Toy Fair is rocking at the Javits Center in New York City. It’s giving us a look at what we can expect on shelves this coming year. Wizkids was there showing off a lot of their upcoming releases including their Avengers Assemble Heroclix, Age of Ultron Dicemasters, the Ant-Man Heroclix box set, and more.
Check out the photos below! Heroclix Quinjet people!
WizKids Games, in partnership with Konami Digital Entertainment‘s 4K Media, have announced the retail release of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters, a Dice Building Game based on the immensely popular monster battling franchise. Available now for a suggested retail of $14.99 USD, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters 2-Player Starter Set includes 44 dice, 22 cards, two dice bags and a rulebook. Everything two duelists need to play Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters Starter Set is available at friendly local retailers in North America starting today with Gravity Feeds and Play Mats following, and will be available January 31 in Europe.
The Yu-Gi-Oh! phenomenon swept the US and global markets in 2001 and continues to captivate players with its best-selling games, animated television series and motion picture releases.
VIZ Media triples its dueling power as it announces the launch of Kazuki Takahashi’s Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series in a new 3-in-1 omnibus on February 3rd.
Published under the Shonen Jump imprint, Yu-Gi-Oh! 3-in-1, Vol. 1 is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN. It is the latest title to join VIZ Media’s extensive roster of 3-in-1 omnibus releases for some of manga’s greatest series. Future Yu-Gi-Oh! 3-in-1 editions will cover the entire 38-volume series and will be published quarterly for a total of 13 volumes.
Tenth-grader Yugi always had his head in some game – until he solved the Millennium Puzzle, an Egyptian artifact containing the spirit of a master gambler from the age of the pharaohs! Possessed by the puzzle, Yugi becomes Yu-Gi-Oh, the King of Games, and challenges evildoers to the Shadow Games…weird games with high stakes and high risks!
The games begin in the opening Yu-Gi-Oh! omnibus volume! Meet Seto Kaiba, master of the world’s most dangerous collectible card game. When Kaiba discovers that Yugi’s grandfather owns the incredibly rare “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” card, he will stop at nothing to get it…even if he has to duel with Yugi’s dark alter ego Yu-Gi-Oh! Then, out of the sands of Egypt, the mystic Shadi has come to test Yugi’s powers, which will give Yugi his greatest challenge yet. If he loses, his best friends will die!
The weekend is here! I’m spending it reading comics, playing some Heroclix, and maybe watching How to Train Your Dragon 2. What’s everyone else doing?
Around the Tubes
Kotaku – Two Men Arrested for Allegedly Stealing…320 Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards – Explain that one to your cell mate.
CBR – DC President Diane Nelson Says Female Representation a Priority – Good to hear.
Bleeding Cool – Marvel Comics To Be Paid A Million Dollars To Turn Captain Citrus Into A Man – Hand. Forehead. Slap.
CBLDF – What Does Japan’s New Child Porn Law Mean for Manga and Anime? – Actually a difficult issue one way or another.
Around the Tubes Reviews
CBR – Astro City #13
IGN – Miracleman Book 1
CBR – The United States of Murder Inc. #2
VIZ Media’s Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine returns to its roots in print as it gives North American fans a special treat with the release of the Weekly Shonen Jump Jump Pack 2014, Issue 2 available now. The jam-packed print edition contains more than 100 pages of the world’s most popular featured series and is an ideal way to check out what the digital Weekly Shonen Jump magazine offers.
The Weekly Shonen Jump Jump Pack is available in the U.S. and Canada exclusively through retailers serviced by Diamond Comic Distributors and also from leading online anime/manga retailer Right Stuf. The Weekly Shonen Jump Jump Pack 2014, Issue 2 is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN.
The latest Jump Pack issue features the current hit series, All You Need is Kill, by Takeshi Obata, as well as chapters from continuing fan favorites such as Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and much more. The issue also includes a promotional code for a 3-month weekly digital subscription to the magazine along with a limited edition Blue-Eyes White Dragon Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card with exclusive variant art from Kazuki Takahashi.
Wizkids has released some new images of what we can expecting in the upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! HeroClix: Series One set. This sees one of the most popular anime properties with the top collectible miniature game.
Check out the images below, though there might be some slight color changes in the final product.
Beginning December 2013, it’s time to duel as never before – with Yu-Gi-Oh! HeroClix! And prepare for the wider 55-figure set release with the Yu-Gi-Oh! HeroClix: Series One gravity feed, due out in February 2014!
Chalk this up to something I wasn’t expecting to see and cool enough to deserve it’s own Kickstarter Spotlight. Entertainment conglomerate National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), and 4K Media Inc., the newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today launched a Kickstarter campaign for a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Art branded Game Wallet designed by a fan vote exclusively for Kickstarter.
This is a product designed by fans and funded by fans, an interesting strategy for NECA, a company known for products catering to niche, but rabid, fanbases. By gathering ijsight and opinions from Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, the two companies have ensured this is a product they want and looking forward to. This is crowdsourcing at it’s best, both in design and funding.
