Yes, you read the title of this post correctly, the eagerly-awaited new novel from Haruki Murakami is set for release in Japan on Friday (that’s tomorrow!) will have an initial hardback print run of half a million copies!

The new book’s title is only available in Japanese for now and is titled, “Shikisai wo Motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to Kare no Junrei no Toshi”. An unofficial translation in English gives it the title, “Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and the Year of his Pilgrimage”.

The new novel is expected to hit bookstores on Friday, April 12th, with major outlets planning to open early at 8:00 am, while at least one large seller in Tokyo flung open its doors at midnight on Thursday (see photo down below).

Publishing house Bungeishunju Ltd. said, “Online book giant AMAZON JAPAN had received more than 20,000 pre-orders for the new novel as of Saturday, faster than any other book by Murakami.”

Half a million copies is the largest initial hardback print run for the Japanese publisher, one of the country’s biggest.

It will be Murakami’s first work in three years after the final installment of “1Q84″. That book, which can be read as “1984″ in Japanese, proved to be a worldwide phenomenon. As a side note we should mention that Chip Kidd designed the cover for the Knopf edition of 1Q84.

One last thing, we apologize for not mentioning the designer’s name of the cover to this new book. At the time of this writing we didn’t have that information.

Source: PanARMENIAN.Net

Here’s a quick post to share some wonderful news concerning our friend Yuji and his movie, TOKYO TOY GUY. This is THE Documentary Film all about a few very serious Vintage Batman Toy Collectors from 5 major countries. He showed the film to a major audience last weekend at the 2013 MEFCC event. Those letters stand for “Middle East Film and Comic Con”. This is held every year in Dubai. For more info about that convention show, just CLICK HERE!

The good news is that the film was a major success! They even has an interview and discussion about the movie live on stage. Another cool thing is that, as an example of what Yuji was talking about, he brought the TOKYO TOY GUY Movie Poster and a copy of Chip Kidd’s book, “Batman Collected” as examples. He told the audience how this book was a major inspiration for the movie and as a side-note we should mention that Chip Kidd and his Vintage Batman Toy Collection actually appear in the movie.

OK, the film has not been released in the USA yet. Yuji said he is working on “foreign distribution”. But as soon as we have more information about that we will mention it here for sure so please stay tuned to CHIPKIDD.COM, thanks!

Ladies and Gentlemen - We present, for your viewing pleasure, the four BEFORE WATCHMEN: DELUXE EDITION Book Covers Designed for DC Comics by Chip Kidd. Look for these Graphic Novels to hit the shelves this Summer 2013. One important note is that all four books are available for pre-order so don’t miss out, just CLICK HERE!

For Immediate Release:

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is pleased to name the members of its newly formed advisory board, a body designed to assist the organization in advancing its mission to protect the First Amendment rights of the comics art form. Co-Chaired by CBLDF Founder Denis Kitchen and former board member Neil Gaiman, the advisory board will include legendary creators Frank Miller, DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee, Matt Groening, Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson, entertainment lawyer and former CBLDF Board Member Louise Nemschoff, educator Frenchy Lunning, author and designer Chip Kidd, and development executive Susan Alston, who was the first full-time Executive Director of CBLDF. The group was unanimously elected to their one-year term by CBLDF’s Board of Directors at their last meeting.

“It will be a tremendous honor to work with this distinguished group of advisors as we make strides to advance CBLDF’s work in 2013,” says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. “Each person on the advisory board has been extremely generous with their time, talent, and expertise in helping the Fund become the force that we are today. Having the ability to call upon their wisdom and insights will make the Fund a much stronger organization."

About the CBLDF Advisory Board:

Susan Alston, CBLDF's first Executive Director (1993-1997) and former board member (1997-1999), is a development, marketing, and communications professional in western Massachusetts. Alston began her career as Assistant Director of Marketing at Bank of Boston, then as Director of Administration at Tundra Publishing, owned by Kevin Eastman. In 1993, Tundra merged into Kitchen Sink Press, whereupon Denis Kitchen offered her a part-time position overseeing CBLDF administration. Shortly thereafter, with the onset of the Mike Diana case and a large donation from Dave Sim, the position was moved to full-time.

