The Discovery of Anime and Manga - on Kickstarter!

We're returning to the blogosphere after a "brief" hiatus...to announce the 3rd adventure in our series The Asian Hall of Fame, which explores cool inventions from Asia.

The first was The Discovery of Ramen in 2017.

Then the co-authors Phil Amara and Oliver Chin teamed up again with the illustrator Juan Calle and graphic designer Joy Liu on the sequel in 2018: The Discovery of Fireworks and Gunpowder.

Now in 2019, we came up with another fantastic idea. This time we're going back to Japan to see how Japanese animation and comics were created.

The Discovery of Anime and Manga launched on Kickstarter this week. Check it out in the next month and let us know what you think!

Our terrific trio of the guide Dao (a cute red panda) and the kids Emma and Ethan have perfected time-travel tourism.

They teleport into the past and reappear in the land of the rising sun... hundreds of years ago. Then they zip through the decades to see how art and media advanced together to produce manga and anime.

Along the way, we see have anime and manga, intertwined like two strands of DNA, evolve together to entertain and educate the public. From newspapers and books to magazines and comics. From film and TV to home video and internet streaming. Fans become "otaku" across the seven seas.

Meanwhile some creators became "gods" as their characters became even more famous around the world!

Check out our crowdfunding campaign. Backers can pre-order an autographed copy and get amazing rewards!

As always, thanks for your support.

new story: The Treehouse Heroes

Our third tale for the fall season is about a realm both far away and yet familiar.
 
The Treehouse Heroes & the Forgotten Beast is the first children's book by writer Phil Amara and artist Alina Chau. Phil was a comics editor at Dark Horse Comics (Star Wars, Predator, Terminator, and many other titles) and Kitchen Sink Press, and is now an elementary school teacher for Boston Public. Alina is a professional animator and now a 3D artist at LucasArts, working on the popular animated TV series on the Cartoon Network Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Together they've created a brave new world, where fantasic scenery and characters are beautifully rendered in flowing watercolors.

Situated high in an ancient forest, five young teens have banded together under the tutelage of a wise teacher. They live in a land of noble traditions which are suddenly under siege by an increasingly rapacious civilization. A case in point is how mystical creatures are becoming rarer, such as the red-coated Zez whose reputed powers are now highly sought after by the power hungry General Moon.

Luckily for the Zez, it befriends the Treehouse Heroes, each of whom also possess special abilities. Cha is super strong. Klee can shape-shift. Gru is a speedster. Flo can teleport. Bri's breath is like the wind. But together can they save the Zez and the vanishing world it represents?

Sunil Thankamushy from DEEPBLUE Worlds called this a "A beautifully illustrated mythical adventure filled with fun and magic for young kids. The vibrant characters and creatures pop out of the pages and fill your imaginations. My kids loved it!" Discover this unique blend of picture book and graphic novel storytelling for yourself :)

new book: Animals Don't, So I Wont!

Our next story that is unleashed into the world is fittingly about wildlife.

David G. Derrick, Jr. is a story artist at DreamWorks. His first adventure was the funny and poignant Sid the Squid and the Search for the Perfect Job.

Now his second tale, Animals Don't, So I Won't!, features more eye-catching creatures than you can shake a stick at.

Here a boy loves animals so much that he can imagines himself to be any one of his favorite furry, feathered, or finned friends. Ben has a will of his own and likewise becomes beasts that cannot be tamed!

But little does Ben expect his mother to have the same power to transform... especially when she wants her son to clean up, eat dinner, and take a bath! So ensues a battle of wits that will entertain and inform kids, and cause knowing smiles to spread across parents' lips.

Drawn in traditional watercolors, the scenery pulses with a vibrant energy. Characters are drawn with a unique touch that is both photo-realistic but emotionally expressive. Watch the animated book trailer on YouTube.

Dave is sharing Animals Don't, So I Won't! throughout Southern California. This romp will find a home wherever there is a child who loves stuffed animals ("stuffies" in common parlance). Plus it  touches the hearts of those who like visiting zoos and aquariums, and enjoy the company of our kindred souls on four legs (or more).

New 2012 book catalog

We've added 4 upcoming titles for your viewing pleasure!

Three are scheduled for publication in Fall 2012:

1. Justin Time: The Pancake Express by Brandon Scott (September).

This is a new series, adapted from episodes from the TV show of the same name, which began airing in the USA on PBS Sprout in April, and will broadcast on the Disney Channel in Canada in September. Watch a clip at www.justintime.net.

2. Animal's Don't, So I Won't by David Derrick (September).

This is Dave's 2nd story. His debut storybook was the humorous Sid the Squid and the Search for the Perfect Job.

3. The Treehouse Heroes, written by Phil Amara and illustrated by Alina Chau (October).

This original adventure is like an Asian version of The Teen Titans :) - penned by a veteran comics scribe and brought to colorful life by a popular professional animator.

