| August
4, 2008
Black Jack, Volume 1 Exclusive Hardcover Edition
Limited to 1,500 Copies
The news of Osamu Tezuka’s
Black Jack finally
coming to The States by virtue of Vertical, Inc. just got better.
Diamond Comic Distributors has commissioned Exclusive
Hardcover Editions of the first three volumes of the
series. Each hardcover volume sports a unique cover—different
from those of the regular soft cover editions—designed by
Vertical Art Director Peter Mendelsund, the creative genius behind
the eye-popping Dororo covers. The hardcover volumes
also include an additional story that will not be included in
the regular soft cover series. These stories have been locked
away at Tezuka Productions for decades by request of Tezuka himself,
and have only recently been re-released in Japan. Most importantly,
each Exclusive Hardcover Edition will be limited in number. Volume
1 will be limited to only 1,500 copies. Volumes 2 and 3 will be
limited to a mere 1,200 copies, and these special editions are
only available through specialty comic shops. To find the nearest
comic-book shop, visit the comic shop locator service at www.comicshoplocator.com
or call 1-800-comic book. This is the only way to get
these Black Jack exclusive editions.
|
|
| July
29, 2008
Guin 5 Brings Historic Debut Arc to Its Breathtaking
Conclusion
It’s here! The long-awaited
finale to the initial story arc of Kaoru Kurimoto’s Grand
Guignol, The Guin Saga, is now available. Not since the
seventh and final volume of Harry Potter has a fantasy book been
more anticipated. Will the mighty leopard-masked Guin’s
quest to find the legendary giant Lagon be successful? Will the
tensions within the fractious tribes of the Sem prove their undoing?
Will the femme fatale leader of the vast Mongaul army, Lady Amnelis,
get her revenge? And what of the fates of twin heirs to the fallen
kingdom of Parros, Rinda and Remus, and mercenary Istavan? The
Guin Saga, Book 5: The Marches King delivers a cataclysmic
conclusion that will leave you reeling. If you enjoy great storytelling,
fascinating characters, an entertaining mix of action, drama,
humor and suspense, then you owe it to yourself to read The
Guin Saga.
|
|
| July
22, 2008
Six Characters in Search of a Life
If you like your humor dark and
your heroes more than just flawed, then Vertical’s latest
will leave you holding your sides and appreciating all you have,
even if all you have is nothing. Author Hideo Okuda’s Lala
Pipo—hitting the stands today—collects six interrelated
stories, which star a cast of pathetic losers that would seem
right at home on Seinfeld… if the seminal comedy
were directed by porn impresario Bob Guccione. Chubby chasers,
porn writers, hostess bar recruiters, and sexual novelty shop
owners are just a few of the unusual characters that populate
this literary sex-uational comedy that’ll have you cringing
with laughter. The book sports a provocative cover by world-famous
designer Chip Kidd, and you can
read a free excerpt at www.vertical-inc.com/lalapipo.
|
|
| July
17, 2008
I Want My Black Jack!
It’s a scant two months
until the debut of Black Jack,
Volume 1, but fans are already jonesing for a taste of Tezuka’s
famous surgeon and they want it now! Apparently, the
aforementioned Vertical news item announcing the arrival of everyone’s
favorite medical miracle worker has not gone unnoticed. Emails,
phone calls, text messages and unannounced arrivals at Vertical
central by fans clamoring for more info on the special promotional
comic book have many a Vertical staffer updating their spam filters,
screening their phone calls and using the freight elevator to
surreptitiously leave the building at the end of the work day.
What started as an innovative and innocent marketing attempt to
generate buzz for the coming of Black Jack has erupted
into a frenzy for the comic. Everyone wants a copy and they want
to know where they can get one.
The Black Jack comic book
sports a specially designed cover that is totally buck. Inside,
for the first time ever in English, you’ll find “The
First Storm of Spring,” a haunting tale about a curse that
accompanied an eye transplant that presaged the central conceit
of the 2002 Asian horror movie Gin Gwai, which inspired
the 2008 U.S. remake, The Eye, starring Jessica Alba.