After leaving CBLDF in 1997, Alston took her interest in fundraising, marketing, and communications and honed them at positions with Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, VNA HealthCare, and Center for Human Development. In 2012, Alston earned her Master's degree in Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy from Bay Path College and will sit for the CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive) exam in 2013.

Chip Kidd is a designer/writer in New York City whose body of work has been profoundly influential in the rise of the modern graphic novel. His book cover designs for Alfred A. Knopf have helped create a revolution in the art of American book packaging. He is the recipient of the National Design Award for Communications, as well as the Use of Photography in Design award from the International Design Center of Photography. Kidd has published two novels, The Cheese Monkeys and The Learners, as well as Batman: Death By Design, an original graphic novel published by DC Comics and illustrated by Dave Taylor. He is also the author of several books about comics and the co-author and designer of True Prep, the sequel to the beloved Official Preppy Handbook. A distinguished and prolific lecturer, Kidd has spoken at Princeton, Yale, Harvard, RISD, and a zillion other places. His 2012 TED talk has garnered over 660,000 hits as of this writing and is cited as one of the "funniest of the year."

Jim Lee is a renowned comic book artist and the Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment. Prior to his current post, Lee served as Editorial Director, where he oversaw WildStorm Studios and was also the artist for many of DC Comics' bestselling comic books and graphic novels, including Batman: Hush, Superman: For Tomorrow, All Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder, and Justice League. He also serves as the Executive Creative Director for the DC Universe Online (DCUO) massively multiplayer action game from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). For his next project, Lee will be working with writer Scott Snyder on a new Superman book in 2013.

Frenchy Lunning is a professor of Liberal Arts at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, where she focuses on design, popular culture, and cultural theory throughout her work. She has written a book on fashion and fetish published by Berg Publishers in Britain and is currently working on two books: one on cosplay and the other is a book she began as a Fulbright Scholar in Japan in 2008 on the sh jo as a global and transnationally exchanged character. Lunning is the director of SGMS: Mechademia Conference on Asian Popular Cultures, the only academic conference in the U.S. currently focusing on Asian popular culture. She is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Mechademia, a book series published by the University of Minnesota dedicated to Asian popular culture, manga, and anime. In addition to her work at MCAD, Lunning teaches seminars on anime and manga, is a co-founder of Anime Detour, and is a producer for Moving Walkway Productions.

Frank Miller is among the most influential voices in comics. His groundbreaking superhero work changed the tone of the medium in the 1980s, starting with a legendary run on Marvel Comics’ Daredevil and continuing with the classic graphic novels Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One for DC. In 1991, Miller fulfilled his dream of doing a straight ahead crime series with Sin City. He went on to produce seven Sin City graphic novels and later to co-direct an acclaimed film adaptation with Robert Rodriguez. His multi-award-winning epic 300 from Dark Horse was also brought to life as a blockbuster motion picture. Miller served on CBLDF’s Board of Directors in the 1990s and continues to be a force in advancing the organization’s work.

Louise Nemschoff is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area who specializes in entertainment, copyright, international law, video games, and other digital media. A long-serving member of CBLDF’s Board of Directors, Nemschoff aided dozens of creators on legal matters during her tenure with the organization.

Mike Richardson is the founder and president of Dark Horse Comics, the largest independent comics publishing company in America. The company was founded in 1986 on the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals by supporting their right to own and control the work they create. In 1980, Richardson opened Pegasus Books in Bend, Oregon, the first in what became a successful chain of pop culture/comic shops. The 1994 addition of a flagship store at Universal Studios' CityWalk heralded a new name for the chain: Things From Another World. Richardson is also the founder and president of Dark Horse Entertainment, a company he launched in 1992 that has developed and produced more than two dozen film and television projects since its inception. In 2008, Richardson won an Emmy for producing the John Landis-directed documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. Richardson has also written numerous comics and graphic novels, including The Secret; Cravan; Star Wars: Crimson Empire; and 47 Ronin.

