Kodansha Comics Announces Hiro Mashima's Schedule of Events as New York Comic Con's Guest of Honor
San Francisco, Calif. (September 20, 2017)—With Fairy Tail, one of North America's—and the world's— all-time best-selling comics, nearing the end of its historic run, it's time to celebrate and reflect on manga creator Hiro Mashima's accomplishments with the man himself and all his fans in New York City October 5 through 8!
Kodansha Comics, in partnership with Funimation, is proud to announce the slate of events Hiro Mashima will be attending as New York Comic Con 2017 Guest of Honor. Details below. Along with Mashima's personal appearances, Kodansha Comics will be hosting “The World of Fairy Tail” art exhibition at its NYCC booth (#2109), selling and giving away con-exclusive Fairy Tail merchandise, selling pre-street releases of the Fairy Tail S short-story collection, and digitally releasing during NYCC the complete 35-volume run of Mashima's original breakout hit, Rave Master.
Hiro Mashima is available for media interviews on October 6 and 7 at NYCC. Please send your requests through this link.
EVENTS
The following list of events is not a complete list of all appearances Hiro Mashima will be making in New York City October 5-8. For a list with the most recent updates, along with information about how to get tickets to events, visit kodanshacomics.com.
Hiro Mashima: The Magical World of Fairy Tail
October 5 (Thursday), 6:30 p.m. Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street
Head to Japan Society's beautiful auditorium for an intimate evening chat with Mashima-sensei. Hear about Fairy Tail's origins and its creator's struggles and triumphs over the years, then enjoy a Q&A followed by reception with the Fairy Tail localization team. Chance to win a special gift!
Kodansha Comics Presents Celebrate Fairy Tail:
Live-Sketch and Q&A with Hiro Mashima
October 6 (Friday), 2:30 p.m. New York Comic Con, Javits Center, Main Stage
Glimpse in person Hiro Mashima's creative process! Mashima-sensei will be drawing live and engaging in an off-the-cuff chat with his fans in this one-of-a-kind appearance. Attendees will get a special gift!
Signing and sketch
October 6 (Friday), 4 p.m. New York Comic Con, Javits Center, Autograph Hall
Hiro Mashima celebrates the ending of his iconic manga series, Fairy Tail, with his fans at this unique event. Recipients will get a signed card with a personalized sketch from one of the world's most popular manga-ka!
Kodansha Comics and Funimation Present Celebrate Fairy Tail:
A Chat with Hiro Mashima
October 7 (Saturday), 11 a.m. New York Comic Con, Hammerstein Ballroom, 311 West 34th Street
Mashima looks back on his manga career and what went into his uniquely long-running masterwork. Attendees will get special gifts!
Signing and sketch
October 7 (Saturday), 2 p.m. New York Comic Con, Javits Center, Autograph Hall
Funimation booth signing and sketch
October 8 (Sunday), 10:15 a.m. New York Comic Con, Javits Center, Funimation booth #542
Come to the Funimation booth in your favorite Fairy Tail cosplay! Recipients will get a signed shikishi with a personalized sketch from one of the world's most popular manga-ka.
ART EXHIBITION
Kodansha Comics will be celebrating Hiro Mashima and his completion of Fairy Tail through New York Comic Con with a special “The World of Fairy Tail” art gallery exhibition at Kodansha Comics's NYCC booth (#2109). The exhibition will display curated manga art from throughout Mashima's Fairy Tail run, with a secondary display in NYCC's Artist Alley (table C14).
CONVENTION-EXCLUSIVE MERCHANDISE
Both the Funimation booth (#542) and the Kodansha Comics booth (#2109) will be handing out cute Happy pins—only available at NYCC 2017!
Additional con-exclusive retail and free Fairy Tail merchandise will be available at the Kodansha Comics booth (#2109), including:
NYCC 2017 Commemorative Fairy Tail tote bag—free with any Kodansha Comics email signup
Fairy Tail mini-shikishi (signing card) featuring a new illustration by Hiro Mashima—free with any purchase at the Kodansha Comics booth
The Art of Fairy Tail mini-artbook—free with any purchase over $50 at the Kodansha Comics booth
Limited-edition Fairy Tailenamel pin sets
Limited-edition Fairy Tail genga replicas
Limited-edition Fairy Tail deluxe poster
Limited-edition Fairy Tail mini-poster set
The Kodansha Comics booth will also be selling new Fairy Tail books before their official street dates, including Fairy Tail S, the long-awaited collection of short stories set in the Fairy Tail universe.
DIGITAL RELEASES
As part of its celebration of all things Hiro Mashima, starting October 3 Kodansha Comics will be releasing through all of its digital-partner retail channels the complete 35-volume run of Mashima's original fantasy-action breakout hit, Rave Master. Originally one of the bestselling titles published by Tokyopop, Rave Master has been out of print for years. All volumes are being released on October 3 at a special promotional price. A preview of Chapter 1 can be read here.
About Hiro Mashima
Born in 1977, Hiro Mashima debuted as a manga artist in 1998. His first long-running series, Rave Master, ran in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1999 to 2005. He serialized his current series, Fairy Tail, in the same magazine since 2006. When Fairy Tail was adapted into an anime series in 2009, it became a global hit. Other renowned works includes Monster Hunter Orage, Monster Soul, and Mashima-en.
About Kodansha
Founded in 1909, Kodansha Ltd. is Japan's leading publishing house, based in Tokyo, Japan. Under the leadership of Yoshinobu Noma, company president since 2011, Kodansha continues to play a dominant role in the media world, producing books and magazines in a wide variety of genres including literature, fiction, nonfiction, children's, business, lifestyle, art, manga, fashion, and journalism. Recently, the company has focused on creating and developing a wide range of digital businesses. Company profile can be viewed here.
Kodansha Comics is the manga-publishing imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing (KUP), established in New York in 2008. Kodansha Comics's first works were Katsuhiro Ōtomo's Akira and Shirow Masamune's The Ghost in the Shell. Kodansha Advanced Media is a digital-content distributor and producer established in San Francisco in 2015. More at kodanshacomics.com
About FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is the go-to destination for extraordinary anime. By combining its integrated in-house studios along with its technology and distribution partnerships, Funimation leads the industry with its omnichannel approach to offering anime to fans—from streaming and home entertainment, to theatrical distribution and broadcast television. The company's next generation streaming service, FunimationNow, provides subscribers with instant access to their favorite sub and dub shows in ad-free HD on the widest array of devices and platforms—from smartphones and tablets to TVs and gaming consoles. For more information about Funimation, visit funimation.com.
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