Image Comics Announces New "Nailbiter" Story Arc

NAILBITER SINKS ITS TEETH INTO A NEW CHAPTER: BOUND BY BLOOD

Writer Joshua Williamson (BIRTHRIGHT) and artist Mike Henderson (Venom, Carnage) will launch a new story arc in their hit horror series NAILBITER this May.

Previously in NAILBITER, NSA agent Nicholas Finch found himself roped into the mystery of Buckaroo, Oregon, where sixteen of the world’s vilest serial killers were spawned—and his life has not gotten any simpler since. A new serial killer appeared, for one; not to mention the commitment of more grisly murders and a major revelation about Alice’s parentage.

In NAILBITER #21, Alice now knows that the Nailbiter is her father. Does that mean she will grow up to be a serial killer?

 "It's awesome that we're starting year three of Nailbiter! The team and I are so thankful to the readers and retailers for keeping us alive and killing for the last two years,” said Williamson. “We've been building to the Bound by Blood story arc since the beginning, slowly revealing the secret relationships between the characters. And now with this story arc we focus on Alice as she learns some dark truths about her past. The only way for her to know everything is if she solves the town's big secret...why does it give birth to so many serial killers? How has it been hidden for so long? Crazy things are going to be revealed in this story arc...and it's going to be very bloody!"

"Another year, another arc, another murder spree!” said Henderson. “We can't thank everyone who's kept Nailbiter going strong enough but just to try: Alice takes center stage and learns some new things about her ever-weirder world and the result is some of our darkest and bloodiest yet."

NAILBITER #21 (Diamond code: MAR160550) hits stores Wednesday, May 4th, 2016. Final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, April 11th, 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.

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BookWalker Returns to North America for Anime Boston 2016

BOOK☆WALKER CELEBRATES ANIME BOSTON WITH GIVEAWAYS, NEW TITLES

KADOKAWA's Online Store for Manga & Light Novels

BookWalker returns to North America with its first anime con appearance of 2016 at Anime Boston. Anime Boston will be held on March 25-27, 2016 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Manga and light novel readers, visit Booth #308 for your chance to win prizes, like Sword Art Online, Fate/ and Kill La Kill figures, limited edition Sword Art Online clear file folders, or a $10 gift card good toward purchasing any digital manga or light novel title on BookWalker Global.

WIN PRIZES FROM BOOKWALKER AT ANIME BOSTON
There are several ways to win! If you’re new to BookWalker, just visit http://global.bookwalker.jp and subscribe to our mailing list. Show your “My Account” page to BookWalker booth staff at Anime Boston, and you’ll get a chance to try for one of the prizes. For a second chance to win, use your $10 gift card to purchase any eBook on BookWalker.

Want another chance to take home a prize? Take a photo at the BookWalker booth, follow BookWalker on Twitter at @BOOKWALKER_GL and post your photo on Twitter with the hashtags #AnimeBoston and #BOOKWALKER. Show your tweet to BookWalker booth staff, and you’ll get a chance to win one of three Neon Genesis Evangelion figures.

Haven’t tried BookWalker yet? Anime Boston is also your chance to get a hands-on look at our eBook store. We’ll have tablets loaded with a selection of BookWalker titles at our booth so you can check it out for yourself. BookWalker now has over 1,000 comics and light novels in English, with many titles exclusive to BookWalker. Hot manga titles include Kill La Kill, MAOYU: Archenemy and Hero, Deadman Wonderland. We also now have a selection of light novels, including Dance in the Vampire Bund: Secret Chronicles, and Alice’s Tale, with more titles being added every week.

MARCH 2016 PROMO: FREE 1-3 CHAPTER MANGA SAMPLERS
Not at Anime Boston? You can still get in on the fun! From now through March 22, 2016, all new users signing up for Book Walker will receive a free $10 gift card toward any purchase on Book Walker Global.

