secret Service with Mark Millar though Marvel's Icon imprint.Hughes Fairest

As far as cover artists working in comics today, Adam Hughes is among the very best. A 12-year veteran of Gaijin Studios, Hughes is most widely recognized for his pin-up style renditions of female characters, especially over the course of his long runs as cover artist on Wonder Woman and Catwoman. His most recent work includes the Before Watchmen mini-series, Dr. Manhattan. Hughes won the Harvey Award for Best Cover Artist in 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Paul Levitz has been a mainstay at DC Perez Levitz World's FinestComics since 1972, serving as a writer, editor, and President (2002 - 2009) over the tenure of his career. His name is synonymous with the Legion of Super-Heroes, which he wrote from 1977-1979 and 1981-1989, and he created such notable characters as the Stalker, the Earth-2 Huntress, and Lucien the Librarian. Levitz has since returned to writing the Legion of Super-Heroes for the New 52, as well as the Earth-2 centric book, World's Finest.

Writer/artist George Perez established himself as a fan-favorite creator during his lengthy runs on Marvel Comics' Avengers, and DC Comics' Teen Titans and Wonder Woman. Over the course of his 40-year career, Perez has drawn nearly every character in both the Marvel and DC Universes, and has worked on such ground breaking events as the Infinity Gauntlet, JLA/Avengers, and Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. In 2011, he reunited with long-time collaborator Marv Wolfman to publish the long-awaited New Teen Titans: Games graphic novel. Currently, he is working as the artist for DC's World's Finest with Paul Levitz.  Walt Simonson swsor_cv4_r1

Walter Simonson is best known for his run on The Mighty Thor throughout the 1980s. His classic run was recently collected by Marvel in The Mighty Thor Omnibus by Walter Simonson, a massive tome which featured issues #337-355, #357-369, and #371-382, as well as the mini-series, Balder the Brave #1-4. In addition to his work on Thor, Simonson has worked on such titles as Detective Comics, Avengers, and Marvel's Star Wars comics. In 2010, Simonson received the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented at the Harvey Awards.

Louise Simonson began her career in as an editor in 1974 before moving on to writing for Marvel Comics in 1984. She is best known for her work on Power Pack, X-Factor, NSohn sketch cardew Mutants, and Superman: The Man of Steel. In addition to comics, Simonson is an accomplished novelist, having published 14 books between 1993 and 2009.

 Sketch card artist Allison Sohn's work has been showcased in several trading card sets, including: Star Wars Galaxy Series 4 and 5 and the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection; Women of Marvel; Indiana Jones Heritage; Lord of the Rings Masterpieces, Series 1 and 2; and the Red Sonja 35th Anniversary. In addition, she provided the exclusive artwork for both Star Wars Celebration IV and V. In 2011, Sohn was the feature of a panel at the San Diego Comic-Con International called Comic-Con How-To: Sketching with Allison Sohn, in which she demonstrated her craft using Copic markers.

"We are so excited to able to announce these great guests for next year's show," said Marc Nathan, show promoter of the Baltimore Comic-Con. "It's not even 2013 yet, and with Mark, Dave, Adam, Paul, George, Walter, Louise, and Allison joining the list of guests, the level of top-tier talent for the show is just getting better and better!"

Buckingham, Gibbons, Hughes, Levitz, Perez, the Simonsons and Sohn join already announced guests: Frank Cho (Savage Wolverine); Barry Kitson (Empire); Mike Mignola (Hellboy In Hell); Chris Samnee (Daredevil); and Mark Waid (Indestructible Hulk).

