VIZ Media to Attned First "Bay Area Book Festival"

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES PARTICIPATION IN 2015 BAY AREA BOOK FESTIVAL

The Largest Manga Publisher In The U.S. Will Showcase A Wide Variety Of Manga, Art Books And Other Acclaimed Titles At Literary Festival Taking Place In Berkeley, CA Next Month

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, proudly announces its support and participation in the first-ever Bay Area Book Festival, set to take place the weekend of June 6-7, 2015 in downtown Berkeley, CA.

VIZ Media will exhibit and offer for sale a wide selection of its published titles throughout the festival, including art books, graphic novels, manga and other noteworthy releases from the Perfect Square, Studio Ghibli and Haikasoru literary imprints, as well as contemporary titles from the VIZ Signature collection.

The Bay Area Book Festival is FREE to attend and will take place from 10:00AM to 6:00PM at Civic Center Park and 12 surrounding themed blocks in downtown Berkeley. Exhibitors will include publishers, indie bookstores, literary and literacy organizations, library services, writing programs, book artists, authors, and more. A variety of indoor and outdoor activities and exhibits aimed at adults, teens and children also will be offered. More than 150 local, national, and international authors will be reading, debating, and presenting in great spaces, both indoor and outside, throughout the Downtown Arts District as well as selected venues on the UC Berkeley campus. Full details on the Bay Area Book Festival are available at: http://www.baybookfest.org.

VIZ Media titles to be offered at the 2015 Bay Area Book Festival include:

THE ART OF PRINCESS MONONOKE · $35

This special hardcover edition features insightful interviews, concept sketches, character art and finished animation cels from the critically acclaimed fantasy action film by Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki. Released in 1997, Princess Mononoke was the first Hayao Miyazaki film to break into the American mainstream. The journey from initial idea to the big screen is captured here in stunning detail and also includes a look at Miyazaki’s original concept art and the use of computer graphics technology in the film’s production.

PRINCESS MONONOKE: THE FIRST STORY, by Hayao Miyazaki · $35

An oversized, lavishly illustrated storybook featuring original watercolor art by legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, This is the original Princess Mononoke story created by Miyazaki in 1980 while he was first conceptualizing the landmark animated film that would later be released to universal acclaim seventeen years later. As an initial version of the tale, it offers a new and different perspective from the final version presented in the film. After a long, exhausting war, a samurai lost in a forest encounters a giant wildcat – a mononoke. The beast saves his life, but at the price of his daughter's hand in marriage...

BATTLE ROYALE: REMASTERED, by Koushun Takami · $17

In a dystopian future Japan, forty-two junior high school students are outfitted with weapons and bid to kill one another until there is only one left standing! Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller envisions a nightmare scenario: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when it was first published in Japan – where it became a runaway best seller – Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.

THE BATTLE ROYALE SLAM BOOK: Essays on the Cult Classic Novel by Koushun Takami · $16

The cult phenomenon Battle Royale has been lauded as a masterpiece and decried as exploitative gore, but it’s always remained in the public consciousness. This collection of essays by some of the best science fiction, horror, and thriller writers working today, including Brian Keene, John Skipp, and Catherynne M. Valente and more. Each essay explores the depth, details, and controversies surrounding BATTLE ROYALE in an intelligent, highly accessible fashion.

HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40: A CELEBRATION IN 40 STORIES · $30

The hardcover full-color anthology features a notable line-up of some of Hello Kitty’s biggest fans paying tribute in the best way they know how: through their stories and art. Contributors include the award-winning creators of the Tiny Titans series, Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani; Brian Smith, co-creator of the New York Times bestselling series Stuff of Legend; Gene Luen Yang, award-winning author of American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints, and Uglydoll co-creator David Horvath. Everyone has a tale to tell about the cute little girl who speaks from her heart. Matt and Jennifer L. Holm, award-winning creators of the Babymouse series also authored the introduction.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA A LINK TO THE PAST · $20

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST is based on the beloved, internationally bestselling video game originally released for Nintendo’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System™. This comic book version by Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009, Kamen Rider) was first serialized in Nintendo Power magazine and later collected into a graphic novel. Long out-of-print, this stunning, full-color edition is available once again for the first time in more than two decades!

not simple · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens · $15

Manga creator Natsume Ono’s not simple follows Ian, a young man with a fractured family history, as he travels from Australia to England and on to America in the hope of realizing his dreams and reuniting with his beloved sister. His story unfolds backwards through the framing narrative of Jim, a reporter driven to capture Ian's experiences in a novel titled not simple.

