"Pokemon Advanced Battle Complete Collection" DVD Set Now in Stores

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE HOME MEDIA RELEASE OF THE POKÉMON ADVANCED BATTLE COMPLETE COLLECTION

The Eighth Season Of The Beloved Adventure Series Features More Than 20 Hours Of POKÉMON Action On Six DVDs

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, delivers an exciting new POKÉMON home media edition with the release of the POKÉMON ADVANCED BATTLE COMPLETE COLLECTION on June 12th, 2018.

The POKÉMON ADVANCED BATTLE COMPLETE COLLECTION will debut exclusively on DVD and will feature 52 episodes on six discs. The set will carry an MSRP of $54.97 U.S. / $63.99 CAN with episodes presented with English dubbed as well as English SDH subtitled dialogue options.

In the POKÉMON ADVANCED BATTLE COMPLETE COLLECTION, Ash earns his final two Gym badges and secures himself a spot in the Hoenn League Championships, while May almost misses her chance to win her final contest ribbon. But she’s victorious, and the stage is set for epic showdowns with both of her rivals in the Grand Festival! Ash meets two Trainers who become his own Hoenn rivals and faces off against both of them during the course of the tournament. Upon returning to Kanto and reuniting with old friends, Ash is recruited for a new challenge—the Battle Frontier!

POKÉMON is one of the most successful international entertainment franchises of all time. More than 300 million POKÉMON video games and over 23.6 billion Pokémon Trading Cards have been sold in more than 74 countries in addition to substantial publishing and merchandise sales. VIZ Media is the official North American distributor for a wide variety of POKÉMON home media releases including animated series and films and also publishes a variety of POKÉMON manga graphic novel series including Pokémon Adventures, Pokémon Adventures: FireRed & LeafGreen, Pokémon Adventures: Emerald, Pokémon Adventures: Diamond AND Pearl/PLATINUM, Pokémon Adventures: HeartGold & SoulSilver, Pokémon Adventures: Black & White, POKÉMON X•Y, and POKÉMON OMEGA RUBY • ALPHA SAPPHIRE.

For additional information on POKÉMON titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 17th to 23rd, 2018 - Update #14

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MUSIC - From Vulture:  A complete history and timeline of the controversial career of the recently murdered rapper, XXXTentacion.

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BOOKS - From Inverse:  It is the late author, Octavia E. Butler's birthday. Now learn "Why the Author Is Called the Mother of Afrofuturism."

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Bruce Springsteen tells "The New Yorker," What's Happening at Our Border Is Shocking, Disgraceful, Inhumane and Un-American

TELEVISION - From BuzzFeed:  ABC announces its "Roseanne" spinoff, "The Conners."  After controversial tweets by Roseanne Barr, ABC cancelled "Roseanne."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  MTV launches MTV Studios and will revive previous hits series, "Daria," "Aeon Flux," and "Real World."

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TERMINATOR - From Collider:  His is a first look at Linda Hamilton ("Sarah Connor") in "Terminator 6."

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STAR TREK - From FlickeringMyth:  "Star Trek" film star, Zachary Quinto ("Spock"), says there will be big new about "Star Trek 4" in the next few weeks.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney ups its offer to buy 21st Century Fox to $71.3 billion in cash and stock, in the wake of Comcast offering $65 billion for Fox.

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PIXAR - From CinemaBlend:  Replacements for John Lasseter at Pixar have been announced.  Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) will head Pixar Animation Studios.  Jennifer Buck ("Frozen") will take over as head of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

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STAR TREK - From CinemaBlend:  Is Captain Picard of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" due for a return or a cameo in "Star Trek: Discovery."

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AWARDS - From YahooEntertainment:  "Black Panther" star, Chadwick Boseman, took time at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards to honor James Shaw, Jr.  Shaw disarmed a gunman at a Waffle House near Nashville, TN, this past April.

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CELEBRITY - From SBNation: NBA star and Los Angeles Lakers super rookie, Kyle Kuzma, thanks The Rock for inspiring him to pack on muscle over the summer.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/15 to 6/17/2018 weekend box office is Disney/Pixar's "Incredibles 2" with an estimated take of $180 million.

