Ponent08
Those who say manga is for the kiddies have never read the output of Fanfare/Ponent Mon — anyone who is interested in intelligent, lyrical fiction in graphic format should definitely check out their booth at NYCC.

Also note the new publications announced in the PR below:

Award-winning international manga and graphic novel publisher Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be at New York Comic-Con April 18 – 20 at Booth 2343, Jacob K. Javits Center, New York City. Fanfare publisher Stephen Robson will be on hand to showcase recent and upcoming releases for 2008.

Seven new Fanfare publications will be previewed from Japan, France and Korea, including Jiro Taniguchi’s The Ice Wanderer, which was recently nominated for a 2008 Eisner Award by Comic-Con International.

New Fanfare / Ponent Mon titles previewing at New York Comic-Con include:
. Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma
. The Ice Wanderer and other stories by Jiro Taniguchi
. The Quest for the Missing Girl by Jiro Taniguchi
. The Summit of the Gods by Yumemakura Baku and Jiro Taniguch
. My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill by Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo
. Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators by Various
. Awabi by Kan Takahama


Disappearance Diary – Hideo Azuma
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-42-6
Trade paperback, 200 pages
Cover price: $22.99
Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma is a new title scheduled for a
Fall 2008 release which is printed and ready for distribution. It will preview at NYCC.
This autobiographical tale follows the true adventures
of a successful manga artist who decides to run away from the deadline
pressures and daily responsibilities of his life to become a homeless
alcoholic. Winner of the Grand Media Prize, 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival.

The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: October 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-33-4
Trade paperback, 240 pages
Cover price: 21.99
The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories. a collection of six short stories by Taniguchi, is printed and
ready for distribution once more. The title story, The Ice Wanderer is a strong to
and features Jack London as one of the characters. While not yet available
in wide release due to a change in our distribution companies, The Ice
Wanderer and Other Stories has already been nominated for the 2008 Eisner Awards by
Comic-Con International in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material
– Japan category.

The Quest for the Missing Girl – Jiro Taniguchi
Release date: November 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-47-1
Trade paperback, 334 pages
Cover price $25.00
When 15 year old Megumi mysteriously disappears, Shiga leaves his mountain retreat to fulfill his
promise to her father following his death in the Himalayas twelve years previously. But the City
can be a much more hostile and dangerous place than the mountain. Multi-award winning
Taniguchi brings his detailed art and fast moving script to this agonizing tale of a missing girl.
Due Fall 2008

The Summit of the Gods – Yumemakura Baku, Jiro Taniguchi
Volume 1 release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-87-7
Trade paperback, 328 pages
Cover price: $25.00
Fanfare is continuing its commitment to publishing the award-winning
graphic novels of Jiro Taniguchi with several new and notable releases.
The Summit of the Gods is the latest offering from Taniguchi and is a
5-volume epic about the conquering of Mount Everest. Look for the first
volume to be available in the U.S. in Spring 2009.

My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill – Jean Regnaud and Emile Bravo
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-85-3
Hardcover, 112 full color pages
Cover price: $24.00
My Mommy is in America and Met Buffalo Bill is a first-time English
edition of the award-winning French graphic novel by Jean Regnaud and
Emile Bravo (Eisner nominee 2008 for “Best Short Story”). Told from a young boy’s point of view, My Mommy is a
slice-of-life story about a child’s remembrance of his life in the French
countryside and the fanciful postcards he receives from his mother, who’s
off traveling the world – or is she? Look for this touching and memorable
book to arrive in better bookshops in Fall 2008.

Korea as Viewed by 12 Creators – Various
Release date: December 2008
ISBN: 978-84-96427-48-8
Trade paperback, 222 pages
Cover price: $24.00
The sequel to the critically-acclaimed Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators
takes the cross-cultural comics exchange to the other Asian epicenter of
graphic storytelling, Korea. French and Korean creators, including Lee Doo-Ho,
Vanyda, Park Heung-yong and Igort, share their impressions of Korea as both
insiders and visitors for an eye-opening examination of this fast-growing,
multi-faceted society.

Awabi – Kan Takahama
Release date: Spring 2009
ISBN: 978-84-96427-34-1
Trade paperback, 144 pages
Cover price: $19.99
Awabi means “abalone” in Japanese and this second collection of short
stories by Kan Takahama (author of Monokuro Kinderbook, also from Fanfare
/ Ponent Mon) has more of Takahama’s elegant, softly stylized artwork and
wry, wistful and very grown-up storytelling. The title story of life revisited in a rest
home, befriending a suicide in My Life With K and dad calling a family meeting with
surprising results in My Mellow Chrostmas form the core of these six stories from
much lauded Takahama.

1 COMMENT

  1. I’ve really liked most of the Fanfare/Ponent Mon things that I’ve read. Yes, even the Asian-fetishist navel-gazing of Frederic Boilet, which somehow manages to achieve a level of odd poignancy when stared at long enough. Kind of like those old “magic eye” posters, it needs a sort of “deep” focus.