Manga publisher Go! Comi announced today that they will be publishing one of the most hotly-anticipated new manga series, 07-Ghost.

Set in a gothic fantasy world, 07-Ghost tells the story of Teito, a former slave who is now pursued by the forces of the Barsburg Empire because of his exceptional ability to use a form of magic called Zaiphon. Teito’s discovery of his true nature and his subsequent quest for revenge involve him in the affairs of the Gods themselves, as he finds himself at the center of the conflict between Verloren, the God of Death, and the mysterious “beings of light” sent by Heaven to oppose him: the Seven Ghosts.

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Gunplay GN
Platinum Studios website
Christopher Priest blog

The horror Western GN about a Buffalo soldier gets released this week, with prose backup stories by Christopher Priest.

Also this week:
Avengers: The Initiative #12
Black Panther: Little Green Men TP. Written by Hudlin.
Fantastic Four: The Beginning of the End TP. Written by McDuffie.
New Warriors #11. Written by Grevioux.
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski Premiere HC V1. Pencils by Coipel.
Blackbeard Legacy #3 (of 4)
Gold Digger: Tangent #4. By Perry.
Justice For Hire #3 (of 12)

Other notable comics:
Blue Beetle #26. The Spanish-language issue.
DC Universe Zero. The big set-up to Final Crisis and the year to come in the DCU, priced at only 50 cents.
Secret Invasion (2nd printing) #1 (of 8)
Glamourpuss #1. The return of small press legend Dave Sim in a brand new series.
Magic Pickle GN. A re-release of this wonderful kids’ adventure comic by Scott Morse.

I’m sorry for being behind on stuff. This past month has been extremely difficult for me personally, and things will continue to be hectic for me for the next few months. This blog is not my life, and while I try to keep up as best I can, reality has a nasty habit of getting in the way. I appreciate your indulgence.

Greg Rucka interviews Gary Phillips about his forthcoming comic High Rollers.

Here’s a video interview with Gail Simone where she talks about the return of Welcome to Tranquility, among other things.

This Terrence Howard interview about Iron Man contains SPOILERS.

A new Raven Gregory interview.

Jason Aaron talks about his Secret Invasion-related run on Black Panther.

MBQ creator Felipe Smith has a new gig with a Japanese mag.

And a BIG congratulations to Jamal Igle and his wife Karine on the birth of their daughter Catherine!

SAN JOSE, CA – April, 2008 – DrMaster Publications proudly announces the production of the highly anticipated picture book by internationally acclaimed video game designer Yasushi Suzuki (a.k.a. – D-Suzuki), Goths Cage (previously titled Phantoms).

Goths Cage is an enchanting manga-esque picture book anthology of three short stories with a malicious twist of love and romance. It is based on Yasushi Suzuki’s art series that was previously released online in Japan under the name Phantoms KADAN. Suzuki-san re-adapts his art series and transforms it into a bewitching picture book with entrancing grace and charm. Each of his gothic tales is exquisitely crafted with elegant detailed illustrations that transport readers into an enchanted world of gothic glory.

In his first story, Glass Magic, Suzuki-san does a twisted take on the classic Cinderella tale. An ugly corpse-like servant girl wishes to fall in love with a prince and become a beautiful princess. Then a sinister old witch offers her a magic potion that can grant her heart’s desires, but in order for the magic to work she must abandon her soul. She gets rid of her memories, her face, and her master to become a cruelly beautiful glass princess.

In another of Suzuki’s splendidly dark tales, the shop keeper of an enchanted barbershop attends to his beautiful victim under the moonlight. He snips away at her thoughts and memories, mystically cutting away all her painful memories that scar her heart. However, because she is sapped of her thoughts and memories, all that is left is her pitiful empty body.

Prepare to be mesmerized by Yasushi Suzuki’s spine-chilling tales of love and entrancement this Fall 2008, because this enchanting collection of spellbinding illustrations and twisted tales is a must-have!

