Viz Media has announced a North American release of Blanc et Noir: Takeshi Obata Illustrations, a limited edition hardcover art book collecting the work of popular manga artist Takeshi Obata. The book, limited to 10,000 copies, will be released in a silver-stamped oversized slipcase hardcover under Viz's Art of Shonen Jump imprint.

Initially published in Japan in 2005, Blanc et Noir contains illustrations from Obata's hit mangas Death Note and Hikaru no Go, book-exclusive work, rare illustrations from light novels, and designs from video games. Viz notes that the book contains, "132 pages of full-color art, several massive foldout posters ... and 12 pages of artist commentary, including a 'how to draw' section."

Debuting with his creator-owned manga Cyborg Jii-chan G in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1989, Obata went on to mainly collaborate as an artist with other writers. From 1998-2003, he drew the sports manga Hikaru no Go with writer Yumi Hotta for Weekly Shonen Jump, and that series, credited with reviving interest in the ancient Japanese board game Go, spanned 23 volumes, spawned a popular anime, and received the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award and the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize.

From 2003-2006, Obata achieved international success as the artist on Death Note with writer Tsugumi Ohba, which has spawned an anime, three live-action films, a live-action Japanese TV drama, and an upcoming American live-action film. Obata and Ohba also collaborated on Bakuman, a manga about creating manga, which ran from 2008-2012.

More recently, Obata drew the Shonen Jump series Gakkyu Hotei: School Judgment with writer Nobuaki Enoki. Obata and Ohba are currently working on the monthly Shonen Jump manga Platinum End.

Blanc et Noir: Takeshi Obata Illustrations goes on sale May 3, 2016, with a retail price of US $99.99.

 

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