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New York Comic Con 2008 New York Comic Con weekend happened to be the first weekend of real spring weather in New York…and something of springtime's sunny optimism energized the entire show. Imagine a convention as dynamic and epic as San Diego, but as casual and friendly as a Friday-night party at your local comic shop. NYCC has finally come into its own, and, as you might expect from a New York show, with a special independence and eccentric style. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booths and came to the Del Rey Manga panel to hear these license announcements:
X-Men/Wolverine character art Our panel also saw the IPO of the first official character designs for our X-Men and Wolverine manga. And now we have officially sanctioned titles, so we don't, as the creators and I have been doing, have to keep referring to X-Men as The X-Manga. X-Men: Misfits is a shojo-style story, written by Raina Telgemeier (The Babysitter's Club graphic novels) and Dave Roman (Agnes Quill and Astronaut Elementary), and with art by Anzu (more on her American debut, The Reformed, below). Here's our heroine, Kitty Pryde; Bobby Drake (Iceman), one of her love interests and Nightcrawler (the first friend she makes at Professor X's school)…and Beast, an especially eccentric professor. (Click each image to enlarge.)
Wolverine: Prodigal Son is more shonen-inspired, with a story by Antony Johnston (Wasteland) and art by Wilson Tortosa (the Tomb Raider graphic novels). Here's Wilson's revision of Wolverine, and two new characters created by Antony. (Click each image to enlarge.)
The Reformed—In Stores May 24, 2008 Perhaps the best way to bring you into the gloriously morbid world of Chris Hart and Anzu's The Reformed—a noirish vampire romance—is to introduce you to a few of its most prominent denizens, and to some exclusive all-new pieces of art from illustrator Anzu.
Air Gear Cosplay Contest @ American Cosplay Paradise Our friends at American Cosplay Paradise are running a contest for the best Air Gear-related costumes. Go to their site for contest details. The deadline for showing off your costumes—and polishing your Air Treck skills—is June 23, 2008. New release spotlight: Toto, Maid Machinegun Toto: The Wonderful Adventure by Yuko Osada may be the most aptly named manga ever. This book is a "wonderful adventure" in every way, and draws on just about every great adventure story from the last hundred years: You can find touches of Dragonball Z, Miyazaki, Tintin, the Goonies, and the Wizard of Oz in its goofy, glorious pages. It's also been lighting up the blogosphere with stellar reviews. Look for it in stores now! Sure, every American otaku is fully acquainted with Japan's maid madness, from Emma to elaborate cosplay. But how much do you really know about maid culture? In Maid Machinegun by Aaliyah—told in the form of a maid waitress's blog—you'll get an inside look at maid café life, from the perspective of a super-cute teenaged maid! Check it out anywhere books or comics are sold May 20, 2008! And after Aaliyah's acquainted you with the ins and outs of Akihabara maid café culture, show off your new maid skills at Kinokuniya's Maid Day event, coming soon to New York City's Kinokuniya store! Details to come soon! Go, Team Manga! Our powerhouse marketing manager, Ali T. Kokmen, recently made an appearance at a library in Elizabeth, NJ, along with Janna Morishima and manga artists Yali Lin and Misako Rocks! Check out a few photos of the next generation of manga fans and creators. (Photographs courtesy of and © Kyo Morishima Photography.) Does your library love manga? Drop us a line and let us know!