About the Creator:
Yasushi Suzuki is a world renowned video game conceptual designer and animator. His work on IKARUGA (Sega), Sin & Punishment (Nintendo), Radiant Silver Gun (Sega), and so many other games, mainly under the gaming development giant TREASURE GAMES, has earned him a following few other conceptual designers can match. He has also meticulously compiled a stunning cache of his own work history in an art book – The Art of Yasushi Suzuki, which showcases nearly 100 images, some of which were designed specifically for the collection, including art from the video games Ikaruga (Sega), and Sin & Punishment (Nintendo), as well as cover art from the Japanese language version of George R.R. Martin’s New York Times bestselling novel series, A Song of Ice and Fire.

Availability
Goths Cage will be available October 2008, and will be priced at $12.95. All 32 pages of the hardcover book will be printed in full-color.

About DrMaster Publications Inc.:
DrMaster Publications Inc. is a uniquely quirky publishing company that was started in 2004. Specializing in bringing interesting graphic novels from Japan and China, across the Pacific for American audiences, DrMaster Publications offers a myriad of titles to cater to its various niche readers. The company is what some may call a boutique publisher, which tailors each its titles to suit every reader’s unique desires. Ranging from side-splitting comedies and heart-wrenching dramas to explosive action adventures and enchanting fantasies, DrMaster books provide a glimpse into a new realm as seen through the eyes of the authors and artists. You don’t just read a DrMaster book-it jolts you to life, as you are propelled through the pages.

Please visit www.drmasterbooks.com for information on our current and upcoming titles. And feel free to tour the site. Regular updates will follow as our line of “masterful” comic series expands.

About DGN Productions International:
DGN Productions (Digital Graphic Novel Productions) is a newly-formed production company and studio made up of industry veterans within the comics and video game industries. Through strategic licensing of key comic book titles and the use of recognized industry professionals within the fields of animation and video game development, DGN Pro. Intl. is dedicated to producing cutting-edge video games, comics and animated features adapted from some the biggest and brightest in Hong Kong, Japanese and Korean comic book properties. DGN Productions Intl. was founded June 2004 and is based in Fremont, California.

Yen’s first big announcement came via email today: they’ve acquired the rights to the Haruhi Suzumiya manga and light novels, which will begin publication in October 2008. Details below.

Yen Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA, today announced that it will publish the first official English-language manga edition of Japan’s hottest property, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Acquired from well-known Japanese publisher Kadokawa Shoten, the manga series will be adapted into English from the original Japanese manga volumes illustrated by Gaku Tsugano. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Volume 1 will launch in October 2008 with both full-color and black-and-white illustrations. Subsequent volumes in the series will be published every four months. Available at major bookstores and comic book retailers, each volume is rated OT (Older Teen) and will cost $10.99 at retail.

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Toronto, ON – Apr 4, 2008 – Having already successfully brought the popular Japanese anthology series ROBOT back to North America, UDON Entertainment has now partnered with Seoul Visual Works to publish the English edition of APPLE, an all-new Korean illustration and comics anthology.

APPLE stands for “A Place for People who Love Entertainment”, and features original stories and illustrations from the best creative talent Korea has to offer. Over 40 artists from the video game world are represented in APPLE Volume 1, including the artists behind the mega-hit Lineage MMORPG series, superstar Hyung-Tae Kim(Magna Carta, War of Genesis), and dozens of other pro illustrators, animators and graphic artists.

“There are so many illustrators in the video game industry who want to use their creativity outside of video game development,” says Seoul Visual Works Founder Eddie Yu. “They want to create something more personal and subjective. APPLE is a showcase for those illustrators and their personal creations. APPLE isn’t a big budget project but the creators are happy to contribute to a worthwhile project, one in which they can see what other artists are up to, learn from them, and study the current trends.”

“I have known Eddie Yu for many years,” says UDON Chief Erik Ko. “We both have the same vision of bringing Korean comics and art over to the west, and thus started KoreanManwha.com together, as well as the ICE Kunion brand. With the success of this type of anthology/art book format in ROBOT, we felt that we could put together an anthology of equal quality that highlights the best illustrators in Korea.”

