Comic and game publisher Humanoids (formerly distributed by the now bankrupt LPC) has announced that it is going to CDS for distribution to the book trade. Humanoids is the French publisher of The Nokopol Trilogy, The Metabarons , and the Incal , and recently signed an agreement licensing the West End Games game mechanics.

We recently caught up with Image Publisher Jim Valentino and asked him about the issues of the day, including what challenges he perceives from CrossGen's new initiative, what limits we may see on the currently hot retro trend, and Image's plans for its book distribution in the wake of the LPC bankruptcy, among other topics.

Snake Plissken, the charismatic character played by Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's 1981 science fiction/adventure classic, Escape From New York , is about to star in a new comic book series entitled John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles .

A Paid Advertisement. A villainous new action figure based on one of the world's hottest sci-fi-based anime is about to be released--the Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Third Angel Sachiel Action Figure!

Viz is launching an ambitious marketing campaign to promote the American version of Shonen Jump , the phone book size manga anthology magazine that sells 3.5 million copies per week in Japan.

Comic and graphic novel orders (dollars) to Diamond US by pop culture stores for August were up sharply, increasing 14% over 2001 orders and 21% over 2000.

Comics based on retro toon and toy properties extended their lead in August comic orders from pop culture stores, with four out of the top 10 and six out of the top 20 comic titles fitting the retro mold.

CDS was very close to getting Marvel's bookstore business last summer, before Marvel moved to Diamond, so there was already a relationship long before the LPC bankruptcy led to the creation of a graphic novel division inside CDS, and this deal was probably unrelated to the new initiative.

Estimated quantities for initial orders on comics shipping in August 2002 from pop culture stores ordering from Diamond US.

Estimated quantities for initial orders on comics shipping in August 2002 from pop culture stores ordering from Diamond US.