Finally, at Random House's Take Your Kids to Work Day, our very own Dallas Middaugh did his part by dressing up as the Cat in the Hat. I can't say anything that this picture doesn't say for itself:
KASUMI contest At Del Rey Manga, we get a lot of submissions, but no submission was an easier "Yes! Yes! Yes! I must have this!" than this one: Kasumi, an original manga written by Surt Lim, with art by Hirofumi Sugimoto. Sometimes a good 90% of being an editor is just having the astounding good fortune for projects like this one to show up on your desk. First, there's the amazing storytelling from Surt Lim, a debut author whose gifts are just as supernatural of those of her characters. The story: an epic shojo saga about teens with superpowers, ancient gods, and stirring high school drama, featuring a lovable heroine, Kasumi, who has the power to turn invisible when she holds her breath. It's as if Hayao Miyazaki had re-written Heroes. Surt has such a big imagination, in reading her scripts, it's a challenge to imagine how any artist could possibly have the big-budget skills to pull off some of the spectacular set pieces…and still have the right touch for Surt's warm sense of humor and careful characterization. But genius Japanese artist Hirofumi Sugimoto has the talent and then some. His gorgeous and elegant art elevates Kasumi to a whole new level. This transatlantic creative team is redefining what "global manga" means—and is on the verge of producing a new world manga classic! Stand out from the crowd—be among the first to read Kasumi! E-mail us, and if you're one of ten lucky readers, you'll get a copy of the Kasumi book. But with great power comes great responsibility: You'll have to write in and tell us what you think! Send your emails to delreymanga@randomhouse.com with KASUMI in the subject line, including your full name and address in the body of the e-mail (NOTE: your personal information will not be used for any purpose other than this contest). Ten (10) lucky winners will be selected at random and will receive a copy of the book when it is published. All submissions must be received by Wednesday, June 11, 2008. HARIDAMA contest results I'm pleased to present to you the class of 2008: the winners of our Haridama: Magic Cram School contest! Jennifer Stoddard (Sacramento, CA)
Tricia Narwani IN STORES IN MAY
Kokuyo and Harika are a little unusual—and not just because they're sorcery students. They're Obsidians, wizards who must use enchanted swords to help them cast spells. Their fellow students think Obsidians are inferior to "normal" wizards. But Kokuyo and Harika have something that their cohorts don't: the power of friendship!
 HELL GIRL 2 by Miyuki Eto. Original Story by the Jigoku Shoujo Project The Hell Girl is the ultimate avenger. Go to her website at midnight, enter the name of your tormentor, and the Hell Girl will destroy your enemy. Some who turn to the Hell Girl are evil (the figure skater who'll stop at nothing to win); others are good people at the end of their rope (the girl who saves her sister from an abusive nanny). But the price of revenge is the same for all: eternal torment in hell! Najika's dreams are coming true: She's in the finals of a national dessert contest and has found her Flan Prince. But then life goes from sweet to sour as she makes a startling discovery—and loses her sense of taste! The new novel from Del Rey Manga reveals the tell-all diary of a new maid (a.k.a. waitress) at a hopping maid café in In Tokyo's Akihabara district. Nina has a crush on Ichî, a cute boy wizard. But she also likes Zero, his best friend. Nina can't seem to choose between these two charmers. But when Zero sneaks a kiss, Nina is more confused than ever. Nicori is an adorable toy who has come to life and given his owner—the shy, sweet Ame—a reason to believe in herself. But now that Nicori has become an international celebrity, a ruthless kidnapper is after him!
Ginko is a mushishi, one of a community of naturalists who protect humans from the destructive entities known as mushi. When Ginko tries to help a boy who seems to have found spring in the middle of winter, he and the boy both become victims of the life-sucking creatures. Hana is invited to visit her friend Daisuke at his family's inn at Mt. Iwate, where an abominable snowman has been sighted. Izumi can see through Daisuke's innocent country-boy act, but can he save Hana from Daisuke's advances? Nodame and Chiaki are spending Christmas in Paris, but not together. When they finally see each other again, sparks will fly—but will that be a a fire that could destroy their romance forever? Shin has been infected with a parasite, but he still can think and act for himself. Now he's been approached by two mysterious victims of the invasion: Tamiya, a beautiful schoolteacher, and Shimada, another student. What do the aliens want with humanity…and with Shin? A group of psychic teens has come to Kakeru for help: They've had a vision that he's part of their destiny. Can they believe in Kakeru, even if he doesn't believe in himself? Giancarlo is a vampire who has lived for centuries subsisting on the blood of his innocent victims. But when he meets Jenny, all that changes. For a vampire with a conscience, what price salvation? Amu has three Guardian Characters, reflections of her true self. But now a fourth egg has shown up at the start of a new school year. Everything has gone wrong, and Amu has no idea who she truly wants to be. Kakashi is a small-town boy with a big dream: to travel around the world. He's so determined to leave his little island home behind that he stows away onboard a marvelous zeppelin—one that just happens to be loaded with treasure and a gang of ruthless criminals! In mere minutes, Fai will be dead, and Kurogane's only hope to save him is to make a deal with Yûko the witch, a woman he has never trusted. The deal sends Kurogane alone into the worst danger he has ever faced. The Hori women surprised everyone by defeating the deadly Tessai. But now his comrades are plotting a counterattack, with the help of a pack of vicious dogs. Three girls with special powers and a regular guy named Akina defend the town of Sakurashin from malevolent forces. But why is there so much demonic activity in this place? The truth will soon come to light! The Del Rey Manga newsletter is copyright 2008 by Del Rey Books. This newsletter may be reproduced only in its entirety, and not for profit. |
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