“UDON means a lot to me,” continues Yu. “The studio has been there for me since the beginning, and we’ve overcome many difficulties together. Udon is not only a good partner but also a good friend.”

APPLE has already been a huge success in it’s home country of Korea, jumping to #1 on the manhwa charts at Naver.com(Korea’s most popular search portal) just 2 weeks after going on sale. The Korean edition of APPLE Volume 1 is also already on its third printing only a few months after its initial release.

The English edition of APPLE Volume 1 goes on sale everywhere May 2008, with future volumes expected to see print every 6-8 months. For more information on APPLE and a special interior preview, head to www.udonentertainment.com/apple/ .

APPLE VOLUME 1
Available: May 2008
264pgs Full Color 8 ¾” x 11 ¾” $34.95 US
ISBN: 978-1-897376-36-2
Diamond #: MAR084012

ABOUT UDON ENTERTAINMENT
(www.udonentertainment.com )
UDON is an award-winning Canadian-based art collective formed in 2000 to provide high-quality creative services to the entertainment industry. Its client list reads like a who’s who of the business and includes Alliance/Atlantis, Capcom, DC Comics, Gamepro, Harmony Gold, Hasbro, Konami, Marvel Comics, Nintendo, Random House, Score, TDK Interactive, ToyBiz, White Wolf, Wizards of the Coast and Wiz Kids amongst others. In addition to client work, UDON also produces official comics, manga, and artbooks based on Street Fighter®, Darkstalkers™, Okami and Mega Man. The company also publishes a growing Korean Manwha line, as well as the English editions of the Japanese ROBOT anthology series.

I’m glad to see that manga publishers will be making a stronger showing at this year’s Free Comic Book Day; as I noted in my report on FCBD 2007, Tokyopop was the only manga publisher to actively court comic book fans with its Choose Your Weapon sampler. This year, Gold Sponsor VIZ Media is offering a special 32-page edition of Shonen Jump highlighting Bleach, Naruto, and Slam Dunk. Not to be outdone, other manga publishers will be wooing readers with their own offerings, including:

• Antarctic Press, which will give away copies of Rod Espinosa’s Neotopia;
• Del Rey, which will distribute a sampler featuring In Odd We Trust, the highly anticipated Dean Koontz/Queenie Chan project;
• Drawn & Quarterly, which will circulate a 24-page sampler highlighting their big 2008 manga releases, Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s Good-Bye and Seiichi Hayashi’s Red Colored Elegy; and
• Yen Press, which will be unveiling a short excerpt from James Patterson’s Maxium Ride.

For more information about VIZ’s offering, read on.

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced its participation as a Gold Level Sponsor in the 2008 Free Comic Book Day, taking place May 3rd. VIZ Media is producing a special edition (rated “A” for All Ages) of SHONEN JUMP Magazine (rated ‘T’ for Teens) to be distributed for free at participating stores nationwide.

The annual occasion, developed by Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world’s largest distributor of English-language comic books, is designed for comic book retailers across North America and around the world to offer a range of select titles for free to further spread awareness of new and upcoming series and highlight the diversity of the comics and manga (graphic novel) genres.

SHONEN JUMP will publish a special, free condensed issue of the magazine to appeal to new comic book fans as well as established manga readers. The SHONEN JUMP Free Comic Book Day issue will contain 32 action-packed pages including special previews of three of VIZ Media’s most exciting serialized manga: NARUTO, BLEACH and the newly serialized SLAM DUNK as well as coverage of many of the magazine’s other popular series such as ONE PIECE and YU YU HAKUSHO, and introduce new readers to the diverse array of content the magazine offers. Longtime SHONEN JUMP fans will also love the BLEACH poster included in this special edition.

SHONEN JUMP joins a select group of ten other preeminent publishers participating in Free Comic Book Day including Archie, Bongo, Dark Horse, DC, Dynamite, IDW, Image, Marvel and Virgin. For more information on Free Comic Book Day please visit www.freecomicbookday.com.