From Variety:  "Incredibles 2" shatters the record for the box office debut of an animated film.  It's $180 million bow breaks the record set in 2016 by fellow Pixar film, "Finding Dory," which opened at $135 million.

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From Deadline:  ABC could have a deal to create a spinoff of its recently cancelled hit, "Roseanne."  ABC canned the series after a series of controversial tweets by the show's star, Roseanne Barr.

"Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Set 2: Stardust Crusaders" Coming on Blu-ray

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE HOME MEDIA RELEASE OF JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE SET 2: STARDUST CRUSADERS

The STARDUST CRUSADERS Anime Series Arrives This Summer As A Limited Edition Blu-ray Set

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, delivers Season 2 of the action-driven, multigenerational anime series with the home media release of JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE SET 2: STARDUST CRUSADERS on July 3rd, 2018.

The new set will be available on DVD and as a Limited Edition Blu-ray Set. Each multi-disc set contains 24 episodes (Episodes 27-50) and notable bonus features exclusive to the Blu-ray release. Based on Hirohiko Araki’s bestselling manga, JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE brings to life the outlandish characters, wild humor, and frenetic battles that the series is known for.

The JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE SET 2: STARDUST CRUSADERS Limited Edition Blu-ray Set will carry an MSRP of $69.99 U.S. / $81.99 CAN. Set 2 contains four discs as well as a 105-page episode guide and six full-color collectible art cards. Notable bonus features include English voice cast interviews, a digital art gallery, series trailers, and a segment on the JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE fandom.

The Standard Edition DVD Set will carry an MSRP of $39.99 U.S. / $52.99 CAN and features series trailers.

English dubbed as well as English subtitled dialogue options are available for both formats. JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE features a talented English language voice cast that includes Patrick Seitz (Dio), Richard Epcar (Older Joseph), and Christopher Tergliafera (Avdol).

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE SET 2: STARDUST CRUSADERS is set in murderous motion with the surfacing of a single casket. When salvagers unwittingly revive an undead evil, an extraordinary family experiences an awakening of new and unusual metaphysical powers. Now, it’s up to a British-American grandfather, his Japanese grandson, and a band of unlikely fighters to shake their dark pasts and fight for a brighter future.

Set forty-nine years after “Battle Tendency,” the saga of the Joestar bloodline continues in STARDUST CRUSADERS with the bizarre trek of the teenage Jotaro as he is thrust into the supernatural world of Stands. Armed with knowledge of his family’s storied past and unique fighting abilities thanks to his grandfather, Jotaro learns his mother’s connection to the Joestar family’s nemesis DIO—long buried at sea—is slowly killing her. To save her and stop DIO’s plans of complete Joestar eradication, Jotaro and crew set out to locate and destroy DIO. Meeting them at every step is DIO’s own Stand assassins, eager to slaughter each and every member of the Joestar crew. The multigenerational struggle against evil may be far from over, but the Joestars are more ready than ever.

VIZ Media is the master distributor for the JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE anime series and publishes print and digital editions of the JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE manga series (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens). VIZ Media is also the North American master merchandise licensee for JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE.

For additional information on JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE and other anime and manga titles distributed and published by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Amblin Partners Announces Sam Mendes Film, "1917"

Sam Mendes to Make Self-Penned WW1 Drama 1917 for Amblin

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oscar winning director Sam Mendes brings his World War I film, 1917, to Amblin Partners. Mendes, who wrote the original script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, will direct and produce the film. Pippa Harris, Mendes’ producing partner at Neal Street Productions, will also produce.

    “I couldn’t be happier to be back working with Amblin and Steven Spielberg again, alongside Donna Langley and all at Universal. I’ve been working on this script for over a year, so it’s very exciting to start making the movie itself a reality.”

Production is targeting an April 2019 start for a US release in December 2019 through Amblin’s distribution partner, Universal Pictures.

