KODANSHA COMICS ANNOUNCES NEW TITLES AT NEW YORK COMIC CON

 For Immediate Release:

Manga publisher also plans to accelerate release of bestselling manga, Fairy Tail

NEW YORK, October 13, 2012 – Kodansha Comics is proud to announce the acquisition of four new manga licenses for the American market to be released in 2013, plus the re-release of a fan favorite in omnibus format, and an accelerated release for the international bestseller, Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima Fans have been wishing for Fairy Tail to come out faster, and those wishes are about to be granted! Starting with volume 24 in March 2013, a new volume of Fairy Tail will be released in print every month. But wait, there’s more! Starting that same month, two new volumes of Fairy Tail will be released digitally every month! If you can’t wait, there will be two new volumes of your favorite manga on your iPad or iPhone every month, and if you want a copy for your shelf, there will be a single new volume available every month. That’s more Fairy Tail than ever! Sankarea: Undying Loveby Mitsuru Hattori Since he was little, Furuya has felt an unusual emotional connection to zombie movies. It’s not that he feels bad for the survivors – instead he fantasizes about comforting the poor undead girls they slaughter! When his beloved pet passes away, he decides to brew up a resurrection potion in secret. But he’s discovered by popular girl and local heiress Sanka Rea, whose life isn’t as perfect as it seems… and Furuya suggests that she could serve as a test subject! Sankarea: Undying Love volume 1 will release in June 2013. No. 6 Story by Atsuko Asano, art by Hinoki Kino For Shion, an elite student in the technologically sophisticated city No. 6, life is carefully choreographed. There’s school, study, and the occasional visit with his friend and classmate Safu. One fateful day, however, he takes a misstep, sheltering an injured boy his age from a typhoon. Known only as Rat, this boy is a VC – a fugitive living outside the computerized tapestry of city control – and helping him will throw Shion’s life into chaos and start him down a path to discovering the appalling secrets behind the superficial perfection of No. 6. Adapted from the popular Japanese novels, No. 6 volume 1 will release in June 2013. Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura Thorfinn is son to one of the Vikings’ greatest warriors, but when his father is killed in battle by the mercenary leader Askeladd, he swears to have his revenge. Thorfinn joins Askeladd's band in order to challenge him to a duel, and ends up caught in the middle of a war for the crown of England. From the creator of the classic Planetes manga comes this epic, highly-anticipated tale. Vinland Saga volume 1 will release in October 2013. Tokyo Mew Mew A la Mode by Mia Ikumi With Mew Ichigo Momomiya studying abroad in London with Masaya, the remaining four girls from Cafe Mew Mew are one too few. Luckily, a new Mew is about to emerge. Little does she know she's about to become the first Mew Mew with TWO sets of animal genes in her blood. Half cat, half rabbit, she's joining the Mew Mew team just in time. A new gang calling itself the Crusaders has appeared, and its leader just happens to love wild game like rabbit – well done and served for dinner!  Tokyo Mew Mew A la Mode will release in November 2013. Air Gear Omnibus by Oh!great Itsuki Minami needs no introduction – everybody’s heard of the “Babyface” of the Eastside – he’s the toughest kid at Higashi Junior High School. Plus, Itsuki lives with the mysterious and sexy Noyamano sisters. Life is never dull, but it becomes dangerous when Itsuki leads his school to victory over some vindictive Westside punks with gangster connections. Now he stands to lose his school, his friends, and everything he cares about. But in his darkest hour, the Noyamano girls come to Itsuki’s aid. They teach him a powerful skill that will save their school from the gangsters’ siege – and introduce Itsuki to a thrilling and terrifying new world. Air Gear Omnibus Volume 1 will release in May 2013. About Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC Established in New York in 2008, Kodansha USA Publishing (KUP) is a subsidiary of Kodansha, Japan's largest publisher. KUP's first works under the Kodansha Comics imprint were Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Masamune Shirow's The Ghost in the Shell. KUP has expanded their catalog to include such titles as Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima, Shugo Chara by PEACH-PIT, and Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi, the highest selling manga in the U.S. in 2012. Kodansha Comics is distributed by Random House Publisher Services. http://www.kodanshacomics.com