“Despite the massive popularity of manga in the United States, there is still a huge audience waiting to experience the range of unique art and compelling stories featured in these excellent Japanese comics,” says Marc Weidenbaum, Editor-In- Chief of SHONEN JUMP. “By supporting Free Comic Book Day, we hope to get manga into as many hands as possible, and let American comic readers discover the pleasures of the ninja epic that is Masashi Kishimoto’s NARUTO, the soul-reaper action of Tite Kubo’s BLEACH, and the high-school hijinks of Takehiko Inoue’s SLAM DUNK.”

SHONEN JUMP, which celebrated its 5th anniversary earlier this year, appeals to over 1.9 million readers monthly aged 12-17 - with an average monthly circulation of over 241,000. SHONEN JUMP is the first place fans can read new chapters of the latest hit manga from Japan as titles such as NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE have two or more chapters regularly serialized each month in addition to product articles on a vast array of related video games, trading cards, animation and toys. Ardent fans appreciate the easy to read and affordable presentations of a notable array of different genres, stories and art styles, yet the magazine still offers new readers the opportunity to test several manga at once. For more information on SHONEN JUMP Magazine please visit www.shonenjump.com.

Here’s the scoop on VIZ Media’s big spring releases, including an example of comeuppance theater, a new series from Kaori “Godchild” Yuki, an old-school classic from Kazuo “Drifting Classroom” Umezu, and two series starring vampires. Yes folks, this spring… THERE WILL BE BLOOD! (Hah! Take that, Daniel Day-Lewis!)

From the VIZ Press Release:
The new releases are aimed primarily at Teen and Older Teen readers, which form the core of the manga market, and encompass a unique selection of genres ranging from action/adventure and shojo romance stories to darker, more twisted tales that exemplify the gothic and horror genres that have become extremely popular. The new series will include GUN BLAZE WEST, HARUKA: BEYOND THE STEAM OF TIME, NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR: YUMEKUI KENBUN, B.O.D.Y, FAIRY CUBE, THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMPIRE, ROSARIO+VAMPIRE, GIMMICK! and CAT EYED BOY…

GUN BLAZE WEST
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $7.99 • Available April 1, 2008
A brand new addition to the SHONEN JUMP imprint from Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of the successful samurai manga series RUROUNI KENSHIN and BUSO RENKIN (both published domestically by VIZ Media), GUN BLAZE WEST puts a new twist on the genre as it is set in 19th century America. Legend has it that in the far West lies a sacred land called Gun Blaze West, where only the strong can set foot. Viu Bannes, a cheerful and persistent boy, aspires to become a great gunslinger and yearns to travel to the West and test his strength. He befriends a vagabond, Marcus Homer, and they both decide to set off on a journey to find Gun Blaze West. The new title is VIZ Media’s first Western/Wild West series and will also be previewed in SHONEN JUMP magazine. Nobuhiro Watsuki’s critically acclaimed previous series RUROUNI KENSHIN is a fan favorite that has sold more than 1.1 million copies in North America and his BUSO RENKIN series likewise enjoys a wide and growing following.

HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available April 1, 2008
HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME is a highly anticipated new series based on a popular PS2 and Nintendo DS video game that is hugely popular in Japan. Akane is your typical teenage girl, until she swallows eight Dragon Jewels and is transported to the Heian period of ancient Japan! There in the Capital City, Akane learns that she has been preordained to lead the people as the Priestess of the Dragon God. But all is not well: Akram, the head of the Demon Clan, has sworn death and destruction on the Capital. So Akane is appointed Eight Guardians to stand by her side as she faces the danger that waits. HARUKA: BEYOND THE STREAM OF TIME is a new addition to VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint and is currently being serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine. The original Haruka video game was created by Ruby Party (aka Ruby Patty), the same group that designed the wildly popular Neoromance video game Angelique, and helped to define the modern Neoromance dating RPG format. Bandai Visual USA is also releasing the anime in April 2008.

NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR: YUMEKUI KENBUN
Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available April 8, 2008
For those who suffer nightmares, help awaits at the Silver Star Tea House, where patrons can order much more than just Darjeeling. Hiruko is a special kind of private investigator, he’s a dream eater, and he’ll rid you of your darkest vision – for a price. Each chapter of NIGHMARE INSPECTOR is a self-contained story that offers a glimpse of mankind’s folly and gradually reveals a little more about Hiruko and his dark past. A highly anticipated new series with a gothic edge, NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR was published in Japan by Square Enix, the publisher of the first manga series from Shin Mashiba. Fan-buzz has abounded on this series and comparisons have been made to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and DC’s classic House of Mystery/House of Secrets.

B.O.D.Y.
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available April 8, 2008
Everyone thinks 16-year-old Sakura has weird taste in guys because she can’t stop drooling over Ryunosuke, the strong silent type who sits next to her in class. When she discovers he works for a host club, where women actually pay men to date them, will she finally wise up? Will he leave his job to be with her? Or will she take a job at the club so he can quit so she can be with him so…? Only one thing’s for sure in B.O.D.Y. - you can’t put a price on love! B.O.D.Y. originally appeared in the Japanese shojo monthly Bessatsu Margaret was created by Ao Mimori. It is her third shojo manga series and is also currently serialized in SHOJO BEAT magazine.

FAIRY CUBE
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $8.99 • Available May 6, 2008
Ian and Rin used to just see spirits. Now Ian is one. Using the Fairy Cube, Ian must figure out how to stop the lizard spirit Tokage from taking over his life and destroying any chance he has of resurrection. FAIRY CUBE is the long-awaited new series from gothic manga mastermind Kaori Yuki, who created ANGEL SANCTUARY, GODCHILD, and THE CAIN SAGA (all published by VIZ Media). A new addition to VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint, FAIRY CUBE will be previewed in the April 2008 issue of SHOJO BEAT magazine.

THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMPIRE
Rated “T” for Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available May 13, 2008
Thousands of years ago, Vampire King Akabara Rosered Strauss lost both his kingdom and his queen. Since humans were unable to kill the queen, they sealed her away, erecting thousands of fake seals so that the king would never find her true location. Despite being pursued by relentless humans and half-vampires alike, Akabara continues to search for his queen to this day. Akabara’s quest takes a sinister turn when an entity called the Black Swan appears. The Black Swan inhabits the body of a young human girl every 50 years, giving her the power to destroy the Vampire King and his queen. With each incarnation the Black Swan grows stronger –will the 49th Black Swan mean the end of Akabara? THE RECORD OF A FALLEN VAMIRE is illustrated by Yuri Kimura and written by Kyo Shirodaira, the award-winning writer behind the popular mystery manga and animated series SPIRAL – BONDS OF REASONING.

ROSARIO + VAMPIRE
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available May 13, 2008
All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one, but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’, are those her teeth around his neck too? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in hell of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but between vampires and the werewolves? Find out in the new series from Akihisa Ikeda.

GIMMICK!
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $9.99 • Available June 10, 2008
Gimmick! is an interesting new series by Youzaburou Kanari and focuses on Kohei Nagase, a genius in the realm of movie make-up and special effects. With his stuntman buddy Kannazuki, Kohei helps various people in need get out of tough situations through the use of his brilliant make-up skills. This series has action, mystery, and lots of insights about the technical aspects that go into doing really cool movie make-up.

CAT EYED BOY
Rated “T+” for Older Teens • MSRP: $24.99 • Available June 17, 2008
Cat Eyed Boy is a half-human, half-monster child whose mostly human appearance bans him from the demon world. He lives hidden in the shadows of the human world, hated by humans and demons alike. Wherever he goes, awful events occur as the humans and demons interact. In 11 stories of revenge and retribution full of disturbing images, Cat Eyed Boy acts as a trickster, saving the innocent and helping the wicked receive the punishment that fate metes out. The first volume contains four stories and the first part of a fifth and longer story. CAT EYED BOY was created by Kazuo Umezu, the undisputed master of Japanese horror manga and creator of the critically acclaimed DRIFTING CLASSROOM (also published by VIZ Media). Cat Eyed Boy offers up a concoction of dark vignettes dripping with the macabre and the absurd.