Also, throughout the month of March, BookWalker is giving readers access to free digital manga samplers, so you can discover your next favorite manga or light novel risk-free. BookWalker will be giving readers up to three chapters to read for free on selected titles, from March 1 – April 1, 2016. Manga included in this free preview promotion include titles from UDON, VIZ Media, Seven Seas Entertainment, and including: · Deadman Wonderland · Bloody Mary

· Eureka Seven · Future Diary · Kiss of the Rose Princess · Momogumi Plus Senki · Samurai Girl Real Bout High School · The Demon Prince of Momochi House · Saving Life · Kannazuki no Miko · No Game No Life · Merman in my Tub · D-Frag · Haganai · Senran Kagura · I Am Alice: Body Swap in Wonderland · KANOKON · Non Non Biyori · Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation · Servamp · Street Fighter · Kill la Kill · The Scarlet Letter · Great Expectations · Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice · Manga Classics: Les Miserables · F. · MAOYU : Archenemy and Hero "Become mine, Hero" "I refuse!" · Inari Konkon

Since its relaunch in Fall 2015, BookWalker’s Global Store has added 200 volumes of manga and light novels in English to its line-up, including new titles from Udon Entertainment, Shonengahosha, Comic CYUTT, Cork, One Peace Books, and Dark Horse Comics. Look out for more exciting announcements about new titles and publishers being added to BookWalker soon!

Keep up with the latest news on new titles and features on BookWalker! Follow BookWalker on Twitter for updates on new titles and special promotions via @BOOKWALKER_GL

The iOS BookWalker apps for iPhone and iPad are now available on the Apple App store or the BookWalker Android apps on Google Play.

BOOKWALKER IS HIRING!
As we add more titles to our global store, we’re looking for people who love manga and light novels to join us as part of our staff. If you’re a marketing/social media maven, and you live in Tokyo or are considering moving here, we’d love to talk with you! Visit our jobs page for more information on our current openings: http://global.bookwalker.jp/info-recruitment/

MEET KADOKAWA BOOKWALKER EXECUTIVES AT ANIME BOSTON
KADOKAWA / BOOK WALKER Co. Ltd. executives, including Norihide Tominaga, VP of Global Business Development will be attending Anime Boston, and will be available to answer questions from press. Please contact pr-gl@bookwalker.co.jp for enquiries or to schedule on-site or email interviews with BookWalker executives at or before Anime Boston.
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About BOOKWALKER
BookWalker is the one of Japan's most popular reading platform to read digital manga & light novels. There have already been over 1.5 million downloads of the BookWalker apps and users are enjoying 250,000 titles from over 650 publishers including Kodansha, Shueisha, Square Enix, KADOKAWA and more. Members can read as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly any Internet-connected screen. BOOK WALKER Co. Ltd. is member of KADOKAWA CORPORATION and was founded in 2010. Visit our Japanese site at: http://bookwalker.jp or English site: http://global.bookwalker.jp/

About KADOKAWA
KADOKAWA is one of Japan’s largest publishers, with a deep catalog of manga, light novels, and magazines. KADOKAWA has also expanded its business into games and movies, with a media-mix strategy to better promote exciting cultural content in Japan and around the globe. KADOKAWA DWANGO merged operations on Oct. 1, 2014 to establish the world’s leading platform for digital entertainment content. http://www.kadokawa.co.jp/

About ANIME BOSTON
Anime Boston is a three-day convention held annually in Boston, Massachusetts, USA under the supervision of the New England Anime Society. Since 2003, Anime Boston has been one of the premier N. American events that celebrates and promotes Japanese animation, comics, and pop-culture. Anime Boston will be held at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts, from March 25-27, 2016. For more information about Anime Boston, visit: http://www.animeboston.com/

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VIZ Media Will Go "Monster Hunting" in April 2016

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES NEW FANTASY ACTION MANGA SERIES MONSTER HUNTERTM: FLASH HUNTER BASED ON HIT VIDEO GAME

Imaginative New Series Based On Capcom’s Smash Hit Monster HunterTM Property Launches This Spring

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers brand new manga action inspired by Capcom’s Monster HunterTM, one of the hottest RPG video game properties.

MONSTER HUNTER: FLASH HUNTER is a manga (graphic novel) series written by Keiichi Hikami, with artwork by Shin Yamamoto, and is set to launch in print on April 12th, 2016. The fantasy action series is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry a print MSRP of $10.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. MONSTER HUNTER: FLASH HUNTER will also launch digitally on April 12th via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, Google Play, and BOOK WALKER Global stores. Subsequent volumes of the 10-volume series will be published in English on a bi-monthly basis.

It is an age when monsters rule the world, soaring through the sky, treading the earth and filling the seas. Humanity survives on the fringes, relying on a special kind of hero to defend the people from danger – the Monster Hunters!

