At today’s panel at the MangaNEXT convention, Vertical, Inc. has made some new announcements that will definitely delight fans. The first one up is a title that definitely should have done better here overall with the anime series getting a simulcast but no subsequent pickup, as they’ll be releasing the Heroman manga. The book comes from Stan Lee and Tamon Ohta and the series has has run for four compiled volumes so far and is still ongoing. The book kicked off several months before the anime series hit, which was simulcast by Crunchyroll.
In addition to that, Vertical will also be releasing the series Limit from Keiko Suenobu. This book kicked off back in the end of 2009 and has six volumes in total. TOKYOPOP previously released one of her series under the title of LIFE.
In the novel department, Vertical is set to release the novel Gray Men by Tomotake Ishikawa. And for art book fans, Vertical’s set to release Hobby Japan’s Queen’s Blade Complete Visual Collection art book. With a new season out this year and the first two seasons released on DVD and streaming in the US, it makes sense to try and capitalize on this market a bit more.
Heroman Concept: Orphaned American boy Joey lives with his grandmother, working at a restaurant in the West Coast city of Center City while going to school. Upon hearing of a new toy robot called the Heybo, Joey believes that getting one will make his life better, turning him into a hero to protect his friends and family. However, he cannot afford to buy it on his meager salary. His luck changes when he picks up a broken down Heybo abandoned by a school bully. He tries to fix it, naming it Heroman, but does not have any luck in getting it to work. However, when it gets struck by a bolt of strange lightning, it transforms into a giant robot, just in time to save his friend Lina from impending danger. Now, Joey and Heroman are Earth’s only defense against the evil insectoid Skrugg aliens, unknowingly summoned to Earth by Joey’s science teacher.
Life Concept: The story follows what happens to the tranquil lives of five high school girls when a bus accident kills the rest of their classmates and leaves them fighting for survival.
[Source: ANN]