Friday afternoon at Anime Boston Vertical Comics announced a slew of new licensed works during their industry panel and CITY launch event. Marketing Director Tomo Tran was onsite to lead the discussion around Vertical’s newest products.
Dororo began as a thriller manga following a warrior who has been robbed of 48 body parts by demons. The story follows his journey to destroy the demons along with his sidekick, an orphan thief, and win back his body parts to become whole again. It won an Eisner award in 2009 and now Dororo is making the transition over to anime. After seeing the trailer I was left blown away as the artwork is simply stupendous. No release date available yet.
CITY by Keiichi Arawi was released this past Tuesday. Vertical is pushing this book hard and even gave all those in attendance at the panel a free CITY pin. It’s an ongoing series with 3 volumes thus far. The story follows a young and reckless girl named Midori on her adventures around her city. You can check out a free preview and the official summary at Vertical’s website.
Previously announced by Vertical with releases coming up in April and May are My Boy (April 10), Chi’s Sweet Adventures (May 1) and The Dark Maidens (May 29). Chi’s Sweet Adventures is done in full color and is a sweet tale following a cute cat. While The Dark Maidens is a novel on the opposite end of the spectrum.
At a prestigious girl’s school, a student has died. Itsumi was the most beautiful, charismatic, and popular girl at St. Mary’s Academy for Girls. She was also the president of the exclusive and tight-knit Literature Club. One week after her death, the members of her beloved club gather in her memory. But as they each testify to what happened in the days leading up to the tragic event, their accusations turn shocking–
Tomo Tran describes The Dark Maidens as “Mean Girls with murder”.
After the Rain is newly licensed by Vertical and will be released on September 25th. The manga has compiled 10 volumes in Japan and will be released in the US in omnibus fashion with 5 volumes. The story follows Akira Tachibana, a 17-year-old high school track star that begins working part-time at a restaurant after hurting her leg. She falls in love with the restaurant manager, a 45 year old divorcee with a young son.
Vertical hasn’t set a release date just yet for Serial Killer Detective, but it aiming for this fall. The work is a stand alone novel that Tran compares to Showtime’s Dexter. Our story follows a man who’s a detective by day and serial killer at night.
Katanagatari follows a samurai who’s on a quest to find 12 legendary swords. There were 12 volumes in Japan; the US will be getting four 3-in-1 volumes. If you enjoy the manga keep your eyes out for the anime.
Kabukimonogatari is Vertical’s latest release from NisOisin’s Monogatari series. No release date is available as of yet. The novel inspired an anime adaptation as part of the Monogatari Series Second Season anime. The designer has yet to provide a finalized cover.
Vertical also announced that Devil’s Line, a manga hit, will air its first anime episode this Saturday (March 31). In the world of Devil’s Line vampires live among humans and walk a thin line between blood lust and control. Should a vampire get a craving for blood or become angry they can turn into uncontrollable monsters.
The panel ended with a special announcement. VOFAN cover illustrator for Vertical Comics is coming to the states at Anime Central May 18 (Fri) -20 (Sun. A small but special announcement will be made by Vertical at his appearance.
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