1917 marks a reunion for Mendes and the Steven Spielberg-led Amblin Partners. The British director made his first feature, the Oscar winning American Beauty, under the DreamWorks Pictures label, followed by two other productions – Road to Perdition and Revolutionary Road. Mendes most recently directed the last two movies in the James Bond franchise, Spectre and Skyfall.

Said Sam Mendes: “I couldn’t be happier to be back working with Amblin and Steven Spielberg again, alongside Donna Langley and all at Universal. I’ve been working on this script for over a year, so it’s very exciting to start making the movie itself a reality.”

Said Steven Spielberg: “Our company has been a home for Sam since his first film. I am so happy to have him back here in his old room spinning new stories – especially this hugely daring and ambitious new movie.”

CAA Media Finance packaged the film and brokered the deal.


About Amblin Partners
Amblin Partners is a content creation company, led by Steven Spielberg, that develops and produces films using the Amblin, DreamWorks and Participant Media banners and includes Amblin TV, a longtime leader in quality programming. The company’s investment partners include: Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment, Entertainment One (eOne), Alibaba Pictures and Universal Pictures.

About Neal Street Productions
Neal Street Productions was formed in 2003 by Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris and Caro Newling, and Nicolas Brown joined in 2013 to work across the film and TV portfolio. The company has been successful in film, theatre and television with hit movies including Revolutionary Road, Jarhead and Starter for 10.

Their diverse television slate includes the award-winning Stuart A Life Backwards, with Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, three series of Penny Dreadful starring Josh Hartnett, Eva Green, Timothy Dalton and Rory Kinnear, and the hugely successful Call the Midwife. The show regularly gains over 10m viewers, it is the UK’s most watched TV drama series and it has been voted the Best Drama of the 21st Century in the BFI & Radio Times Festival Audience Poll. Neal Street also produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning The Hollow Crown - a series of Shakespeare films for the BBC/PBS - starring Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons, and a second series; The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench, Hugh Bonneville, Keeley Hawes and Sophie Okonedo. Other TV projects include Britannia, a major new original drama series written by Jez Butterworth starring Kelly Reilly, Zoe Wanamaker and David Morrissey, for Sky and Amazon, and contemporary thriller, Informer, starring Paddy Considine, Bel Powley and Nabhaan Rizwan which will air on BBC and Amazon in 2018.

On the theatre side, current productions include The Lehman Trilogy directed by Sam Mendes starring Simon Russell Beale which will be opening at the National Theatre in July 2018, The Ferryman written by Jez Butterworth, which, following its sell-out run and 5* reviews at both the Royal Court and the Gielgud Theatre in London will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway in October 2018, The Moderate Soprano at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, and Shrek The Musical which is touring across the UK throughout 2018/19. Neal Street Productions is an All3Media company, All3Media is owned jointly between Discovery Communications and Liberty Global.

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Image Comics, Mark Millar Announce Huge Sales for "The Magic Order"

MILLAR REVEALS ANOTHER HIT SERIES UP HIS SLEEVE IN THE MAGIC ORDER

PORTLAND, OR — Comics titan Mark Millar and Olivier Coipel (Amazing Spider-Man, Thor) launched Netflix’s THE MAGIC ORDER #1 last week to overwhelming critical acclaim and fan enthusiasm and, as reported upon by Deadline.com, broke industry records with some of the highest pre-order numbers in two decades.

"An important note to retailers: There will be no second printing on The Magic Order #2. Just like #1, we want to create a huge excitement on the day so that people who get their copy feel extra lucky,” said Mark Millar. “What you order this weekend is what you get, but, as always, there is no risk to retailers, as this comic is returnable."

We live in a world where we’ve never seen a monster, and The Magic Order is the reason we sleep safely in our beds. Magic meets the mob in THE MAGIC ORDER, as five families of magicians—sworn to protect our world for generations—must battle an enemy who’s picking them off one by one. By day, they live among us as our neighbors, friends, and co-workers, but by night, they are the sorcerers, magicians, and wizards that protect us from the forces of darkness… unless the darkness gets them first.

THE MAGIC ORDER #1 will remain 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.

