Saturday, May 19, 2018

VIZ Media Has Master License for "One-Punch Man" Anime Season 2

VIZ MEDIA SECURES THE MASTER LICENSE FOR SEASON 2 OF ONE-PUNCH MAN

Hard-Hitting Anime Superhero Action Series Licensed For North America, Latin America And Oceania

VIZ Media proudly announces that it has secured the master license for the second season of the smash hit anime action series, ONE-PUNCH MAN. The master license covers digital streaming, TV broadcast, EST, home media and merchandising rights for the property for the territories of North America, Latin America and Oceania. Additional details on Season 2 of ONE-PUNCH MAN will be announced as it becomes available.

VIZ Media is also the exclusive North American English language publisher of the ONE-PUNCH MAN manga series, which is widely available in print and digitally from leading retailers and online outlets.

ONE-PUNCH MAN will be among the extensive catalog of brands VIZ Media will showcase at Licensing Expo 2018. Licensing Expo, the world’s largest and most influential annual licensing industry event, takes place May 22nd – 24th at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. Details on the event are available at: www.licensingexpo.com. VIZ Media will be located in Booth # R202.

Based on the best-selling manga series created by ONE and illustrated by Yusuke Murata, ONE-PUNCH MAN depicts the adventures of Saitama, a young man who only became a hero for fun. But after three years of “special” training, he finds that he can beat even the mightiest opponents with a single punch. Though he faces new enemies every day, it turns out being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. Can a hero be too strong? Additional information on ONE-PUNCH MAN is available at: https://www.viz.com/one-punch-man.

For additional information on manga and anime properties published and licensed by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

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Thursday, May 17, 2018

Writer-Director Tony Gilroy to Be Honored at 2018 Austin Film Festival

Tony Gilroy to Receive “Distinguished Screenwriter” Award at 2018 Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference

“The Writers Festival” Announces “Heart of Film” Award Recipient Daniel Petrie, Jr.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier festival that champions the writers’ contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today screenwriter Tony Gilroy as the 2018 recipient of the “Distinguished Screenwriter” Award. Previous honorees of this award have included Lawrence Kasdan, Kenneth Lonergan, Nancy Meyers, and Caroline Thompson.

Tony Gilroy’s credits include the 2007 thriller Michael Clayton, which he wrote and directed. The film earned seven Academy Award® nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, Gilroy worked on the first three Bourne films and co-wrote and directed the fourth film in the franchise. Most recently, he co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and produced and wrote the political thriller Beirut, starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike.

The Festival also announced that Beverly Hills Cop writer, Daniel Petrie, Jr., will receive the Festival’s second “Heart of Film” Award for his many contributions to film and television and his service to the screenwriting community.

Petrie’s screenplay credits include Beverly Hills Cop and The Big Easy. In 2006 he co-founded Enderby Entertainment with producer Rick Dugdale. Petrie has an extensive history of volunteer service to the entertainment industry, including two terms as the president of the Writers Guild of America West. Petrie has been participating as a panelist at Austin Film Festival for over 20 years and serves on the organization’s Board of Advisors.

Gilroy and Petrie join already announced “Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking” recipient Roger Corman.

The 25th annual Austin Film Festival and Writers Conference runs October 25 – November 2, 2018. Confirmed panelists include Megan Amram (writer The Good Place), William Broyles Jr. (co-writer Apollo 13), Lee Eisenberg (writer The Office), and many more. Panelists continue to be confirmed; the list can be found at www.austinfilmfestival.com.


ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the Texas Commission on the Arts. www.austinfilmfestival.com

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Wednesday, May 16, 2018

VIZ Media Announces its Schedule of Activities for Anime Central 2018

Visit VIZ Media During Anime Central 2018 At Booth #IND 5

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUESTS, CONVENTION ACTIVITIES, AND RETAIL EXCLUSIVES FOR ANIME CENTRAL

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), a premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing, announces activities, special guests, official panel events, and a variety of retail exclusives for Anime Central 2018 (ACen).

Anime Central (ACen) is the mid-west’s largest anime fan convention and will take place from May 18th to 20th, 2018 in Rosemont, IL, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and the adjacent Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. VIZ Media is located in Booth #IND 5 on the show floor. Complete details on Anime Central 2018 are available at: ACen.org.