SUNNY, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens · $15

What is SUNNY? Sunny is a car. Sunny is a car you take on a drive with your mind. It takes you to the place of your dreams. SUNNY is the story of beating the odds, in the ways that count. It’s the brand-new masterwork from Eisner Award-winner Taiyo Matsumoto, one of Japan’s most innovative and acclaimed manga artists. The new release is translated by noted visual effects artist and Tekkonkinkreet film producer Michael Arias (The Abyss, Princess Mononoke, The Animatrix).

VAGABOND, VIZ Big Edition Vol. 1 · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers · $20

Shinmen Takezo is destined to become the legendary sword-saint, Miyamoto Musashi – perhaps the most renowned samurai of all time. For now, Takezo is a cold-hearted killer, who will take on anyone in mortal combat to make a name for himself. This is the journey of a wild young brute who strives to reach enlightenment by way of the sword--fighting on the edge of death.

For more information on these and other award winning 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 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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Webcomics Update: Grumble #2, Page 6

Grumble Chapter Two, Page 6 is here:  http://www.comicbookbin.com/grumbletwopage006.html

NOTE:  Last year, I printed some promotional copies of Grumble: Chapter One through a POD printer.  I will sign and number a copy of this "rare" comic book for $5 post paid, which you can purchase here or http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/p/i-reads-shopping.html

I am also on Patreon.

The Killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson - May 2015 Edition - Update #30

From Politico:   Policing scandals threaten to overwhelm the Justice Department... Ha!

From TheVox:  For me, it's not so much the picture, but the future behavior of the two cops in the photo.

From teleSUR:  Beyonce and Jay Z post bail for "Black Lives Matter."

From GuardianUK:  A Klan jury... I mean grand jury actually indcits all six killer cops involved in the death of Freddie Gray.

From DemocracyNow:  Matt Taibbi on police engaging in an endless campaign of harassment.

From Esquire: What the Cleveland PD had planned to do to Tamir Rice... after they'd already killed him.

From YahooNews:  He stood on the hood of car and fired 49 shots through the windshield at two unarmed occupants and the judge acquitted him.

From YahooNews:  Why aren't the bikers who got into a gun battle with cops after rioting amongst themselves called "thugs?" Hmm...

From GuardianUK:  Obama combats the militarization of American police departments.

From YahooNews:  As far as I'm concerned, these guys have been coddled by law enforcement for too long, either that or law enforcement is afraid of them.

From RSN:  Miami cops sent racists and pornographic emails?  They're just showing their true colors.

From the New York Times via RSN:  Police unions experience the loss of their privileged position.

From GuardianUK:  Brian Rice, one of the Baltimore cops charged in the death of Freddie Gray, has twice had his police weapons confiscated because of behavior.

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From TheDailyBeast:  George Zimmerman's blood feud.

From YahooNews:  Almost there...
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From TheGuardian:  New Attorney General Loretta Lynch opens federal probe of Baltimore PD.

From the ACLU: The group likes the city of Newark's cop watch accountability board.

From BuzzFeed:  Racist emails by San Francisco cops causes a review of 3000 arrest.

From the SacramentoBee:  California state senators seek to keep grand juries from investigating cases in which people are killed by police excessive force.

From GuardianUK:  Reporters get beat-downs and locked-up covering Freddie Gray protests.

From TheDailyBeast:  Cops can't stop stopping Chris Rock.

From TIME:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Walter Scott.

From Truthout:  Mumia on Walter Scott shooting.

From RollingStone:  Matt Taibbi on how cell phones are changing the narrative.

From TPM:  How to destroy a black life.

From teleSUR:  That number, in six years, may exceed the number of lynchings over a 100-year period.

From Alternet:  Racists pretending to be Baltimore protestors.

From TheBaltimoreSun:  Six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray - officers' arrest photos with specific charges.

From RSN:  The terrorism we suffer from police - Morgan Freeman.

From TheVillageVoice:  In light of Freddie Gray, New York's "antiquated" knife law.

From RSN:  Baltimore explained.

From RSN:  Cop beats his wife at Chicago PD black site, Homan Square.

"Hip Hop Family Tree" Grows into a Monthly Comic Book

Ed Piskor's Hip Hop Family Tree to Drop Monthly

Deconstructed: The New York Times best-selling book series, Hip Hop Family Tree, is making its debut as a monthly comic book with new covers, splash pages, a "director's commentary" by Ed Piskor that traces the creator's motivations, processes, and research involved in making this masterpiece-plus other surprises!

