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Breakfast Topic: What would you like to see in a WoW comic?
I've been getting back into comics lately, thanks largely to the World of Warcraft. My most recent purchases were the trade paperbacks of Wildstorm's World of Warcraft series and Ashbringer, as well as Tokyopop's Warcraft Legends manga. Since I couldn't get my fix of Hong Kong manhua without actually going to Hong Kong (which makes it kind of hard to keep up with weekly titles like Amazing Weapons 4...), it was a bit easier to head over to our local shops and get some Western comics. What better subject than my favorite game, right?While I enjoyed Ashbringer, I take a great liking to Warcraft Legends because it explores the other aspects or characters of Azeroth. The ongoing series can focus on well-known guys like Varian Wrynn, but Warcraft Legends are cool side-stories of the unknown guys. That opens up a world of potential. We could see stories about those NPCs we always see all over the place. Maybe we can get a comic about Cro Threadstrong and find out why he hates the fruit vendor so much. How about stories about the wandering "named" NPCs in Dalaran? Minigob Manabonk, maybe?On the flip side, how about when the characters in the comic stories suddenly make their way into the game? We know Broll Bearmantle and Valeera Sanguinar have their roots in toys and comics, and players can now meet them in WoW. This whole idea of comics as an extension of the game's story is really cool, and I hope Wildstorm and Tokyopop keep putting out great comics and characters. Is there anything in particular about the World of Warcraft that you'd like to see in comic form? A favorite character? A particular period or special event? Share your thoughts!
Warcraft Legends are a fun ride for all
Although Free Comic Book Day is supposed to be on the first Saturday of May each year, our local book store chain Fully Booked held it last May 23 with a 20% discount off graphic novels and select manga. I thought it was a good opportunity to pick up Tokyopop's Warcraft Legends series, a manga-style take on the Warcraft universe. I'd had my eye on these books for a while, so last weekend was a good opportunity to get them.Each book contains three self-contained stories and one ongoing tale featuring the Tauren Trag Highmountain from the Sunwell Trilogy manga written by Richard Knaak and drawn by Kim Jae-Hwan. Trag's story in Warcraft Legends picks up where the Sunwell Trilogy left off, and although the story is rather interesting, the best thing about the manga are the short stories which breathe a little more life into the Warcraft world. These stories are what make the books truly shine. My take on the first three books in the series after the jump.
Life-sized Tachikoma loose on the streets of Tokyo (update: video!)
You know, we see a lot of kick-ass vehicles 'round Engadget HQ, so it's easy to grow a little jaded. Who can forget that Batman Tumbler we saw tearing up the asphalt last summer? Or the Halo Warthog -- complete with UN Space Command BDUs? Sure, either of those would make for a fun-filled weekend (or a lifetime of weekends), but what about something a little more suited to urban environs? Next time you're in Tokyo, make sure you look up a gentleman named San Kougei, who put together a joystick-piloted replica Tachikoma (of Ghost In The Shell fame). Who knows? Maybe he'll even let you take it for a spin. We're looking forward to seeing some YouTube video of this bad boy, but in the meantime we present you with one more pic (after the break).Update: Video found... from 2006. Hey, it's new to (most of) you![Via Tokyo Mango]
WoW Insider interviews WoW manga series writer Dan Jolley
In the second of our two exlusive interviews, we sat down with Dan Jolley, the writer behind TOKYOPOP's latest Warcraft manga, Warcraft: Death Knight, which is due out later this year. You can also read our interview with TOKYOPOP Series Editor Troy Lewter here.WoW Insider: How did you get involved with the Warcraft manga? Dan Jolley: I've been writing for TOKYOPOP for a number of years now, and when I heard they were going to do Warcraft manga, I called them up and basically did the long-distance, over-the-phone equivalent of jumping up and down and holding my breath until they agreed to let me write some of them. (Tantrums aside, I think I'm also a bigger Warcraft geek than anybody else there, so that was another factor in my favor.) Did you have particular plots in mind for 'How to Win Friends' and 'Miles to Go' when you were first approached? I actually turned in quite a few story ideas – just one-paragraph pitches – for Blizzard to choose from. Lucky for me, they liked several, and 'How to Win Friends,' 'Miles to Go' and 'Crusader's Blood' were among them. There was another one involving Booty Bay and some goblins, and that one didn't make it through, much to my chagrin. But I do have another short story coming up that centers on the Bloodsail Buccaneers, so that sort of makes up for the goblin loss.