In the coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found on our website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

FIVE ISSUES ABOUT FIVE WEAPONS

Education for assassins in new Shadowline mini-series

When the world's deadliest, stealthiest, and most infamous assassins need a place to educate their children, an institution that respects and upholds their values, they turn to the prestigious School of Five Weapons. At the setting of the new Image Comics/Shadowline mini-series by Jimmie Robinson (BOMB QUEEN), FIVE WEAPONS, students train in the martial arts, pledging their loyalty to one "club": Knives, Staves, Archery, Exotics, and Guns.
The School of Five Weapons is turned upside down when a new student arrives, one carrying a name that all the students and teachers know: Shainline. The clubs vie for Tyler's loyalty, but it becomes apparent very quickly that this kid isn't someone who is easy to pin down. Tyler has just the edge he needs to succeed at Five Weapons — a razor-sharp mind!
Robinson writes and draws FIVE WEAPONS, and his clean, lively art is colored by Paul Little. The mini-series has the same mischievous tone as Robinson's series BOMB QUEEN but was created for a wider audience, as the "T" (teen) rating indicates.
"I wanted fun with an edge, but I also wanted Five Weapons to be smart and challenge the reader," said Robinson. "While there are plenty of weapons to be found in the pages, there is also an invisible sixth weapon between the panels: the skill of the human mind."
Comic Book Resources featured a four-page preview of the first issue of the series.
The showdowns are epic, the secrets are dark, and FIVE WEAPONS is insanely fun. The first, 32-page issue can be pre-ordered from the December issue of Previews and will be in stores on February 27.

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ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit

Monday, November 19, 2012


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VIZ MEDIA & SANRIO® BLEND TWO OF JAPANESE POP CULTURE’S BIGGEST BRANDS WITH THE RELEASE OF TWO NEW STREET FIGHTER® X SANRIO BOOKS

The Characters Of Capcom’s Street Fighter® Video Game Series Merge With Hello Kitty® and Sanrio Friends In Two Fun New Releases - A Full-Color Gift Book And A Sticker Book

San Francisco, CA, November 19, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America, and Sanrio Inc, global lifestyle brand & parent company of pop icon Hello Kitty merge two of Japan’s biggest pop culture brands – STREET FIGHTER® and Sanrio– for the debut of a pair of fun new STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO books. The hardcover STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: WORLD VIEW and soft cover STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: STICKER BOOK are both available now in stores.

STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: WORLD VIEW · MSRP: $12.99 US / $14.99 CAN · Now Available! 
Life is not a video game. But don’t you sometimes wish it was? The characters of the Street Fighter video game series, with the help of Hello Kitty and Sanrio Friends, have lived through countless battles and learned many life lessons along the way. Now you can learn how to live like a warrior too!

STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: STICKER BOOK · MSRP: $7.99 US / $9.99 CAN · Now Available! 
The two legendary brands Street Fighter and Sanrio come together in the coolest sticker book ever with more than 65 stickers, bumper stickers, and paper doll stickers featuring Street Fighter characters as well as Hello Kitty and Sanrio Friends.

“2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Capcom’s Street Fighter video game franchise, and we are very excited to announce the release of this pair of new books that blends the two properties together for the first time,” says Beth Kawasaki, Senior Editorial Director. “STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: WORLD VIEW re-imagines the characters of the Street Fighter franchise as adorably cute Sanrio characters, and presents full-color profiles and warrior’s philosophy offered by several Street Fighter characters. The STREET FIGHTER X SANRIO: STICKER BOOK has a mix of cool, colorful bumper stickers, paper doll stickers, characters stickers and more that can be used to create custom adventures for fans of all ages. Don’t miss these new releases that merge the best of Japanese pop culture in a whole new way!”

For more information on other manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.





About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.


About Sanrio
Sanrio, best known for global icon Hello Kitty and home to many endearing characters including Chococat, My Melody, and Keroppi, is a worldwide lifestyle brand founded on the “small gift, big smile®” philosophy -- that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages.  For over 50 years, this philosophy has served as the inspiration for the broad spectrum of unique Sanrio products and experiences. Today, more than 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are available in over 70 countries and upwards of 12,000 U.S. locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 100 Sanrio boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com and www.facebook.com/hellokitty.


ABOUT CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices.  Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including best-selling franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Korea, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan.  More information about Capcom and its products can be found at www.capcom.com or www.capcom-unity.com.

Capcom, Devil May Cry, Mega Man and Resident Evil are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd., in the U.S. or other countries. Street Fighter is a registered trademark of Capcom U.S.A., Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 

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©CAPCOM. 
©1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2005, 2012 SANRIO CO., LTD.