The New York Center for Independent Publishing is sponsoring a graphic novel symposium this Saturday here in New York City:

The SPLAT! Symposium will provide an enjoyable, intensive educational forum for the publishing community, educators, librarians, and people eager to find out more about the comics universe. It will also supply prospective creators with a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to be a graphic novelist. There will be three different tracks of panels, seminars, and workshops, followed by the SPLAT! Reception with Scott McCloud.

WHEN: Saturday, March 15th, from 8am to 7:30pm
WHERE: The New York Center for Independent Publishing
General Society Library
20 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
ADMISSION: $125 Standard / $100 Members / $75 Students (register online)

For more information, including a schedule of events:
http://www.nycip.org/graphicnovelsymposium/index.php

There will be three tracks of panels, one for professionals, one for creators, and one for teachers and librarians:

TRACK 1: EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GRAPHIC NOVELS
TRACK 2: SO YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO CREATE A GRAPHIC NOVEL
TRACK 3: GRAPHIC NOVELS ON THE SHELVES AND IN THE CLASSROOM

Guests include: Jim Killen (Barnes and Noble); David Saylor (Scholastic), Raina Telgemeier (The Baby-Sitters Club), Ted Rall (Attitude), CB Cebulski (Marvel Comics); Bob Mecoy (Bob Mecoy Literary Agency); R. Sikoryak (The Seduction of Mike); Nick Bertozzi (The Salon);and Charles Brownstein (CBLDF).

I will be in attendance, covering the symposium for PCS and Ninjaconsultant.com.

Torrance, Calif. March 7, 2008 – Celebrating the HARUKA: Beyond the Stream of Time – A Tale of the Eight Guardians Premier and Director Aki Tsunaki’s attendance, Bandai Visual USA announces the details of HARUKA related events, activities and show exclusives at Sakura-Con 2008.

Saturday, March 29
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Haruka Panel (Room 611-614)
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Autograph Session (Room 4B)

Sunday, March 30
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Director Panel (Room 611-614)

For the Haruka Panel (Q & A) on March 29th, VIZ Media Manga Editor Carol Fox and Director Aki Tsunaki are both scheduled to participate in the discussion, which will explore both the anime and manga incarnations of HARUKA.

Also, authentic reproduction cels made by Yumeta Company, the studio that created the anime, will be on display and will be first made available for purchase at Sakura-Con 2008 and will then be sold on dot-anime.us beginning late March. Hand crafted traditional Japanese animation cels are increasingly becoming a rare collector’s item and are available in strictly limited quantities only. There are nine different designs, eight featuring each of the Eight Guardians and one more, which feature Akram and Akane.

Along with cels, Bandai Visual USA will also sell advance copies of HARUKA Vol. 1 DVD and the manga Vol.1, published domestically by VIZ Media, at the Broccoli/Bandai Visual Booths #314, 316, 415, and 417. A specially made HARUKA Japanese style fan will be the exclusive gift for those who purchase HARUKA DVD at Sakura-Con.

For more information on HARUKA DVD please visit our official website at http://www.bandaivisual.us/haruka/

HARUKA manga, rated T+ (for Older teens) is serialized in VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT Magazine reaching over 130,000 readers each month via subscription and on newsstands nationwide. For more information please visit www.shojobeat.com or www.viz.com.

BANDAI VISUAL USA INC. was established in 2005 as a wholly owned subsidiary of BANDAI VISUAL CO., LTD. with a mission to facilitate stronger, more active involvement in positioning, marketing and distribution of BANDAI VISUAL programs in North America. From its base in Torrance, California, BANDAI VISUAL USA seeks to form new alliances and reinforce existing ties in an effort to strengthen BANDAI VISUAL’s international presence as a producer and content provider in the ever expanding and diversified specialty programs market.

