A couple of press releases popped up in my mailbox from DrMaster Publications today.

STRAY LITTLE DEVIL, Volume 4 available now!

San Jose, CA, April 2007.  Manga publisher DrMaster Publications has announced the release of Stray Little Devil, volume 4, an ongoing manga adventure series centered on Pam, a young devil-in-training trapped in a fantasy world where humans are mere myth.

Hilarious, compelling, fast-paced with eye-popping artistic production, Stray Little Devil is sure to hit on all cylinders with manga fans. Prepare to enter a world where all the boys and girls are either sassy and angelic, or sassy and demonic.

Pam Akumachi is a curious, energetic 13-year-old junior-high student. One day, when Pam and her friends try to summon the “benign devil” her grandmother used to talk about, the magic circle goes out of control and Pam is sucked into it and transported to a strange parallel world where angels and devils coexist with no humans in sight. There, she meets a mysterious figure, one who promises to show her the way back to her world, but only if she becomes a bona fide devil. And the only way to do so is by training under a master devil as a devil’s apprentice. So under the watchful eye of Master Devil Lizyerra, and her other apprentices, Raim and Vine, Pam begins to learn what it takes to be a devil, which is far from a cakewalk. The precepts governing the tense and uneasy peace between Devils and Angels are strict and unwavering. Watch Pam as she catches and enters into contract with her very first spirit familiar, En Zu, learns about “Conservation Law of Fortune,” and meets the “Successor of Aureole,” an angel named Linfa, who is the spitting image of her best friend Rinka in the human world.

Praise for Stray Little Devil:

“How often can you read a book that looks fuzzy, reads fuzzy and makes you feel fuzzy in the end and yet be kinda mature. Today I like fuzzy and I like these cute little devils.”—animedondvd.com

“Sometimes you go to a movie with low expectations, and that movie turns you on your ear and blows you away. That’s the way Stray Little Devil works. You’re expecting one story, but before you know it, you’re getting another, and it’s a really good one. Granted, if you don’t like the cute-girl motif in your manga, you might give this one a pass. Then again, it’s not my cup of tea either, and I absolutely loved this book and recommend it for anyone. Whether artistically, thematically or plot-wise, you’re not going to get what you’re expected, and that’s a very good thing in the growing manga market, where many titles tread the same ground.”—IGN.com

Kotaro Mori is one of the few manga artists who uses his real name as his pen name. He has just finished the serialization of Stray Little Devil in monthly magazine Dengeki Gao! from Media Works. His new serialization will start on the 4/27 issue of the same magazine and featuring the comic version of the TV anime Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann, produced by GAINAX.

Availability:

Stray Little Devil, volumes 1-4 are available NOW with volume 5 shipping in June 2007 for $9.95. Visit  www.drmasterbooks.com for more detailed series information.

About DrMaster Publications, Inc.:

From Japan we bring unique stories and characters, brought to life through suspenseful science fiction, relationship dramas, and side-splitting comedies. And from China, we have offerings rich in history and mystique, and titles with unmatched action and suspense. No matter your pleasure, DrMaster has something for you!

Each of our books is like a glimpse into a new realm as seen through the eyes of the authors and artists. You don’t just read a DrMaster book—it jolts you to life, as you are propelled through the pages.

Please click here for a list of our current and upcoming titles. And feel free to tour the site. Regular updates will follow as our line of “masterful” comic series expands.

About DGN Productions International:

DGN Productions (Digital Graphic Novel Productions) is a newly-formed production company and studio made up of industry veterans within the comics and video game industries. Through strategic licensing of key comic book titles and the use of recognized industry professionals within the fields of animation and video game development, DGN Pro. Intl. is dedicated to producing cutting-edge video games, comics and animated features adapted from some the biggest and brightest in Hong Kong, Japanese and Korean comic book properties. DGN Productions Intl. was founded June 2004 and is based in Fremont, California.

DRMASTER TALKS JUNK!

San Jose, CA, April 2007.  DrMaster Publications Inc. has just announced the publication of Junk, volume 2, by acclaimed author Kia Asamiya, creator of works such as Silent Möbius, Martian Successor Nadesico, Steam Detectives and Dark Angel.

Hiro is a high-school student who refuses to go to school after a traumatic run-in with the local bullies. But his feeble life is forever changed when, one day, he applies online for a new gadget called JUNK. Once the mysterious package arrives, he activates the gadget and finds himself encased within a powered-armor JUNK suit. Apparently, the clothes do indeed make the man as Hiro is granted abilities far beyond anything the muscle-bound jocks at his school could ever dream. Soon after, he embarks on nightly rampages, bent on getting back at the bullies who tormented him until he discovers that there is another with a unit nearly identical to his own. The owner of the other JUNK is a woman who isn’t all pleased with Hiro’s abuse of his newfound powers, and expresses her displeasure with a beat-down! In the ensuing fracas, he destroys his own home and takes out his parents! Whoops! Now, this social pariah must learn how to use his powers wisely and how to tread the thin line between good and evil.

“Different, refreshing and fast-paced.”—manganews.net

“If you want something a little different and like the idea of a really flawed ‘hero’ then ‘Junk’ is for you.”—animeondvd.com

Kia Asamiya debuted in 1986 and started serializing Silent Möbius in 1988, gradually increasing in popularity because of his unique art and style. His successes did not stop there, as his works were made into CDs, movies, novel series and games. His name became widely known in the comic world and he started drawing cover illustrations for magazines and cine-manga. Some of his major works include Steam Detectives, EVIL-kun, Corrector Yui, Martian Successor Nadesico, and Dark Angel. He has worked on comic version of Star Wars: Episode 1 by George Lucas. He was the first Japanese artist to work on Uncanny X-MEN from Marvel Comics. He has also worked on BATMAN: Child of Dreams from DC Comics, Phoenix Resurrection: Dark Angel from Image Comics, STAR WARS TALES from Dark Horse, and in 2005, was asked by Marvel Comics to work on a short story for X-MEN: Age of Apocalypse 2. He has just completed JUNK, which ended at vol.7.

Availability:

Junk, volumes 1-2 are available NOW with volume #3 shipping in June 2007 for $9.95. Visit  www.drmasterbooks.com for more detailed series information.

About DrMaster Publications, Inc.:

From Japan we bring unique stories and characters, brought to life through suspenseful science fiction, relationship dramas, and side-splitting comedies. And from China, we have offerings rich in history and mystique, and titles with unmatched action and suspense. No matter your pleasure, DrMaster has something for you!

Each of our books is like a glimpse into a new realm as seen through the eyes of the authors and artists. You don’t just read a DrMaster book—it jolts you to life, as you are propelled through the pages.

Please click here for a list of our current and upcoming titles. And feel free to tour the site. Regular updates will follow as our line of “masterful” comic series expands.

About DGN Productions International:

DGN Productions (Digital Graphic Novel Productions) is a newly-formed production company and studio made up of industry veterans within the comics and video game industries. Through strategic licensing of key comic book titles and the use of recognized industry professionals within the fields of animation and video game development, DGN Pro. Intl. is dedicated to producing cutting-edge video games, comics and animated features adapted from some the biggest and brightest in Hong Kong, Japanese and Korean comic book properties. DGN Productions Intl. was founded June 2004 and is based in Fremont, California.