In the opening volume of the series, hunting giant man-eating beasts is no job for the weak-hearted, but along with courage, it takes skill and experience to be a good Hunter. It also takes good teamwork. Raiga and his comrades are experts now, but when they started down the path of the Monster Hunter, they lacked these qualities. When they head off to confront the dragon-like Queropeco, they quickly learn that this flaw could cost them dearly…

“MONSTER HUNTER: FLASH HUNTER is based on Capcom’s bestselling game property that has sold more than 33 million units across four game titles, “ says Michael Montesa, Editor. “Fans of the video game will not want to miss this action-driven new fantasy series that offers a whole new way to enjoy the popular storyline and characters.”

For additional information on MONSTER HUNTER: FLASH HUNTER 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.

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 groundbreaking franchises Resident Evil®, Street Fighter®, Monster Hunter™, Ace Attorney®, Mega Man® and Devil May Cry®. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, Germany, Tokyo, Taiwan, 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, the Capcom logo, Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter 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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Dark Horse Collects Tamburini and Liberatore's "Ranx"

Dark Horse to Publish 1980s Cult Classic “Ranx”

Collected for First Time in English

MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is pleased to announce that it will be publishing the classic Heavy Metal series Ranx for the first time in English since its debut in the 1980s.

This volume collects all of the Ranx stories by two Italian comic masters, writer Stefano Tamburini and artist Tanino Liberatore.

Ranx (also known as RanXerox) is a sci-fi antihero made of photocopier parts and ultraviolence. In a futuristic dystopia, he protects his girlfriend Lubna from vicious drug dealers on a brutal path of sex, carnage, and destruction.

The hardcover will be released on November 9, 2016.

“Tanino Liberatore. Italian. Acid-fueled son of R. Corben. His dwindling output is still crowned by his RanXerox.”—Guillermo del Toro

“Ranx is a punk, futuristic Frankenstein monster, and with the under-aged Lubna, they are a bizarre Beauty and the Beast. This artist and writer team have turned a dark mirror to the depths of our id, and we see reflected the base part of ourselves that would take what it wants with no compromise, no apology—and woe to the person who would cross us. But it is all done with a black, wry, satirical sense of humor.”—Richard Corben

“The Ranx character is a punky, post-apocalyptic android built from spare Xerox machine parts. All RanXerox stories were luxuriously illustrated with bizarre, violent and, to put it lightly, unchaste story lines.”—TwitchFilm


About Dark Horse
For 30 years, 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. Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, 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 Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.

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YaoiCon Announces East Coast "BishounenCon" for 2017

YaoiCon announces BishounenCon, an East Coast yaoi+ convention
Gardena, CA, USA — YaoiCon, the only Western fan-focused convention dedicated solely to the yaoi genre of Japanese anime and manga, is proud to announce a new endeavor on the East Coast in honor of its 15th year. BishounenCon, an 18+ yaoi+ convention for fans of boys love, yaoi, and LGBT comics and media from all around the world, will debut March 3-5, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick, Rhode Island.

“‘Yaoi+’ means we've taken our love of yaoi to the next level and with BishounenCon have focused on LGBT characters and romantic relationships in comics, cartoons, television, and more from all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, and (of course) Japan and the United States,” said Viannah Duncan, director of BishounenCon 2017. The convention is named for “bishounen”—the Japanese word for “pretty boy(s).”

Attendees of the new convention will be able to enjoy up and coming artists and authors, independent publishers and production companies, and talented actors and voice actors. While YaoiCon focuses specifically on yaoi, BishounenCon broadens that directive and welcomes all types of comics, animation, and media that celebrate love and romance between men, including both modern and historical art and literature.  BishounenCon aims to include a scope and feel reminiscent of YaoiCon but will also present some brand new events, including a formal ball and a lounge rest area.

“Though BishounenCon is a new convention, we have the support of the successful, longer-running YaoiCon,” Duncan said, “and we are hoping to have an amazing first year.”

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is conveniently located close to the T.F. Green Airport in Providence, and free shuttle service is offered between the airport and hotel. Rooms can be reserved beginning April 2nd using the convention code BIS and are $139/night until the BishounenCon room block is full. The convention is working with the hotel to provide overflow rates at the nearby Holiday Inn Express should that become necessary. Badges, industry booths, and artists’ tables will be available on the website beginning in August.


