Tokyopop announces next 10 Rising Stars of Manga winners
TOKYOPOP INC. ANNOUNCES 10 NEWEST RISING STARS OF
MANGA WINNERS AS FORMER FINALIST SIGNS BOOK DEAL
Michael Vega's Dark Moon Diary to Become 5th Graphic
Novel Series Generated by National Contest
LOS ANGELES (October 4, 2004)--As TokyoPop Inc.
proudly announces the winners of its fourth Rising Stars of
Manga competition, one thing has become strikingly
clear: the company has put its manga where its mouth is.
TOKYOPOP has signed former finalist Michael Vega to a
book deal based on a new project called Dark Moon
Diary. This deal marks the fifth series to be published as
a result of the wildly successful national talent
search. Since its launch in 2002, the Rising Stars program
has attracted budding creators from every state in the
U.S.--their entries representing the tiniest farm
towns, the largest metropolises and everything in between.
The result is a phenomenal pool of gifted artists and
writers poised to play a pivotal role in manga's
future.
With Vega already hard at work on his series with
author Che Gilson and inker/toner/letterer Diana X.
Sprinkle--slated to debut in late 2005--the publisher is
eager to share with the world its newest lineup of
winners, all of whom will have the opportunity to score
their own future TOKYOPOP book deals. Presenting the
winners of TOKYOPOP's fourth Rising Stars of Manga
competition:
Andy Helms (Age 25), a graphic designer from
Alexandria, Virginia, is the Grand Prize winner for his entry,
"Bombos Versus Everything." In addition to the $2,500
cash prize, Andy will receive a commemorative trophy
and an exclusive opportunity to pitch his full-length
manga series to TOKYOPOP's creative executives.
"I can't really express how fantastic it felt when I
received the news, but I can say that this is probably
the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, which
was probably pretty apparent to all the neighbors in
my apartment complex," said Helms. "Thank you again,
TOKYOPOP!"
College student Dave Iseri (Age 21) from San Luis
Obispo, California, is the Second Place winner, and will
receive $1,500 and a trophy for his work, "Down."
Amy Kim Ganter (Age 24), an animator/illustrator from
Brooklyn, New York, has taken the Third Place prize,
with $1,000 and a trophy for her work, "The Hopeless
Romantic and the Hapless Girl."
The following Runner-Up entries have each earned $500
and an honorary plaque:
· "Beyond the Bird" by Jimmy R. Vann (Age 22) from
Long Beach, California
· "Outlaw" by Aaron Vargas (Age 28) from Merced,
California
· "The Østberg Study" by Amy Reeder Hadley (Age 24)
from Westminster, Colorado
· "Work Bites" by Jess Stoncius (Age 22) from
Carbondale, Illinois
· "Le Masque" by Karen Remsen (Age 17) from Oswego,
Illinois
· "Hellbender" by Maximo V. Lorenzo (Age 22) from
Randolph, New Jersey
· "Shotgun" by Gregory Giovanni Johnson (Age 26) of
Sumter, South Carolina
TOKYOPOP congratulates all of the winners of its
fourth Rising Stars of Manga competition. Visit
www.TOKYOPOP.com to learn more about these talented creators, and
stay tuned for details about the fifth competition,
slated to kick off on January 1.
About TOKYOPOP®
TOKYOPOP® is an innovative youth-oriented
entertainment company that creates, licenses and publishes
hundreds of book, DVD and music properties. With millions of
books in print, including the hit series Fruits
Basket, Princess Ai, D.N.Angel, Tokyo Tribes, Love Hina and
Chobits, TOKYOPOP also discovers and promotes new
artists and writers, creating original manga such as
Warcraft, ShutterBox and @Large. Pioneers of the Cine-Manga®
book format, TOKYOPOP's best-selling releases feature
Finding Nemo, Shrek 2, Lizzie McGuire, SpongeBob
SquarePants, Greatest Stars of the NBA and Linkin Park's
Breaking the Habit. Its television properties include
Rave Master, Initial D, GTO and Reign: The Conqueror,
with consumer products programs tied into Rave Master,
Initial D., Stray Sheep and Princess Ai. Visit
www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
MANGA WINNERS AS FORMER FINALIST SIGNS BOOK DEAL
Michael Vega's Dark Moon Diary to Become 5th Graphic
Novel Series Generated by National Contest
LOS ANGELES (October 4, 2004)--As TokyoPop Inc.
proudly announces the winners of its fourth Rising Stars of
Manga competition, one thing has become strikingly
clear: the company has put its manga where its mouth is.
