Dark Horse had its comic panel on Friday of New York Anime Fest, and while the time given to manga-related info stayed around the 3 minute mark out of the hour long panel, they still had two new license announcements to make that are bound to please fans of some of their most popular titles.
Bloodlines Battlefront is by Yasuhiro Nightow, the creator of Trigun. The manga originally ran in the same manga that serialized Gantz, which feels a bit indicative of the tone this story will have. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York city where a vampire, werewolf and zombie work together to defend survivors living there from otherworldly creatures.
Drifters is by Kouta Hirano, the creator of Hellsing. This series is about a man who after being fatally injured in a battle, is whisked away to a strange dimension, inhabited by humans and fantasy creatures alike, where characters based on historical figures battle against both strange creatures and one another. It sounds like this series will have an overlaying tone of humour like Hellsing did as well.
Dark Horse will also be releasing Shinjuku Azul which is a sequel volume to their previously released illustrated novel, Shinjuku by Christopher “mink” Morrison and Yoshitaka Amano (artist best known for their Final Fantasy character designs).
Prior engagements meant I had to leave the Dark Horse panel a bit early, after which time they discussed upcoming plans for digital distribution. For more information on this, I recommend checking out Deb Aoki’s round-up of the panel.
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“When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?” (Vol. 01 coming February 2011)
“It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!” (Vol. 01 coming March 2011)
“Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!” (Vol. 01 coming June 2011).
