Vertical Inc. News » Events

A Legend Returns

Vertical — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:37:27 +0000

When Felipe Smith left the U.S., he was already an accomplished comic artist. Having won numerous awards for his work before landing in Tokyo, the man had nothing to prove. But after taking on the extremely competitive and demanding Japanese comic industry, Mr. Smith has proven that he is just beginning to grow as an artist and storyteller.

His Japanese debut Peepo Choo made a big splash when it launched back in 2008, rocking the manga scene with his original designs and his bigger-than-life characters. While his tale of culture clash challenged even veteran comic critics, there was no doubt in their minds that Felipe had mastered the art of manga presentation. Now Peepo Choo stands alongside works from such luminaries as Moyoco Anno, Takehiko Inoue, and Naoki Urasawa, published in Japan’s premiere seinen (men’s) comic anthology Morning.

As Felipe is developing his latest series for Japan’s largest publisher Kodansha, his Peepo Choo is ready to take on American readers. And to celebrate the occasion, Felipe will be joining Vertical at San Diego Comic Con and Otakon as a guest this summer, with book signings at both shows. Felipe will also be going back home to LA between cons for a special event at Hollywood’s Meltdown Comics. So don’t miss out on your chance to meet a comics legend before he once again departs for the Far East.

Book Signing @ Comic Con International (limited to 100 ticketed guests)
July 24, 2010 (Saturday) 2:00pm-3:00pm
Location: San Diego Comic Con – San Diego Convention Center, 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA

Peepo Choo Launch Party @ Meltdown Comics
July 26, 2010 (Monday) 7:00pm-
Location: Meltdown Comics – Meltdown Comics, 7522 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA

Book Signing @ Otakon
July 31, 2010 (Saturday) TBA
Location: Otakon – Baltimore Convention Center, 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD

Meet the Riddler!

Vertical — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 17:01:12 +0000

Puzzlers on the East Coast are on red alert as Japan’s Puzzle Premier Tetsuya Nishio returns to the U.S. to participate in the World Sudoku Championships in Philadelphia this weekend. And after the Team Japan captain demolishes the competition, he will take on his fans, and rivals, at two events next week. To promote his most recent American release, O’Ekaki Decadence, Master Nishio will be signing his new book in the two East Coast metropolises big enough to contain a man of his caliber, Philadelphia and New York.

If previous Nishio events are any measure, expect long lines and a little gaming with the legend. That said, Vertical staff would like to forewarn fans that while we hope the events will be civil, we cannot guarantee that Mr. Nishio will not unleash Sudoku Hell on inexperienced puzzlers.

May 3, 2010 (Monday), 4:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Barnes & Noble Rittenhouse Square – Downtown, 1805 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

May 5, 2010 (Wednesday), 6:00pm-7:00pm
Location: Borders – Penn Plaza, 2 Penn Plaza, Manhattan, NY

A Worry-Free Book Signing

Vertical — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:55:07 +0000

Vertical encourages foodies and New York area sweet-tooths to come by Books Kinokuniya New York City Monday (April 19th) afternoon to meet chef and nutrition counselor Kumiko Ibaraki as she signs her book The Worry-Free Bakery. Ms. Ibaraki will be making a rare U.S. appearance to promote her well-received book full of recipes for calorie-counting confections that are full of flavor but low on filler. And stick around to munch on homemade brownies and choco clusters baked the author herself for all of her sweet fans.

Book signing with Kumiko Ibaraki
April 19, 2010 (Monday), 5:30pm-7:00pm
Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan, NY

Vertical Goes APE and Talks Tezuka

Vertical — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:56:32 +0000

This weekend Tezuka fans on both sides of the country can join Vertical staff as they celebrate the upcoming release of Imagi Studios’ Astro Boy.

Saturday and Sunday, Vertical staff will be at the San Francisco Concourse to close their 2009 convention season at the Alternative Press Expo, the West Coast’s premier small-press and independent comic convention. Tezuka titles will take center stage at their booth (#106), with new releases of Black Jack and hard-to-find Buddha hardcovers available for purchase.

On the East Coast, Vertical’s VP and Editorial Director Ioannis Mentzas will host a Tezuka lecture at Books Kinokuniya NYC. While the Tezuka Day in New York celebration will primarily focus on Tezuka’s animated works as fans count down to the Astro Boy launch, Mr. Mentzas will use his time to discuss the many manga created by the man known universally as the Godfather of Japanese comics.