This year, VIZ Media and ACen proudly welcome Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, the creators of the DEADMAN WONDERLAND manga series, as official Guests of Honor. Join them for a variety of activities including panel discussions and autograph sessions. ACen attendees are also invited to learn the latest news during VIZ Media’s official panel and celebrate the Guardians of Love and Justice at the official SAILOR MOON panel with an autograph session to follow.

VIZ Media Anime Central Panels & Special Events Include:

Saturday, May 19th

1:30pm – 3pm - SAILOR MOON Panel
(Panel Room 1)

Everyone's favorite Guardian of Love and Justice returns to the Windy City with a fabulous panel filled with sparkle and fun! Join the SAILOR MOON cast for a delightful time filled with news, updates and, more!

3:30pm – 5pm - DEADMAN WONDERLAND Panel
(Panel Room 1)

Revisit Tokyo’s most macabre theme park with the creators of DEADMAN WONDERLAND, Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou, in their first US appearance! Learn about the birth of the hit series, get a chance to win some limited-edition prizes, and watch a live character drawing!

Sunday, May 20th

12pm – 1:30pm - VIZ MEDIA Panel
(Panel Room 1)

Celebrate some of your favorite titles like BORUTO, SAILOR MOON, JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE and more! We'll also be revisiting the world of one of Tokyo's most insane prisons with the creators of DEADMAN WONDERLAND. We've got a full lineup of news, sneak peeks and exclusive insights from our special guests!

On-Site Autograph Sessions Include:

DEADMAN WONDERLAND Creators Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou

    Saturday, May 19th at 5:30pm (Signings 2) – limited to 80 people
    Sunday, May 20th at 3pm (Signings 1) – limited to 80 people

SAILOR MOON English Voice Cast (Cherami Leigh, Lauren Landa, and Erica Mendez)

    Saturday, May 19th at 4:30pm (Signings 3) – limited to 100 people

Signing session attendees will each receive an exclusive poster from VIZ Media for guests to autograph. Official signings are ticketed before the event. Please visit ACen’s Autograph Policy page for more information, at https://www.acen.org/guests-performers/autograph-policy/.

JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Pose Off

Located on the show floor by VIZ Media Booth #IND 5

It’s more fun than you can… STAND! Strike a pose with one of our JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE cosplayers and epic, life-sized Jotaro statue, and get a free art card set featuring favorite characters from STARDUST CRUSADERS and a JOJO’S-themed tattoo! While supplies last.

VIZ Media’s retail area in its booth will offer a variety of must-have convention exclusives. Each purchase comes with a special VIZ Media exclusive tote bag available in three distinct designs. Select from SAILOR MOON, BORUTO, and POKÉMON.

Notable VIZ Media ACen exclusives include:

    Deadman Wonderland Vols. 1-2 Manga Bundle ($15)
Includes exclusive gift with purchase pin set

    My Hero Academia Vols. 1-3 Manga Bundle ($20)
Includes exclusive MY HERO ACADEMIA gift with purchase poster

    RWBY: Official Manga Anthology Vol. 1 ($13)
Includes exclusive RWBY gift with purchase poster

    Preorder Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Limited Edition DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack ($65)
Includes exclusive Jojo's Bizarre Adventure gift with purchase bandana

    Exclusive SAILOR MOON SUPERS T‐Shirt ($15)
Unisex & Ladies' sizes available!

    Premium WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Annual Digital Subscription ($30)
Includes exclusive WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP hat and two YU-GI-OH! Promo cards

For additional information on these titles and other anime and manga properties distributed by VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Established in 1986, VIZ Media is the premier company in the fields of publishing, animation distribution, and global entertainment licensing. Along with its popular digital magazine WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, DRAGON BALL, SAILOR MOON, and POKÉMON, VIZ Media offers an extensive library of titles and original content in a wide variety of book and video formats, as well as through official licensed merchandise. Owned by three of Japan's largest publishing and entertainment companies, Shogakukan Inc., Shueisha Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is dedicated to bringing the best titles for English-speaking audiences worldwide.

