‘The Sorceress’ Heats Up with Marketing Muscle

The “Summer of the Sorceress” campaign, which heralds the arrival of The Sorceress, third book in Michael Scott’s bestselling Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel fantasy series, kicked off last weekend with RHCB’s first-ever PDF/e-book giveaway.

The Last Hurrah for Percy Jackson

Fans have only five days left to wait for the May 5 release of The Last Olympian, the fifth and final book in Rick Riordan’s mythological fantasy series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Here’s a roundup of the plans for The Last Olympian.

Multi-Platform 'Mackenzie Blue' Arrives

When HarperCollins publishes the first Mackenzie Blue novel on May 5, author and Buzz Marketing Group founder Tina Wells hopes the book will be only one of many ways that tween girls will engage with the title character—a 12-year-old student and aspiring pop star.

New Look for Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451'

Hailed for its bracing portrait of a future media-addled society victimized by the systematic burning of all books, Ray Bradbury's classic science fiction novel Fahrenheit 451 is the perfect work to highlight issues of censorship and the freedom to read. And in August, Farrar, Straus & Giroux's Hill and Wang imprint will republish the book to do just that.

Fun Rules the Day at Kids Comic Con

Show director Alex Simmons estimated attendance for the third year of the Kids Comic Con at 750 to 800 people, and he figures about two-thirds of those present were children.

Brian Azzarello’s 100th Bullet

With the 100th and final issue of the crime comic released less than a week earlier, Azzarello talked to PW Comics week about letting go of the long-running noir series, and the new work he has on the way from the new Vertigo Crime imprint.

Hill & Wang's Thomas LeBien: Turning History and Fiction into Comics

Hill & Wang publisher Thomas LeBien has now turned his attention to the world of fictional adaptation to create a "graphic translation" of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, one the classics of 20th century literature.

Comics Briefly - 4/28/2009

Free Comic Book Day May 2; Pushing Daisies Now DC Comic; Disney Comics Take On India; Carousel Comics @ Dixon Place; History of Wolverine with Claremont; Death Note Day in New York; This Week @ Good Comics for Kids; ACT-I-VATE Collective Live at Bergen Street Comics; Tokyopop/Pocky Art Contest; World War 3 Illustrated Release Party; SVA’s Fresh Meat and This Week in The Beat

Del Rey Gives Wolverine the Manga Treatment

First unveiled during the 2007 New York Anime Festival, Wolverine: Prodigal Son, Del Rey’s manga-style recreation of Marvel’s popular X-Man character, goes on sale this month.

Cookbook Authors Rock Out with Book Trailers

Can a video of a bunch of cute bakery counter workers rocking out to Joan Jett sell a cookbook? What about a clip of a beautiful woman in a tight dress gutting a fish? With book trailers now the norm for authors of commercial fiction, mystery, suspense and even some narrative nonfiction, cookbook authors are finally starting to realize the potential of short videos to promote their works.

Fiction Book Reviews: Week of 4/27/2009

Reviewed this week, new novels by James Rollins, Joe Lansdale, Marie Bostwick, Megan Abbott and Catherine Coulter; Percival Everett shows what it's like to be Not Sidney Poitier; and a powerful debut collection from Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah.

Children's Galleys to Grab

Even in lean times, there's no shortage of galley giveaways at BEA. Here are some to look out for. Brave New Worlds Alphas by Lisi Harrison (Little, Brown/Poppy) is a Clique spinoff set at an elite island boarding school, starring Clique's Skye Hamilton. The Amanda Project: Book 1: invisible i by Stella Lennon (HarperTeen).

Children's Book Reviews: Week of 4/27/2009

This week's reviews include new picture books from Ed Young and Vladimir Radunsky, summer-ready fiction from Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han, and a pair of translated novels from popular Japanese series.

Web Exclusive Reviews: Week of 4/27/2009

This week on the Web: butterfly smuggling and a real life Law & Order: Animal Victims Unit, two manifestos from radio talkers, thoughts on life from a beach bum Buddha and Bill Gates's father, and lots of advice for women who feel anxious, miscast or quickly forgotten. Plus: an excellent guide to AA, without the BS.

Stumptown Comics Fest: The Con That Refreshes

Portland, Oregon's sixth annual Stumptown Comics Fest, held April 18 and 19, was a raging success by almost all accounts. Final attendance figures weren't yet available by press time, but around 700 people turned up in the first two hours of Saturday alone.

Kids, Comics, Reading and Fun In the Bronx

Founded in 2007 by Alex Simmons, a veteran comics writer, young adult novelist, playwright and educator, the annual Kids’ Comic Con continues to attract kids, parents and educators to a day of presentations, comics workshops and lots of free stuff.

Sex and Science and Scott Morse: Ancient Books Show Modern Designers

Artist/designer Scott Morse has a bunch of projects coming out this year, including The Ancient Book of Sex and Science, featuring fellow animation designers Lou Romano, Don Shank and Nate Wragg.

Yoshihiro Tatsumi: A Heroic Life in Manga

Published by Drawn & Quarterly, A Drifting Life is not only the story of Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s coming of age as a manga artist and creator of the gritty style of manga known as Gekiga, but a detailed history of the manga industry in post-WWII Japan.

Comics Briefly

Photomania: Stumptown 2009

This year's Stumptown Festival was a gathering of cartoonists and cartoons and over 2500 local indie comics fans and readers. Local Portland cartoonists celebrated with guests including Gail Simone, Jeff Smith and Carla Speed McNeil, and Saturday night's Stumptown Trophy Awards gave everyone the chance to cut loose.