Episodes Of Two Of The Hottest Animated Series To Sweep North America Are Now Available For Download-To-Own From Leading Entertainment, Gaming And Social Networking Outlet

San Francisco, CA, November 11, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the availability of the hit animated action series BLEACH and DEATH NOTE (both Uncut and English dubbed) on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment console from Microsoft. Fans in the U.S. will now have the ability to watch these episodes on a Download-To-Own (DTO) basis through Xbox LIVE for 160 Microsoft Points per episode.

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Unique Edition Features 11 Full-Color Posters Inspired By Smash Hit Animated And Manga Series And Features 2 Original Creations Made Exclusively For This Release

San Francisco, CA, November 10, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of a special BLEACH Posterzine, which features 11 massive full-color posters inspired by the smash hit manga and animated series (rated 'T' for Teens) created by Tite Kubo.

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Statistics Made Fun with First Title in New Educational Manga Guide Series

San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2008 - Can learning statistics really be fun? It can be when the teacher is a cartoon character.

In The Manga Guide to Statistics (No Starch Press, November 2008, 224 pp, ISBN 9781593271893), the first release in the landmark Manga Guide series from No Starch Press, readers learn real statistics with real manga. Tough concepts like probability, coefficients of correlation, hypothesis testing, and tests of independence come alive with this entertaining yet educational Japanese-style cartoon guide. By combining an engaging story with instructional content, readers master each concept quickly as they learn alongside the story's main characters, Rui and Mr. Yamamoto.

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MECHADEMIA 5: Fanthropologies
(University of Minnesota Press, forthcoming in 2010)

In recent years, interest in fan communities and fan activities has exploded, and the term otaku has become global currency. Terms like "fan" and "otaku" have been mobilized for a wide range or reasons in a wide variety of discourses, from gender studies to inquiries about technology and sociality. We think that the exploration of fan activities and otaku phenomena is crucial to understanding the contemporary world of transnational image and information flows, as well as the transnational formation of concepts and discourses.

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Website Promises Uncensored Hentai, Actually Delivers

Denver, Colorado, October 25th 2008 - Icarus Publishing, the largest purveyor of Japanese ero manga by weight in North America, has entered into an agreement with e-publishing pioneer DriveThruComics (drivethrucomics.com) to distribute Comic AG Digital, the online adult manga anthology.

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From About.com:Manga comes an interview with Wendy Pini, the creator of Elfquest and a new yaoi manga-inspired adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's Masque of the Red Death.

In this interview, Pini talks the backlash and criticism she has received from the comics industry from when Elfquest first debuted in 1978, mostly because of its anime-inspired character designs (which was unusual in 1978), her meeting with Candy Candy creator Yumiko Igarashi, and reactions from yaoi manga fans, straight and gay, when she debuted Masque of the Red Death at Yaoi-Con 2008.

Retailer news website ICv2 posted a four-part interview it conducted with CEO of Dark Horse Comics Mike Richardson. Richardson speaks on the impact of the ever-slowing economy on comic book sales, comic book online distribution, illegal file sharing, and also a hint at a "big" announcement for later this year.

"We have a huge announcement that I’ll tell you about later, very shortly. It will be a gigantic project working with another company. Obviously, that tidbit for you, to watch the skies..." Richardson told ICv2 regarding the announcement.

San Francisco, CA, OCTOBER 7, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has highlighted a diverse collection of horror and supernatural-themed manga (graphic novel) titles now available that make a perfect complement for Halloween. The series include an array of stories ranging from the creepy and paranormal to the humorous and include COWA!, ROSARIO + VAMPIRE, NIGHTMARE INSPECTOR: YUMEKUI KENBUN, CAT EYED BOY, VAMPIRE KNIGHT and the recently released DEATH NOTE live-action film on DVD.

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Fluid Friction Comics is a Hong Kong-based comic company that releases titles in English and Chinese internationally across the world.

Fluid Friction is perhaps one of the first companies in the world to have formed "a true East meets West team with local Chinese and Western artists and writers working seamlessly side by side to produce truly unique products." Below is an interview with Spencer Douglass, Fluid Friction's business development manager, who talks about Fluid Friction, its view of the comics market, as well as plans for the future:

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Spencer Douglass and I am the business development manager at Fluid Friction Comics. My job entails overseeing the production and timelines for the comics, setting up distribution across the world, organizing all the marketing, working with retailers to promote directly to their customers, handling PR, setting up and running our exhibits at various comic-cons and bringing in partners to work with us on things like possible films, games, TV series, merchandise, mobile content, etc.

So I suppose you could say I am essentially a "comic salesman." :-)

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About.com:Manga has talked with representatives from Digital Manga Publishing and got the official story about recent layoffs and restructuring at the Gardena, California-based
manga publisher:

Compared to the firestorm of commentary that accompanied the layoffs at TokyoPop earlier this year, the recent restructuring at Digital Manga Publishing was met with muted murmurs and conjecture. Now DMP is breaking their silence by confirming more details about their recent personnel changes, cutbacks and delays in their 2008 - 2009 release schedule, and putting to rest the rumor that their 801 Media yaoi manga imprint is folding.