Alternative Press Expo (A.P.E.)
October 17 & 18, 2009 (Saturday and Sunday), 11:00am-6:00pm
Location: The Concourse, 620 7th Street, San Francisco, California

Tezuka Day in New York
October 18, 2009 (Sunday), 1:00pm-2:00pm
Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan, NY

California to be Walked by KIMIKO

Vertical — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:57:17 +0000

After a successful tour of the New York metropolitan area international wellness guru KIMIKO will be walking her way up and down the California coast. With book signings and lessons planned in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, do not miss your opportunity to learn KIMIKO’s secrets to health, beauty, and happiness as she promotes her new book Walking Your Way to a Better Life.

The first leg of her 2009 U.S. tour featured events in the East Village, Books Kinokuniya New York, and the Brooklyn Book Festival, where she got to meet firsthand with readers and new students—old and young, male and female—looking to better themselves through some of KIMIKO’s posture postive techniques. Taking time to give each new reader she met some insight to her life and the changes she has made over the last decade, KIMIKO touched the lives of dozens of people in New York.

KIMIKO’s West Coast tour includes lessons in Los Angeles, Gardena, San Jose and San Francisco. She will also be signing books and demonstrating her Posture Walking techniques at Books Kinokuniya Los Angeles and Books Kinokuniya San Jose. In San Francisco, KIMIKO will be joined by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Garrick at the Book Passage in the historic Ferry Building, Monday September 21st.

September 19, 2009 (Saturday) 1:30pm-3:30pm
Books Kinokuniya Los Angeles
123 Astronaut E. Onizuka St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

September 21, 2009 (Monday) 6:00pm-7:00pm
Book Passage Bookstore
with Dr. James Garrick in attendance
1 Ferry Building, #42, San Francisco, CA 94111

September 22, 2009 (Tuesday) 3:00pm-4:00pm
Books Kinokuniya San Jose
685 Saratoga Ave., San Jose, CA 95129

KIMIKO Walks New York

Vertical — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:48:14 +0000

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Saturday’s event at Books Kinokuniya will take place at 2:00pm instead of 1:00pm as previously scheduled.

With Fashion Week upon us, the eyes of the world will focus on the many men and women who will grace the runways of the dozens of events hosted by New York’s trend-setting studios. But how do these people walk with such power and confidence? It’s mental!

Surrounded by stress and a deteriorating figure, KIMIKO decided she would turn her life around and took steps towards rejuvenating her mind and body through a simple feat that she performed countless times a day: walking. Before long, KIMIKO was moving in a direction towards international wellness acclaim. Eventually she would strut her way to a point where she was sharing her techniques to feel younger and look stronger to thousands of Posture Walkers around the globe.

This weekend join entrepreneur and everywoman KIMIKO as she will be signing her new book Walking Your Way to a Better Life and demonstrating the teachings from its pages. With KIMIKO as your guide, there’s no telling how far your two legs will take you, as you improve your life, one step at a time. Walk it, baby!!

September 12, 2009 (Saturday), 2:00pm-3:00pm
Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan, NY

September 13, 2009 (Sunday) 1:00pm-2:30pm
2009 Brooklyn Book Festival
Borough Hall Plaza, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY

Vertical Vednesdays: 4 Steps to the Future

Vertical — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:58:29 +0000

Japanese comics have come a long way in the last century. Most major publishers release dozens of new volumes a week. Magazine anthologies can be found on store shelves and kiosks in at least three different continents now. And the stories, designs, and formats of presentation found within those comics are as diverse as the readers that support this billion dollar industry. But there was a time when manga looked eerily similar to the funnies we read with the Sunday paper.

Four-panel comics, known in Japan as yon-koma, are now the fastest growing and most volatile market in the manga industry. There are more magazines devoted to these comic strips than there are mainstream shoujo and shounen magazines combined! Historically strips like Sazae-san, Kobo-chan, and OL Evolution take slice of life concepts and repackage them into bite-size comedic vignettes. More recently titles like Heartbroken Angels, Gloom Party, and Ebichu have revealed that less is always more when it comes to the funny, but in these crazy modern times anything can be twice as funny, even fish mongering, if drawn in a strip.