For instance, fans said the wallet should include:
The Kickstarter tier rewards include two Standard Game Wallets and one Elite Edition Game Wallet, which will be limited to 520 units. Both versions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Art branded Game Wallet are available exclusively on Kickstarter. Additional tier rewards include Yu-Gi-Oh! branded apparel, bags, key chains, lanyards, dog tags, pins, and more, all featuring some of the most well-known and beloved monsters.
There’s cool items here for Yu-Gi_Oh! and non-Yu-Gi-Oh! fans alike.
Best Pledge: $44 – Gets you the game wallet
Risk: LOW – Unless this thing blows up and some time frames get messed up due to scale, I think the issues with this will be minimal. I consider this about as safe as ordering the same products through their website if you could.
4K Media Inc., the newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. announced today that it is making available for license, for the first time, artwork from its world record setting trading card game. NECA is the first licensee to take advantage of this newest opportunity for the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand. Under the agreement, NECA will produce action figures, headknockers, collectible replicas, puzzles, jewelry, posters, calendars and accessories utilizing artwork from the ever popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.
This is a worldwide exclusive deal, not including Asia. This deal is to expand 4K media’s properties in the older collector fanbase. The products are expected to launch during San Diego Comic-Con 2013.
VIZ Media is also heading to Anime Expo 2012 this weekend, taking place in Los Angeles. They’re bringing an array of booth attractions, product giveaways, special guest appearances, and panel discussions scheduled to take place throughout the unique 4-day Southern California event. They’ll be located at booth 1401.
They’re welcoming Tiger & Bunny Executive Producer Masayuki Ozaki as its guest for a panel discussion to be held on Saturday, June 30th at 12PM in Room LP1. Joining the panel will be voice actors Yuri Lowenthall (Barnaby Brooks Jr. / Bunny), Travis Willingham (Rock Bison), Laura Bailey (Dragon Kid), Patrick Seitz (Sky High), John Eric Bentley (Fire Emblem) and Tara Platt (Agnes). After the panel there’ll be a special signing session at the South Hall Autograph Area, at 3:30PM.
You can also join company executives on Friday, June 29th at 2:00PM in Petree Hall (Hall CD) for the “Super Secret VIZ Media Anime Project” panel.
Sneak peeks at other upcoming anime and manga series, as well as news on newly licensed properties, will be a major focus of the VIZ Media Panel, scheduled for Sunday July 1st at 1:30PM in Room 515A.
Readers that sign-up at the booth for an annual membership of Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha during Anime Expo will be treated to a special free Yu-Gi-Oh! Shock Master collectable trading card. There’s limited quantities available, so get there early.
Fans are also invited to a fun Shonen Jump Alpha Fan Meet-Up scheduled for Sunday July 1st, at 5PM in Room 515A. Gift bags filled with a variety of fun collectables will be given away, while supplies last. Attendees can meet the Shonen Jump Alpha staff and other readers, and learn all about what the digital manga magazine has in-store for future issues.
VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE LATEST YU-GI-OH! ADVENTURES WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL MANGA SERIES IN JUNE
Brand New Action Adventure Series Follows A Young Boy’s Quest To Fulfill His Destiny And Become A Dueling Champion; Vol. 1 First Editions Include Limited Edition YU-GI-OH! Trading Card
San Francisco, CA, May 17, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, notably expands its bestselling YU-GI-OH! manga (graphic novel) brand with the forthcoming release of the newest series in the popular franchise. YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL launches on June 5th under the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Volume 1 First Editions will also contain a limited edition collectable YU-GI-OH! trading card.
YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is based on an original concept by Kazuki Takahashi with story by Shin Yoshida and artwork created by Naohito Miyoshi. The new series takes place in a futuristic city where augmented reality Duels are all the rage. Duelists, using devices called D-Gazers, can interact with their environment and their opponents as never before. With more awesome monsters and unbelievable cards, the future of Yu-Gi-Oh! starts right here! No one loves Dueling more than Yuma Tsukumo, but unfortunately for him, no one is worse at it! This isn’t going to stop Yuma from trying though. When Yuma calls on the memory of his parents during the Duel, a strange being called Astral appears, and the encounter is the start of Yuma’s amazing Duel journey!
“YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is the successor to YU-GI-OH! 5D’s and takes the art of Dueling to the next level in this exciting latest saga of the internationally popular franchise,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “The manga series, which is ongoing in Japan, closely follows the YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL animated show currently airing on North American television on the CW network’s Toonzai animated program block. With plenty of action and supercharged Duels featuring a colorful new array of monsters, manga readers won’t want to miss a single adventure as Yuma Tsukumo strives to become a famous champion and fulfill his destiny!”
Artist/author Kazuki Takahashi first tried to break into the manga business in 1982, but success eluded him until YU-GI-OH! debuted in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1996. YU-GI-OH!’s themes of friendship and fighting, together with Takahashi’s weird and imaginative monsters, soon became enormously successful, spawning a real-world trading card game, video games, and three popular anime series including the two original YU-GI-OH! series as well as YU-GI-OH! GX.
More information on YU-GI-OH! is available at: www.viz.com/yu-gi-oh.
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-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment 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 website at www.VIZ.com.
