Historic Collaboration Bridges Western And Eastern Popular Comic And Graphic Novel Traditions

San Francisco, CA, August 5, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, in conjunction with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment (PK:POWN) has announced the North American debut of the exciting Prologue Chapter of ULTIMO in the September 2008 issue of SHONEN JUMP magazine, which hits retail outlets nationwide on August 5 for $4.99. ULTIMO is the result of a historic collaboration between comics legend Stan Lee, creator of many iconic superheroes including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of the popular SHAMAN KING manga (graphic novel) series.

Read More »

Rumiko Takahashi's long-running manga, Inuyasha, will be ending it's 12 year run in Shogakuan's Shonen Sunday No.29 (to be released the Wednesday after next).

Source: Furinkan

According to Canned Dogs, Yasuhiro Kano's Mx0 and Mizuki Kawashita's Hatsukoi Limited are both coming to an end in upcoming issues of Weekly Shonen Jump.

However, Weekly Jump reports that several new series are starting as well:

#25 (19/05)
Shimabukuro Mitsutoshi / Toriko (New Serie)
To Love (Pc)

#27 (02/06)
Hamada Kôsuke / Basket Mono (New Serie)

A new manga from Felipe Smith, creator of Tokyopop's MBQ, will debut in Kodansha's Morning 2 vol.10, on sale June 21st. The new series will be the opening manga with 6 color pages, and will also be featured on the magazine's cover (it is quite rare that a new artist will do the cover of a manga magazine).

According to posts on 2ch, PEACH-PIT's popular seinen manga Rozen Maiden, which was discontinued last year in Gentosha's Comic BIRZ, will resume serialization in issue 20 of Shueisha's Young Jump (4/17).

According to Muhyojo, the latest issue of Kodansha's Morning revealed that the second volume of its Mandala magazine on March 21st. ANN has more:

Not only will this new 290-page volume be bigger (20 milimeters larger than A4 paper size, or roughly North American "Letter" size), but it will be in full color. 15 creators from eight countries contributed to this project, including 10 artists who returned from the first Mandala volume.

Also from ITmedia (via ANN) is the news that to celebrate the magazine's 50th anniversary, Konami will be making a game that will feature popular characters from Kodansha's Shonen Magazine and Shogakukan's Shonen Sunday.

Canned Dogs is reporting that PEACH-PIT's Rozen Maiden made a brief re-appearance in the latest issue of Shueisha's Young Jump:

Peach-Pit has made a surprise appearance in Young Jump in this week's issue with a one-shot comic called Shoujo no tsukurikata (How to make a girl) about how Shinku was made. [...] It isn't officially serialized in the magazine yet, but there is a note at the end of the comic that says that they will be having a big announcement in next week's issue.

Read More »

Canned Dogs (via Muhyojo) has news of Kodansha's plans for celebrating Weekly Shounen Magazine's 50th anniversary:

Read More »

Canned Dogs is reporting that several new series will begin serialization in Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday:

• New manga (title rumored to be Gekkou Jourei) by Fujita Kazuhiro (Ushio to Tora, Karakuri Circus)
• MiXiM♀12 by Nobuyuki Anzai (Flame of Recca, MÄR)

Dark Horse will make publishing history with the release of the first volume of this critically acclaimed manhwa series in a new weekly online publishing program.

Shaman Warrior is a dramatic fantasy series with a kinetic style that will appeal to fans of Blade of the Immortal and Vagabond! From the desert wastelands emerge two mysterious warriors, master wizard Yarong and his faithful servant Batu. On a grave mission from their king, they have yet to realize the whirlwind of political movements and secret plots which will soon engulf them and change their lives forever. When Yarong is mortally injured, Batu must fulfill a secret promise to leave Yarong's side and protect his master's child. As Batu seeks to find and hide the infant, Yarong reveals another secret to those who have tracked him down to finish him off–the deadly, hidden power of a shaman warrior!

Read More »