"Nowhere Men #7" Returns with Second Printing

NOWHERE MEN FLIES OFF THE SHELVES

The return issue to the hit series fast-tracked to a second printing

The bestselling, cult-hit NOWHERE MEN by writer and Publisher at Image Comics, Eric Stephenson, new series artist Dave Taylor, Eisner-award winning colorist Jordie Bellaire, and Fonografiks jump-started the highly anticipated second story arc to early critical-acclaim and fan enthusiasm. NOWHERE MEN #7 is being fast-tracked to a second printing in order to keep up with customer demand.

“I knew, going in, that this would be a unique working experience,” said Taylor. “But even my high hopes have been outdone. Working on Nowhere Men just keeps getting better and better! Hey, and where's all the hate mail??!!”

NOWHERE MEN #7 begins up where NOWHERE MEN, VOL. 1’s cliffhanger ending left off and opens with PLUTONA artist Emi Lenox’s rendering of a sequence plucked from the sketch diary of Emerson Strange’s daughter.

Multiversity Comics describes Lenox’s prologue “wonderful” and “delivered as a sort of online comic diary, she balances Stephenson’s story with some great images and excellent expressions.”

NOWHERE MEN #7 remains available for purchase across all digital platforms, including the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com), the official Image Comics iOS app, ComiXology’s website (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.

NOWHERE MEN #7, 2nd printing arrives in stores on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016 and can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code DEC158647.

NOWHERE MEN #8 hits stands on Wednesday, February 24th, 2016 and can be ordered with Diamond Code DEC150601.

More praise for NOWHERE MEN #7:

“A welcome return and feels as strong as the issues before it.” —All-Comic

“More compelling than ever.” —Graphic Policy

“Stephenson hasn’t lost his touch either; he still retains the solid characterization that was with the characters before. Seeing these characters on the page again and their interactions reminded me of why I enjoyed the comic. The mix of science-fiction with corporate politics, celebrity status vs. regular people remains ever present and influential in Nowhere Men’s presentation. Those are many of the things that made Nowhere Men so intriguing to begin with so to see their return is welcomed. Really, it’s just great to have Nowhere Men back.” —Bounding into Comics


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, fantasy, 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.

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Image Comics Announces First Collection of "Tokyo Ghost"

TOKYO GHOST, VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN SHOOTS UP OUR TECH-ADDICTIONS

The first story arc in the dystopian adventure is collected into trade paperback

“Tokyo Ghost is for fans of hard and fast action, harder and faster dialogue, and heart-stopping moments of insanity.”—Comicosity

Bestselling writer RICK REMENDER (BLACK SCIENCE, DEADLY CLASS) teams up with superstar art team SEAN MURPHY (CHRONONAUTS, Punk Rock Jesus) and MATT HOLLINGSWORTH (WYTCHES, Hawkeye) for a bleak and poignant reflection on the consequences of tech-addiction in TOKYO GHOST, VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN. This collects issues #1-5 into trade paperback and will be available in March.

TOKYO GHOST, VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN welcomes readers to the isles of New Los Angeles, 2189. Humanity has become nothing more than a sea of consumers: ravenous and starving wolves, sick from toxic contamination, who have to borrow, beg, and steal for the funds to buy, buy, buy their next digital fix. Getting a thrill, a distraction from reality, is the only thing left to live for. Entertainment is the biggest industry—the drug everyone needs—and gangsters run it all. And who do these gangsters turn to when they need the "law" enforced? Led Dent and Debbie Decay, constables of the law, which is a nice way to say “brutal killing machines." The duo are about to be presented with an assignment that will force them out of the decay of LA and into the mysterious lost nation of Tokyo.

TOKYO GHOST, VOLUME 1: ATOMIC GARDEN (ISBN 978-1-63215-663-1) hits comic book stores on Wednesday, March 9th and bookstores on Tuesday, March 15th, and will be available for $9.99. It can be ordered by retailers from Diamond Book Distributors with Diamond code JAN160652. It can be preordered now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Indiebound.