Hip Hop Family Tree is the first monthly comic in Fantagraphics Books' 39-year history. The first issue traces the very beginning of hip-hop: it spotlights the breakdancers, graffiti artists, DJs, and MCs who formed hip-hop culture in the tenement rec rooms of the south Bronx in the 1970s. Readers will discover who invented the term "Hip-Hop," and cultural pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa will make appearances...every month!

Hip Hop Family Tree is the history of hip-hop as told through comics. Piskor can't stop, won't stop until the entire story is told. Painstakingly researched, Ed Piskor is delivering the most thorough account of the who, what, where, and when of the most infamous music genre the world has ever seen.

This collectible rerelease will be available exclusively through Diamond Comics Distributors and on the remastered Fantagraphics website.

"We've found that the existing treasury editions are most popular through the book trade and we thought it would interesting to make an effort to do some outreach with the direct comic shop reader," says creator Ed Piskor. "Our Free Comic Book Day editions were highly sought after at the comic shops who carried it and we took this as a good sign to try some unprecedented moves."

The series will also mark another first for Fantagraphics: exclusive variant cover editions by Piskor produced for retail partners ordering 1000 copies. This will include the Eh! Variant edition, featuring a Slick Rick cover that will be available exclusively from Gotham Central Comics and Collectibles in Mississauga, Ontario.

Likewise, the Third Eye variant, featuring Eazy E on the cover, will be available for purchase this summer at Third Eye Comics locations and online at www.thirdeyecomics.com/hiphopfamilytree. Piskor will be making an appearance at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, Maryland to sign the variant at a date in August t.b.a.

Each variant cover by Piskor riffs on the beloved Marvel 25th Anniversary cover promotion from 1986 and spotlights a different figure from the history of Hip Hop. Fantagraphics and Piskor will also be producing a convention exclusive variant available only from Fantagraphics or Piskor himself.

"If you would have told me a year ago that we were going to publish a monthly comic book for the first time ever, with variant covers no less, I would have made a face," says Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. "But Ed is a singular talent, and Hip Hop Family Tree has proven to be a singular property. When Ed first floated the idea of a comic book series, we jumped. I knew he could pull it off in the way that few ever could."

Hip Hop Family Tree #1 will be solicited in the Previews for items shipping in August 2015. August will also see the release of Hip Hop Family Tree Book 3: 1983-1984, the latest volume of the best-selling book series, which spotlights The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, The Fat Boys, and many more.

HIP HOP FAMILY TREE #1
by Ed Piskor
$4.99 / Comic / 32 pgs / 6.5 x 10

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Dark Horse Takes "Heart in a Box" Graphic Novel Digital

GET READY TO OPEN UP A DIGITAL ‘HEART IN A BOX’

KELLY THOMPSON AND MEREDITH MCCLAREN’S OGN TO BE SERIALIZED ON DARK HORSE DIGITAL PRIOR TO RELEASE

MILWAUKIE, OR—Before fully opening Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren’s Heart in a Box in September 2015, become one of the first to get a FREE glimpse at the duo’s original graphic novel via Dark Horse Digital.

As a special advance look, Dark Horse will serialize Heart in a Box in seven chapters over the next six weeks, with the first two chapters available now on Dark Horse Digital. The first chapter is FREE for all users, and all subsequent chapters will be priced at an affordable $0.99.

In a moment of post-heartbreak weakness, Emma wishes her heart away, and a mysterious stranger—who may or may not be totally evil—obliges. But emptiness is even worse than grief, and when Emma learns that her heart can be regained piece by piece, she takes the strange bargain. But will the cost of her heart be her soul?

A fresh, funny, and action-packed take on heartbreak, Heart in a Box is Thompson and McClaren’s first graphic novel collaboration and comes hot on the heels of Thompson’s novels, The Girl Who Would Be King and Storykiller; as well as her critically acclaimed work on Jem and the Holograms.

“We couldn’t wait to share Heart in a Box with readers, so we’re very excited to get it out early through our digital platform,” said Dark Horse editor Brendan Wright. “Kelly and Meredith have created something truly special, and after fans read it digitally, they’re definitely going to want to have a copy for their shelf.”

Heart in a Box chapter one and chapter two are available now on Dark Horse Digital.

