Time for some PR! It looks like there are some interesting manga hitting the bookstores in the next few weeks, so I’m going to go ahead and post the press releases, with covers, links to previews, etc. Feel free to drop by and tell me what you think.
First up is Dorohedoro, a “gritty urban sci-fi/horror series” from Viz about Sorcerers who create animal-human mutants, and the alligator-headed man who hunts them. You can actually read most of the first volume on the Sigikki website right now. I went over and took a look—it’s interesting, that’s for sure. Not your run-of-the-mill manga. Read on for all the details, gory and otherwise.
VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS DOROHEDORO
A BATTLE BETWEEN DIABOLICAL SORCERERS AND THE MONSTERS THEY CREATED
San Francisco, CA, March 9, 2010 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will publish manga creator, Q Hayashida’s gritty urban sci-fi/horror series, DOROHEDORO on March 16th. The new series under the company’s VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences and will carry and MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.
In a city so dismal it’s known only as “the Hole,” an underground group of Sorcerers have been abducting people off the streets to use as guinea pigs for atrocious “experiments” in the black arts. In a dark alley, Nikaido found Caiman, a mutant man with a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. To undo the spell, Nikaido and Caiman hunt and kill the Sorcerers in the Hole, hoping that eventually they’ll kill the right one. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering his people, he sends a crew of “cleaners” into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.
“DOROHEDORO blends bloody mutant action with the classic horror elements—zombies, demons, and ghosts—and an intricate postapocalyptic urban setting,” says Leyla Aker, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media. “At the same time, the characters are likable, the dialogue’s funny, and I think readers will be surprised by its charm.”
Manga creator Q Hayashida is known for her bold art style and the way she seamlessly integrates alternate universes into her stories. Hayashida made her manga debut with MAKEN X ANOTHER, which ran in Magazine Z in Japan and was subsequently adapted into a video game. She followed with a sequel, MAKEN X ANOTHER JACK. DOROHEDORO is her latest creation and is serialized in Shogakukan’s manga magazine IKKI and also featured on SigIKKI.com, the publication’s innovative online joint venture with VIZ Media.
For more information on SIGIKKI, please visit www.SigIKKI.com.
Cover art: DOROHEDORO © 2002 Q HAYASHIDA/Shogakukan