The comic debuted at the 2008 BEA (Book Expo America), and has
since been available at Anime Festival in Orlando, Florida; Forbidden
Planet stores in the U.K.; Dr. Comics & Mr. Games in Oakland,
California; and St. Mark’s Comics in New York City. It will
also be available at the Comic Relief booth at ComicCon International
in San Diego (July 24-27, 2008); and New York Is Book Country
(September 21, 2008) and the New York Anime Festival (September
26-28, 2008), both in New York City. But whether you live in Dubuque
or Des Moines, you still have the chance to score one of these
one of a kind Tezuka collectibles. All subscribers to the Comics
Buyer’s Guide will get a copy in their September 2008
issue. So simply subscribe to one of the most revered and venerable
comic magazines in the world before September 2008 to ensure your
snagging one. Now would you please stop following me?!
|
|
| July
9, 2008
In the News
Advance reading copies of Vertical’s
North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter are going out to select
media and political organizations this month. Japanese Prime Minister
Yasuo Fukuda personally gave U.S. President George W. Bush an
autographed copy of Sakie Yokota’s book during this week’s
G-8 Summit meetings. (President Bush, seen here, is holding a
copy at a press conference.) Vertical will have review copies
for all media early this fall and North Korea Kidnapped My
Daughter will be in stores January 2009.
The 1970s abductions of Japanese
citizens by North Korea have gone unresolved for more than 30
years, and President Bush’s recent decision to take North
Korea off the terrorist list has met with strong disapproval among
Japan’s citizens.
CBS Evening News has a
video about the abduction online.
|
|
| June
30, 2008
Is There a Doctor in the House?
Perhaps you’ve heard the
rumors? Felt the buzz? Black
Jack is coming! Osamu Tezuka’s most popular creation
amongst adults in Japan is setting up his practice with America’s
premier publisher of Tezuka manga: Vertical, Inc. The adventures
of the unlicensed, but highly-trained maverick surgeon who performs
miracles and is scorned by his peers premieres this September
in a handsome 288-page paperback volume containing 12 stories,
half of which have never been translated in the U.S. Subsequent
volumes will appear bi-monthly thereafter, 17 volumes in all,
respectfully selected and published in the order Tezuka himself
designated in a deluxe version proposed before his untimely death
in 1989.
But nearly three months’
wait?! Relax… Vertical feels your pain and certainly doesn’t
want any of its faithful Vertical-ites to get sick with waiting
before the notorious scalpel-for-hire arrives. Soooo… we’ve
provided a special never-before-published-in-the-U.S. preview
episode of Black Jack to assuage those jones-ing
for an immediate Black Jack panacea. Plus, there’s
an exclusive preview comic containing another never-before-published-in-the-U.S.
Black Jack story that will be freely available at consumer
conventions and fairs that Vertical attends. Enjoy!
|
|
| June
24, 2008
Dororo is Back to Swindle Our Hearts Away!
The action-adventure series Dororo
is ready with a searing second volume of swordplay just in time
for summer. Our prosthetic-heavy hero Hyakkimaru and rascal Dororo
will be slashing villains overtime as each is plagued by wicked
monsters and demons of the past. Hyakkimaru will come face-to-face
with his father on the battlefield, an encounter that will end
with a fratricidal skirmish. Meanwhile Dororo’s longing
for his deceased mother will blind him to the dangers of a woman
plotting to serve him to a wicked face-stealing spirit.
Dororo scales the manga
charts with panoramic executions of frenzied swordplay and candid
depictions of the underbelly of humanity. Don’t miss out
this summer on Tezuka’s latest three volume series of fun!
|
|
| June
10, 2008
MW and Apollo’s Song Nominated
for Eisner Awards
The comic industry’s most
prestigious awards, The Eisners—named after sequential art
pioneer and comic-book legend Will Eisner—are handed out
every year as part of the festivities surrounding San Diego’s
ComicCon International. This year, the Oscars of comics is celebrating
its 20th anniversary, and what better way to mark this momentous
milestone than by recognizing the pioneer of manga, Osamu Tezuka,
with a pair of nominations for two of his greatest works, MW
and Apollo’s Song? The former is up for Best
U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan and the
latter for Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books.
