InThis Week in Animation News, I’ll take a look at the previous week in the world of animation in order to get you caught up on everything you might have missed. It’s your one-stop shop for news regarding cartoons, anime, and animated web series. We’re talking movies, TV shows, digital shorts, and everything in between!
For the latest animation stories we’ve already covered on the site this week, take a look at the following links. Then, check out a selection of new stories below. Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!
OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: TKO DVD Arrives This Summer
Revisit the action-packed adventures of the Cartoon Network series whenOK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O.arrives on DVD July 17th. Created byIan Jones-Quartey, the high-octane series follows K.O. as he takes on the villains of Lakewood Plaza while training to become one of the world’s greatest heroes. Superfans can jump into all the action with the volume one DVD that includes 18 episodes and a 22-minute special, all from the first season.
OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroesfollows K.O., a cheerfully eager young boy who wants nothing more than to become the world’s greatest hero while following in his mother’s footsteps. Set in a futuristic world full of robots and aliens, K.O. works at Gar’s Bodega, a hero supply store located in Lakewood Plaza, alongside his friends Radicles and Enid. Whether he’s mopping the floor with evil robots or literally mopping the floor, K.O. is set to take on the world while proving every success or failure to be just another stepping stone to becoming the ultimate hero.
OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes: T.K.O.
18 x 11 MINUTE EPISODES
1 x 22 MINUTE SPECIAL:
1. Let’s Be Heroes
11. T.K.O. - 22 Min Special
2. Let’s Be Friends
12. Stop Attacking the Plaza
3. You’re Everybody’s Sidekick
13. We’ve Got Fleas
4. We Messed Up.
14. Glory Days
5. We’ve Got Pests
15. Villains Night Out
6. Legends of Mr. Gar
16. Villains Night In
7. We Got Hacked
17. Parents’ Day
8. Plazalympics
18. Let’s Not Be Skeletons
9. We’re Captured
19. Actions News
10. Know Your Mom
‘My Hero Academia’ and Funimation Team Up with Japan Crate
The limited edition pin will come alongside delicious Japanese candies and snacks in June’s Premium Japan Crate. Crates are available while supplies last at japancrate.com/mha through May 31st, 2018. Japan Crate follows a subscription model with Premium crates priced at $30 per month.
‘Transformers: Power of the Primes’ Is Now Live!
Hasbro and Machinima launched the third and final chapter of theTransformers: Prime Wars Trilogy–Transformers: Power of the Primeson Verizon’s family of media properties this week, including Tumblr (except in China, where it airs on Sohu.com, and Japan). This third and final chapter of the weekly digital series features 10 episodes at approximately 11 minutes per episode.
Transformers: Power of the Primesfeatures an incredible group of voice-talent making their debut, includingRon Perlman, WWE SuperstarSamoa Joe,Mikey Wayfrom the rock bandMy Chemical RomanceandJaime King(Star Wars: The Clone Wars). They join returning cast membersMark Hamill, who made his debut as Megatronus in the finale of the second chapter of the trilogy,Transformers: Titans Return,Judd Nelson, who is voicing a character new to the trilogy, Rodimus Cron,Wil Wheatonas Perceptor,DashieGamesas Menasor,MatPatas Swoop, andRob Dykeas Devastator.
After Megatronus eliminates Optimus Prime and claims the Matrix of Leadership and Enigma of Combination for himself, the other Transformers bots look to Megatron to lead the charge against their diabolical foe.
Unbeknownst to them, Megatronus’ pursuit of the next ancient artifact, the Requiem Blaster, goes beyond his desire for power and the search will uncover mysterious secrets from Cybertron’s past. Before the TRANSFORMERS: PRIME WARS TRILOGY concludes, a new Prime will ascend and all will bear witness to the true POWER OF THE PRIMES.
Transformers: Power of the Primesis being overseen by Executive Producer and showrunnerFJ DeSanto; written by DeSanto,Adam BeechenandJamie Iracleanos; and directed by YUZO. Animation for the show is being overseen by Tatsunoko Productions.
Hot Topic and Crunchyroll Promote Ani-May 2018
Hot Topic, the ultimate retail destination for pop culture and music, and Crunchyroll, the world’s largest destination for Japanese anime and manga, team up for the third consecutive year in celebrating their annual program, Ani-May, for May 2018! Together, the two powerhouses will highlight fan favorite anime properties each week and introduce new, hard to find, and/or exclusive anime merchandise includingMy Hero AcademiaandDragon Ball Superto name a few.
