According to the latest issue of PWCW, U.S. publisher Vertical will be bringing Osamu Tezuka's Black Jack to the U.S.:

Japanese pulp fiction and classic manga publisher Vertical Inc. announced plans to publish Black Jack, legendary mangaka Osamu Tezuka's popular series about a genius surgeon, in its entirety beginning in fall 2008.

Via: ANN

Keiko Takemiya, mangaka of series such as To Terra... and Andromeda Stories, will appear at the Santa Monica Barnes and Noble bookstore on Saturday (9/15) at 3:00 p.m. for a book signing event.

Via: ANN

In the latest issue of PWCW, Kai-Ming Cha interviews Vertical's editorial director, Ioannis Mentzas, about Tezuka, his manga MW (pronounced "Moo"), and more.

Also from Kai-Ming Cha is an interview with Maki Murakami, creator of the BL manga Gravitation.

Finally, Laurel Maury looks at the rise of female graphic novel creators in "Women SVA Grads Quickly Rise."

According to an e-mail announcement, Anne Ishii, Vertical's marketing manager, is leaving the manga publisher later this month, and will be replaced by Steve Vrattos.

Source: The Comics Reporter

BOY by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano, A Staggering Work of Heartbreak

New York, New York - August 14, 2007 - Internationally renowned film auteur "Beat" Takeshi Kitano has been revered the world over for his challenging portrayals of men and manhood, most notably rogue ones (Fireworks, Brother, Zatoichi). In BOY, Kitano has magnified this unique talent at narrative through the prism of childhood, providing a rich fugue of memory and nostalgia.

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MangaCast and Same Hat! Same Hat! report a few new manga titles and releases announced during this year's BookExpo America:

Drawn & Quarterly:
A collection from 1971 by Tatsumi Yoshihiro
- Akairo Elegy by Hayashi Seiichi

Last Gasp:
- Art of Hideshi Hino by Hino Hideshi

Vertical:
- Guin Saga by Yanagisawa Kazuaki

According to Publishers Weekly, Vertical is planning to launch a new (currently unnamed) contemporary manga imprint in 2008 in order to expand its manga line-up. According to the report, the imprint will mainly focus on shojo manga for teens:

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From Newsarama's Michael Lorah comes an interview with Vertical's Editorial Director Yani Mentzas, who talks about Vertical's manga-publishing history, and its plans for the future.

Via: MangaBlog

According to the latest entry on Vertical's blog:

Vertical is holding a panel on the future of manga, Sunday Feb 25 from 3-4pm. All attendees are automatically entered to win the first four volumes of Buddha and Volume 1 of To Terra...

MangaCast reports a new Amazon Canada listing which reveals that MW (Pronounced "mu") by Osamu Tezuka has been licensed by Vertical.

In the comment section, Dirk Deppey from The Comics Journal confirms that both MW, the previously discovered Andromeda Stories, and The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi by Keichiro Ryu have all been licensed by Vertical.

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