Tuesday, March 24, 2015

VIZ Media to Release Deluxe Edition of Junji Ito's "Gyo" in April 2015


VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF DELUXE OMNIBUS EDITION OF JUNJI ITO’S HORROR SERIES GYO

Death From The Sea Ravages Japan In The Definitive New Hardcover Edition Of Horror Master’s Celebrated Manga

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers a lavish new edition of one of the manga (graphic novel) genre’s most seminal horror titles with the publication of the GYO Deluxe Edition on April 21st, 2015.

This hardcover version of Junji Ito’s story of an invasion of the Japanese island of Okinawa by mutated sea creatures is presented in a definitive 400 page, 2-in-1 edition that features a new cover design and full-color endpapers. The GYO Deluxe Edition will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $22.99 U.S. / $26.99 CAN.

In GYO, the floating smell of death hangs over an island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene... So begins Tadashi and Kaori's spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of UZUMAKI, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed.

“GYO is a truly unsettling work of horror, and this new Deluxe Edition presents the definitive version of the story in a handsome format,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Editorial Director. “Ito’s art will transform your mind, and like the sea life and human characters in GYO, you will never be the same again.”

Manga creator Junji Ito made his professional debut in 1987 and has gone on to be recognized as one of the greatest contemporary artists working in the horror genre. His critically acclaimed titles include TOMIE and UZUMAKI, which were adapted into critically praised live-action films, while GYO has been adapted into an animated feature film. The UZUMAKI and GYO manga editions are both published in English by VIZ Media in deluxe hardcover editions available under the VIZ Signature imprint. VIZ Media is set to publish Ito’s FRAGMENTS OF HORROR in the Summer of 2015. Junji Ito’s influences include classic horror manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft.

For more information on GYO or other Junji Ito manga titles published by 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 digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, 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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Monday, March 23, 2015

Black Mask's "The Disciples" Comic Book Headed to Cable Television

The Disciples are coming...

Wes Craven & Steve Niles team for 'The Disciples' Adaptation

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/wes-craven-adapt-steve-niles-783358), horror maestros Wes Craven and Steve Niles are joining forces to adapt Black Mask's upcoming comic book THE DISCIPLES into a TV show for Universal Cable Productions with Niles' Black Mask co-founders Matt Pizzolo and Brett Gurewitzexecutive producing alongside Industry Entertainment's Sara Bottfeld. THE DISCIPLES marks Black Mask's latest foray into TV, joining the adaptation of FIVE GHOSTS that Black Mask has in development at Syfy with Evan Daugherty (Snow White And The Huntsman) writing the pilot.

THE DISCIPLES is a sci-fi/horror story about a team of interstellar private eyes tracking down a girl who's run off to join a cult on Jupiter's moon Ganymede... it's 'True Detective in space' brought to you courtesy of Steve Niles (30 DAYS OF NIGHT) and Christopher Mitten (UMBRAL).

Niles co-founded Black Mask Studios with Pizzolo and Gurewitz in 2013 as a home for edgy and subversive comics. At the time, Niles described the company's mission: "If V For Vendetta were created today, there would be no publisher for it... we want to be that publisher."

Niles and Pizzolo wanted to be sure the company established itself as a champion of bold creators rather than an outfit for distributing their own works, so they held back on participating in the creative side until after the company had established itself with its four initial releases: the political anthology OCCUPY COMICS, Darick Robertson's transreal cyberpunk adventure BALLISTIC, Ghostface Killah's TWELVE REASONS TO DIE, and animal-avenging vigilantes tale LIBERATOR. When the second slate was announced, Niles' THE DISCIPLES and Pizzolo's YOUNG TERRORISTS joined the dramatically expanded roster including Grant Morrison and Vanesa Del Rey's SINATORO.

Designed to find new ways of supporting creators, Black Mask has consistently sought innovative, fresh ways to reach new audiences and help them discover smart creator-owned comics -- the most recent example being the YouTube 'tubecomics' initiative reported on by The NY Times.

Disciples #1 streets May 27th.  It's not too late to pre-order issue one at a local comic shop using Diamond order code: MAR151018

Synopsis for Diamond Comics Distribution solicitation:
Dagmar, Rick, and Jules, intrepid private eyes/bounty hunters, have been hired by a high ranking Senator to retrieve his teenage daughter who's run off to join a mysterious religious cult.