As a special addition to the third annual Ani-May, Hot Topic will launch the Crunchyroll Funko! Box featuring exclusive merchandise from popular Crunchyroll series: aMiss Kobiyashi’s Dragon Maidkey chain, anAncient Magus’ BrideFunko! Pop vinyl figure, aMob Psycho 100pencil and bag set, and a pair of Bananya banana-scented air fresheners. TheAncient Magus’ BrideFunko! Pop also has a chase variant featuring Elias Ainsworth in black and white, a figure reminiscent of its monochromatic manga series. Designed within a novelty bento box and faux chopsticks, the set retails at $29.90 and is availableexclusively at Hot Topicstarting today.
All month-long, Hot Topic and Crunchyroll will offer anime fans a free 30-day trial of Crunchyroll Premium with any $25 anime purchase in Hot Topic stores.
‘Adult Swim on the Green’ Returns This Summer!
Adult Swim once again brightens up your summer withAdult Swim On The Green, the traveling road show bringing fans a unique pop-up outdoor screening event and more starting on May 31st. From the network known for hit seriesRick and Morty,Robot ChickenandThe Eric Andre Show, Adult Swim brings more laughs and more surprises this year as comedianZack Foxserves as the tour’s new host to heckle and entertain the masses in city stops ranging from Charleston, SC to Minneapolis, MN.
Also new this year, fans can now vote for their favorite episodes for the chance to see them at the event. Attendees can also upgrade their experience with theOn The Green Package, that includes unlimited popcorn, exclusive giveaways and their very own lawn chair to enjoy during the screening.
Adult Swim On The Greenwill include a free promotional screening of “Things You May Have Never Seen,” a sneak peek of what’s to come, including unaired Adult Swim episodes, never-before-seen pilots, specials and more Williams Street favorites all shown on the massive custom LED wall under the stars.
The 2018 #AdultSwimOnTheGreentour dates and locations, with more stops to be determined:
City, State
Bayfront Park
Raleigh, NC
WakeMed Cross Country Course
Charleston, SC
Riverfront Park
Knoxville, TN
World’s Fair Park - Performance Lawn
Louisville, KY
Water Tower Park
Buffalo, NY
Cleveland, OH
Voinovich Bicentennial Park
Milwaukee, WI
Veterans Park
Chicago, IL
Stadium Green at Soldier Field
Minneapolis, MN
The Commons
Admission is free for guests 18 years +. Entry confirmed with purchase of a concessions voucher good towards 1 free popcorn and soda. Go toadultswimpresents.comfor details.
Adult Swim On the Greenjoins a long list of the network’s dynamic live events for fans to experience. Later this year, Adult Swim will debut its first annualAdult Swim Festival, October 6-7, in Downtown Los Angeles. A cultural festival like no other, the weekend will feature all things Adult Swim across two stages with a massive marketplace that will include premiere screenings, comedy performances, interactive gaming, exclusive merchandise, and a live music line-up headlined by Grammy-nominated hip-hop powerhouse,Run The Jewels. A limited amount of weekend passes are on sale now.
LINE Webtoon Announces a Stunning Line-up of New and Returning Comics
LINE Webtoon, the popular digital comics publisher pioneering the development and distribution of comics worldwide, announce the upcoming release of nine new titles and a new season for popularKatie CookseriesNothing Special. The rollout includes new series from creatorsThom Zahler,Marvel ZombiesscribeFred Van Lente,Monica Gallagher, three-time Eisner-winnerPaul Tobin, and others, ranging in a variety of genres from comedy and action to romance and horror.
These new titles will release alongside the previously announced line-up ofOutrage, byDeadpoolco-creatorFabian Niciezaand artistReilly Brown;Finality, byWarren Ellisand four-time Eisner-winnerColleen Doran;Backchannel, byStan Lee,Tom Akel, andAndie Tong; andCaster, byAustin Harrison,Mike Raitch,Zah Howard, andJason Masters, with original music byCommon; as well as the highly anticipated return ofSanford Greene’s1000and 2018 Eisner-nomineeBrothers BondbyRyan BenjaminandKevin Grevioux.
The new releases include:
Eat Fighter is a competitive eating, zombie murder epic that follows Miss, a thirty-something fitness nut who throws away her kale and step-counting ways to become a superstar on the competitive eating circuit. Following the lifestyle of her late brother, who was a champion competitive eater himself, she embarks on a quest to Seoul to become the World Champion Eat Fighter. But eating barrels of barbecue and acres of apple pie doesn’t come without a price—so what’s Miss’s secret as to why she can eat as much as she wants and never gain a pound?