VANCOUVER, BC — For the first time, the Vancouver Art Gallery will bring the worlds of anime, comics, cartoons, video games, manga, graphic novels and contemporary art together in one exhibition. Offering an innovative and dynamic survey, KRAZY! The Delirious World of Anime + Comics + Video Games + Art reveals the uniqueness of each medium, while uncovering their histories, interrelations and future trajectories. On view from May 17 to September 7, 2009, the exhibition is co-curated by some of the art forms’ most influential artists and cultural producers, including Maus author Art Spiegelman, The Sims creator Will Wright, comic artist Seth and animated feature film director Tim Johnson. Conceived and developed by Vancouver Art Gallery senior curator Bruce Grenville, the exhibition will travel to a New York City arts institution in March 2009.

“The Vancouver Art Gallery is committed to fostering new and dynamic understandings of visual culture. With the exhibition KRAZY!, we seized a tremendous opportunity to forward the study of some of the world’s fastest growing art forms,” said Kathleen Bartels, director of the Vancouver Art Gallery. “Despite the pervasive presence of these media, little has been done to assess the ties that bind them. By offering an interdisciplinary account in a major survey exhibition for the first time, we will illuminate their importance as a sustained cultural force.”

One of the largest exhibitions ever organized by the Gallery, KRAZY! will occupy two entire floors of gallery space and is designed in collaboration with Tokyo-based architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow—a design team renowned for their understanding of informal culture and ability to enhance communal visual experiences. Divided into seven sections defined by medium, the exhibition takes viewers through ever-changing gallery environments, which include a mini-theatre for viewing animated cartoons and anime, immersive video spaces and innovative reading environments for visitors to experience a deluge of manga, graphic novels and comics. Built to ensure visitors are exposed to the full breath of the media, the exhibition comprises more than 600 artworks, including original sketches, concept drawings, sketchbooks, storyboards, production drawings, films, video games, animation cels, three dimensional models, sculptures, books, manga and much more.

The artists and works in the exhibition were selected by a group of co-curators, including Bruce Grenville, the exhibition’s coordinating curator and curator of the visual arts section; Tim Johnson, curator of animated cartoons; Kiyoshi Kusumi, curator of manga and anime; Seth, curator of comics and graphic novels; Art Spiegelman, curator of comics and graphic novels; Toshiya Ueno, curator of manga and anime; and Will Wright, curator of video games. Each curator was invited on the strength of their unique knowledge of their particular field, favoring practitioners, artists and cultural producers who are highly regarded for their work. Using their strong historical knowledge, each curator was asked to select a small group of artists who had made a significant contribution through a particular work or body of work. To give the overall selection historical context, curators selected precursors in their respective fields, artists who had established their given genres and artists who are leading the way to the future.

“The co-curators, who are also co-authors in the publication that accompanies the exhibition, are among the most active and sought-after practitioners in their respective fields. Despite their own vigorous workloads they shared their extraordinary insight and experience of this art,” said curator Bruce Grenville. “No one person could have selected the work in this show, but collectively we have drawn a new map of the world of visual culture.”

KRAZY! is a rare opportunity to see artworks that have shaped the history of contemporary visual culture, including Art Spiegelman’s drawings for the first three-page version of his Pulitzer prize-winning Maus; George Herriman’s last three drawings for Krazy Kat; Lotte Reiniger’s 1927 The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the first feature-length animated cartoon; a sneak preview of Will Wright’s groundbreaking video game Spore; and an extraordinary selection of drawings from Yuichi Yokoyama’s latest manga, New Engineering. The exhibition also includes works by Moyoco Anno, Lynda Barry, Marcel Broodthaers, Chester Brown, Cao Fei, Milt Gross, Pierre Huyghe, Ichiro Itano, Tim Johnson, Yoko Kanno, Satoshi Kon, Harvey Kurtzman, John Lasseter, Roy Lichtenstein, Christian Marclay, Winsor McCay, Sid Meier, Shigeru Miyamoto, Junko Mizuno, Mamoru Nagano, Claes Oldenburg, Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo, Nick Park, Raymond Pettibon, Seth, Iwatani Toru, Chris Ware, Masaaki Yuasa and many more.