The awards will be presented on Friday, July 25 at a star-studded
event hosted by Bongo Comics co-founder, artist and writer Bill
Morrison, who will be ably assisted by girl-band The Go-Go’s
drummer Jane Wiedlin. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos will be
in attendance with all the other creators and publishers, whose
works have been deemed worthy of this time-honored event.
|
|
| June
6, 2008
Vertical Attends 2008 BEA (Book Expo America) in L.A.
If I sound a bit breathless it’s
because I just returned from the biggest book industry trade show
held in America each year: BEA. Publishers from around the globe
exhibit their books and show-off future titles. Marketing Manager
Stephen Vrattos and Publicist Jessica Hatakeda were representing
Vertical, handing out cool freebies, and gushing over Vertical’s
awesome line of books. Making their debut in the giveaway department
were two new posters, one promoting The Complete Aranzi Hour,
which will be on sale in October 2008, and the other promoting
Black Jack, which will see the first of its 17 volumes
premier in September 2008. Speaking of the Osamu Tezuka surgical
wunderkind, Vertical also debuted exclusive Black Jack
comic books, which contained a never-before-published-in-the-U.S.
story. Stephen and Jessica practically had to hang garlic around
their necks and carry crosses to stave off the rabid hordes, who
wanted copies. Galleys of the chilling North Korea Kidnapped
My Daughter were also available. This heart-wrenching memoir
of a mother’s search for the truth behind her daughter’s
1977 disappearance will be on sale January 2009 and contains photos,
maps, and a timeline of the harrowing events leading to the discovery
of a frightening North Korean espionage program: the kidnapping
of foreign nationals for the purpose of training spies in the
customs and languages of said countries in order to more easily
infiltrate them. Stephen and Jessica look forward to meeting more
booksellers, librarians and other industry peeps at next year’s
BEA in NYC.
|
|
| May
20, 2008
It’s all about Her!
There’s an ancient evil
among us. She dwells within mankind’s cells… a sentient
parasitic organism… waiting patiently… growing stronger…
preparing to take humans to the next evolutionary stage…
whether we like it or not! Parasite
Eve is here. NOW! The creepy, can’t-put-down read
by Hideaki Sena is now on sale. It’s Michael Crichton, David
Cronenberg, The Blob, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers
all synthesized into a terrifying cocktail that’ll send
a chill down your spine during the hot summer months. Read it
while you still can. It won’t be long before Eve has taken
over!
|
|
| May
13, 2008
The Penultimate Chapter in The Guin Saga Available
Now!
The
Guin Saga, Book 4: Prisoner of the Lagon is on stands
now. This is the fourth book in the gripping “Marches Episode,”
which established the series as one to be reckoned with more than
three decades ago, and set the standard that continues to this
day in Japan as the series reaches its 120th chapter. As the episode
opens, the mighty Guin and his intrepid band of reluctant heroes—twin
heirs Remus and Rinda, Istavan the mercenary, and the combined
forces of the disparate tribes of the simian Sem—have managed
to thwart and barely keep out of reach of the advancing Mongauli
army, which outnumbers them by the thousands, as they flee across
the treacherous wastes of Nospherus. But time and numbers are
against our heroes, so Guin makes a fateful decision to seek help.
But is his a fool’s quest? Can the divergent tribes of the
Sem keep their uneasy alliance together sans the leadership of
the leopard-masked warrior to guide them before Lady Amnelis of
the Mongauli Army takes advantage? And where has Istavan disappeared
to? The saga goes from merely exciting to downright delirious
in this the chapter before the cataclysmic finale in July. Don’t
miss it!
|
|
| May
12, 2008
Author Signing!
This Tuesday, May 13, Kinokuniya
Bookstore in New York City will be hosting a signing for Nobuko
Takagi, author of Translucent
Tree. An amaranthine love affair written for the modern
day romantic, Translucent Tree was released in stores
May 6th. Alive with sexual exploration, Nobuko Takagi's prose
is the perfect by-the-beach romance novel. For all of you who
did not get your copy of the book, here is your chance to get
the book and an autograph from the author!
The signing will be held from 5PM
to 7PM at Kinokuniya Bookstore, directly across from Bryant Park,
between 40th and 41st St..
