Book to Feature Artwork and Insights into the Loveable Thief’s Five Decade-Long Anime Career
CHICAGO, IL (October 19, 2021) — Today, Magnetic Press, acclaimed publisher of graphic novels and art books, is pleased to announce the pre-order launch date for 50 Animated Years of LUPIN THE 3rd, a coffee table art book celebrating the 50 years of the beloved anime series. The project is being launched on Kickstarter on October 26 in partnership with TMS Entertainment, the prolific Japanese animation studio behind LUPIN THE 3rd, and will celebrate the exploits of the gentleman thief across the entire franchise.
Initially conceived as a manga by acclaimed creator Monkey Punch in 1967, LUPIN THE 3rd has since evolved into a franchise adored worldwide spawning hundreds of serialized animated episodes, specials, and feature films. The franchise’s storied history will be celebrated within the pages of the anniversary coffee table art book, chronicling its evolution from Monkey Punch’s original drawings to the newest anime season and recent CG feature film. There will be a wealth of imagery, production artwork, and insights into nearly every piece of content produced over the years, as well as a near-encyclopedic look into the central and supporting characters that have brought the energy and humor that LUPIN THE 3rd has showcased for five decades.
The book will be available to pre-order through a Kickstarter campaign launching on October 26 and will be available in two editions: the standard 200+ page hardcover and a limited deluxe slipcase edition. The campaign will allow fans to unlock bonus sections of pages as “stretch goals” to be added to the page count, providing up to 96 extra pages of original production artwork, design sketches, and storyboards from the history of the franchise. For more information and to pre-register for the exclusive campaign bonuses, fans are encouraged to visit www.lupin-3-rpg.com.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with TMS Entertainment to help celebrate this landmark of 50 years of LUPIN THE 3rd,” said Mike Kennedy, Founder and Publisher of Magnetic Press. “Capturing all five decades of this benchmark anime into one coffee table book is a herculean task, but one we’re excited to take on! We think fans will love this beautifully packaged love letter to Lupin and his crew.”
The Anniversary Art Book is being written by noted LUPIN historian Reed Nelson who is widely recognized as a leading authority on the series. Since the series debut in 1971, TMS Entertainment has produced over 250 serialized episodes spanning five seasons, with a sixth season premiering this month to coincide with the 50th anniversary. Additionally, the franchise has seen multiple theatrically released animated films, including LUPIN THE 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro — notable for being the directorial debut of the renowned Hayao Miyazaki — and LUPIN III: THE FIRST, the franchise’s first foray into computer-generated animation released last year.
In addition to the Anniversary Art book, Magnetic Press’s gaming imprint, Magnetic Press Play, will also be publishing a tabletop RPG based on the world of LUPIN THE 3rd. The game will utilize Magnetic’s new variation on the classic D6 System of role-playing rules popularized by licensing partner West End Games with franchises such as Star Wars and Ghostbusters. The game will allow players to experience the exciting, over-the-top outlaw antics of LUPIN THE 3rd like never before. More details about this project will come at a later date.
More info about Magnetic Press and Magnetic Press Play is available on Facebook, Twitter, and the official website, www.magnetic-press.com.
About Magnetic Press
Magnetic Press is a subsidiary of Polarity that publishes graphic novels, art books, and periodicals curated with a focus on internationally recognized content and talent, presented with premium quality design and production value. The Magnetic brand was founded by writer and video game veteran Mike Kennedy in 2013 as the independent publishing company Magnetic Press, Inc, featuring creators both new and established from around the world, sharing their stories with an English-language audience often for the first time. Their award-winning library includes such celebrated titles as the Love series of wordless wildlife graphic novels, as well as Eisner-nominated books Mister Invincible, Pistouvi, Irena, Stay, A Sea of Love, Watersnakes, Herakles, Doomboy, A Glance Backward, Little Tails, The Ghost of Gaudi, and Dave Dorman’s Wasted Lands Omnibus. Magnetic has earned a total of 23 Eisner Award nominations in their first six-of-six years of eligibility. Magnetic also won the Gold Medal of Excellence in the graphic novel category of the 2015 Independent Publisher Awards for Love: The Fox.
In 2021, Magnetic launched Magnetic Press Play, an imprint dedicated to gaming and new media endeavors. Currently announced projects and properties include Carbon Grey, based on the Image Comics series by Hoang Nguyen, and an official tabletop role-playing game based on the popular anime series LUPIN THE 3rd.
About TMS Entertainment USA, Inc.
TMS Entertainment USA, Inc. is a subsidiary of TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. (better known as TMS), one of the largest anime studios in Japan. With a strong focus on anime production, licensing, and distribution businesses, TMS boasts a library of over 12,000 episodes across a total of 420 titles that include much-loved anime titles such as LUPIN THE 3rd, Dr. STONE, and MEGALOBOX. For more information, visit www.tmsanime.com
Follow TMS Anime to keep up with the latest announcements regarding LUPIN THE 3rd and other titles.
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David Steward II’s Polarity is a diversified global media company with a mission to bring authentic content to a diverse global audience. To create a richer content experience and offering, the company believes in the value of embracing diversity and highlighting previously unheard voices, as well as new and emerging views and voices. In addition to Magnetic Press, the Polarity portfolio also includes Lion Forge Animation, Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, and Illustrated Syndicate.
With broad operations in animation, publishing and general media, Polarity has established itself as an impactful force in the entertainment industry. Steward II has been putting resources behind his vision of expanding the market for comics and comic-related pop culture to new age groups and demographics since the early 2010s, building a portfolio of titles and imprints that feature characters and creators from a wide variety of backgrounds. He’s extended that vision and ethic to the larger media landscape with an organization that can orchestrate content development, production, financing, and distribution across different channels.
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