Learn more about VIZ Media and its properties at viz.com.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Review: "Black Panther" is the Best Marvel Movie... Best Superhero Movie... Best Comic Book Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 (of 2018) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Black Panther (2018)
Running time:  134 minutes (2 hours, 14 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action violence, and a brief rude gesture
DIRECTOR:  Ryan Coogler
WRITERS:  Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole (based on the Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige (p.g.a.)
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Rachel Morrison (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Debbie Berman and  Michael P. Shawver
COMPOSER:  Ludwig Göransson

SUPERHERO/ACTION/SCI-FI

Starring:  Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Andy Serkis, Florence Kasumba, John Kani, David S. Lee, Nabiyah Be, and Stan Lee

Black Panther is a 2018 superhero and science fiction movie directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Marvel Studios.  The film is based on the Marvel Comics character, Black Panther, that first appeared in Fantastic Four #52 (cover dated: July 1966) and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby.  Black Panther the movie follows a new king of a secretive and isolated African nation as he tries to guide his nation into the future while dealing with dark secrets from it past.

Black Panther opens after the events depicted in the film Captain America: Civil War (2016).  Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is returning to his home, the (fictional) African nation of Wakanda, after the death of his father, T'Chaka (John Kani), in order to assume the throne.  The throne comes with a role – the mantle of the “Black Panther,” protector of Wakanda.  Accompanying him are Okoye (Danai Gurira), the leader of the Dora Milaje, a fighting force and the King of Wakanda's personal guard; and also T'Challa's ex-lover, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o), who is a Wakandan spy. T'Challa arrives home to meet his mother, Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and his younger sister, Shuri (Letitia Wright), as they prepare for the coronation ceremony.

First, T'Challa must face a challenge of ritual combat for the crown from M'Baku (Winston Duke), the leader of an estranged Wakandan tribe.  However, T'Challa will face even greater challenges, specifically in the form of Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a South African black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster who wants to possess Wakanda's greatest asset, the rare alien metal, “Vibranium,” of which Wakanda is the only source on Earth.  Even more troubling is Klaue's compatriot, Erik Stevens (Michael B. Jordan).  A former United States “black operations” soldier also known as “Killmonger,” Erik has a shocking connection to T'Challa and Wakanda's past that may put both the African nation and the rest of the world in peril.

When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Black Panther for Marvel Comics over 50 years ago, they conceived a Black man as a king, a warrior, a protector, an inventor, and as a superhero.  As African-American comic book writers like Dwayne McDuffie, Christopher Priest, Reginald Hudlin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates over the last three decades started writing the character, they began to flesh out and to add to what Lee and Kirby and the comics creators that followed them in the 1970s did with the character.  Thus, co-writer/director Ryan Coogler and co-writer Joe Robert Cole had a wealth of source material from which to fashion their screen adaptation of one of the most historically important superhero characters of all time.

Coogler and Cole turn that wealth into the best film based on a Marvel Comics character and the best movie based on a comic book to date.  In fact, Black Panther is the best superhero movie to date.  It is a brooding drama that is intelligent and socially, politically, and historically relevant, especially in regards to the continent of Africa, to Black Africans, to the trade of African slaves to the Americas, and to the history of Africans and African-Americans over the last five centuries.  Basically, Black Panther is a superhero movie and a big-budget, big studio event movie that is steeped in all things Pan African.

Yet Black Panther is so shockingly entertaining.  The film deals in such themes as how the sins of a leader can reverberate through generations of his people (even his people who live outside his kingdom), yet Black Panther manages to be a visually striking and imaginative science fiction and superhero fantasy.  Even more surprisingly, Black Panther not only finds the heroism in its male protagonist (T'Challa-Black Panther), but also in his female compatriots:  the brave and bold Okoye and her fearsome charges in the Dora Milaje; Nakia the “War Dog” (spy), who is as sharp as James Bond; and Shuri, the genius inventor like no other genius inventor.  This movie does not even slight its antagonist; Killmonger has legitimate beef with Wakanda and its ways.  He is right; Africans and the people of the diaspora would have been better off if an African nation possessing super science had used their technological advances to make (White) oppressors bow down and surrender.

Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright give bravura performances.  It is not just their acting, however; it is also in the kind of characters they bring to life.  These five actors and the rest of the cast give us cinematic characters as people of color who are not victims to be saved or people that are problems for other people.

These actors and filmmakers present a narrative where heroism and technology define the characters.  American cinema has been filled with African-Americans and people of color as slaves, runaway slaves, scared slaves, servants, coons, criminals, pimps, mammies, and the shiftless and the unemployed.  And damn, often they actors playing such characters have to play them as dignified.  Finally, Black Panther presents a sparkling, wondrous, rich mix of African tribalism, history, and art and culture; a mix of limitless possibilities; an Afro-Futurism that is so bright, we have to wear shades.  That is uplifting, and you know what?  That's entertaining.