This is no ordinary cult though. In the near future of "The Disciples," the ultra-wealthy have become true Masters Of The Universe by colonizing moons throughout the solar system. Billionaire industrialist McCauley Richmond is one such colonist: he's built a new society on Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, where his flock of cultists can have the religious freedom to worship him.

But when the team reaches Ganymede in their Starship Venture, they discover something has gone horribly wrong...

This ghost story in space reunites comics’ king of the macabre Steve Niles with his longtime collaborator Christopher Mitten, whose stylish mix of grit and flow matches Steve’s sharp characterizations and taste for screams.


About Black Mask Studios
Black Mask Studios is a publishing/production company that specializes in working with creators interested in utilizing technology to reach a range of audiences across multiple media platforms. Launched in 2013 by Brett Gurewitz (Bad Religion, Epitaph Records, ANTI- Records), Steve Niles (30 DAYS OF NIGHT), and Matt Pizzolo (Occupy Comics), the company's mandate is to support unique creators and expand their audiences. Black Mask's initial slate included the political, not-for-profit Occupy Comics (with Alan Moore, Charlie Adlard, Art Spiegelman, Molly Crabapple, and dozens more), the animal-rescuing vigilantes story Liberator, Adam Egypt Mortimer and Darick Robertson's transreal, cyberpunk adventure Ballistic, and the multi-platform gangster odyssey 12 Reasons To Die by Ghostface Killah and RZA. Black Mask recently announced its 2015 slate which features new works by Grant Morrison, Vanesa Del Rey, Michael Moreci, and Steve Niles.

THIS WEEK in comic book stores:
WE CAN NEVER GO HOME #1 hits comic shops this Wednesday 3/25/2015. This coming of age crime story is garnering a lot of buzz. You can check out the first issue HERE.

NEXT WEEK in comic book stores:
Psychedelic freak out SPACE RIDERS #1 takes off next Wednesday 4/1/2015. This may be the craziest book you have read in a long time. Look for it in your inbox very soon!

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2015 Student Academy Awards Launches

Academy Launches 2015 Student Academy Awards Competition

The Academy is now accepting entries for its 2015 Student Academy Awards competition. All Student Academy Award® winners become eligible for Oscars consideration.  The 42nd Student Academy Awards presentation will be held on Friday, September 18, 2015 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Beginning this year, students are able to submit their films online using FilmFreeway, a widely used festival and competition platform.  Also new this year, the entry deadline has moved to June 1, and the awards ceremony date has been changed from June to September to better align the competition with the academic calendar.

Complete rules and a link to the online submission platform are available at www.oscars.org/saa.

Past winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Two previous Student Academy Award winners received 2014 Oscar nominations: J. Christian Jensen, a 2014 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination for Documentary Short Subject for “White Earth,” and Talkhon Hamzavi, a 2013 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination (with Stefan Eichenberger) for Live Action Short Film for “Parvaneh.”  Past Student Academy Award winners include such acclaimed filmmakers as Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Awards may be presented to student filmmakers in the following categories: Alternative, Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Foreign Film.

The Student Academy Awards U.S. competition is open to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students whose films are made within the curricular structure of an eligible accredited institution.  In the Foreign Film category, eligible schools are allowed to submit one film to the competition.  The deadline to submit entries is Monday, June 1, 2015.  For a list of eligibility requirements, visit www.oscars.org/saa.

In 1972, the Academy established the Student Academy Awards to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.

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"Sex Criminals" Comic Book Gets Trade Collection in April 2015

SEX CRIMINALS: It Came, It Saw, It Conquered

Hit comic book series collected in first trade paperback

It was welcomed into the world at a release party held at a sex club, where the writer had his nipple pierced on stage and the artist wore a Garfield suit. It was banned by Apple. Its first issue was reprinted six times (and counting!). It was Time’s best comic book of the year. Not bad for a little comic book about two people who can stop time when they have sex and turn to a life of crime. SEX CRIMINALS by Matt Fraction (SATELLITE SAM, Hawkeye) and Chip Zdarsky (Prison Funnies) is the title everyone has been talking about, and with its first trade paperback collection, One Weird Trick, due out in April, its audience is set to grow… and grow… and grow.