WoW Insider interviews WoW manga series editor Troy Lewter
One of the most suprising successes of a franchise which includes the Trading Card Game, figures, books and even Mountain Dew is actually the World of Warcraft manga published by TOKYOPOP. Given that the game has actually been shaped by the characters and lore introduced in the manga (and vice versa), I decided it was high time we sat down with series editor Troy Lewter and writer Dan Jolley. We're posting Troy's interview today while the interview with Dan Jolley (who has penned the upcoming Thassarian-centric Warcraft: Death Knight manga) will follow tomorrow.WoW Insider: So Troy, how did you get involved with the Warcraft line of manga? Troy Lewter: My Editor-in-Chief at the time asked me if I would be interested in co-editing the anthology. He actually gave me a choice between Warcraft and StarCraft; I choose Warcraft because I was a big fan of fantasy-type sword and sorcery stories. At the time I knew little about the property, other than millions of people played it (and that South Park made a very funny episode about it). Due to structural changes within the company, by June '08 I suddenly found myself the sole editor for not just the anthologies, but all the Warcraft manga. It's been a huge undertaking, but the greater the challenge, the greater the glory, right? *Wipes away salty tears*
Breakfast Topic: The next Warcraft comic book hero
So I posted a couple days ago about the new Death Knight manga starring the Human Death Knight Thassarian, and it sparked some interesting conversation in the comments. Namely, people started talking about the type of hero they'd like to see in the Warcraft comics. Some complained that the Horde wasn't getting enough representation, some wanted specific races to get the spotlight. I thought it was at least fun to think about, so I thought I'd ask the question straight up: Who would you like to see get front billing in a Warcraft comic storyline or graphic novel?
Death Knight Manga to be released December 2009
Via Blizzplanet, we have news of yet another Warcraft graphic novel coming to us from Tokyopop in December 2009. This time, the story will focus on Thassarian, a Human Death Knight NPC in World of Warcraft. If you've played a Death Knight or an Alliance character in Northrend, chances are you know of Thassarian. He first shows up in game as a thrall of the Lich King, but even as he assists in the slaughter of the Scarlet Crusade, he shows a noble spirit that even the Lich King's control can't completely suppress.
Bamboo Blade: Sorekara no Chousen to hit PSP in April
Anime fans rejoice: Toraji "Kojir?" Ishida and his fierce clan of fighters are coming to the PSP. Bamboo Blade, the popular manga series from the producers of Gun Sword, will see new life on Sony's handheld this April in Japan, according to Saiani.net. Bambo Blade follows the exploits of luckless high school Kendo instructor, Kojir?, and his band of female trainees as they battle for all-you-can-eat sushi. Oh, and honor. Bamboo Blade: Sorekara no Chousen for the PSP is a story-driven card-battle title with voice work from the cast of the original anime, which ended in mid-2008. Card-battles? Bamboo? Does it get better than that? Well, it will if a publisher decides to bring it Stateside.
