VIZ MEDIA RECEIVES MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2015 EISNER AWARDS
HELLO
KITTY, HELLO 40 As Well As ALL YOU NEED IS KILL Manga, MASTER KEATON
And ONE-PUNCH MAN Each Receive Nominations For Comics Industry’s Most
Prestigious Annual Award
San Francisco, CA, April 23, 2015 –
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and
licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced that four of
its critically-acclaimed titles have been nominated for the 2015 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards, as announced by the awards committee.
The nominations include HELLO KITTY,
HELLO 40: A CELEBRATION IN 40 STORIES for Best Publication for Early
Readers, as well three nominations for manga (graphic novel) in the
category of Best
U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia. These include ALL YOU
NEED IS KILL, with original story by Hiroshi Sakurazaka and art by
Takeshi Obata, MASTER KEATON, Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa, with story by
Hokusei Katsushika and Takashi Nagasaki, and ONE-PUNCH MAN, with story
by ONE and artwork by Yusuke Murata.
Named
for pioneering writer and comic artist Will Eisner, the awards
recognize exemplary comics, graphic novels and other pop writings, and
are given each year as part of the annual Comic-Con International
convention, at which VIZ Media will be a major exhibitor and participant in the programs offered. The 2015 Comic-Con takes place July 9th-12th in San Diego, CA. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 10th during Comic-Con.
“We’re extremely honored to have four exemplary titles nominated for one of the most prestigious awards in
the comics publishing industry,” says Hope Donovan, Managing Editor.
“From the whimsical and colorful fun of HELLO KITTY to the sci-fi action
of ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, the tense political intrigue of MASTER KEATON,
and the knockout adventure of ONE-PUNCH MAN, these works each
demonstrate the impressive creativity and dedication to outstanding
storytelling and artwork that makes the mange genre so compelling. We
look forward to a wide array of readers also discovering these
noteworthy releases.”
HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40: A CELEBRATION IN 40 STORIES ·
Rated ‘A’ for All Ages · Print MSRP: $29.99 U.S. / $34.99 CAN;
Digital MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / CAN
This hardcover full-color anthology features a notable line-up of some
of Hello Kitty’s biggest fans paying tribute in the best way they know
how: through their stories and art. Contributors include the
award-winning creators of the Tiny Titans series, Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani; Brian Smith, co-creator of the New York Times bestselling series Stuff of Legend; Gene Luen Yang, award-winning author of American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints, and Uglydoll co-creator David Horvath. Everyone has a tale to tell about the cute little kitty who speaks from her heart. Matt and Jennifer L. Holm, award-winning creators of the Babymouse series also authored the introduction.
ALL YOU NEED IS KILL · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
Print MSRP: $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN; Digital MSRP: $6.99 U.S. / CAN
Takeshi
Obata’s ALL YOU NEED IS KILL originally premiered in VIZ Media’s WEEKLY
SHONEN JUMP digital manga magazine earlier this year and is the
stunning manga realization of the popular Japanese sci-fi novel, written
by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (and also published by VIZ Media’s Haikasoru imprint). In this rousing action story, when
the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many recruits
shoved into a suit of battle armor called a Jacket and sent out to kill.
Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to be reborn each morning to fight
and die again and again. On his 158th iteration, he gets a
message from a mysterious ally – the female soldier known as the Full
Metal Bitch. Is she the key to Keiji's escape or his final death?
Manga artist Takeshi
Obata was born in 1969 in Niigata, Japan, and is the artist of the
wildly popular SHONEN JUMP title HIKARU NO GO (available from VIZ
Media), which won the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize: Shinsei "New
Hope" award and the 2000 Shogakukan Manga award. Obata is also the
artist of the smash hit series, DEATH NOTE (also published by VIZ
Media), as well as Arabian Majin Bokentan Lamp Lamp, Ayatsuri Sakon, Cyborg Jichan G. ALL YOU NEED IS KILL is his latest work following the hugely successful series BAKUMAN。 (also published by VIZ Media).
MASTER KEATON, Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens ·
Print-Exclusive MSRP: $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN
From the award-winning manga master creator Naoki Urasawa, MASTER KEATON introduces Taichi
Hiraga Keaton, an archeology professor and part-time insurance
investigator known for his successful and unorthodox methods of
investigation. The son of a Japanese zoologist and an English
noblewoman, educated in archaeology at Oxford and a former member of the
SAS, Master Keaton uses his knowledge and combat training to uncover
buried secrets, thwart would-be villains, and pursue the truth. The
manga series was originally published in Japan between 1988 and 1994 in Big Comic Original magazine and also inspired a popular 39-episode anime adaptation.
Naoki Urasawa's
career as a manga artist spans more than twenty years and has firmly
established him as one of the true manga masters of Japan. The acclaimed
creator won the 2011 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Asia for his series, 20th CENTURY BOYS (also published by VIZ Media). Well-versed in a variety of genres, Urasawa's oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such as a romantic comedy (Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl), a suspenseful human drama about a former mercenary (Pineapple Farm; story by Kazuya Kudo), a captivating psychological suspense story (Naoki Urasawa's Monster), a sci-fi adventure manga (NAOKI URASAWA’S 20th CENTURY BOYS), and a modern reinterpretation of the work of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka in Pluto: UrAsawa × Tezuka.
ONE-PUNCH MAN · Rated ‘T’ for Teens ·
Digital Exclusive MSRP: $6.99 U.S. / CAN
Nothing
about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes,
from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive
physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average
problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!
Every time a promising villain appears, he beats the snot out of ’em
with one punch! Can Saitama finally find an opponent who can go
toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning? Or is he doomed to a
life of super-powered boredom?
Manga
creator ONE originally wrote ONE-PUNCH MAN as a web-comic, which
quickly went viral, garnering over 10 million hits. In addition to
ONE-PUNCH MAN, ONE writes and draws the series Mob Psycho 100 and Makai no Ossan.
A highly decorated and skilled artist best known for his work on
EYESHIELD 21 (also published by VIZ Media), artist Yusuke Murata won the
122nd Hop Step Award (1995) for his title, Partner, and placed second in the 51st Akatsuka Award (1998) for Samui Hanashi.
For more information on these or other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.
About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered
in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and
licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by
three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc.,
Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ
Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English
speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and
South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN
JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ
Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties
for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ
Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated
television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a
variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and
manga at www.VIZ.com.
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