American Express, the presenting sponsor of the Gallery’s landmark 2004 exhibition Massive Change: The Future of Global Design, partners with the institution again, providing the largest corporate sponsorship ever secured by the Gallery.

“American Express is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Vancouver Art Gallery’s KRAZY! exhibit, and to play a role in bringing this unique survey of contemporary visual art to the public,” said Denise Pickett, President & CEO, American Express Canada Inc. “We want to help enrich our diverse culture by supporting and celebrating a broad range of arts and culture, and KRAZY! offers a perspective on contemporary visual culture that gives us an opportunity to do just that.”

The Gallery also greatly appreciates the significant contribution provided by the exhibition’s supporting sponsor Vancouver Foundation.

The Curatorial Team

Bruce Grenville (Coordinating Curator and Curator – Visual Arts)
Bruce Grenville is senior curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He has organized many innovative exhibitions, including Massive Change: The Future of Global Design an exhibition which described a new world of design in which the goals and means of production had radically changed for the better; The Uncanny: Experiments in Cyborg Culture, a thematic survey of the image of the human machine in art and popular culture from the early 19th century to the present; and The Post-Colonial Landscape Project, a six year series of exhibitions and a book which examined the land and its representation within the colonial and post-colonial state.

Tim Johnson (Curator – Animated Cartoons)
Tim Johnson is an animator and feature film director. He made his feature-length directorial debut in 1998 with DreamWorks first computer animated feature, Antz (1998), starring the voices of Woody Allen, Sharon Stone and Sylvester Stallone. His most recent film, Over the Hedge (2006), was both a critical and commercial success and further solidified Johnson’s reputation as one of the preeminent animation directors in Hollywood.

Kiyoshi Kusumi (Curator – Manga and Anime)
Kiyoshi Kusumi is a freelance writer and cultural critic. He was formerly the editor-in-chief of the Japanese art journal, BT Magazine. Kusumi is currently the editor of the Japanese manga magazine Comickers and is credited with identifying and naming the Nouvelle Manga movement. He is an established art critic and cultural theorist and is considered a global authority on manga.

Seth (Curator – Comics)
Seth is the pen name of Gregory Gallant, a Canadian comic book artist and writer. Considered one of the best cartoonists of the past decade, Seth’s distinctive style has been featured in The Washington Post, Details, The New York Times, Spin and The New Yorker. Drawn and Quarterly has published his work in both comic book and graphic novel format and he has contributed cover illustrations for a diverse range of publications, including Fantagraphics’ best selling Complete Peanuts series.

Art Spiegelman (Curator – Graphic Novels)
Art Spiegelman is an American comic artist, editor and critic, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic memoir, Maus. Spiegelman has been instrumental in the development of the comic medium, both for his support of emerging comic artists and for his role in creating a broader acceptance of comics as an art form. Spiegelman is currently the editor of a children’s comic anthology, Little Lit, and has recently completed a compilation of his New Yorker submissions called Kisses from New York.

Toshiya Ueno (Curator – Manga and Anime)
Toshiya Ueno is a sociologist, media theorist and critic who lives and works in Japan and Amsterdam. He is currently an associate professor in the Expressive Cultures Department at Wako University, Tokyo. He has written numerous articles, essays and reviews on media, rock/pop music, film, contemporary art, architecture and urban design.

Will Wright (Curator – Video Games)
Will Wright is an American computer game designer and co-founder of the game development company, Maxis. He is best known for creating groundbreaking and genre defining computer games like SimCity and The Sims. His upcoming release, Spore, is the most highly anticipated computer game of the past decade and the game’s scope and level of player interactivity are expected to revolutionize the video game industry. He is considered an industry pioneer and one of the most influential and innovative designers of our time.