Heart in a Box
Kelly Thompson (W), Meredith McClaren (A/Cover)
$14.99, 978-1616556945
On sale September 29, 2015


About Dark Horse
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent, such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, EVE Online, Halo, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

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Negromancer's Fave Poli-Reads - May 2015 Edition - Updated #14

From RSN:  I voted for him, but I always thought that he was a bit of dishonest cretin.

From TheVox:  Kansas is at war against the poor.

From Haaretz:   Wow!  No wonder they were supportive of South Africa.

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From the LondonReviewofBooks:  Seymour Hersh calls into the question the official account of the American raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

From Salon: Hersh says he's not backing down on anything he said about Osama raid.

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From AlJazeera:  Oppression, segregation, anti-free speech: so much for the MidEast's only democracy.

From BloombergBusiness:  Harold Hamm, a billionaire oil CEO, wanted the University of Oklahoma to dismiss earthquake scientists and he wanted to sit in on the interview process to pick a new head of the geological survey.

From TPM:  He should blame the party he supports.

From TheDailyBeast:  Details on De Blasio's contract with America.

From CommonDreams:  Another financial meltdown looms as many of the practices that caused the 2008 financial crisis remain in practice.

From CNN:  The poor in the U.S. are not the envy of America.

From RSN:  No a black man will not win the GOP nomination.  That means not you, Ben Carson.

From YahooNews:  Poverty is creeping into the 2016 Presidential race, putting Republicans in a tenuous position.

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From CNN:  Carly Fiorina is running for President.

From TIME:  Why Fiorina is controversial.
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From BuzzFlash:  5 steps to privatizing everything.

From RSN:  An actual socialist is running for President.

From Consortium:  The day after Damascus falls.

From RSN:  Bernie Sanders is running for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

From TheIntercept:  There is a protest over a PEN Award to Charlie Hebdo.

From AlJazeera:  Killers on Blackwater payroll get long prison sentences...  their boss needs to follow them to jail.

From RSN:  Free range parenting vs. busy body servants of the police state.

Review: "Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness" is Rather Tame

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux (support on Patreon)

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness (2015) – Video
Running time:  72 minutes (1 hour, 12 minutes)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR:  Paul McEvoy
WRITER:  Mark Banker
EDITOR:  Kyle Stafford
COMPOSER:  Andy Sturmer

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring:  (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Diedrich Bader, Eric Bauza, Jeff Bennett, Jennifer Hale, Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Fred Tatasciore

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness is a 2015 straight-to-video, animated, comic mystery film.  It is also the 23rd animated movie in the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation, which began in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.  In Moon Monster Madness, Mystery Inc. travels to an elaborate moon base where they attempt to unravel the mystery of an alien monster.

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness introduces the billionaire Sly Baron (Malcolm McDowell).  His latest venture is to make “space tourism” more readily available.  To that end, Baron and his brother, Hudson (Fred Tatasciore), create the first space cruise ship, the “Sly Star One.”  Baron has picked an elite crew to accompany him on the Sly Star One's maiden voyage:  hero astronauts: Zip Elvin (Mark Hamill) and Colt Steelcase (Jeff Bennett); rising astronaut star, Shannon Lucas (Jennifer Hale); self-proclaimed alien hunter, Ridley (Jennifer Hale); football star, Uvinious Botango a.k.a "U-Boat" (Kevin Michael Richardson); and H.A.M. (Diedrich Bader), a robot who just wants to be useful and to be liked.

Baron also creates the “Sly Me to Space” sweepstakes, a lottery that give the last 5 seats on the Sly Star One to ordinary folks.  And the winners are Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard), and Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker).  The cruise is not filled with fun, however, as rivalry, jealousy, and hero worship cause trouble.  And the space tourists soon discover an alien monster wants to ruin their trip to end their lives.

Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness is somewhat inventive.  It is sometimes funny.  It references and has allusions to famous science fiction movies and films about space travel, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), and The Right Stuff (1983).  The problem is that Moon Monster Madness just does not come together.  It is a little too long; has too many guest or supporting characters; and does not fully utilize many of the characters or sub-plots and themes.  Personally, I would have liked more screen time for “U-Boat” and H.A.M.

To be honest, it is also possible that I had high expectations for Moon Monster Madness coming off the previous Scooby film, Scooby-Doo! Frankencreepy, which I loved so much, to an extent that still surprises me.  Still, I will recommend Scooby-Doo! Moon Monster Madness, because... well... I always recommend Scooby-Doo movies.

5 of 10
B-

Monday, May 25, 2015


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