Kinokuniya Bookstore
1073 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10018
Tel: (212)869-1700
|
|
| May
6, 2008
A Sizzling Start to Summer
Today marks the release of Nobuko
Takagi’s English debut with her novel Translucent
Tree. Obsessed with a memory of a young girl, Go returns
to the place where his career started 25 years earlier and seeks
out the girl, now a single mother. A chance reunion turns into
a torrid love affair, each enraptured by an irrepressible yearning
for one another. Rich in description and alive with sexual tension,
each page is juicier than the last. So, curl up on your couch,
relax on the beach, or settle into your hammock and enjoy this
early summer sizzler—guaranteed to please!
Click
here to read a free preview.
|
|
| April
29, 2008
The Critics Agree: Dororo is Awesome… and
It’s On Sale Now!
Dororo, Manga Maestro
Osamu Tezuka’s tale of a swordsman’s hunt for the
48 demons who stole his body parts, hits the stands today, and
there hasn’t been this much buzz amongst the hoi polloi
since the debut of the iPhone… and with good reason. Until
today, American fans of Tezuka’s classic have only dreamed
of what wonders Dororo had in store as they drooled enviously
over the original Japanese editions. Just to further whet your
appetites, check out the following spate of reviews. Yes, Dororo
is that good!
Ain’t
It Cool News
Advanced
Media Network
About
Heroes
Manga Maniac
Cafe
Mecha
Mecha Media
ComicMix
Daily
Yomiuri
Jog—The
Blog
|
|
| April
29, 2008
There’s a New Kid in Town
Vertical would like to welcome
its new Art Director, Peter Mendelsund! Mendelsund is a multiple
award-winning graphic designer who has designed book jackets for
almost every major publisher in America and abroad. His design
work appears in several permanent museum collections, has been
featured in numerous magazines, and his editorial illustrations
show up frequently in the New York Times and other publications.
Mendelsund’s designs for the three-volume Osamu Tezuka epic
Dororo were already garnering buzz on the internet months
before the first volume’s debut and elicited more than a
few Tex Avery-esque, eye-popping, tongue-dropping reactions from
the fans who saw the cover to volume one in person at the recent
New York Comic Con. His juxtaposition of character vignettes over
a collage of internal organs and body parts cleverly references
the main character’s quest to find the body parts his father
gave to 48 demons when he was a baby. Mendelsund’s first
full season of designs will appear in Fall 2008, including the
much anticipated Tezuka classic, Black Jack. For more
on Vertical’s latest design acquisition, check out the nifty
recent article from Publishers Weekly.
|
 |
| April
23, 2008
We Took Manhattan
Brain matter oozes from our ears
and the flesh on our faces sags from fatigue, but we here at Vertical
are still giddy from the New York Comic Con held this past weekend
at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. 64,000 fans of comics,
manga, gaming, movies, television, and pop culture thronged the
aisles, getting autographs, collecting promotional goo-gaws, buying
cool stuff, attending panels, catching advanced movie previews,
or just being seen in their homemade costumes. Marketing Manager
Stephen Vrattos and Publicist Jessica Hatakeda hosted the debut
of Vertical’s attractive new booth display, festooned with
colorful eye-catching posters—designed by Vertical’s
own Hiroko Mizuno and Glen Isip—promoting The Guin Saga,
Aranzi Aronzo, and Osamu Tezuka. More than a few people asked
if the posters were available for sale. Fortunately, Stephen and
Jessica had a multitude of tchotchkes to assuage the rabid mobs.
Making their first appearance amongst the ever popular Guin leopard
masks, Aranzi mini-posters, mechanical pencils, and Apollo’s
Song bookmarks, were Black Jack syringe pens and
Vertical horror bookmarks. By the end of the convention on Sunday,
not even The Grinch could have done a better job of cleaning out
the booth. But the bestest part of all was meeting our adoring
fans and gushing with them over our incredible books. Thanks to
all for stopping by. We’ll see you next year!
|
 |
| April
22, 2008
Put on your Thinking Caps
The latest in Vertical’s
devilishly devious, yet delightful, puzzle books—Extreme
Sudoku: New Challenges from the Master
and Original O’Ekaki: Intelligent Designs from Its Creator—are
on sale now. Oh, sure, you’re thinking, I know Sudoku,
and you very well may be familiar with the ubiquitous computer-generated
examples plastered throughout the daily newspapers. If you’re
lucky, you’ll even work up a yawn when you play them. But
Vertical puzzles will have you working up a satisfying sweat,
because Vertical puzzles are conceived and designed by the nefarious
mind of Japanese puzzle genius Tetsuya Nishio. They are not for
the faint of heart. Rather they are for those puzzlers who appreciate
a brain-busting challenge. And not only did Nishio create Vertical’s
O’Ekaki puzzles, but also he invented the game!