TOKYOPOP has signed former finalist Michael Vega to a
book deal based on a new project called Dark Moon
Diary. This deal marks the fifth series to be published as
a result of the wildly successful national talent
search. Since its launch in 2002, the Rising Stars program
has attracted budding creators from every state in the
U.S.--their entries representing the tiniest farm
towns, the largest metropolises and everything in between.
The result is a phenomenal pool of gifted artists and
writers poised to play a pivotal role in manga's
future.
With Vega already hard at work on his series with
author Che Gilson and inker/toner/letterer Diana X.
Sprinkle--slated to debut in late 2005--the publisher is
eager to share with the world its newest lineup of
winners, all of whom will have the opportunity to score
their own future TOKYOPOP book deals. Presenting the
winners of TOKYOPOP's fourth Rising Stars of Manga
competition:
Andy Helms (Age 25), a graphic designer from
Alexandria, Virginia, is the Grand Prize winner for his entry,
"Bombos Versus Everything." In addition to the $2,500
cash prize, Andy will receive a commemorative trophy
and an exclusive opportunity to pitch his full-length
manga series to TOKYOPOP's creative executives.
"I can't really express how fantastic it felt when I
received the news, but I can say that this is probably
the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, which
was probably pretty apparent to all the neighbors in
my apartment complex," said Helms. "Thank you again,
TOKYOPOP!"
College student Dave Iseri (Age 21) from San Luis
Obispo, California, is the Second Place winner, and will
receive $1,500 and a trophy for his work, "Down."
Amy Kim Ganter (Age 24), an animator/illustrator from
Brooklyn, New York, has taken the Third Place prize,
with $1,000 and a trophy for her work, "The Hopeless
Romantic and the Hapless Girl."
The following Runner-Up entries have each earned $500
and an honorary plaque:
· "Beyond the Bird" by Jimmy R. Vann (Age 22) from
Long Beach, California
· "Outlaw" by Aaron Vargas (Age 28) from Merced,
California
· "The Østberg Study" by Amy Reeder Hadley (Age 24)
from Westminster, Colorado
· "Work Bites" by Jess Stoncius (Age 22) from
Carbondale, Illinois
· "Le Masque" by Karen Remsen (Age 17) from Oswego,
Illinois
· "Hellbender" by Maximo V. Lorenzo (Age 22) from
Randolph, New Jersey
· "Shotgun" by Gregory Giovanni Johnson (Age 26) of
Sumter, South Carolina
TOKYOPOP congratulates all of the winners of its
fourth Rising Stars of Manga competition. Visit
www.TOKYOPOP.com to learn more about these talented creators, and
stay tuned for details about the fifth competition,
slated to kick off on January 1.
About TOKYOPOP®
TOKYOPOP® is an innovative youth-oriented
entertainment company that creates, licenses and publishes
hundreds of book, DVD and music properties. With millions of
books in print, including the hit series Fruits
Basket, Princess Ai, D.N.Angel, Tokyo Tribes, Love Hina and
Chobits, TOKYOPOP also discovers and promotes new
artists and writers, creating original manga such as
Warcraft, ShutterBox and @Large. Pioneers of the Cine-Manga®
book format, TOKYOPOP's best-selling releases feature
Finding Nemo, Shrek 2, Lizzie McGuire, SpongeBob
SquarePants, Greatest Stars of the NBA and Linkin Park's
Breaking the Habit. Its television properties include
Rave Master, Initial D, GTO and Reign: The Conqueror,
with consumer products programs tied into Rave Master,
Initial D., Stray Sheep and Princess Ai. Visit
www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.
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