News & Events:
THE Jim Henson Company, TOKYOPOP, and Neil Gaiman Set to Bring
MirrorMask and Classic Fantasy Titles to Manga
The Jim Henson Company has partnered with TOKYOPOP Inc., the #1 publisher
of manga in the U.S., in an exclusive manga publishing deal to bring
three of its fantasy titles to fans.
Most notable among them is MirrorMask, the feature film from Dave McKean
and Neil Gaiman (see release announcement below). TOKYOPOP's MirrorMask
prequel manga series will be plotted by Gaiman, the award-winning writer
of the highly successful Sandman comic as well as the novels Good Omens
and Coraline.
Also included in the deal will be all-new original graphic novel series
for the immensely popular properties The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. The
MirrorMask prequel will tell the story of the princess' escape from the
Dark Palace and how she came to acquire the mirror mask.
TOKYOPOP also plans to release a sequel manga to Labyrinth, which after
hitting the big screen in 1986 remained a fan favorite over the years
and also served as an inspiration for MirrorMask. Its manga version will
follow a 13-year-old Toby as he journeys back to the labyrinth to assume
his role as the heir to the Goblin Kingdom. Manga writer Jake Forbes
will write this series.
The final title will be a prequel to 1982's The Dark Crystal, the
classic tale of good versus evil that broke ground as the first fully
animatronic feature. Henson also recently announced that it is in
preproduction on a theatrical film sequel to this cult classic.
Gaiman said, "As soon as I heard that Henson wanted to do manga versions
of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, I immediately wanted to include
MirrorMask as well. Having the leader of manga handle all three titles
seems like the perfect way to present them to readers around the world."
"TOKYOPOP has consistently had innovative publishing and entertainment
programs," said Michael Polis, Senior Vice President of Marketing for
The Jim Henson Company. "Knowing the devoted followers these different
titles have had over the years, we are thrilled to more fully explore
these much-loved worlds with all-new manga series."
"The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth movies are so loved and iconic, and I
have no doubt that MirrorMask will achieve the same status—so it's a joy
for me and for TOKYOPOP to be able to work with The Jim Henson Company
and Neil Gaiman on these great titles," said TOKYOPOP editor Rob Valois.
http://www.tokyopop.com/mangaonline/features.php?viewPage=feat_news.htm
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://www.xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
http://www.glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
http://www.sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
