In 1984, a freelance comic book editor sat down over a single weekend and invented the mythology behind what would become one of the most valuable entertainment franchises in history. The robots had already been built in Japanese factories. What they lacked were names, souls, and a war worth fighting. The gap between the modesty of those origins and the empire that followed defies easy explanation.Two years later, a corporate boardroom decision to kill the franchise's most iconic c...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should have disappeared as quickly as the late-night doodle that created them. Instead, four absurd words became one of the strangest success stories in pop culture history.Behind the pizza jokes and catchphrases was a gritty black-and-white comic born from parody, borrowed money, and two artists who had no idea they were holding a franchise in their hands. What started as a violent underground oddity soon found itself pulled toward television, toy aisl...

Transformers did not begin as an American empire of heroes, villains, cartoons, comics, movies, and billion-dollar nostalgia. It began with clever Japanese toys, corporate timing, and the strange magic of machines that could hide a robot inside a truck, jet, cassette player, or pistol.Hasbro saw more than plastic and metal. With Marvel’s help, those imported mechanisms became Optimus Prime, Megatron, Autobots, Decepticons, Cybertron, Energon, and a war that somehow made children ca...

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should have disappeared as quickly as the late-night doodle that created them. Instead, four absurd words became one of the strangest success stories in pop culture history.Behind the pizza jokes and catchphrases was a gritty black-and-white comic born from parody, borrowed money, and two artists who had no idea they were holding a franchise in their hands. What started as a violent underground oddity soon found itself pulled toward television, toy aisl...

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!

The third installment in comics icon Stan Lee's series showing readers how to draw some of the most exciting and dynamic superheroes of all time.Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and the Avengers all share a common trait -- these hugely popular Marvel Comics superheroes were co-created by the legendary Stan Lee. Now, Lee shows readers everything they'll need to make their own mighty superheroes, just like his classic creations. Lee exposes hi...

In 1990 Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about video games and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath sh...

Seeking writing success? Start at the beginning...Whether youre looking to get published or just hoping to hook your reader, first impressions are vital. Compelling opening scenes are the key to catching an agent or editors attention, and are crucial for keeping your reader engaged.As a writer, what you do in your opening pages, and how you do it, is a matter that cannot be left to chance. The First 50 Pages is here to help you craft a strong beg...

Manga is more than a genre in the comics field: it is a vital creative medium in its own right, with hundreds of millions of readers worldwide, a host of graphic styles, and a rich history now spanning seven decades.Now for the first time, that history is told by an award-winning expert in the field. Covering topics from Akira to Mazinger Z, this book is fully illustrated throughout, and photos of key creators accompany accessible sidebars and timelines.Answering the key qu...

In recent years, the world of animation has expanded far beyond the Saturday morning cartoons that generations of Americans grew up watching. Recent years have seen a boom in animation—hit prime-time television series, blockbuster cutting-edge digitally animated features, conventional animation. The expanding market is luring writers who have an eye toward the future and an eagerness to work in a medium where the only limit is the depth on one’s imagination. With step-by-step instructions ...

The first book-length collection by the most respected writer on anime and manga today.Anime’s influence can be found in every corner of American media, from film and television to games and graphic arts. And Fred Patten is largely responsible. He was reading manga and watching anime before most of the current generation of fans was born. In fact, it was his active participation in fan clubs and his prolific magazine writing that helped create a m...

Celebrating the persistence of Turtle PowerRaise Some Shell critically and cleverly examines the origins, evolution, and impact of the Ninja Turtles phenomenon — from its beginning as a self-published black-and-white comic book in 1984, through its transformation into a worldwide transmedia phenomenon by the middle of the 1990s, and up to the sale of the property to Nickelodeon in 2009 and relaunch of the Turtles with new comics, cartoons, and a big-budget...