About YaoiCon and BishounenCon
San Francisco-based YaoiCon and its younger Northeastern counterpart BishounenCon are committed to celebrating yaoi, boys love, and male/male romance in comics, animation, and popular culture. For more information, visit www.bishounencon.com or email info@bishounencon.com.

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Dark Horse Announces More "Buffy: The High School Years" Comics

Buffy’s High-School Adventures for Young Readers Continue

Home Economics Has Never Been Scarier

MILWAUKIE, OR—With anticipation building for Eisner Award–winning author Faith Erin Hicks’s Buffy: The High School Years—Freaks & Geeks, Dark Horse Comics announces the next installment in the young adult series this fall with Kel McDonald and Yishan Li’s Buffy: The High School Years—Glutton for Punishment.

Set during Season 1 of the television series and executive produced by Joss Whedon, Glutton for Punishment continues the humor and excitement as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and her friends navigate the tumultuous balance of being both high schoolers and monster fighters.

“McDonald has a real affection for magical-world building,” says io9 of author Kel McDonald (Misfits of Avalon), who is returning to the Whedonverse to bring more monsters and high-school high jinks into the life of teenage Buffy!

When Buffy and Xander sign up for home ec, assuming it will be an extra-credit cakewalk, they aren’t aware that the teacher is a ravenous tiger demon in disguise. The demon’s unquenchable appetite has him kidnapping his top students and forcing them to cook for him, and when Xander claims some store-bought treats are his own creations, he becomes the demon’s next victim! It’s not enough that Buffy has to keep her grades up, but she also has to rescue her friends and fellow students—and give the tiger demon his just desserts!

Buffy: The High School Years—Glutton for Punishment is in stores October 19, 2016.


About Kel McDonald and Yishan Li
Kel McDonald has been working in comics for over a decade—most of that time has been spent on her webcomic Sorcery 101. More recently, she has organized the Cautionary Fables and Fairytales anthology series, while contributing to other anthologies like Dark Horse Presents, Smut Peddler, and Sleep of Reason. She is best known for her recent work Misfits of Avalon for Dark Horse Comics and Adventure Time for BOOM!.

Yishan Li is an UK based illustrator who has worked with DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Titan Comics, Random House, Delcourt, and Dargaud.  Her most recent work is Buffy: The High School Years—Freaks & Geeks from Dark Horse Comics.

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Harvey Award Nominations Ballots Are Now Available

Harvey Nomination Ballots Available

Ballots Due May 9

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - The Executive Committees of the Harvey Awards and the Baltimore Comic-Con are proud to present the official Nomination Ballot for this year's Harvey Awards, honoring work published in the 2015 calendar year. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry's most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. The 29th Annual Harvey Awards will be presented Saturday, September 3rd, 2016 as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Harvey Awards nomination ballots may now be submitted using an online form. If you are a comics professional, you can vote online at harveyawards.org/2016-nomination-ballot/. Ballots are due for submission by Monday, May 9th, 2016.

The Harvey Awards may be voted on exclusively by Comic-Book creators, those who write, draw, ink, color, letter, design, edit, or are otherwise professionally involved in the creative aspect of comics, online or in print. The Harvey Awards are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.

We look forward to your participation and input in this process, and we look forward to seeing you at the Baltimore Comic-Con and the Harvey Awards.

The Harveys would not be possible without the generous sponsors of the Awards. Sponsors for last year's 2015 Harvey Awards included Presenting Sponsors Cards, Comics & Collectibles and the Baltimore Comic-Con; Gold Sponsors BOOM! Studios, Comic WOW!, DC Entertainment, Diamond Comic Distributors, and Geppi's Entertainment Museum; Silver Sponsors Akuna Entertainment, ComicMix, Insight Studios Group, Painted Visions Comics, and Valiant; and Gift Bag Sponsors Abrams ComicArts, Archie Comic Publications, Book Blaze, BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, DC Entertainment, Diamond Select Toys, Dynamite Entertainment, HarperCollins, IDW, Legendary, Popfun Collectibles, Joe Staton/Tribune Media Services, and Valiant Entertainment.

Companies and individuals interested in sponsoring the 2015 Harvey Awards may do so by contacting us at harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com.

This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 2-4, 2016. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 3rd. Additional details about the Harvey Awards and the awards ceremony will be released over the next few months.


About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 17th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.

About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 25 years, the last 11 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.

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