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©CAPCOM. 
©1976, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2005, 2012 SANRIO CO., LTD.
Ashley Eckstein's Her Universe Offering Online Shoppers
Cyber Monday Exclusives Including FREE Ground Shipping and a
FREE Holiday Star Wars Pin with Any Order


NEW YORK, NY – November 19th, 2012 - Shopping for Fangirls is not always easy but actress Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and founder of Her Universe™,  the innovative and ground breaking sci-fi merchandise line for female fans, has made gift-giving a little easier this year. Eckstein debuted new Her Universe designs today that will launch on Cyber Monday, November 26th, including the third annual collectible Star Wars pin with signed certificate by Eckstein featuring everyone's favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca. This highly coveted pin is FREE with any order while supplies last. Plus, for Cyber Monday only, Her Universe will be offering FREE US ground shipping on all orders.

"Cyber Monday has replaced Black Friday for most people and has become one of the most exciting shopping days of the year!" said Ashley Eckstein. "I get overwhelmed by the big crowds on Black Friday and prefer to shop from the comfort of my own home, but I am always looking for a deal. With FREE Shipping and a FREE autographed gift, we've made shopping for yourself, or the fangirl in your life, much easier."

It's Chewbacca's turn to don the famous Santa hat for this year's highly collectible Star Wars by Her Universe holiday pin. Only 1,000 pins have been made and each one comes certified with Eckstein's autograph. Following the highly sought after R2-D2 and Yoda holiday pins from previous years, which sold out in record speed, Chewbacca will now join this exclusive collection. This free gift has a $30.00 retail value.

Her Universe customers will find a selection of new fashion items to please any Geek Girl just in time for the holidays - from Star Wars to Star Trek, Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica.

New for the season, fans will find fashionably fun Darth Vader Star Wars pajamas by renowned artist Katie Cook. "Everyone knows I love creating designs for Her Universe," said Katie Cook. "I jumped at the chance to combine two of my favorite things: Star Wars and pajamas." In addition to PJ's Her Universe has a new Missy style Star Wars top, new Doctor Who tops, an ultra cozy Battlestar Galactica sweatshirt, Star Trek earrings and a new Star Trek "Gorn" t-shirt featuring the art of guest designer and founder of Bye Bye Robot, Charity Wood.
"Working with Her Universe on the Gorn shirt was magical," said artist Charity Wood. "If the little-girl-me would've known that, in her future, she'd make artwork for her favorite sci-fi genres, she would've exploded."


About Her Universe 
Her Universe was launched in 2009 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein, and her partner, The Araca Group, known as one of the most innovative theatrical production and merchandise companies in the world. Her Universe was created to directly address the expanding market of female fans by entering into its first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for the Syfy network including such shows as Battlestar Galactica and with BBC America for Doctor Who and with CBS Consumer Products for Star Trek. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein on Facebook (facebook.com/HerUniverse) and Twitter (twitter.com/HerUniverse).


About Katie Cook
Katie Cook is an illustrator and writer that lives in Michigan. She has done work for Lucasfilm, The Jim Henson Company, Marvel Comics and more. Her websites are www.katiecandraw.com and www.gronkcomic.com

About Charity Wood

Charity Wood is a professional artist and Co-Founder of Bye Bye Robot, which features fine art reproductions and posters of hers and a select group of other sci-fi artists. (www.byebyerobot.com)


RE-BOOT TO THE HEAD

UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS #1 Is Everything For Everyone

This February, Image Comics invites readers to jump on board action and adventure, newly reinvigorated with a very special adjective – THE UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS!
"After almost twenty issues of critically-acclaimed cranium-smashing adventure, we felt it was important to remind retailers and readers that Skullkickers is the most enjoyable adventure series in the entire comic industry," said Image PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman. "What better way to do that than to add a spiffy new adjective to it! That's what people do, right?”

UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS, written by Jim Zub and drawn by adorable elf-man Edwin Huang, begins the second half of the epic six-arc SKULLKICKERS storyline and is a perfect jumping-on point for new readers of the action-comedy fantasy series. And who doesn't want to be known as a reader of a comic about hard-headed mercenaries knocking heads for fun and profit? I mean, really.