10 of 10

Friday, February 23, 2018


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, May 14, 2018

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for May 16, 2018

BOOM! STUDIOS

MAR181297    DODGE CITY #3    $3.99
MAR181269    FENCE #6    $3.99
MAR181304    GARFIELD 2018 VACATION TIME BLUES #1    $7.99
MAR181284    LUCY DREAMING #3    $3.99
MAR188255    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #26 SG (2ND PTG) (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
MAR181241    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #27 MAIN SG (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
MAR181242    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #27 SUBSCRIPTION GIBSON VAR SG    $3.99
JAN181321    MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS & ZORDS POSTER SC (C: 1-1-2)    $19.99
JAN181332    PERSEPHONE ORIGINAL GN HC (MR) (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99
JAN181327    RUGRATS TP VOL 01 (C: 0-1-2)    $14.99
MAR181305    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #16 (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
MAR181306    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #16 SUBSCRIPTION OMAC VAR (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
JAN181351    UNSOUND TP (C: 0-1-2)    $19.99

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR180014    ETHER COPPER GOLEMS #1 (OF 5)    $3.99
MAR180015    ETHER COPPER GOLEMS #1 (OF 5) VAR POPE CVR    $3.99
JAN180154    I AM A HERO OMNIBUS TP VOL 06 (C: 1-1-2)    $19.99
JAN180129    JAM NOVEL SC (NEW EDITION) (C: 0-1-2)    $12.99
JAN180131    MOGWORLD NOVEL SC (NEW EDITION) (C: 0-1-2)    $12.99
MAR180034    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #3 MAIN CVR (C: 1-0-0)    $3.99
MAR180035    NEIL GAIMAN AMERICAN GODS MY AINSEL #3 VAR DAVID MACK CVR (C    $3.99
DEC170050    ORIGINALS ESSENTIAL ED HC (MR) (C: 0-1-2)    $29.99
MAR180068    USAGI YOJIMBO #3 (OF 7) THE HIDDEN    $3.99

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 16, 2018

DC COMICS

MAR180246    AQUAMAN #36    $3.99
MAR180247    AQUAMAN #36 VAR ED    $3.99
MAR188201    BATMAN #45 2ND PTG    $2.99
MAR180256    BATMAN #47    $2.99
MAR180257    BATMAN #47 VAR ED    $2.99
FEB180299    BATMAN GHOSTS TP    $19.99
MAR180258    BATMAN SINS OF THE FATHER #4 (OF 6)    $2.99
MAR180266    BATWOMAN #15    $3.99
MAR180267    BATWOMAN #15 VAR ED    $3.99
MAR180269    BOMBSHELLS UNITED #18    $2.99
MAR180270    BRAVE & THE BOLD BATMAN & WONDER WOMAN #4 (OF 6)    $3.99
MAR180319    CAVE CARSON HAS AN INTERSTELLAR EYE #3 (MR)    $3.99
MAR180241    DAMAGE #5    $2.99
DEC170376    DARK DAYS THE ROAD TO METAL HC    $29.99
MAR180359    DEATHBED #4 (OF 6) (MR)    $3.99
MAR180328    FUTURE QUEST PRESENTS #10    $3.99
MAR180329    FUTURE QUEST PRESENTS #10 VAR ED    $3.99
MAR180283    GREEN LANTERNS #47    $2.99
MAR180284    GREEN LANTERNS #47 VAR ED    $2.99
MAR180237    HARLEY LOVES JOKER #2 (OF 2)    $3.99
MAR180238    HARLEY LOVES JOKER #2 (OF 2) VAR ED    $3.99
MAR180298    INJUSTICE 2 #26    $2.99
MAR180230    JUSTICE LEAGUE NO JUSTICE #2 (OF 4)    $3.99
MAR180239    NEW CHALLENGERS #1 (OF 6)    $2.99
FEB180287    NIGHTWING REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 02    $34.99
OCT170378    SUPERGIRL THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 02    $99.99
FEB180289    SUPERMAN REBORN TP REBIRTH    $16.99
MAR180227    SUPERMAN SPECIAL #1    $4.99
FEB180315    TITANS TOTAL CHAOS TP    $29.99
FEB180262    WILD STORM #13    $3.99
FEB180263    WILD STORM #13 VAR ED    $3.99