Praise for TOKYO GHOST:

“Arrives with style and panache, an entertaining ride across a bleak future.”—CBR

“A great read. It’s fast and frenetic, driven by a strong narrative pulse and some amazing art.”—IGN

“Visually stunning with a topical narrative that takes a stance without feeling pretentious, all wrapped in a fun steampunk adventure…”—Comic Bastards


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, fantasy, 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.

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Happy Birthday, Anna!

Are you a teenager yet...

VIZ Media Goes "Behind the Scenes!!"

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES BISCO HATORI’S NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES BEHIND THE SCENES!!

Comedy Series About A Social Misfit And College Movie Effects Club Is The Latest From The Acclaimed Creator Of OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB And MILLENNIUM SNOW

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, proudly brings creator Bisco Hatori’s dramatic new manga (graphic novel) comedy to English readers with the launch of BEHIND THE SCENES!! on February 2nd, 2016.

The new shojo series by the famed creator of OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB and MILLENNIUM SNOW will be published in print and digital editions under the Shojo Beat imprint. BEHIND THE SCENES!! is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry a print MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. The series also launches digitally on February 2nd via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Subsequent volumes of the continuing series will be published in English twice a year.

In BEHIND THE SCENES!!, Ranmaru Kurisu comes from a family of hardy, rough-and-tumble fisherfolk and he sticks out at home like a delicate, artistic sore thumb. It’s given him a raging inferiority complex and a permanently pessimistic outlook. Now that he’s in college, he’s hoping to find a sense of belonging. But after a whole life of being left out, does he even know how to fit in?!

As Volume 1 opens, it’s two months into Ranmaru’s college career, and if he’s learned one thing, it’s that he’s really uncomfortable around other people. But when he stumbles into a zombie mob attack, he’s totally forced out of his comfort zone! Of course it’s just a movie shoot, but when he wakes up from his ignoble faint, he’s been whisked away behind the scenes with the Art Squad! Could this group of weirdos be what Ranmaru’s been looking for all his life?!

“Creator Bisco Hatori continues to demonstrate her skill at capturing all of the complexities, cliques and daily dramas of student life in BEHIND THE SCENES!!,” says Pancha Diaz, Editor. “Ranmaru Kurisu has been a social misfit all of his life but he may have finally found a place to fit in after a chance encounter introduces him to a very unique, and slightly quirky, group of potential new friends.”

Bisco Hatori made her manga debut with Isshun kan no Romance (A Moment of Romance) in LaLa DX magazine. Her first full-fledged series was MILLENNIUM SNOW (published by VIZ Media) and she gained widespread acclaim for the comedy, OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB (published by VIZ Media), which became her breakout hit.

For additional information on BEHIND THE SCENES!! or other 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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Houston Film Critics Named "Spotlight" Best Picture of 2015- Complete List of Winners

Houston Film Critics Society is a not-for-profit, unincorporated voluntary organizaton of print, broadcast, and internet film critics based in the Greater Houston metropolitan area that meet its membership criteria.  According its website, the group was founded in 2007 by Nick Nicholson and Danny Minton and helps to organize and coordinate the local area film critics community.

The nominees for the 9th annual Houston Film Critics Society Awards were announced, December 13, 2015.  The winners were announced January 9, 2016.

2015 / 9th Houston Film Critics Society winners:

Best Picture:  Spotlight

Best Director:  Alejandro G. Iñárritu for The Revenant

Best Actor:  Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs

Best Actress:  Brie Larson for Room

Best Supporting Actor:  Tom Hardy for The Revenant

Best Supporting Actress:  Rooney Mara for Carol

Best Screenplay:  Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer for Spotlight

Best Animated Film:  Inside Out (Pete Doctor, director)

Best  Cinematography:  Emmanuel Lubezki for The Revenant

Best Documentary:  Amy (Asif Kapadia, director)

Best Foreign Film:  Son of Saul (Hungary; László Nemes, director)

Best Score:  Ennio Moriccone for The Hateful Eight

Best Song:  Brian Wilson for "Love and Mercy" from Love & Mercy

Texas Independent Film Award:  Mark Craig for The Last Man on the Moon

Technical:  Guy Norris for Mad Max: Fury Road

Worst Movie:  Pixels                      

Lifetime Achievement:  Dennis Quaid

Humanitarian of the Year:  Matt Damon

Outstanding Cinematic Contribution:  Joe Leydon

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Bluefin Announces "Bruce Lee" Poseable Action Figure