O’Ekaki is the entertaining creative logic puzzle that utilizes
both the right and left sides of your brain. It’s
like Sudoku, but with a pay-off as the answer comes in the form
of a cool picture that you’ve uncovered with your pencil…
if you completed the puzzle correctly. So escape the
brain-numbing ennui of the work day, by exercising your brain
with the most challenging and entertaining puzzles available.
Only from Vertical, of course!
|
 |
| April
21, 2008
Dororo’s A Hit!
Still a week away from the first
volume’s debut on bookstore shelves and already Dororo
is capturing the hearts of the critics. But don’t take my
word for it (I do tend to gush); check out what these prominent
reviewers have to say…
Scott Green of
Ain’t It Cool News writes:
“It’s the pioneer
of the manga tradition wading neck deep into the mire of freakish
swordsmen, ghouls and historical messiness: Kurosawa and Leone
meets Romero… Dororo stands as a classic that
showcases Osamu Tezuka’s unique approach to manga and
to the world.”
Serdar
Yegulalp of Advanced Media Network bestowed upon
Dororo its prestigious Platinum Award, writing:
“Tezuka blends high-adventure
plotting with deep and thoughtful themes in his inimitable style…
It seems a shame it’s only all been in Japanese until
now.”
And Andrew
Wheeler of ComicMix put it this way:
“Well worth reading —
(Tezuka) was a master entertainer, and Dororo is nothing
if not entertaining.”
Remember, Dororo, Volume 1
is available Tuesday, April 29, 2008!
|
|
|
April
17, 2008
Start Spreadin’ the News…
Vertical will once again be exhibiting
at the New
York Comic Con, April 18-20, 2008. Marketing Manager Stephen
Vrattos and Publicist Jessica Hatakeda will be the usual suspects
manning the booth, giving away tchotchkes, doo-dads, and assorted
ephemera to the rabid throngs that will most assuredly be descending
upon the coolest booth at the show. As always, we’ll be
offering your favorite Vertical titles at unheard-of show prices;
it’s the perfect time to stock up on Aranzi Aronzo craft
books, Osamu Tezuka classics, The Guin Saga, J-Horror
trades, and more. Plus, there will be advance copies of upcoming
titles available, including volume
1 of our latest Tezuka release (Hint: It begins with D
and ends with ORORO). This year, be the one to tell others
what they missed!
|
 |
| March
26, 2008
No One Does Fandom Like Boston!
From the Bruins to Red Sox to
Saint Patrick’s Day, I thought I had seen it all in this
town! Boston always has energetic fans, but they all pale in comparison
to the crowd this past weekend! Hoards of anime and manga fans
flooded the city; the Prudential was taken over by Cosplay fans
and their paparazzi! The wait to get into the convention averaged
five hours, and the die-hard fans were not teetered in the slightest,
they forged on for three days, some with heavy costumes—some
very warm looking ones too! A big thank you goes out to everyone
who braved the Boston wind tunnels and made the show a huge success!
An extra special thank-you goes out to Lisa!!!! Lisa, we here
at Vertical are extremely grateful for your energy at directing
ALL the people to the Vertical booth. The last day when feet were
sluggish, Lisa adorned a leopard mask and spread some happiness
with free hugs and free masks outside our table! Nothing says
love like a leopard-masked hug and enthusiasm like Lisa’s!
A big Vertical HUG goes out to our fan Lisa, you rock!
|
|
| March
25, 2008
Refresh Your Accessories This Spring!
