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Posts Tagged Conventions

Kuriousity at SDCC: Del Rey

Technical troubles are delaying this post of mine on Del Rey’s Saturday panel, but I did attend and there was plenty of info shared by the pleasantly enthusiastic staff.

The panel of staff members included Del Rey’s Associate Publisher, Editor, Licensing and Acquistion Handler, Marketing Manager… and “just a writer” (info was withheld so as not to spoil news delivered in the panel).

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Kuriousity at SDCC: CMX Manga

San Diego Comic Con International

Here we go at the convention’s last industry manga panel: CMX Manga! A few technical difficulties slowed the start but it gave some attendees time to share a few con stories with the staff, and then soon enough, things began!

Note: Due to technical problems of my own, I wasn’t able to live blog the panels that happened yesterday but I do have all the information so that will all hopefully be up tonight!

CMX staff begin by showcasing multiple series,most of which acting as elaboration for previously announced/revealed titles while the others near-the-end are new:

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Kuriousity at SDCC: Yen Press

Kobato as licensed by Yen Press

Lots of great announcements here at the Yen Press panel, so as before while this will be a brief overview until I have the time to write something full, but here’re the goodies in the meantime!

New license announcements:

Black Butler by Yana Toboso
Darker Than Black by Bones, Tensai Okamura, Nokya, Arklight
Romeo & Juliet by William Shakesspeare/Adapted by COM, Gonzo, SPWT
Bunny Drop by Yumi Unita
Sasameke by Ryuji Gotsubo
Omamori Himari by Milan Matra
My Girlfriend’s A Geek (Fujyoshi Kanojo) by Pentabu & Rize Shinba
Novel By Pentabu (blog collection by boy that inspired the Fujyoshi Kanojo)
Otome by Yuuki Fujinari
Dragon Girl by Toru Fujieda
Natsukashi Machi no Rozione by Sumomo Yumeka
Kobato by CLAMP (Coming May 2010)

Lots of great titles in the list, and following the licensing is a nice-sized Q & A which you can read a few excerpts from after the cut.

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Kuriousity at SDCC: Viz Media Manga & Anime

Viz Media's Shonen Sunday

It’s Viz again today as a full room is present to hear the news at Viz Media’s Manga & Anime panel. As with the previous panel, I’ll share the big updates here and then update later with the complete panel information later this evening.

The panel opened up with information on the previously announced Shonen Sunday. Viz staff shared some information about Shonen Sunday’s history (had no idea it’d been around in Japan since 1939!) before showcasing the current titles available in the new imprint:

Rin-Ne – Rumiko Takahashi
Kekkaishi – Yellow Tanabe
Arata: The Legend – Yu Watase
Maoh: Juvenille Remix – Kotaro Isaka & Megumi Osuga
Hyde & Closer – Haro Aso

The new titles which have not yet been released by Viz, will be available in book form in 2010 but are currently being released per chapter (for free!) over at the spiffily launched ShonenSunday.com.

You can read lots more under the cut:

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Kuriousity at SDCC: Shonen Jump

Shonen Jump at SDCC09

Viz Media’s Shonen Jump panel is happening as I type here at San Diego Comic Con. My first industry panel so forgive that I only have time to share so much right away ;) This post will be updated with a full overview of the panel later this afternoon. Edit: Post updated! See under the cut for the rest of the panel information.

The big announcements of the panel were two new licenses:

Toriko by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2008
Toriko a “gourmet hunter” knows that “food tastes better when you have to gather it with blood, sweat and tears.”

Bakuman by Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba
Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2008
“The mystery behind manga-making revealed!”

The first guest of the panel is Hiroyuki Takei, creator of Shaman King and artist of the currently running Ultimo. Second guest is Stan Lee, the King of American comics himself (creator of such popular series as the X-Men and Spiderman). Excuse me while I try to catch my breath and get back to you!

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Kuriousity at SDCC: Day Two

San Diego Comic Con International

Day two of San Diego Comic Con has come and gone! Today was much the same as yesterday for me and my companions (minus the nearly-disasterous travel and hotel excursions), with the exhibition hall still offering so much in the way of explorables that a single day is never enough time for traversing the crammed hallways. Today was apparently the slowest day of the predicted weekend as well, a slightly scary note that leaves me in good mental preperation for some slow in-con travel in the days to come, but hopefully travel no less worth working through.

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Kuriousity at SDCC: Day One

San Diego Comic Con International

Day one of SDCC wraps up tonight and what a day it was! My 6000km trek across the continent that was full of trials standing between me and Comic Con, from barely connecting flights to lost luggage and no hotel room. But, patience and perserverance wins in the end and I was able to join fellow con-goers in enjoying day one (and writing about it on no sleep. It’s all about the con experience!). On that vague note, please excuse any crazy spelling errors or icky photo placement. My SDCC posts will all recieve a cleaning up once I return home from my trip.

As today was preview night for 4-day badge holders, press and professfionals, there wasn’t anything in the way of panels occuring but that didn’t mean the thousands of people who flocked to San Diego to attend didn’t find exactly what they were looking for. Open to the public after a slightly disorganized, but still very smoothly executed, registration, Comic Con International’s exhibitor area (“San Diego Comic Con”) was officially open to its eager audience.

You can read about my initial manga finds on the floor and see some photos after the jump.

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Makoto Tateno To Appear At Yaoi Con, Yellow Omnibus Announced

yellowyaoicon

A press release sent out yesterday reveals that popular boys’ love creator, Makoto Tateno, will be appearing as an industry guest at this year’s Yaoi Con 2009. Digital Manga will be hosting her appearance and have already released numerous Makoto Tateno titles in North America, including both her boys’ love and shoujo series. This will be the artist’s first time attending the Yaoi-centrique convention which takes place in San Mateo, San Francisco. You can read more about Yaoi Con at their website.

Along with this news, the press release also makes official announcement of the omnibus release of Makoto Tateno’s Yellow series. The first of the two-book set  is listed for release in November 2009 and will include some “unseen artwork and unpublished content!”.

You can read the full press release here, along with other recent manga PR in my Press Release category. Edit: Some information corrected. Thanks, baramanga.


Anime Expo 2009 Round-Up

Anime Expo 2009

Anime Expo 2009 rounds up today down in Los Angeles which means it’s time for a quick news round-up. Industry presence seems considerably less this year, an observation that I make as someone who wasn’t able to attend mind you, and the announcement list is considerably smaller than the whopping 61 manga licenses that Anime Expo 2008 had for us. Goes to show how the industry’s changed over the past year I suppose, right? Anime Expo did continue its reputation as the largest anime convention in North America however with an attendence of over 44,000.

For the manga news, check out my round-up under the cut.

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Animinitime 2010 Site Goes Live

Animinitime

For my fellow Canadian Maritimers out there, the 2010 Animinitime site went live last night, outlining the set-up for CanCon East’s first one-day event! Most of you are likely more familiar with its parent-convention, Animaritime, the 3-day convention that is currently on one-year break until 2011 for planning purposes.

“We at CanCon East are excited to announce the official launch of the Animinitime 2010 website! Along with this we have exciting news to share about our 2010 one-day event: Animinitime 2010 will consist of two events celebrating fans’ love of anime and gaming across the Maritimes!

For the first time since Animaritime began seven years ago, CanCon East is holding an event in Halifax, Nova Scotia along with our classic New Brunswick event.”

Yay for an event in Halifax! Long time coming, no? I hope others are as excited to attend the events as I am about running them :) Hard to believe they’re a year away though, but that just means more time to prepare and anticipate, right?


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