Posts Tagged ‘manga’

Aeria Games Reveals DK Online Class & Gameplay Details

1 August 2012 | No Comments » | iTZKooPA

Dragon Knights Online received its first proper showing early this morning. Aeria Games launched the official site, complete with the first class spotlight trailer and details for the manga-based MMORPGs classes. DK Online follows the Aeria Games motif, free-to-play.

The first press push for DK Online is focusing on a bit of sex appeal with the Sorceress front and center. Shocking, right?

The seductive elf – currently the only race the class can be – is your rather typical magical DPS class, using a barrage of magics from different fields to harass opponents. Primarily aligned to fire and ice, the class spotlight details the backstory for the magic user in addition to her powers.

DK Online is hoping to satisfy players that enjoy PvP and PvE themepark MMORPGs. The title is to feature large guild wars that reward the winners with the ability to institute vendor taxes. The title’s most unique feature is without a doubt the Transformation system. The system will allow players to “temporarily assume the shapes and abilities of the world’s various monsters.”

Hit the jump for the spotlight focus on the Sorceress and head over to the official website for the first morsels on the Warrior, Paladin and Shadowmage. It’s actually a surprisingly boring spotlight. Continue Reading

Blizzard’s Extensive Extended Universe (List)

8 March 2012 | 9 Comments » | iTZKooPA

Last update: March 2013

Many people spent Martin Luther King Jr’s holiday schlepping around their house, possibly at work or, and this is the really good-natured people out there, donating their time to a charity. Me, well I spent my time re-organizing my gaming shelves (due to in-home construction).

During the shuffling of games, the mingling of HDDVD (fail) and BluRay and coupling of previous and current generation peripherals I stumbled across a “lost” form of entertainment, the tactile sensations of books, board games and graphic novella. During the organization of this unconnected form of entertainment I realized one important fact: There’s a lot of Expanded Universe material to Blizzard’s universes.

Hit the Continue Reading stub to have your mind blown by the vast amounts of novels, board games, manga, comics and trading card game paraphernalia that have been created to extend one of Blizzard’s three universes. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments! Continue Reading

The Novel Post: Warcraft: Legends Volume 1 (Free for Download on iPad/iPhone through Thursday)

1 June 2011 | No Comments » | pixiestixy

This review of Warcraft: Legends Volume I is of the spoiler-free variety.

The five-volume Warcraft: Legends series has been out for a good while now, with the first book released in 2008 and the other volumes coming out over the course of about a year. But I had not yet had the chance to read them, and they actually had been off my radar for quite some time until last week when Cryptozoic announced that it had acquired exclusive rights to distribute digital versions of Blizzard’s extended universe manga.

Along with that announcement came the promotion of offering the first volume of Warcraft: Legends for free via the new Cryptozoic Comics app for iPhone and iPad. I jumped on that opportunity, and although it’s a bit belated, wanted to share my thoughts on the book for those of you also pondering the acquisition of free goodies while they’re still gratis.

Legends offers a diverse line of four unrelated stories set in various stages of the Warcraft universe.

The first story, Fallen is a collaboration between Richard Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim. The first part of the Trag Highmountain story, Fallen follows up from the Sunwell Trilogy. The tauren Trag, who readers were first introduced to in Warcraft: Shadows of Ice, finds himself reborn as one of the undead after defeating the Baron Valimar Mordis. Mordis who had stolen the orb of Ner’zhul from the scourge and raised a frost wyrm, ultimately intending to spread the will of the forsaken. Trag crushed both the Baron and the orb — but in doing so cursed himself to undeath. Continue Reading

Cryptozoic Exclusive Carrier of Blizzard Manga

31 May 2011 | 1 Comment » | Heartbourne

Cryptozoic, the company that has been responsible for the WoW TCG for over a year, is now Blizzard’s partner for distributing their manga works in digital and printed form for their various franchises.

Notably, the Cryptozoic iPad app can now purchase Blizzard works as they are released and the backlog is updated. The current selection as of the publishing of this post is as follows:

Each of these will run you $5.99. Warcraft Legends Vol #1 is free til June 2, and all of the other comics (except for Legends Vol #2) have a free preview that includes the cover art and first chapter.

Click through for screenshots and more info.

