Thursday, June 12, 2008
It's a Bleach Bonanza!
It looks like Viz thinks Bleach could be the next Naruto in terms of a manga property that can withstand being milked for all it's worth. Here are some upcoming Bleach items spotted on Amazon:
Bleach, Vol. 1 (Collector's Edition) - A hardcover edition of the first volume of Bleach. It looks like it'll have a new cover image, but there aren't any other details.
Bleach Box Set (Volumes 1-21) - Stopping at vol. 21 because that was the end of the epic "Soul Society" arc. The suggested retail price for the set is $150, which isn't that great a discount off the individual volumes. (Basically, it's like getting two of the $7.95 books free.) No details on whether the Bleach Box Set will come with its own piece of furniture. (Could I suggest a Bleach closet/wardrobe with miniature Rukia figure who sleeps there when she's crashing in Ichigo's room?)
Bleach 40th Anniversary, Vol. 1 (Sweepstakes Edition) - 40th Anniversary edition??? Either I'm missing something here, or that's a typo. Tite Kubo isn't even 40 yet, so I don't see how Bleach could be. [UPDATE: In the comments Brack suggested that the 40th anniversary is for Weekly Shonen Jump, which first saw publication in 1968. And since there's also a 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Edition of Naruto Vol. 1 listed on Amazon, it looks like Viz will be helping parent company Shueisha celebrate this milestone by running the contest in books featuring the most popular characters to debut in Weekly Jump's pages.] And the "Sweepstakes Edition" blurb apparently refers to a ticket inside the book for a chance to win a trip to Japan:
I'm having images of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," only with even bolder colors and more insane sets.
The Art of Bleach - I've mentioned this art book a couple times before but I wanted to list it again.
Bleach SOULs. Official Character Book - Again, no real details, but I'm assuming this is exactly what it sounds like — a guide to the sprawling cast that makes up Bleach. But will even 328 pages be enough to cover ever single Shinigami, Hollow, Arrancar, etc. from the series?
Finally, Amazon has a Bleach customer community, which for some reason really surprises me. First, I wasn't even aware that Amazon had such a thing as "customer communities," but then for there to be one devoted to one of my favorite manga series just boggles my mind.
It looks like Viz thinks Bleach could be the next Naruto in terms of a manga property that can withstand being milked for all it's worth. Here are some upcoming Bleach items spotted on Amazon:
Bleach, Vol. 1 (Collector's Edition) - A hardcover edition of the first volume of Bleach. It looks like it'll have a new cover image, but there aren't any other details.
Bleach Box Set (Volumes 1-21) - Stopping at vol. 21 because that was the end of the epic "Soul Society" arc. The suggested retail price for the set is $150, which isn't that great a discount off the individual volumes. (Basically, it's like getting two of the $7.95 books free.) No details on whether the Bleach Box Set will come with its own piece of furniture. (Could I suggest a Bleach closet/wardrobe with miniature Rukia figure who sleeps there when she's crashing in Ichigo's room?)
Bleach 40th Anniversary, Vol. 1 (Sweepstakes Edition) - 40th Anniversary edition??? Either I'm missing something here, or that's a typo. Tite Kubo isn't even 40 yet, so I don't see how Bleach could be. [UPDATE: In the comments Brack suggested that the 40th anniversary is for Weekly Shonen Jump, which first saw publication in 1968. And since there's also a 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Edition of Naruto Vol. 1 listed on Amazon, it looks like Viz will be helping parent company Shueisha celebrate this milestone by running the contest in books featuring the most popular characters to debut in Weekly Jump's pages.] And the "Sweepstakes Edition" blurb apparently refers to a ticket inside the book for a chance to win a trip to Japan:
I'm having images of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," only with even bolder colors and more insane sets.
The Art of Bleach - I've mentioned this art book a couple times before but I wanted to list it again.
Bleach SOULs. Official Character Book - Again, no real details, but I'm assuming this is exactly what it sounds like — a guide to the sprawling cast that makes up Bleach. But will even 328 pages be enough to cover ever single Shinigami, Hollow, Arrancar, etc. from the series?
Finally, Amazon has a Bleach customer community, which for some reason really surprises me. First, I wasn't even aware that Amazon had such a thing as "customer communities," but then for there to be one devoted to one of my favorite manga series just boggles my mind.
Labels: Bleach, Viz, Viz's Plans for World Domination
8:47 AM | |