Denis Kitchen, co-chair, founded the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund in response to the arrest of a comic book store clerk who was wrongly prosecuted and convicted on obscenity charges for selling comics to an undercover police officer. Kitchen organized an industry fundraising effort to retain and pay for First Amendment expert Burton Joseph to wage the appeal against the conviction, which was victorious. Following this important win, Kitchen established CBLDF as an ongoing concern to protect against future prosecutions. For the organization's first 18 years, he served as its President, and nurtured it from a volunteer effort, driven out of an office at Kitchen Sink Press, to a professional institution with a fulltime staff.

Neil Gaiman, co-chair, advanced CBLDF's work with extraordinary support in fundraising and awareness building efforts. Gaiman embarked on several reading tours and developed merchandise, special events, and partnerships that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Fund's important work. He was also instrumental in building awareness for the organization with public service events, and he was a key mover in establishing CBLDF's educational program. Most recently, the Gaiman Foundation contributed $60,000 to CBLDF to support the growth of its education program. Gaiman’s work has been honored with many awards internationally, including the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. His books and stories have also earned Hugos, Nebulas, Eisners, Harveys, Locus Awards, Bram Stoker Awards, British SF Awards, British Fantasy Awards, Geffens, Mythopoeic Awards, as well as the International Horror Guild Award and the World Fantasy Award.

About Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals. http://www.cbldf.org

Over at the HTML GIANT website James J. Fitze just got done writing a really great Book Review on “How Literature Saved My Life” (Knopf) by David Shields. The book is doing very well and we could not be happier. As a side-note I should mention that Chip Kidd designed the cover and the Photography was done by Geoff Spears. If you have an interest in this book then please read their review. Even if you don’t, then you should scan it anyway because it will MAKE you want to read the book, ha ha! Just CLICK HERE!

Pantheon Books, the company that publishes the greatest Graphic Novels in the world, will be at the 2013 MoCCA ARTS FESTIVAL on April 6th and 7th at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, NY. For more info: CLICK HERE!

Ben Katchor will be there signing his new book “Hand-Drying in America” (Chip Kidd designed this cover!) on Saturday at 3:00 p.m., and David Mazzucchelli will be there at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday to sign copies of his incredible book, “Asterios Polyp”. Hope to see you there!! As a side note: Chip Kidd will not be at this event.

Yes, the title of this post is kind of confusing but looking at the photos here should explain everything! A Company called STANDARD DESIGNS has released a series of Art Prints where they have made “Book Cover Spines” that are parodies of actual Record Albums originally done by two bands, Joy Division & New Order. Well, they have done other bands too, but who cares!

Just to clarify, the second photo, is not one of the print images but a very close-up detail shot of the 1st photo.

We thought these parodies were wacky, clever, & fun. So, if you do too then please be sure to visit their site for more information & eye candy!

Hey, just CLICK HERE!

Due to enthusiastic public interest, Book Cover Designer Chip Kidd will now speak at the DAYS INN, 240 S. Pugh Street at 7:15pm on Thursday, April 4th. Free and open to the public. Limited seating is first come, first-served.

For more information please CLICK HERE!

This year Book Author & Writer Neil Gaiman has been placed in Time Magazine’s latest poll titled “THE TIME 100” . So, since he’s a friend, we’re asking everybody to please go vote for him! Hey, this guy deserves it. His books and writing are amazing. You can easily place your vote by CLICKING HERE and then pressing the “Absolutely” button. Yeah, we said it was simple, so please do it now if you can. Thanks!

This is exciting news! Well, it’s fun news for all of us here at CHIPKIDD.COM anyway, ha! Yesterday we added a nice new selection of BOOK COVER DESIGN photos to our Gallery Page. This brings the total to about 146 designs & we have many more to go! So, please be sure to check back every now and then. Also, I bet you yourself even own a book or two that Chip Kidd has designed. Go take a look! Please CLICK HERE!