"We pride ourselves on making each and every issue of Skullkickers accessible, but this spiffy #1 is that times ten," said creator Zub. "We quickly recap the story that's come before and then push forward into new action-packed territory: a deadly island of mystery, swashbuckling adventure, ferocious man-eating turtles, pissed-off apes...  it's a cornucopia of entertainment.”

And if you're a diehard collector of SKULLKICKERS who's sad that you won't have a SKULLKICKERS #19 to add to your collection? Don't worry, we've thought of everything. In addition to the regular "Uncanny” cover we're offering a special "issue #19 variant” B cover to make sure your collector streak is unbroken.

It's new. It's classic. It's a modern reinterpretation that gets back to the roots of these timeless characters.
UNCANNY SKULLKICKERS #1 will available wherever kick-ass comics are sold on February 27! Pre-order it now from the December issue of Previews.
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ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
+++ TopWare Interactive will take the skies on November 22nd 2012 +++

Karlsruhe, Germany November 19th 2012 – Last week, a behind the scenes documentary about “Iron Sky: Invasion” went live, giving an insider’s view on some of the cutscene work being done in TopWare’s studios in Germany. Alongside an interview with the German actress Julia Dietze (who plays Renate Richter in the film), the clip also shows Dean Liapis, lead writer on the game, offering up an inside scoop on how the story of the game was developed.

The slew of cutscenes recorded in Topware’s studios (with many original actors from the movie) all develop different dark-humored story lines coinciding with the fight against the Nazi invasion. A variety of missions await in the blackness of deep space, whether it’s preparing a press conference for the Lady President or fending off a squadron of Nazi’s attempting to destroy India’s TV-satellites. These missions are only the tip of the iceberg in this fast paced satirical space shooter.

"Iron Sky: Invasion" will be released for PC and Mac on November 22nd across Europe.

Watch the full video with English subtitles on ironskyinvasion.com

You can find the complete Show in German on the Digitale Spieleschau

Friday, November 16, 2012

STAR WARS BLACK FRIDAY!
DARK HORSE STRIKES BACK!

For 72 hours, Dark Horse Digital will offer 153 single-issue Star Wars comics for $100! A savings of over $370!

November 16, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is rocking Black Friday madness with a very exclusive limited offer to its digital comics readers…

Feast your optic sensors on this year’s Black Friday MegaBundle: Next weekend only, you can get over 150 digital Star Wars comics for the crazy-low price of only $100.
Get classics like The Clone Wars, The Old Republic, and all three arcs of Crimson Empire. Your favorite Sith friends are here too, with two different Darth Maul series and two new Darth Vader series, plus the latest Sith adventure, Lost Tribe of the Sith.
All comics starring your favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, are included, plus the new Imperial spy comic, Agent of the Empire.
Go back in time to the origins of the Jedi in Dawn of the Jedi, to one hundred years after the films end with Legacy, and more!
Over 3,772 pages of Star Wars goodness! This sale will begin at midnight (PST), Friday November 23 and runs through Sunday November 25th!

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get all the Star Wars comics you could want and more!


About Dark Horse Digital
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States and is acclaimed internationally for the quality and diversity of its line. In 2011, the company that revolutionized the comic industry proudly presented its groundbreaking digital-publishing program, Dark Horse Digital.
Having launched with hundreds of titles, Dark Horse Digital offers its most popular titles at an unprecedented value, while providing the highest-quality reading experience possible. Single-issue comics are priced as low as just $0.99, and there is also an extensive list of free introductory #1 issues. Additionally, DH Digital’s “bundles” group together story arcs spanning multiple issues into affordable packages, allowing readers to get the three or four issues that comprise a complete narrative, starting at just $3.99 and up. And through cloud-based technology, Digital Store purchases can be read and enjoyed on your laptop, desktop, mobile browser, and Dark Horse Bookshelf app, available now on iTunes.
To get started, simply log on to Digital.DarkHorse.com or download the app to create an account, and begin building your collection today.