Suzie was all alone in what she calls “the quiet” until she met Jon, who has a decidedly less poetic name for the place where time freezes when they have sex. It’s all fun and games and rearranging the stock in the local porn shop until Suzie and Jon realize they can use their power for good — and start robbing banks.

Widely hailed for its sweet emotional core wrapped up in naughty hijinx and Zdarsky’s candy-colored art, SEX CRIMINALS isn’t just about sex. It’s about love, too. And sex. And robbing banks. And also about those mysterious figures who seem to be on to Suzie’s and Jon’s little coital trick.

SEX CRIMINALS VOLUME ONE will be in comic book stores on April 16 and in bookstores on April 29, 2015. It’s specially priced at $9.99, making it easy for new readers to jump onboard the hottest title of the year.

SEX CRIMINALS VOLUME ONE: ONE WEIRD TRICK by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
ISBN 978-1-60706-946-1
136 pages, full color, paperback
 $9.99
Collects SEX CRIMINALS #1-5
In comic book stores April 16, bookstores April 29
Available for pre-order now

Praise for SEX CRIMINALS:

“Fraction’s been having a very good year — his many other projects include the sleeper-hit superhero series Hawkeye — but this R-rated romp (about a bank-robbing couple whose orgasms can stop time) is his best work yet. It’s a precision-tuned screwball comedy on its surface, and that surface is gorgeous, thanks to Zdarsky’s ace sense of design and inventive color technique. But it’s also genuinely insightful about the ways sexuality shapes people, and it doubles as a love letter to analog media —one that happens to have been banned by the iTunes store.” – Douglas Wolk, Time

“A sex comedy with a splash of crime thriller, the title is a fascinating examination of the pleasures and pitfalls of intimate relationships, using the central fantastic conceit as a metaphor for the way sex distances people but also, under the right circumstances, brings them together.” – Oliver Sava, A.V. Club

“...there are some moments that are incredibly deep and moments that are deeply funny, and the art in this book is absolutely at least as multi-layered and interesting as the writing…. Buy it. Read it. Love it.” – Jaydot Sloane, The Mary Sue

“...funny and imaginative, with a strong emotional core, and characters who, despite their fantastic power, are relatable, even lovable….” – John Parker, Comics Alliance

“It's gleefully silly, it's deadly serious, it's whip-smart, and you don't need to take a shower afterwards.” – Greg McElhatton, Comic Book Resources

“There is nothing mean in the narrative of this book; no one – not even the “dirty girls at school” – is really denigrated or played as a stereotype…. The sexual politics and experiences ring absolutely true, right down to the tone of the first date between Suzie and Jon. None of their flirtiness, their attraction to each other, or their experience of the shared bond of their special power seems forced or stilted. These two would have been together even if they didn’t have a super-power, and they’re both enormously likeable, very real characters.” – Ian Dawe, Sequart

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"Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation" - Full Trailer and Advanced Ticket Sales



Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Watch the full trailer now: https://youtu.be/gOW_azQbOjw

Advance Tickets are Now on Sale

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th through Friday, March 27th, 2015 fans purchasing advance tickets at Fandango and Movietickets.com will receive a code for a free HD digital copy of any previous installment in the blockbuster “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise. More information below!

TICKETS FOR THE FIRST U.S. SHOWINGS OF “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” UNLOCKED TODAY

FANS WILL RECEIVE A “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” HD MOVIE DOWNLOAD WITH ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Paramount Pictures today announced that tickets for the first showings of the highly anticipated film “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” are unlocked with today’s trailer debut and on sale now – four months before the film’s theatrical release.

The advance tickets are available for Thursday, July 30th, 2015 showings at 7:00 p.m. in IMAX® and premium large format theaters and 8:00 p.m. at additional participating locations nationwide. The tickets are available online at Fandango, Movietickets.com and participating theater box offices.

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, March 24th through Friday, March 27th, fans purchasing advance tickets at Fandango and Movietickets.com will receive a code for a free HD digital copy of any previous installment in the blockbuster “MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE” franchise.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.MissionImpossible.com

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” reunites Tom Cruise with Mission: Impossilbe – Ghost Protocol stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris and Alec Baldwin.

Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions present a Tom Cruise / Bad Robot production. The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk. The executive producers are David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance Productions and Jake Myers. Drew Pearce, Christopher McQuarrie, Will Staples, Laeta Kalogridis & Patrick Lussier and Dylan Kussman wrote the screenplay, based on the television series created by Bruce Geller.

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation
In Theaters July 31, 2015

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

MissionImpossible.com
facebook.com/MissionImpossibleMovie
twitter.com/MissionFilm
instagram.com/MissionImpossible
youtube.com/MissionImpossible

About Paramount Pictures Corporation
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

"DC Bombshells" Line Grows With New Apparel and Collectibles


The Lovely DC Bombshell Ladies Collection Continues to Increase

(BALTIMORE, MD) – (March 19, 2015)- The DC Bombshells line of 1940’s pin-up style collectibles and apparel continues to grow as the March PREVIEWS offers fans the opportunity to re-order the exclusive Harley Quinn Satin Robe and pre-order their very own DC Bombshell tapestry blanket to curl up with. Both are scheduled to release in comic book specialty shops in late May 2015.

Ant Lucia's classic pin-up style artwork of DC Comics' super-heroines continues to grace the DC Bombshells Satin Robes from Underboss and blankets from The NorthWest Company. The exclusive Harley Quinn robe features a two-toned red and black coloring with playing card diamonds on the front and a high-spirited Harley holding her trusty pistol on the back.  The robe is available in Small/Medium and Large/X-Large for $48.00 and goes great with the rest of the Bombshell collection featuring the lovely ladies of DC Comics: Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, Supergirl, and Catwoman.

Use these item codes to pre-order the DC Harley Quinn Bombshell robe in the size you desire:
⦁    Harley Quinn Robe Small/Medium (MAR151838)
⦁    Harley Quinn Robe Large/ Extra Large (MAR151839)

Get comfortable and curl up with your very own DC Comics Bombshell Harley Quinn or Wonder Woman tapestry blanket. Each blanket measures 46"x60", is made of soft acrylic, and carries vivid detail of everyone's favorite Queen Clown Harley Quinn or Can-Do Wonder Woman both featured in their Ant Lucia Bombshell costume.

Use these item codes to pre-order the blanket of your choice.
⦁    Harley Quinn Tapestry Blanket (MAR152457, SRP: $39.99)
⦁    Wonder Woman Tapestry Blanket (MAY148427, SRP: $39.99)

The exclusive DC Bombshells satin robe and blankets are available to order from the March PREVIEWS catalog found in comic shops. Find a comic shop at www.comicshoplocator.com to order yours today.


ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books, graphic novels, and related pop-culture merchandise, serving thousands of retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond at www.diamondcomics.com.

© 2015 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.

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Sequart Announces New Books on Comics Film Adaptations


New Sequart Book Analyzes Comics Film Adaptations
Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of Moving Panels: Translating Comics to Film (http://sequart.org/books/28/moving-panels-translating-comics-to-film/), by Logan Ludwig.

Are comics just movie storyboards that are too expensive to ever actually commit to celluloid? Are movies just comics with added motion? These two media have become more closely tied in recent years (thanks to a bevy of comics adaptations), and they seem naturally related. Both are comprised of visual storytelling techniques that would seem readily compatible, but are they really that similar?

Moving Panels: Translating Comics to Film digs into this issue by analyzing, through careful examination of aesthetics, just how linked and distinct the two media are. By looking at the film and comics versions Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Persepolis, Watchmen, and Sin City, Ludwig dissects just how the two media interact, their respective strengths and weaknesses, and how similar they really are.

The book runs 144 pages and is available in print and on Kindle.

Logan Ludwig is available for interviews, and digital review copies are also available. If interested, please send inquiries to sequart.mike@gmail.com

About the Publisher: Sequart Organization is devoted to the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as a legitimate art form. Sequart has released twenty-two books, six documentaries, and thousands of online articles. Its documentaries include She Makes Comics, and its books include Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles. Sequart is currently producing a documentary on writing powerhouse Neil Gaiman.

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