Manga And I

Manga artist Akira Toriyama, best known as creator of the "Dragon Ball" and "Dr. Slump" manga series, was honored with the Prix Special 40e anniversaire (special 40th anniversary award) at the Angouleme International Comics Festival in France. Launched in 1974, the 40th festival was held Jan. 31-Feb. 3 in the French city of Angouleme. The award was announced on the final day. The Angouleme comic festival brings together "bande dessinee" (comics for French and Belgian readers), Japanese manga, U.S. comics and other cartoons from around the world. The selection committee nominated 16 comic book artists for the accolade, with artists who joined this year's festival casting their votes. In addition to Toriyama, Japanese artists Katsuhiro Otomo and Jiro Taniguchi, as well as creators from Europe and the United States, were mentioned. The selection committee then picked top five nominees with the most votes before giving the top award, the Grand Prix de la

Publisher Shogakukan Inc. has announced the winners of the 58th Shogakukan Manga Awards, with "Fullmetal Alchemist" creator Hiromu Arakawa's "Silver Spoon" taking the prize for the boys' category. The manga series, which runs in the weekly Shonen Sunday comic magazine, is set in an agricultural high school in Hokkaido. An animated TV adaptation will premiere on Fuji Television Network Inc.'s "noitaminA" midnight animation slot later this year. Hideyasu Takahashi's "Kaito Joker" ("Mysterious Joker"), the winner in the children's category, is serialized in CoroCoro Comic and follows Jack, a boy who disguises himself as a phantom thief named Joker. Other winners include Hinako Ashihara for "Piece," which runs in Betsucomi, and Kengo Hanazawa for "I Am a HERO," which is serialized in Big Comic Spirits.

Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine will announce on Monday that it will release a special spinoff issue called Jump Versus on March 22. The special issue will contain “new battle manga” that pit the serializing manga of Shonen Jump against each other. The slogan on the side reads, “Slicing the way to a new age!” The magazine announced in December that Namco Bandai Games is developing the Project Versus J PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 "team battle action" title, the "ultimate Jumpgame," slated for release this year. The game will star Shonen Jump protagonists Toriko(Toriko), Luffy (One Piece), and Goku (Dragon Ball Z). The trio will also appear in a crossover special in April.