Banzai Girl Manga Volume 1 TPB coverPress Release

America's favorite teenage, Asian schoolgirl, Jinky Coronado, graduates to a new full-color mini-series with Banzai Girls, coming this May from ArcanaStudio.

The series has been in the works for quite some time. The move to ArcanaStudio was finalized at Wizard World Chicago 2006 when Jinky inked the contract right at the Arcana booth. The move symbolizes a new beginning for Banzai Girls as Arcana plans to market the book into other countries and expand the property beyond the world of comics.

The series is the brainchild of popular artist/writer (and FHM model) Jinky Coronado. It tells the story of Jinky, a sexy Asian schoolgirl whose nightmares of being a Princess and a Futuristic Freedom Fighter foretell of extraordinary adventures that affect and inspire her real life. She deals with school, romance, grades, and friends until her life "makes a right turn into weird." Her teachers, and eventually her whole town of adults, become controlled by invading creatures they call the Shadow Whisperers. But Jinky and her best friend Katie J. discover their parents are acting oddly, as well -- and they need to take matters into their own hands to save the world. Unique to Banzai Girl is its rogues gallery of Filipino urban legends as her foes, including a sinister Snakeman beneath a shopping mall and the menacing Manananggal, a revolting, horrifying vampire that splits apart at the waist. Although the story, steeped in Filipino lifestyle and culture, is an allegory for the relationship troubles and alienation many teens feel in their high school years all over the world, it's also full of fun and laughs and beautiful, sexy artwork. BANZAI GIRL is unique in its creation: Its author is Jinky Coronado, who is also its artist, its main character, and its photo cover model.

The new series picks up eight months after the storyline chronicled in the Banzai Girl manga trade (also on sale currently from Arcana Studio). Everyone is a little older and Michelle and Jinky have missed a whole semester of college touring to promote their new CD in the storyline. While they have been gone, friend Katie J graduates high school. The three enroll into Empire University together where they will experience adventures dealing in Filipino urban legends.

While June is usually the time for summer vacation, with both the new series and manga tpb due for release, Arcana is telling Banzai Girls fans class is now in session!

Banzai Girls #1 by Jinky Coronado, 32 pages, FC $3.95. Diamond Code MAR07 3143.

Banzai Girl Manga Volume 1 TPB by Jinky Coronado and Wilson Tortosa, 160 pages, B&W $12.95. Diamond Code MAR07 3141.

For more information on Arcana Studio, please visit: www.arcanacomics.com.

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