THE MAGIC ORDER #2 Cover A by Coipel (Diamond Code MAY180197), THE MAGIC ORDER #2 Cover B by Coipel (Diamond Code MAY180198), THE MAGIC ORDER #2 Cover C by Grampá (Diamond Code MAY188623) will be available on Wednesday, July 18th, 2018. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, June 25th, 2018.

Select praise for THE MAGIC ORDER:

“There are few creators that do big and broad as well as Mark Millar.” —Newsarama

“I’m gonna give it to you straight. This is a comic you’ll definitely want to read, no matter what genre you’re into. I’ve heard people describe this as mobster Harry Potter but honestly, it’s so much more than that.” —Impulse Gamer

“Excellent world-building, gorgeous art, and breakneck pacing.” —Monkeys Fighting Robots

“If you ever wanted an R rated version of the world outside Hogwarts, you'd be hard pressed to find a better story than this one. Every page contains details as juicy as a Kardashian rumor mill. The writing is ripe with tantalizing new ideas and concepts. The art is dark and wondrous.” —Black Nerd Problems

“Completely shattered my expectations and is a book you absolutely can't miss this week. This was tremendously entertaining.” —Lyles Movie Files

“A great first issue that will definitely leave you wanting more. The Magic Order is fantastic.” —Outright Geekery

“This is a very strong first issue and Ireally hope Netflix make this one into a television series because it is definitely the sort of thing that I'd watch.” —SciFi Pulse


ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, 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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BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for June 20, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

APR181134    FENCE #7    $3.99
FEB181234    GIANT DAYS TP EXTRA CREDIT    $14.99
APR181131    JIM HENSON FRAGGLE ROCK #2 MAIN    $3.99
APR181132    JIM HENSON FRAGGLE ROCK #2 SUBSCRIPTION MYLER CONNECTING CVR    $3.99
APR181097    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #28 MAIN SG    $3.99
APR181098    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #28 SUBSCRIPTION GIBSON VAR SG    $3.99
FEB181251    OVER GARDEN WALL ONGOING TP VOL 04    $14.99
APR181121    PLANET OF THE APES URSUS #6 MAIN & MIX    $3.99
APR181122    PLANET OF THE APES URSUS #6 SUBSCRIPTION CAREY VAR    $3.99
APR181094    REGULAR SHOW 25 YEARS LATER #1    $3.99
APR181095    REGULAR SHOW 25 YEARS LATER #1 SUBSCRIPTION CLOSSER VAR    $3.99
FEB181226    SISTERS OF SORROW TP    $14.99
APR181152    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #17    $3.99
APR181153    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #17 SUBSCRIPTION OMAC VAR    $3.99
APR181117    WWE #18    $3.99
APR181118    WWE #18 RICHES ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
APR181119    WWE #18 SCHOONOVER RAW CONNECTING VAR    $3.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 20, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

APR180022    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #3 MAIN CVR    $3.99
APR180023    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #3 VAR CHO CVR    $3.99
APR180011    BTVS SEASON 12 THE RECKONING #1 (OF 4) CVR A HANS    $3.99
APR180012    BTVS SEASON 12 THE RECKONING #1 (OF 4) CVR B JEANTY    $3.99
APR180013    BTVS SEASON 12 THE RECKONING #1 (OF 4) CVR C MOLINE ULTRA    $3.99
APR180040    ETHER COPPER GOLEMS #2 (OF 5)    $3.99
APR180041    ETHER COPPER GOLEMS #2 (OF 5) VAR POPE CVR    $3.99
FEB180037    HELLBOY OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 STRANGE PLACES    $24.99
DEC170073    LEGEND OF ZELDA ENCYCLOPEDIA DLX ED HC    $79.99
DEC170068    LEGEND OF ZELDA ENCYCLOPEDIA HC    $39.99
FEB180056    STEPHEN MCCRANIES SPACE BOY TP VOL 01    $10.99
APR180037    USAGI YOJIMBO #4 (OF 7) THE HIDDEN    $3.99
APR180070    WITCHFINDER GATES OF HEAVEN #2 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99