With new titles such as K-On!, Lucky Star, and Doujin Work ready to take over the manga reading world, Vertical’s 1-man panel will strip down the world of yonkoma to reveal why these comics are quietly becoming the future of serialized manga.

Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas
Date: August 26, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:30pm-8:00pm
Soft drinks and snacks will be provided.
Please RSVP by emailing ed@vertical-inc.com

Vertical Vednesday—To The Light

Vertical — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:00:33 +0000

Twenty years ago a strange phenomenon arose from the depths of the Japanese literary scene. A generation of young writers raised on the sci-fi, mystery, and fantasy epics of writers such as Hideyuki Kikuchi, Jiro Akagawa, and Kaoru Kurimoto began cranking out a new form of juvenile fiction inspired by the fantastic worlds and dynamic relationships found in their favorite novels, manga, and anime. In contrast to traditional forms of genre fiction these light novels, briefly called “fast novels,” have always been quick lively reads filled with adventure and ambition, and because of their accessibility they quickly earned the attention of the Japanese TV and film industry.

Today, light novels are anything but light. A high percentage of Japan’s new wave of literary greats, including OtsuIchi, NishiOishin, and Ohtaro Maijoh, are now coming from the pages of pop fiction magazines such as Kodansha’s Pandora and Kadokawa’s the Sneaker. Their books are bringing new life and new perspectives to an industry that was reluctant towards change. And after two decades of literally fighting their way through the Japanese publishing scene, light novels are looking to take on the world with heavyweights like FAUST, the Haruhi series, and Another Death Note.

In the next edition of Vertical’s semimonthly book club, America’s J-Lit leaders will guide readers through a lifetime of light novels—from the early fantastic tales of Slayers and Lodoss Wars to the earth-shattering Kodansha BOX line—as we reveal why the next wave of Japanese pop-culture will soon take us into the light.

Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas
Date: July 29, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:30pm-8:00pm
Special Guest in attendance… Roland Kelts, author of Japanimerica
Soft drinks and snacks will be provided.
Please RSVP by emailing ed@vertical-inc.com

Vertical Vednesday—A Sporting Chance

Vertical — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:00:21 +0000

In the pantheon of manga there is one genre that sets itself apart from the rest—sports. One of the oldest genres and arguably the most beloved, sports manga is often referred to as the champion of genres by editors and artists alike. Yet, despite its many accolades and international respect, sports titles have not yet hit a homerun with North American readers.

Sports titles like Tomorrow’s Joe and Aim for the Ace helped lay down a foundation for Japanese pop culture back in the 60’s and 70’s. More than a decade later, Captain Tsubasa introduced manga to Europe and Latin America. And yet to this very day, many a sports manga contender has attempted to reach the Major Leagues of Comic-dom only to be relegated to playing a specialist role on bookshelves across America.

This Vednesday night Vertical’s own ballers will take to the field to pitch innings of unbeatable manga wisdom. Tackling everything from national pastimes to the new emergence of competitive eating comics, we will make a case as to why sports manga should be the undisputed world heavyweight comics champion!

Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas
Date: June 8, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:25pm-8:00pm
Drinks and snacks will be provided.
Please RSVP by emailing ed@vertical-inc.com

Vertical Vednesday—Yanki-Doodle Dandy

Vertical — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:00:15 +0000

What do Yanki and Yankees have in common? Clearly there is a collective sense of passion for community and brotherhood that cannot be measured by numerical means. Many Japanese Yanki and 18th Century American patriots also have been known for their hair as much as their willingness to take to arms…But that is where the similarities end.

Modern day Yanki are a mix of old-skool rebel charm and toughness wrapped in hip-hop threads and punk-rock bling. Being a Yanki is as much about the attitude as it is the outfit, and after being sent to reform school by PTAs and mass media for more than a decade these fictional thugs for life are once again taking the J-Pop scene by storm.

In the latest edition of Vertical Vednesday our Japanese pop-culture themed book club will carefully take on the world of Yanki in manga, prose and film. From the bad boys of Be-Bop High School to Hiroshi Takahashi’s modern day rebels without a clue, Yanki have repeatedly shown why nice guys always finish last.

Location: Books Kinokuniya New York, 1073 Avenue of the Americas
Date: June 24, 2009 (Wednesday), 6:30-8:00~
Drinks and snacks will be provided.
Please RSVP by emailing ed@vertical-inc.com