Comic-Con '08: VIZ Brings 20th Century Boys, Pluto Manga to U.S. in '09

Friday afternoon's VIZ Media Manga and Anime panel at San Diego Comic-Con didn't offer too many new titles that weren't already announced at other cons, but the ones that they did reveal were worth a whoop and a holler. The panelists also made mention of VIZ's increasing commitment to publishing more manga for younger kids and their new effort to publish original comics, not just Japanese imports. But first, the news most worth cheering for.

NAOKI URASAWA'S PLUTO AND 20TH CENTURY BOYS!!!!
Often mentioned as the best manga you haven't yet read in English, 20th Century Boys and Pluto, by Naoki Urasawa (creator of the three-time Eisner Award-nominated Monster) will finally make their Stateside debut in February 2009 from VIZ Signature.

Pluto by Naoki Urasawa - February 2009 (VIZ Signature)
In American comics, it's quite common for artists and authors to re-write / tweak characters and stories originally done by other creators; for example, what Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns did for Bob Kane's Batman comics. However, in Japanese comics, a story is often the work of a single creator from beginning to end, never to be trifled with by other creators.

So in that respect, Pluto is more aligned with the American comics tradition, because it's a re-imagining of the universe of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. But here's where things get interesting. This story doesn't really focus on Astro Boy -- instead, it revolves around a minor character from a Astro Boy story entitled The World's Strongest Robot, and how this character and the other characters surrounding him see the same events of that original story from another point of view. As Weidenbaum put it, "it updates (Astro Boy) in a way that's absolutely insane -- it's truly groundbreaking."

Pluto was originally serialized in Big Comics Original, a seinen manga anthology magazine, which essentially means that this is not a kids story -- it's Astro Boy for grown-ups.

Pluto has also earned numerous accolades in Japan, including the 2005 Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award and the 2005 Japanese Media Arts Festival Manga Division Excellence Prize.

20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa - February 2009 (VIZ Signature)
As Marc Weidenbaum put it, "There are manga that make those of us at VIZ remember why we work in manga. If I didn't already work at VIZ, this manga would make me want to." The story that Weidenbaum is referring to is 20th Century Boys, also by Urasawa-sensei.

20th Century Boys is about a group of childhood friends who have a vague sense that something has gone wrong with the world, and it might have something to do with something they all remember seeing when they were younger. The main character, Kenji, is a bit of a "failed rock star," and the world he lives in is one of tyranny and oppression. True to Urasawa-sensei's strengths, 20th Century Boys is full of surprising plot twists and complicated, yet satisfying relationships between the characters.

As Weidenbaum described it, "It has touches of Stephen King, some rock and roll, and it's about humans surviving against tyranny." He continued, "It's a time-spanning manga, and it jumps back and forth in time. With every chapter, you never know what's going to happen next."

20th Century Boys has also earned numerous prestigious awards in Japan for excellence in manga, including the 2001 Kodansha Manga Award, an Excellence Prize at the 2002 Japan Media Arts Festival, and the 2003 Shogakukan Manga Award.

Intriguingly both Pluto and 20th Century Boys are due out in February 2009, a wonderful embarrassment of riches from this masterful manga storyteller.

NEW MANGA FOR GROWN-UPS: DOGS AND DEATH NOTICES
The VIZ crew also announced two new series from their general VIZ Media imprint:

Dogs Volume 0 by Shirow Mina (VIZ Media) - April 2009
As Editorial Director Beth Kawasaki put it, "The art is really cool looking. It's set in a dystopian future. There's lots of swords, action, fighting. It's really, really cool." Dogs is currently serialized in Ultra Jump magazine in Japan.

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit by Mase Motoro (VIZ Media) - May 2009
As described by Kawasaki, "ikigami" means "death paper," and Ikigami is about a time in the not-so-far-off future, when the Government decides that people just don't appreciate their lives much as they should. So just to up the ante a bit, random people are chosen to receive ikigami -- basically an instant death sentence that says that the recipient will die in 24 hours. This sci-fi suspense series focuses on the recipients of these notes and the person who must deliver them.

VIZ VENTURES INTO PUBLISHING ORIGINAL COMICS
The other highlights of the panel included a few words from Eric Searleman, the Senior Editor of VIZ Media's new original comics initiative. With their first round of portfolio reviews set for Sunday at 2:00 - 4:30 pm at the Comic-Con portfolio review area on the second floor, Searleman shared a few thoughts about the editorial and artistic mandate that they are working under. Searleman explained, "People ask if we're publishing manga -- We're just looking to publish good comics."

Other key points about their editorial focus, as explained by Searleman:

• Target Reader: Age 18 to 30
• Type of Story Preferred: "We like episodic storytelling -- like how TV shows like The Wire or Lost keep you on your edge of your seat and keep you coming back for more."
• Where it will be published: "Our first original comics will start showing up in Shojo Beat next year. They'll be more like autobiographical comics, how the artists discovered Japan," said Searleman.

Look for more updates on this front soon, as this program rolls on ahead.

HOOK 'EM YOUNG: MORE MANGA FOR KIDS
The other major announcements focused on VIZ Media's increasing commitment to publishing more manga for younger readers. In addition to showcasing their successful line of Pokemon books and the previously announced Naruto chapter books (short prose novels for younger readers based on Naruto stories), Editorial Director Beth Kawasaki also announced five new manga titles for kids to be released in late 2008 - early 2009 from their VIZ Kids imprint.

The Legend of Zelda by Akira Himekawa (VIZ Kids) - October 2008
This one was the real crowd-pleaser, if only for its sheer name recognition. Based on the immensely popular game from Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda manga "expands upon and clarifies the video game universe," said Kawasaki. Look for bi-monthly releases of these graphic novels.

BakeGyamon: Backwards Game by Mitshisa Tamura (VIZ Kids) - March 2009
I didn't catch too many details on this series, although from the look of things, it has a similar 'fighting card player" theme as say, Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon.

Dinosaur Hour by Hitoshi Shoya (VIZ Kids) - April 2009
As the title and cover art would suggest, Dinosaur Hour is about... well, dinosaurs. "It's really fun," said Kawasaki.

Leave it to PET by Kenji Sonishi (VIZ Kids) - April 2009
P.E.T. is an abbreviation for a type of plastic, most commonly used for bottles. So with that in mind, Leave it to PET is quite possibly the first eco-conscious manga for kids about "a boy who recycles a plastic bottle and that comes to life and becomes his pet," Kawasaki explained. I think I'll have to see it to figure it out when it begins its quarterly releases in April '09.

Happy Happy Clover by Sayuri Tatsuyama (VIZ Kids) - May 2009
When the cover art for this series flashed on the screen, you could almost see everyone cock their head to the side all at once and sigh, "It's so cute!" Happy Happy Clover is indeed cute with a capital "C" (or "kawaiiiiii" with lots of "iiii's" at the end.) as it's about a lil' bunny and his adorable pals as they live an idyllic life in the forest -- but soon discover that there's a big bad world out there and they have to be vewwy vewwy careful (sorry, couldn't resist). Inspired by a Nintendo DS game, Happy Happy Clover will debut with a first volume in May 2009 -- duwing spwing time! (Okay, I'll stop.)

There were other bits of joy spotlighted in this panel, but much of it was announced at Anime Expo earlier this month. Stay tuned for more, as Saturday is more panels, more news and more of me snooping around the exhibit floor taking photos and asking questions.

Image credits: © Naoki Urasawa / Shogakukan