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Losing Tokyopop Deal Costs Us Excellent Storytelling, Progression

30 March 2011 | No Comments » | iTZKooPA

Early this month, we broke the story that Tokyopop and Blizzard would be going separate ways. Originally thought to be the cause of recent strife inside Tokyopop, it was later revealed that Blizzard felt it didn’t have the time and resources to dedicate to this section of the Expanded Universe. After releasing more than 20 products together, the companies have parted ways, leaving at least one storyline hanging in the void.

Personally, I believe WoW’s universe, its lore, is the title’s greatest asset. People may believe that they don’t care about it, but if it was stripped from the game, I subscribe to the notion that the game would be far less popular. I bring this up because the manga has been a perfect avenue to test the character development waters for Blizzard, to progress storylines. The Warcraft: Legends branch being the epitome of perfect brand extension.

The series enabled Blizzard writers and outside wordsmiths to expand and complete game storylines that, for whatever reason, haven’t been fleshed out in the game. The origins story of the Headless Horseman is a prime example of such expansion. Or we’d be introduced to entirely new characters, some that would be incorporated to the game, delivering extra fan service. Furthermore, the medium allowed for a much quicker turn around than, say, the novels. Tokyopop could produce and (occasionally) had its work vetted by Blizzard in time for major seasonal or storyline events. The medium supported any type of storytelling techniques, from one shots to frame narratives to long-running arcs. Ultimately, it was a perfect testing ground to see what the dedicated lore fans enjoyed. This enabled Blizzard to cherrypick techniques, stories or writers to bring to the digital medium.

That’s why all of us should miss the medium. The stories were good, experimental and conclusive. More importantly, they were frequent. Blizzard is infamous for making tortoises seem reckless. In the immediate Internet age, content from the company comes as often as an Ice Age. By partnering itself with Tokyopop, Blizzard gave gamers a reprise from the massive droughts between digital content. We could continue to invest in the universe – either StarCraft or Warcraft – to see our favorite characters progress or be introduced to new figures as we waited for the next major content package or expansion.

We’ve still got the impossible-to-find comic and numerous novels, but the absence of Tokyopop’s work will leave a massive void in the lore lineup in the coming months. Not to mention The Novel Post.

Blizzard & Tokyopop End Six-Year Relationship [Update2]

3 March 2011 | 8 Comments » | iTZKooPA

The Novel Post has been a staple column in the Lore Hound diet since the beginning. Long running and often updated thanks to Blizzard’s various licensing deals across numerous literary medias, the column is going to slim down in 2011. That’s not because we writers are getting lazy. Heavens no. It’s because Tokyopop, Blizzard’s most frequent producer for the Expanded Universe, over 20 products to date, is no longer making manga for the Blizzard universes.

According to an inside source, Blizzard is no longer in a relationship with the Los Angeles-based publisher of anime and manga. “The TOKYOPOP/Blizzard program ends with [the latest] books” the source said.

Tokyopop has been struggling to remain profitable in recent years, with a major restructuring occurring in 2008. More recently, the company saw its COO John Parker resign in February, followed by more employees layoffs on March 1. The collapse of Borders and its inability to pay what it owed content creators forced Tokyopop’s latest cutbacks.

This week’s downsizing included well-known manga editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl and Troy Lewter. Lewter’s name should ring a bell to Blizzard fans, as he was the editor behind Tokyopop’s most recent batches of Blizzard-based manga.

[Update]

According to the source, the dissolution of the agreement has nothing to due with the most recent layoffs. The decision for the companies to go their separate ways “was actually made a while back.”

[Update2]

A further inquiry was just returned. Blizzard decided to end the agreement, despite being happy with the returns, due to its own inability to fully commit to the project. The developer felt that it did not have enough time to devote to co-developing and reviewing the products in a timely fashion. See the Feast of Winter Veil story in Warcraft: Legends 3 coming out months after the holiday as evidence.

[End Updates]

Blizzard protects its intellectual property closely – ask any number of people that have been hit with cease and desists letters – and has been known to let licensing agreements expire due to quality concerns. Just ask Upper Deck Entertainment. The internal strife at Tokyopop likely precipitated the end of the relationship (See updates above), since the books saw at least modest commercial success. But the exact reason remains unconfirmed.

Fans of Richard A. Knaak and Kim Jae-Hwan are probably wondering what is going to happen to The Dragons of Outland. The proposed trilogy from the team that created The Sunwell Trilogy had its second installment released earlier this week (along with StarCraft: Ghost Academy Volume 3). The third and final chapter, and only announced manga not produced, is now in limbo.

We’ve reached out to our contacts to have these questions answered, but none have responded as of press (see update).