Then the fourth will ring in the new year 2013:

4. The Year of the Snake, 8th in the Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series, written by Oliver Chin and illustrated by Jennifer Wood.

Peruse our catalog on the comfort of your own computer screen and download the Acrobat PDF.
http://www.immedium.com/products/immedium2012catalog.pdf

Octonauts TV show in Germany and Japan

The Octonauts search for fun around the globe. So, it is fitting that the TV adaptation continues to reach new fans in more continents.

Yesterday, the animated series launched as "Die Oktonauten" on the channel Super RTL in Germany. A few weeks earlier it had debuted in Deutschland on Disney Junior. The brave teammates are still the same but sport new handles such as Käpt'n Barnius and Professor Tintling. Hopefully something is found in translation :)

Fortunately for all the mädchen and jungen, the original Octonauts book stories are on their way, translated into German for their reading pleasure!

On the other side of the earth the crew recently docked in Japan on Disney Junior as well. There in Nippon, known as オクトノーツ to the locals, the eight pals will feel at home.

Their kawaii designs fit right in. I think a character's sure sign of acceptance is when they inspire the consumable contents of bento boxes.

Come to think of it, Captain Barnacles is ideal for sticky rice. Is that Peso Penguin on the starboard bow? That's very deft folding of the seaweed and a nice daikon beak!

After decades of a one-sided trade imbalance, we can now export bona fide cuteness back into the land of Hello Kitty and Pokemon. The Vegimals' have realized their dreams of bring smiles to little tummies for lunch.

Billie the Unicorn in Bloom!

As the saying goes April showers bring May flowers. However it rained today in San Francisco but our flowers were already in bloom!

Likewise, we're sharing a very beautiful flower this month. We can't help ourselves...take a gander at Billie the Unicorn!

The author Brianne Drouhard launched her debut storybook at WonderCon in San Francisco at the start of April, much to the delight of her appreciative fans.

At our booth #220, Brianne happily provided special Billie buttons, necklace charms, limited edition prints, and convention sketches. Plus she generously drew a cool picture of Billie inside each of her new books.

We quickly sold out of our 1st few cartons and surely needed more copies to satisfy eager (yet patient) readers who pre-ordered the story!

Today our breath was taken away when we received a batch of amazing "autographed" faceplates from Brianne. Going far beyond our wildest expectations, she drew and colored dozens of original sketches of Billie and her cousins Smudge and Rhubarb!

The sheets of 6 stickers were fantastic works of art in their own right. We managed to capture most of them for posterity and your viewing pleasure...before we started mailing them away!

Like Billie, each is unique and special in their own way and we are extremely proud to be sending these along (with Brianne's signature) to lucky readers from Alaska to Australia, and from Dover (New Hampshire) to Denmark.

We may have a few left, and who knows if we'll ever see such an amazing sight of dozens of Billie flowers in bloom again.

And who other than Brianne would make a plain mailer so very special by gracing it with a fleet unicorn?

We are lucky to collaborate with an artist who cares so much about her art! On behalf of our appreciative readers, we thank you very much!

Artist at 2010 Anime Expo AX in LA

Animator Brianne Drouhard attends Anime Expo this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Brianne (www.potatofarmgirl.blogspot.com) is a veteran artist who has contributed to popular Cartoon Network TV series such as Teen Titans, Batman Brave and the Bold, Class of 3000, and Transformers Animated, Brianne will dispense pearls of wisdom on a boffo panel:

Breaking In! Working in Animation!

(July 3rd, Saturday, 8pm, room lp2):

Giving tips on how to break into the domestic animation industry. Speakers will discuss how they got in and how anime influenced their work. Guest speakers will vary from writer, creator, director, character designer and production.

Brianne will hand out super cute buttons and postcards of her Spring 2011 children's adventure Billie the Unicorn (website www.billietheunicorn.com to come!).

Contest Alert! The first person who pre-orders Billie from us gets a special prize! Get free copy of Brianne's brand new "Girly Poo" sketchbook iPhone app (33 pages, $2.99, free with redeemable promo code for the iTunes store)! Take a peek and you will be happy!

Meomi's new The Octonauts and the Great Ghost Reef book

Well, they've done it again! Meomi's newest adventure is now available, to the joy of those who love cute things everywhere.

The team of 8 bosom buddies take a well-deserved vacation, but their famously colorful destination is not at all in the condition they expected! The coral reef has turned a ghostly white. So the Octonauts decide they must solve this mystery before it's too late!

Meomi launches their fourth fantastic tale in their usual style - with a weekend of fun readings in the San Francisco Bay area! They are in town and autographing copies galore. Catch them at Book Passage today (Friday, 11/13) at 10 am, and tomorrow (Saturday, 11/14) at Books Inc in Berkeley at 11 am and Given in San Francisco at 1 pm.

Sales from Books Inc benefit the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL), the only international organization working exclusively to save coral reefs! Get your own autographed book at our website and free coloring pages at www.octonauts.com.