Death Note

What would you do if you mysterious notebook fell into your hands and gave you the power to kill anyone? Maybe you’d write the name of a high school enemy or a crappy ex in the notebook just for giggles, then realizing its murderous magic is for real, quickly toss it out the window and run away. But for Light Turner, he decides to use that notebook for all the power it gives him.

Despite having an extensive catalog of acclaimed works to his credit, from the manga adaptation of famous novel-turned-Tom Cruise movie All You Need Is Kill with Ryosuke Takeuchi (adapted as Edge of Tomorrow), to the manga about making manga, Bakuman, Takeshi Obata will perhaps always be best known for his hit manga series Death Note, with writer Tsugumi Ohba. The operatic supernatural detective story about teen would-be god Light Yagami and his reclusive nemesis L is the kind of breakout hit that most comic creators can only dream of. The art book Blanc et Noir: The Art of Takeshi Obata makes great use of Obata's work on Death Note --- but it also showcases the artist's considerable range and skill beyond his best known work.

Even more eyebrow-raising news from Warner Bros. following reports that the studio is looking to decrease the number of films they release each year: Death Note, the forthcoming adaptation of the hit Japanese manga, is moving over to Netflix, as the streaming service is in late-stage negotiations to take the project off of WB’s hands.

Though overshadowed by all the DC Comics shenanigans, Anime Boston also took place this past weekend, and the event saw US manga publisher Viz Media announce a promising crop of new releases and reprints that will roll out over the rest of the year, including the latest shonen series from the creators of one of the most popular manga series around, and a new edition of the early work of one of the true masters of horror manga.

After delivering two great genre features back to back with the subversive horror flick You’re Next and throwback thriller The Guest, director Adam Wingard definitely has our full attention, regardless of what he does next. His new project is Death Note, based on the popular Japanese manga, with The Leftovers star Margaret Qualley now in talks to join the cast of the U.S. adaptation.

Good news, manga fans who prefer Comixology over all other digital comics platforms: it's now easier to get your VIZ Media manga fix. This seems to be part of VIZ's ongoing dedication to diversifying the platforms their digital manga is available on, which leaders at the company reported as important over a year ago. As of this week, VIZ has added 650 volumes - over 65 total series - to the Comixology library. These titles are from those originally published by Shogakukan in Japan. This brings the grand total of VIZ offerings up on Comixology to 190 series and 1,100 volumes. Plus, to celebrate this occasion, there's a sale on a few VIZ bundles to get your collection started or to continue building your collection.

Death Note, Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s wildly popular tale of good, evil, and perfectly mussed hair, has been adapted into an anime, three live action movies, a prose novel, and various video games. In my foolishness, I’d thought we were done. I'd thought the consumption of 2007 anime clubs everywhere was enough to sate Death Note's ravenous appetite. But I was wrong—and, believe it or not, happily so. From April 6th to the 29th, Death Note The Musical will run at Tokyo’s Nissay Theater. Further performances have been scheduled in Osaka, Nagoya, and South Korea.

Takeshi Obata is an icon. His work on the horror manga phenomenon Death Note, with writer Tsugumi Ohba, defined horror for a generation of comic fans. The manga Hikaru no Go, with Yumi Hotta, spurred the ancient board game Go to sudden contemporary popularity in 1998. Another Ohba collaboration, Bakuman -- a manga about the creation of manga -- has over 15 million copies in circulation. Obata also illustrated the manga adaptation of All You Need is Kill, a military science fiction light novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka that was recently adapted for the screen as Edge of Tomorrow. And Obata's art is gorgeous. He handles Gothic triptychs and domestic scenes alike with incredible skill, bringing sociopaths, pop singers and teen artists to vibrant life. I keep copies of Death Note and Bakuman on my shelf of manga for "people who think they don’t like manga," because his work transcends the boundaries of fandom. He is a master, and he isn't even close to being done. ComicsAlliance was thrilled to have the chance to speak with him at New York Comic Con 2014 about his work, his influences, and international success.

Each weekday, ComicsAlliance brings you a carefully selected variety of links from around the web about comics and comics-related media, including movies, video games, toys, and whatever else might be worth noting. Quite frankly, these are items you may just need to know about to have a productive day. Take a look at today's hand-picked links after the jump.

Each weekday, ComicsAlliance brings you a carefully selected variety of links from around the web about comics and comics-related media, including movies, video games, toys, and whatever else might be worth noting. Quite frankly, these are items you may just need to know about to have a productive day. Take a look at today's hand-picked links after the jump.