Just in time for the flowers and
nice weather, our lovable little characters from Aranzi Aronzo
are back with tons of new projects in their latest book, Cute
Stuff! If you are getting bored of your scarf and hat,
pick up the book and brace yourself for oodles of Aranzi Aronzo
accessories. Cute Stuff is filled with patterns and easy-to-make
instructions to keep you busy through the last haul of winter.
In stores today, don’t miss out on new cute accessories—pouches
and purses and bags, oh my!
Click
here for a free preview!
|
 |
| March
18, 2008
Epic Romance Takes Root
Nobuko Takagi’s transcendent
love story Translucent
Tree arrives at bookstores in April, but fans of epic
romance can sample the passion now with the
first chapter, free of charge. In the tradition of Graham
Greene’s The End of the Affair, Marguerite Duras’s
The Lover, and the works of D.H. Lawrence, this story
of a single-parent divorcée rediscovering love in a little
town in rural Japan will touch your soul. Drink in the preview
and reserve your copy today.
|
|
| March
5, 2008
On the Road Again… Destination: Boston
Too long have us Vertical-ites
been cooped up at the home office. We miss our adoring fans! Fortunately,
Anime Boston is right
around the corner to bail us out with their annual Bacchanalia
of all things anime/manga-related, one of the biggest and most
highly regarded in the country. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos
and Publicist Jessica Hatakeda will be on hand to give out free
Guin masks, To Terra… and Apollo’s Song
bookmarks, Aranzi Aronzo mini-posters, mechanical pencils, and
answer any questions you may have about Vertical books and our
publishing plans for 2008 (We love talking about ourselves!).
We’ll also be selling stuff at incredible convention discounts,
so start saving your shekels and mark these dates on your PDA:
Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23 at Boston’s Hynes Auditorium.
Hope to see you there!
|
 |
| March
4, 2008
March Comes in Like a Leopard
Vertical has just the thing to
offset those winter blues: The
Guin Saga, Book Three: The Battle of Nospherus and The
Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi, Volume 3. Both books
are on sale now and both will most assuredly warm the cockles
of your heart and stave off the late-winter cold until spring
arrives. As the third chapter of the five-part “Marches
Episode,” The Battle of Nospherus makes the high-octane
excitement of the two previous volumes seem like a PBS pledge
drive as the mighty Guin rallies the disparate tribes of the Sem
against the invading Mongauli Army, and the secret of Cal Moru
and the real reasons for Lady Amnelis’s interest in Nospherus
are revealed.
Meanwhile, the third and final
volume of The Seven Magi explodes with sword-wielding
action, as King Guin finally learns the identity of the powerful
sorcerer that has crippled Cheironia and threatens the very existence
of reality. Monsters and mayhem, death and destruction, all captured
in pen-and-ink by the Michelangelo of Manga, Kazuaki Yanagisawa,
whose work Randal
Strock of SFScope calls “stunning.” The Guin
Saga, Book Three: The Battle of Nospherus and The Guin
Saga Manga: The Seven Magi, Volume 3… the perfect antidote
for the Ides of March!
|
 |
| February
13, 2008
Accessories So Cute… They’re Scary!
Scarcely have Fun Dolls
and Cute Dolls taken America’s bookstores by storm—leaving
a swath of French knots, yarn clippings, and tangled thread from
lesser craft books in their wake—than the nation’s
craft community have begun screaming, “MORE!”
Before you take up your knitting needles, Gorilla Glue, and ergonomic
scissors to storm the Vertical offices, America’s “cute”-est
company presents Cute Stuff. Aranzi Aronzo—the
mischievous duo who revolutionized crafting with their combination
of “cute” and “attitude”—have created
a tome of tempting techniques for creating everything from key
rings to tissue covers styled with the snarky whimsy you’ve
come to love and expect. Cute Stuff won’t hit your
favorite book purveyors until March, but the Vertical crew is
nothing if not sympathetic to the needs of its faithful readership,
so we’ve provided an incredible sneak
peek complete with actual instructions for making “Long
Doll” bags.
No …Thank You!
