Vertical Inc. News

A good time was had by all who attended the New York Anime Festival last weekend. And Vertical was just one of the many reasons why the latest edition of the Big Apple’s largest anime fair was a great success.

Friday afternoon, our staff wowed an audience of fans and press by announcing our Summer 2010 catalog. As expected next summer will see a diverse range of books covering everything from crafts to historical literature to non-fiction, but this year to please our anime and manga reading supporters we unleashed our long-awaited manga expansion to rave reviews. Revealing four new manga properties, we not only were able to fulfill a promise to our readers to get titles that are of the level of quality you have come to expect from Vertical, but we also acquired titles we expect to be instant hits with readers once they hit stores next summer.

Over the last few years Twin Spica and Chi’s Sweet Home have become household names in Japan, beloved by fans of all ages. Nobuaki Tadano’s Needle is a modern-day homage to the Golden Age of sci-fi, bound to thrill old-school and new age science-fiction fanatics. Felipe Smith’s Peepo Choo might be the manga version of Vertical—innovative, sexy, and shocking. In the new year and beyond, these titles will help carry the flag of Vertical manga alongside Tezuka and Takemiya as we continue to make comic and manga readers stand up and take notice of the great works we have to offer.

The rest of the weekend was spent meeting and greeting our readers on the sales floor and in the many panels that took place in the Javits Center. Three days was not enough time to catch up with every one of you, but it was a pleasure speaking with everyone who passed by Booth 101.

On behalf of the Vertical crew, in New York and Tokyo, we all want to say thank you for your continued support and we hope to see you all again at the next NYAF.

Three days of dazzling cosplay, panels, interviews, and massive amounts of attendees, New York Comic-Con was a blast. Vertical’s panel on Friday night was attended by our favorites, and we were thrilled to give away two signed copies of Keiko Takemiya’s To Terra… Vol. 1 and a grand prize of volumes 1 and 2 of Black Jack. Saturday our table was hit with a fever of people; thank goodness we brought our own nurse along! Resident Nurse Megumi wants to remind one and all to be safe, and to check out our site for more entertaining things to come.

We all had a great time at the show and were thrilled to talk with our beloved reviewers and fans alike. We know it’s been a rough winter for many and we appreciate everyone coming out and showing us so much love! We can’t wait to see you all again, and hope everyone had a great Con.

Everyone agrees; the recent New York Anime Festival was awesome! Exceeding last year’s rousing debut, this year’s affair featured more celebrities, panels, movies, parties and cool stuff. Vertical was frequented by attendees, both stalwart fans and curious newbies who wisely heeded the industry buzz to stop by and check out firsthand the best translated Japanese literature the industry has to offer. The premiere of Manga God Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack, Volume 1 highlighted the three-day event. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos nearly lost a finger trying to stock the table fast enough to keep up with the demand by eager fans. One lucky attendee at the Vertical Panel on Friday evening won an exclusive Black Jack Volume 1 Diamond Hardcover Edition. Even Doctor Black Jack himself—accompanied by his diminutive ward Pinoko—made an appearance on Saturday (portrayed by Vertical fans Boris and Sunny) with the good doctor making a solo appearance on Sunday (portrayed by Vertical intern Elan Bosworth). Vertical wants to thank everyone for stopping by and looks forward to seeing you at next year’s festival.

Although a relative newbie to the anime convention circuit, the New York Anime Festival is quickly becoming one of the premiere anime shows in the country. This year’s celebration takes place Friday, September 26-28, 2008, at New York City’s Jacob Javits Convention Center and promises to be even bigger and more exciting than last year’s epic debut. Japanese artist extraordinaire Yoshitaka Amano will be among the unbelievable guests, along with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, voice actress Rie Tanaka, author Hideyuki Kikuchi, and fashion designer Baby, The Stars Shine Bright, Japan’s premier Lolita fashion brand, who’ll be sending designers Miho Satoh and Masumi Kanoh. And, of course, topping the heap of exhibitors will be Vertical, Inc. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos will be in attendance selling the much-anticipated Black Jack Volume 1, as well as the company’s other manga and literary offerings, all at special show prices. He’ll also be handing out assorted gewgaws and whatnots to the ravenous crowd. And don’t miss Vertical’s panel Friday, 6:45–7:45pm, where Monsieur Vrattos will be joined by Editorial Director Ioannis Mentzas to discuss future projects from the nation’s most vaunted publisher of Japanese literature. As if that weren’t reason enough to attend, one lucky panel attendee will win a copy of the Diamond Exclusive Special Hardcover Black Jack Volume 1. Fans must fill out an entry at the Vertical booth and then be present at the Vertical panel later that evening in order to win. See you there!

The Big Apple’s bazaar for bibliophiles, New York Is Book Country returns this fall for a one-day event to celebrate the printed page. Vertical, Inc. will be there exhibiting at Booth # 43 along with dozens of other publishers large and small offering deals on hundreds of books; giving away bookmarks, bags, and other assorted freebies; presenting author signings and readings; and just gushing about that thing we love so much: books! Overseeing the Vertical booth will be Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos who will be giving out free Black Jack promotional comics and oodles of other cool must-have items. Even more amazing, he will have advance copies of arguably the most anticipated book of the year, Black Jack, Volume 1, available at a special show price (Supplies are limited). In fact, all the Vertical offerings will be available at ridiculous show discounts. The one-day event will take place rain or shine on Sunday, September 21, 2008, in Central Park down the lovely Literary Walk and along The Mall leading up to the Naumberg Bandshell. There’ll be music, food and of course copious amounts of great reading. Don’t miss it!

If I sound a bit breathless it’s because I just returned from the biggest book industry trade show held in America each year: BEA. Publishers from around the globe exhibit their books and show-off future titles. Marketing Manager Stephen Vrattos and Publicist Jessica Hatakeda were representing Vertical, handing out cool freebies, and gushing over Vertical’s awesome line of books. Making their debut in the giveaway department were two new posters, one promoting The Complete Aranzi Hour, which will be on sale in October 2008, and the other promoting Black Jack, which will see the first of its 17 volumes premier in September 2008. Speaking of the Osamu Tezuka surgical wunderkind, Vertical also debuted exclusive Black Jack comic books, which contained a never-before-published-in-the-U.S. story. Stephen and Jessica practically had to hang garlic around their necks and carry crosses to stave off the rabid hordes, who wanted copies. Galleys of the chilling North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter were also available. This heart-wrenching memoir of a mother’s search for the truth behind her daughter’s 1977 disappearance will be on sale January 2009 and contains photos, maps, and a timeline of the harrowing events leading to the discovery of a frightening North Korean espionage program: the kidnapping of foreign nationals for the purpose of training spies in the customs and languages of said countries in order to more easily infiltrate them. Stephen and Jessica look forward to meeting more booksellers, librarians and other industry peeps at next year’s BEA in NYC.