It’s quiet sad that this avenue of storytelling is going away. Manga offered a perfect way for Blizzard to get stories out that needed to be told, but for whatever reason, haven’t made it in to the games. Case in point, the absolutely stellar origins story for the Headless Horseman. Warcraft: Legends really hit its stride the last two volumes. To those at Tokyopop that made the products happen, thank you for the hard work and captivating stories and artwork!

You can see, and buy, all of the products created during the six-year relationship in our Extensive Expanded Universe piece.

The Novel Post: StarCraft: Ghost Academy Volume 2 Review

16 August 2010 | 1 Comment » | iTZKooPA

This review of StarCraft: Ghost Academy Volume 2 is of the spoiler-free variety.

Ghost Academy Volume 2 picks up almost exactly where the so-so ride of Volume 1 left off.  Gabriel Tosh (yes, that Tosh) and his squad of Nova Terra, Kath Toom, Lio Travski and new member Delta Emblock continue their training in the Ghost program.  New author David Gerrold uses the opening pages to place the reader firmly in the complex timeline of StarCraft.  The entire Ghost program’s existence is given a public black eye due to Aal Cistler’s dismissal and subsequent demand to be reinstated.  Director Bick has to deal with this and other external pressures, while experimenting with Lio and his hab addiction. And there’s that whole gory zerg invasion that started about a year go.

Gerrold purposely made the opening busy.  By leaving Team Blue out of the picture until the midst of the first chapter, Gerrold is able to touch upon the bigger issues — The politics of the program, how it’s ultimately run by Mengsk, some tough decisions.  He makes sure that Ghost Academy isn’t just about the training, but also what the people stand for, and who and why they fight.  Readers are shown the bigger picture, not just the day-to-day lives of Nova and her teammates (We got plenty of that in Volume 1 anyways).

Don’t let the interweaving of multiple topics fool you.  There’s still plenty of action, as you’ll read after the break.
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The Novel Post: World of Wacraft: Mage Review

2 June 2010 | No Comments » | LHStaff

This edition of The Novel Post is written by guest blogger, DJTyrant. For more of his manga reviews, check the byline at the bottom.

Tokyopop has upheld a strong tradition of providing quality stories in the World of Warcraft extended universe. The second in a series of class-focused “Original English-Language” manga is based on the Mage.  In World of Warcraft: Mage, written by Richard A. Knaak with art by Ryo Kawakami, there is a good balance of exploratory dialog and strong action sequences.

The story follows Aodhan during his training to become a mage. Through flashbacks, we can see that the nascent spell-flinger actually comes from a line of strong Warriors and Paladins, but is considered physically weak, and thus desires to prove himself as a Mage. Trouble rises, of course, as soon as the story begins, where Malygos and the Blue Dragonflight are laying siege to Dalaran. The situation turns dire for the Mages of Dalaran, unaware of the danger young Aodhan is venturing into when they send him to the Violet Hold.

What unfolds is a story of treachery, family history, as well as a deeper understanding of Malygos and the Blue Dragonflight and why some Mages have joined their side. We also learn a bit of the history of the Violet Hold, and the story gives a more detailed understanding of how it came into existence. Even a couple of monsters show up that you just might recognize.

The story written by Knaak is solid as always, but if you’re not a fan of his writing, this isn’t about to change your mind. Leader of the Kirin Tor and patriarch of Dalaran, Rhonin Redhair, also plays a key role in the proceedings. Kawakami’s art work holds its own as the character designs really fit into the Warcraft lore and in certain places his armor designs really shine. The action sequences are equally as good and it’s easy to follow exactly what is going on.

I think this is a great purchase for nearly every fan of Warcraft lore. The story is solid and provides some extra background information on Dalaran and the Violet Hold, while introducing a few new minor characters into the story. For fans who are not necessarily big on the lore aspect, it is still worth checking out. The read is brief and fun, but also a great introduction to the expanded Warcraft universe. The only major complaint I have with the manga is that it tends to drag a bit in the middle as one of the characters talks at great length (nearly half a chapter, of six) about Aodhan, his past, and his family ties. Other than that, it is a fun, light read that I recommend to any WoW fan looking to get a little bit more from the series outside of the game.

World of Warcraft: Mage is the second in a series of class-based manga that Tokyopop has planned. You can read DJTyrant’s  impressions of the first volume, called Death Knight, on About.com. Next up is Shaman, slated for October 2010, coinciding with BlizzCon and most likely hitting shelves after the release of Cataclysm.