BLUEFIN DEBUTS NEW BRUCE LEE POSEABLE ACTION FIGURE FROM TAMASHII NATIONS

Exciting Latest Addition To The S.H. Figuarts Line Debuts To Retailers In February And Utilizes Advanced Digital Facial Coloring Technology For Impressive Realism And Includes Multiple Weapon Accessories And Other Interchangeable Parts

Anaheim, CA – Bluefin, the leading North American distributor of toys, collectibles, and hobby merchandise from Japan, Hong Kong and more, is proud to introduce the world’s most posable Bruce Lee action figure!

Renowned Japanese collectibles label, Tamashii Nations, integrates its advanced S.H. Figuarts articulation technology to reproduce all of Bruce Lee's powerful martial arts moves! For this latest release, Tamashii Nations also utilized cutting edge digital facial coloring technology to achieve a stunning level of realism and collectors will be impressed by the incredible level of overall quality.

The Bruce Lee figure debuts in February 2016 with an MSRP of $49.99 from authorized Bluefin retailers nationwide and also from a variety of leading online outlets. Pre-orders continue to be available.

The S.H. Figuarts Bruce Lee figure stands 5 inches tall and includes several trademark martial arts weapons including a nunchaku (nunchuck) and two bo staffs (short and long. Other accessories include interchangeable hands (x9) and interchangeable face parts (x2).

Bruce Lee was a pioneering Chinese American action film star, martial arts instructor, philosopher, and filmmaker. He starred in several highly influential martial arts movies such as Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic martial artists of all time.

Bluefin is the official North American distributor for Tamashii Nations, an umbrella label that encompasses Japan’s top collectible brands and features products from popular giant robot shows like Mazinger Z and Gundam, anime series like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, and live action series like Kamen Rider. The mission of Tamashii Nations is to bring “tamashii,” the Japanese word for soul or spirit, into everything they create. For a complete listing of Tamashii Nations products available from Bluefin, please visit: www.bluefincorp.com/catalog/tamashii-nations.html.


About Bluefin
Based in Irvine, CA, Bluefin built its reputation as a leading distributor of Japanese toys, collectibles, novelty and hobby products. In recent years, Bluefin has grown to include a range of high quality collectible lines from the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore and established itself as the official North American consumer products and retail development partner for Studio Ghibli. Selling to thousands of specialty, chain and independent stores, Bluefin is an official North American distributor for Bandai Hobby, Kotobukiya and Capcom, is the sole provider of Bandai Tamashii Nations products, and is also the exclusive and official distributor for Hero Cross, Beast Kingdom, Comicave, Mr. Hobby, SEN-TI-NEL and X-Plus. Bluefin also represents TruForce Collectibles products worldwide. Additional information is available at: www.bluefincorp.com.

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"Bitch Planet" Begins New Story Arc in February 2016

BITCH PLANET IS BACK WITH A NEW STORY ARC

Featuring expanded community pages

Eisner Award-nominated writer KELLY SUE DeCONNICK (PRETTY DEADLY, Captain Marvel) and VALENTINE DE LANDRO (X-Factor) will launch a new story arc in their viciously satirical ongoing sci-fi series this February.

Previously in BITCH PLANET, a new crop of non-compliants settled in for their stay on the Auxiliary Compliance Outpost. When a small group was offered a chance to earn their freedom, they took it, knowing the odds would be stacked against them at every turn.

In BITCH PLANET #7, PRESIDENT BITCH: PART 1 (OF 4), Operative Whitney has to answer for Meiko’s death and Kam gets a critical clue to the whereabouts of her sister.

"We’re back to the main narrative with this issue,” said DeConnick. “Meiko’s dad arrives on the outpost, we learn more about Josephson’s plan and Penny’s grief. Oh, and Kam gets a new cellmate. She’s a corker."

"There's a shower scene in this issue, and I only had to lay it out once,” said De Landro. “Enjoy, friends!"

BITCH PLANET #7 (Diamond code: DEC150546) hits stores Wednesday, February 17th, 2016. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, January 25th, 2016.


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, fantasy, 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.