[Webmaster's Note: We're testing
a new Flash-based preview system; you'll need
Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher to view the preview. You can download
the latest version of Flash for free here. Also, the Tell-A-Friend
feature is inoperable at the moment; still, don't forget to tell
your friends! Enjoy the new preview and let
us know what you think!]
|
|
| January
23, 2008
Talking with Takemiya
Attention all lovers of great
manga! Shojo pioneer and To
Terra… and Andromeda
Stories creator Keiko
Takemiya recently spoke with Deb Aoki of About.com concerning
her life’s work. As one of the legendary seminal Magnificent
49ers—a women’s manga collective in the 1970s—the
trailblazing Takemiya founded what is known today as yaoi.
Her revolutionary ideas and themes influenced many of today’s
foremost science fiction films, including The Matrix
and The Terminator. Vertical published the 3-volume To
Terra… in 2007 and a successful animated version of
the trilogy ran in Japan in 2007 to great acclaim. Vertical began
publishing Takemiya’s noteworthy Andromeda Stories
toward the end of 2007, and the final volume of the 3-volume space-spanning
soap opera is due in March. In the meantime, check out her enlightening
interview.
|
 |
| January
22, 2008
Two New Guin Books On Sale NOW!
The
Guin Saga, Book 2: Warrior in the Wilderness and
The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven
Magi, Volume 2 have hit the stands, and not a day too
soon. The frenzied mob outside the Vertical offices demanding
more Guin was starting to get a disquieting, feral look in their
eyes. And we at Guin Central understand. When last we left the
leopard-headed amnesiac warrior in the prose novels, he was literally
taking a leap of faith. But don’t take my word for it. Read
what Scott Green from Ain’t
It Cool News had to say:
“Kaoru Kurimoto manages the flurry
of situations being set up and resolved like the trick of
putting a hand on a table with fingers spread out, then stabbing
a blade between the outstretched digits. The speed and coordination
is that amazing.”
As for Guin’s manga-nized
and royal counterpart, his kingdom was being overrun with dark
sorcery, giant spiders, and bodacious sorceresses when the first
volume closed. And what are the top reviewers saying? Take a gander
at Serdar Yegulalp from Advanced
Media Network’s comments:
“A blanket recommendation
for The Guin Saga Manga goes out to three types of
people: those who are already Guin lovers; high-fantasy fans;
and anyone looking for something nicely off the beaten path.
There’s only one more volume for this particular story,
so I’m hoping other Guin manga adaptations will follow
suit in the future. We should be so lucky.”
Of course, by the time you’ve
read all this, the book might be sold out. So what are you waiting
for?!!
|
 |
| January
10, 2008
A Fifth Printing for The Cute Book
Maybe it’s the characters’
snarky attitude or the combination of “scary” and
“cute” that explains the phenomenal popularity of
the book. Perhaps it’s a fortuitous by-product of the nation’s
current fascination with all things Japanese. Or it could be a
resurgence in crafting not seen since the days of Michelangelo
has overtaken America. Whatever the reason, people just cannot
seem to get enough of Aranzi
Aronzo and The Cute Book, which has recently gone
into an astounding fifth printing. Find out for yourself why bookstores
and libraries across the United States cannot keep this irresistible
book on the shelves by running out and getting a copy of your
very own. And make sure you pick up Aranzi Machine Gun, Volumes
1-3, Fun Dolls, Cute Dolls, and The
Bad Book as well, before it’s too late.
|
|
| January
8, 2008
Shark Attack!
The wait is over… One of
Vertical’s most highly anticipated novels is ON SALE NOW!
When Arimasa Osawa’s Shinjuku Shark made its debut
in the early 90s it was an instant sensation, earning both the
Eiji Yoshikawa New Writer Award and the esteemed Japan Mystery
Writers Association Award. Combining the irreverent, anti-authoritarian
attitude of Dirty Harry and the reckless bravado of the
Die Hard movies’ John McLane, Detective Samejima,
“The Shark”, was loved by men and women alike. Adaptations
to film, television, even manga, quickly followed, and the series
continues—gaining momentum as it enters the twenty-first
century—with its ninth book winning the Japan Adventure
Fiction Association Award in 2006. And Vertical is providing a
hearty chunk of Shinjuku Shark to sate the bloodlust
of our fans until they can get their very own copy. Read
the entire first chapter right here, right now!
|
|
|