WiiWare manga service quietly launches
As promised, Sunsoft's WiiWare manga reader has just debuted on Japan's WiiWare service with Princess Ai, and Siliconera has posted a brief walkthrough to, well, reading Princess Ai on your Wii.It sounds straightforward, if a little unwieldy. Turning English subtitles (all translation work has been done by Tokyopop) on is easily done via the options menu, though this does mean you'll have to center on each speech bubble to make the subtitles appear (by pressing the A button), as opposed to smoothly scrolling through the manga.Meanwhile, the + and - buttons allow for zooming in and out, and accessing the next page is done by pressing left on the D-pad. There's also an option to listen to background music, five tracks from the newly released Princess Ai soundtrack, though how you people read and listen to music simultaneously we'll never know. Madness, we say.%Gallery-38561%
Japan now to have two WiiWare manga services
Sunsoft's WiiWare manga viewer, through which users can download manga for a fee, is a great idea. At least, Shonen Jump seems to think so. At their Jump Festa event, the publication offered demos of a WiiWare service called Mangaon, branded with the name of Jump's online manga site Jumpland.Posters indicate that the service, also available on DSi, will have some kind of "game" element -- a 3D world with original characters to interact with. This could be the navigation system for the manga. The real draw here is Jump's stable of manga: One Piece and Dragon Ball were on display in the demo. Surprisingly, the web version of Jumpland actually includes a site for English-language manga, and, of course, Shonen Jump is outrageously popular in the West, so it's not entirely unbelievable for Jump to consider bringing this service over.
White Knight Chronicles prequel manga goes live
Level-5's first big PS3 RPG, White Knight Chronicles, is hitting Japan very soon. In order to get the populace ready for this epic adventure, the official Japanese site now features a beautifully illustrated prequel manga. Simply click on "Special" at the top of the site to get a peek at the first issue. Sure, it's in Japanese, but for fans that are eagerly awaiting this game, this is a nice way of seeing the expansive world of WKC.
WiiWare manga releases next month, has English text
Remember Sunsoft's plans to start releasing manga over WiiWare? After several months of hearing diddly-squat, we've finally got confirmation that Princess Ai will be the first title delivered through the service. On January 6, Japanese Wii owners will have access to the first three chapters for 500 Wii points. Subsequent chapters will be released in pairs for 200 points a time. At fifteen chapters long, that means Princess Ai will set you back 1700 points, a pretty competitive price when compared to the paper-based version.Better still, one of the comic panels released by Sunsoft reveals subtitles in English -- Siliconera speculates that this could mean Sunsoft plans to localize its WiiWare manga viewer in the west. If that goes well, who knows what else could come our way?%Gallery-38561%[Via Siliconera]
To Love-Ru: Milk-squirting joins butt-slapping
We thought we'd seen the most risqué content To Love-Ru had to offer with its bottom-slapping minigame -- we were wrong. Kotaku discovered that one of the more innuendo-laden minigames involves squirting, um, milk at a strawberry held by Lala, pink-haired alien girl and love interest of protagonist Rito.Those with an interest in either of the activities mentioned in our title will be able to import this from August 28th. Meanwhile, if you missed it first time, the full (N entirely SFW) trailer is past the break.
Chi's Sweet Home is very sweet indeed
Chi's Sweet Home is a manga and anime series about a lost kitten who gets adopted by a loving family. Interchannel-Holon is turning it into a heartbreakingly cute DS game that combines comic-style storytelling and graphical text adventuring with adorable and weird minigames. Depending on the date, different minigames will be available, ranging from throwing a ball for Chi to ... kitten sumo? It also includes the requisite interactivity, allowing you to pet, feed, and otherwise care for little Chi.It's easy not to love the soulless, polygonal Nintendogs, but Chi's face could easily sway even the most stalwart pet-game hater. This isn't a standard pet game, in any case -- it's an adventure game starring a pet.
