press event at the 2008 New York Comic-con will be highlighting this historic partnership.
, one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, to announce that one of its parent companies (and one of the largest publishers in Japan),
Inc., will debut the exciting prologue chapter of ULTIMO (KARAKURIDÔJI ULTIMO) — the historic collaboration between comics legend
.
ULTIMO represents a first-of-its-kind partnership between Lee and a Japanese manga creator. The 32-page prologue, which features 3 full-color pages, will debut in a special April issue of the Japanese manga magazine Jump SQ., the sibling publication of
Shueisha's
Weekly Shonen Jump, which is historically the best-selling manga magazine in Japan. The special, standalone issue is called Jump SQ.II.
Viz Media will host a special press event at the 2008 New York Comic-Con on April 18th, the very day the SQ.II ULTIMO issue goes on sale in Japan. The event, attended by
Stan Lee, Takanori Asada (Editor, Jump SQ.), and
Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief
Marc Weidenbaum, will highlight the collaboration and shed further light on the development of ULTIMO and the partnership with
Hiroyuki Takei, as well as announce exciting news not yet shared regarding this title. New York Comic-Con takes place April 18-20 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City; this special press-only event is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Room# 1E09. (Contact information to save a seat at this event is located at the end of this release.)
Stan Lee says, “I am deeply honored for this great opportunity to collaborate with an award-winning artist/writer of the stature of
Hiroyuki Takei. I enthusiastically expect that the combination of an American story-telling style merged with Takei-san's acclaimed Japanese style will result in our joint creation ‘ULTIMO’ presenting an original, exciting type of manga that will appeal to comic book fans around the world.”
The ULTIMO story: 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? A new mystery begins with the fate of the world possibly hanging in the balance!
Lee's own company, POW! Entertainment, worked with Jump SQ. parent company
Shueisha and with JEA and Dream Ranch (a
Sony Music company) to facilitate the development of ULTIMO.
“The collaboration between
Stan Lee and
Hiroyuki Takei is a tremendous event,” says
Marc Weidenbaum,
Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief. “
Stan Lee is as big a legend as there can be in American comics, and Japan is without comparison for its massive comics culture. Lee's collaboration with an artist as gifted as
Hiroyuki Takei creates a bridge between Eastern and Western popular storytelling traditions and the pair has created something very new and special.”
For over half a century,
Stan Lee has been synonymous with superhero comics. In addition to creating countless memorable series and characters, including
Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the
X-Men and Daredevil, he served as the former president and chairman of
Marvel Comics. Lee remains a hugely respected and dynamic figure in the entertainment industry and continues to develop a variety of film, television and video game properties.
Unconventional author/artist
Hiroyuki Takei began his career by winning the coveted Hop Step Award (for new manga artists) and the
Osamu Tezuka Award. After working as an assistant to famed artist
Nobuhiro Watsuki (
Rurouni Kenshin), Takei debuted in
Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997 with
Butsu Zone, an action series based on Buddhist mythology. His multicultural adventure manga
Shaman King debuted in Japan in 1998 and has been adapted into a popular animated television series. The
Shaman King manga series is also published in North America by
Viz Media; for many years it was serialized in English in
Shonen Jump magazine.
Lucky winners will have the opportunity to attend this special event as well as receive a copy of the Jump SQ.II issue signed by
Hiroyuki Takei and
Stan Lee. For more information on ULTIMO and how to win one of the outstanding prizes please visit
www.shonenjump.com/ultimosweeps. Fans can also sign up for the
Shonen Jump newsletter to receive updated information on this event.
Media outlets wishing to attend this event please RSVP via Email to
Evelyn.Dubocq@viz.com.
For more information on ULTIMO,
Shonen Jump and
Viz Media please visit
www.shonenjump.com or
www.viz.com.
About POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, Inc.
POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, Inc. (Pinksheets:POWN.PK), an advanced media and entertainment company, was founded by world-famous comic book and motion picture icon
Stan Lee, together with award-winning producer Gill Champion and intellectual property specialist Arthur Lieberman, Esq. POW!'s principals have extensive backgrounds in the entertainment industry encompassing the creation, production and licensing of original intellectual properties, including some of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. POW!, capitalizing on this combined expertise, specializes in franchises for the entertainment industry, including animation and live-action feature films, plus television, DVDs, video games, merchandising and related ancillary markets, all of which contribute to global expansion. POW! partners with other individuals and entities of entertainment's top echelon, including studios and networks, in the creation, licensing and distribution of new POW! character franchises.
About
Viz Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA,
Viz Media, LLC (
Viz Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan's largest creators and licensors of manga and animation,
Shueisha Inc.,
Shogakukan, Inc., and Shogakukan Production Co., Ltd. (
Sho-Pro Japan),
Viz Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America and a global licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including, magazines such as
Shonen Jump and
Shojo Beat, graphic novels, videos, DVDs and audio soundtracks and develops and markets animated entertainment from initial production, television placement and distribution, to merchandise licensing and promotions for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact
Viz Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at
www.VIZ.com.
Comments
i already read ultimo chapter 0
in my shonen jump
it was kewl!!
*i'm a girl but a like shonen jump better than
shojo beat
XD
cant wait The Greatest
how is ultimo
Great Idea!! ^_^
I think alot of us Otaku and the big Marvel fans will enjoy reading the the manga ULTIMO when it's released very soon. This will be part of manga history. ^__^