VIZ Media confirmed today that their special guests at San Diego Comic-Con 2009 will be Japanese manga creator Hiroyuki Takei (Shaman King) and American comics legend Stan Lee (Spiderman, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four and too many others to name), to celebrate the recent stateside debut of their cross-cultural collaboration, Ultimo (a.k.a. Karakuridoji Ultimo) as the newest series featured in the U.S. edition of Shonen Jump magazine.
Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei will be featured as the very special guests at the Shonen Jump panel at Comic-Con, which is scheduled for Friday, July 24, 2009 from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in Room 10 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.
Mr. Lee and Takei-sensei will also be appearing at the VIZ Media booth (#2813) in the SDCC exhibit hall for an exclusive autograph session on Friday, July 24 from 2:15 -3:15 p.m. The first 40 fans to purchase the July 2009 issue of Shonen Jump magazine (featuring Ultimo on the cover) from the VIZ Media retail shop in booth 2813 every day from Wednesday through Friday will receive a ticket to meet these comics creators and have their issue autographed by Mr. Lee and Takei-sensei. These tickets go fast, so be sure to make the VIZ booth your first stop when you enter Comic-Con every day.
This is the only autograph session featuring Takei-sensei and Mr. Lee together, and it's also Takei-sensei's first visit to Comic-Con, so take advantage of this opportunity to give these great comics creators a warm welcome.
To quote from the press release:
"We are extremely honored to host two creative luminaries as huge as Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei to Comic-Con this year,” says Grant Lowery, Editor-in-Chief of Shonen Jump. “Their groundbreaking new collaboration, Ultimo, is an exciting, action-packed story that blends the best attributes of the Western and Eastern comic book and manga traditions. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we look forward to welcoming visitors to this year’s Comic-Con which promises to be the most exciting one yet!”
Can't make it to San Diego? That's okay -- you can still get a chance to ask Mr. Lee and Takei-sensei your questions by entering the Shonen Jump "Ask the Masters" Contest. From now through August 15, just go to the contest site and submit your questions for these comics creators. If your question is chosen, you may win an autographed Ultimo pin-up poster and a Shonen Jump Ultimo sampler from the creator who answered your question. The winning questions, and the answers from Mr. Lee and Takei-sensei will be featured in a future issue of Shonen Jump magazine. Sorry kids, you have to be 13 years or older to enter.
So what's Ultimo about? Here's the details:
"High above Farmless City, citizens are stunned by the sudden appearance of two floating figures. Are they human boys, monolithic robots, or something much more strange? As the battle ensues between them, destruction and devastation falls on the hapless city. One figure is Vice, and seems to be as evil as his name implies. The other is Ultimo, intent on trying to stop Vice from wreaking more havoc. But who are Vice and Ultimo really? Where did they come from? Find out in the first chapter of ULTIMO!"
Haven't checked out Ultimo yet? The first prelude chapter was featured in the September 2008 issue of Shonen Jump, and the first two chapters of the continuing series are now available in the July and August 2009 issues of Shonen Jump, which are still available at better comics shops and newsstands. You can also see my report from when Ultimo was first unveiled at New York Comic-Con in April 2008.
Also, find out more about what VIZ Media has planned for San Diego Comic-Con at their recently launched SDCC 2009 events and info page.
Stay tuned for more updates about must-see events for manga fans at San Diego Comic-Con. I'll be there next week, taking in the sights and excitement of the entire weekend, from Wednesday, July 22 through Sunday, July 25. I'll be posting news and updates regularly to the blog, and posting as-they-happen updates through my Twitter feed. Stick around, there's lots more to come.
© 2008 by Stan Lee - POW! Entertainment / Dream Ranch, Hiroyuki Takei / Shueisha Inc.
Comments