High school classmates Denise, Christine, Lindsey, and Kim, move into a former sorority house for their first year of college, and immediately discover the ghost of a dead sorority girl stuck in a discarded bottle of tequila. While the freshwomen are settling into college life, Tara settles herself into the center of their personal lives, acting as a seasoned mentor for their transition from girls to ladies. Being dead for a while (she never has the same answer for when or how) has given Tara a perplexingly thorough knowledge of sex, relationships, body stuff, and even friendship.
Renai is convinced that madness follows her every step. After her boyfriend Tory betrays her by falling in love with her best friend Angela, Renai becomes convinced that Angela cast a spell on him. A meeting with her Aunt Kita confirms her suspicions of an underworld of sorcery. to save her beloved Tory, she must connect with her inner witch and the light within herself to stand up to the grim forces in her way.
Messenger follows Dare Crilley, a bike messenger who is utterly unsurpassed. She scoffs at bad weather, traffic is barely an obstacle, and she’s never missed a delivery. That’s good, because Dare is about to discover her mysterious new client is literally divine, and that a dispute between the gods means the fate of the universe rests on a series of increasingly more difficult bicycle deliveries. Will Dare fail on any of these fateful missions? Can she assemble all the parts for the Legendary Divine Bicycle? One thing’s for sure, Dare never backs down when it’s time to deliver.
In Shadow Pirates, Mao, leader of The Yakooza Group, is stuck behind bars in Old San Diego following an unfortunate run in with The Shadow Pirates. After convincing a group of teenagers to aid in his escape by promising them a greater power than they can imagine the ultimate burst they are transported to New San Diego where they begin their adventure to unlock the burst in the form of The Four Horseman: war, pestilence, famine, and death.
In the gothic thriller Divination, readers will explore the world of death, demons, spirits, and angels, after Ana’s teenage life is thrown into chaos when she begins to see manifestations of the undead. As the mysterious Reapers continue to appear with more intensity, Ana soon finds herself on a path towards an uncertain destiny that will have drastic consequences for both her and the entire world.
Cupid’s Arrows follows Rick and Lora, a team of Arrows who work for Cupid, the god of love, and attempt to execute the wishes of The Book of Love, which gives the details on which couples will get together for a legendary love story. They’ve received their newest mission and must work together to bring about the perfect and memorable moment, assuring a lasting start to their couple’s relationship. However, even after working together for hundreds of years, they banter and bicker like brother and sister to cover the feelings they have for each other–will these Arrows finally realize they are more than just friends?
In Nothing Special, spirits, gods, and demons wander both their realm and ours. The series follows Callie, a lonely teen who grew up splitting her time between the human and spirit worlds due to her father’s job as an antiques collector in the spirit world. When her father mysteriously vanishes in the spirit realm, Callie is forced to journey further into the world than ever before in an attempt to rescue him. In Season 2, readers can continue to explore Callie’s world filled with adventure, family secrets, and romance.
Heart Wired follows 16-year-old Cal Mills, one of the first of seven children born on Mars.
Cal has always dreamed of traveling to Earth and experiencing the birthplace of humanity firsthand. However, he is held back by his fragile body, genetically-engineered to tolerate the microgravity environment of Mars. His parents have religious and philosophical issues with the trans-humanist movement, which pushes for total replacement of the organic biological systems of the human body with the synthetic machine. Things change when communication with Earth gets cut off suddenly and it becomes clear that a war of annihilation has taken place. The final act of the automated space-based military forces will be to eliminate all rival extraterrestrial assets.
Humiliated and exiled, a young poet and her friends build an underground following while fighting against the white-collar criminals who threaten their careers. In Metaphorical Her, Eleanor “Laney” Petra makes a social misstep and offends the man who holds the keys to success in her chosen field of work, poetry. Discovering an unlikely audience in the local rock scene, Laney shows that she can build a sizable following of outsiders that will force the poetic scene to recognize her and her work. All the while, Laney must fend off the people who want to cage her, her friends, and hinder their ambition.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with such talented storytellers to bring these unique comics to our readers,” saidJunKoo Kim, Founder and Head of LINE Webtoon. “At LINE Webtoon we pride ourselves in having a comic series for every type of fan, and these new titles truly show the range of genres and stories that our creators are telling.”
Readers will get their hands on these new series starting this May. Until then, they can check out thousands of other amazing comics on the official LINE Webtoon app by visiting theApple App StoreandGoogle Playor onwww.webtoons.com.