Popular manga Blazes way to DS as an RPG
World Destruction isn't the only RPG Sega is cooking up for the DS right now. The company is also slaving over a DS adaptation of Blazer Drive, Seishi Kishimoto's popular manga set in a futuristic Tokyo where society has developed "Mystickers," adhesives which contain various elements (electricity, ice, light, etc.) and assist in day-to-day life.Certain individuals -- known as "Blazers" -- can activate Mystickers on their skin, and this plot mechanism plays a role in the Blazer Drive game. In the title's turn-based battles, Mystickers can be applied to characters using the stylus to let them attack, use special skills, or generate combos. Players fill the boots and spiky hair of Shiro and Tamaki, two Blazers.A localization of Blazer Drive looks unlikely, but to be honest we're surprised that it's even getting a game of its own -- the manga can't be more than three months old! Check out more screens beyond the break.
Absolutely Lovely Children exist on the DS
More manga/anime adaptations head DS-ward, this time in the form of Zettai Karen Children (Absolutely Lovely Children). Konami grabbed the license for the series and is making it into an RPG for the DS, which comes out on September 4th in Japan. We never heard of Absolutely Lovely Children before, well, yesterday, but the story focuses around three young girls with ESP. It's not uncommon for people to have ESP (in this manga/anime-verse), but these ten-year-olds have the highest level of the power. The government thus forms them into a seemingly elite unit known as "The Children."Since more details on this recently-announced-yet-soon-to-release game have yet to surface, it might be worth checking out some of the screens below to see if the style appeals to you. Keep in mind, though, that Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children probably won't be localized outside of Japan.%Gallery-26203%[Via Siliconera]
To-Love-Ru: Do I have something on my butt?
File this one as another crazy Japanese game. We knew about To-Love-Ru awhile back, but we never knew it'd be like this. As you can see in the video above, the main goal of the game seems to be slapping young ladies on their bottoms. Well, maybe not slapping them so much as clearing evil little things away from their backside. Move over, Doki Doki Majo Shinpan. There's a new almost-obscene title in town.[Via Kotaku]
Namco Bandai publishing Square Enix-owned Soul Eater
Square Enix was awarded the Wii license for the Soul Eater manga by the property's publisher ... Square Enix. Their Soul Eater: Monotone Princess is a third-person 3D hack & slash set in the manga's universe. Despite the apparent nepotism, Square Enix's publishing arm and its little video game business aren't as exclusive as they may seem: for some reason, Namco Bandai has the license for a DS game based on the franchise. Namco Bandai has chosen to create ... a third-person 3D hack & slash!Despite being developed by different companies for different systems, Soul Eater: Medusa no Inbou (Medusa's Plot) looks extremely similar to the Wii game, in terms of environment, perspective, and overall presentation (cutscenes involving dialogue delivered by still character portraits). Two games in the same genre based on the same license will naturally look similar, but we think this goes beyond a signature look. Or maybe not. Compare for yourself after the break!
Detroit Metal City makes for awesome action figures
Upon first seeing Detroit Metal City: Death Shout, we came to a conclusion: the game was the perfect amount of crazy for us. It's no secret that we enjoy odd things here at DS Fanboy, so we'd like to point out that the game is now getting action figures, allowing you to act out scenarios you might not find in the Japanese title.As you can see to the right, Johannes Krauser II came out wonderfully in his action figure. He's not only available as you see him there, but also in another costume. Joining him for this run of action figures is also the band's drummer.So, anybody want to pick these up for us? Our birthday is, uh, soon or something.
Great Wise King: a new shooter based on familiar material
Daiseiou, which means "Great Sage King" or "Great Wise King" is a manga based on the Chinese Monkey King story that has been adapted and remade countless times, most recently in the game world as Starfish's The Monkey King: The Legend Begins.It appears that the legend is continuing: Starfish is working on a game based on Daiseiou, which is also a 2D side-scrolling shooter with the player as the Monkey King flying on his cloud (though this one also features Space Harrier-style segments). For two games in the exact same genre about the same subject matter from the same developer, the styles couldn't be more different -- Daiseiou's detailed, painted-looking style is a sharp contrast from the colorful chibiness of The Monkey King. There's nothing but a single (but pretty excellent) piece of artwork on the official website right now, but you can see plenty of screens at Famitsu.
