June 16, 2009

Manga artist Misako Rocks! to appear at Otakon

Artwork is Internationally Praised, Published

Baltimore, MD (June 11, 2009) – Manga artist Misako Rocks!, the creator of Biker Girl and Rock and Roll Love, will be a guest at Otakon 2009.

Misako Rocks!, who grew up in Japan, developed a love for comics and manga at an early age and drew her first comic at the age of 13. She moved to New York in 2001 and worked as a puppeteer, face painter, animal balloon maker, and art teacher while developing her own work.

Recently, she scored a three-book deal with Henry Holt for the Detective Jermain series, the first volume of which was released in 2008. Her first book, Biker Girl (2006), and second one, Rock and Roll Love (2007), were published by Hyperion. Rock and Roll Love was picked as one of the best teen books by the New York Public Library.

In addition, she wrote scripts for Archie comics and stories for the weekly kids' comic magazine DFC in the UK: Peach de Punch! She has also drawn illustrations for the now-famous column "Savage Love" of The Onion newspaper for about 10 years.

She's often invited to give speeches at schools, libraries and anime festivals and has taught manga workshops in Japan, Europe and America. She has been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Elle Girl and The New York Times. The BBC featured her in a documentary about comic book creators. On top of that, she recently received the Venice Beach/L.A. Playwright award.

Misako currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Check her Web site for more details: http://www.misakorocks.com

Otakon 2009 will be held July 17-19 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

ABOUT OTAKON AND OTAKORP, INC.: Now entering its sixteenth year, Otakon is an annual celebration of Japanese and East Asian popular culture, and also one of the largest gatherings of fans in the United States. Otakon celebrates popular culture as a gateway to deeper understanding of Asian culture, and has grown along with the enthusiasm for anime, manga, video games, and music from the Far East. Since 1999, Otakon has been held in Baltimore, Maryland; currently, Otakon is one of Baltimore's few large, city-wide events, drawing over 22,000 individual members for three days each year (for a paid attendance of over 60,000 "turnstile" attendees). Otakon is a membership-based convention sponsored by Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based, 501(c)3 educational non-profit whose mission is to promote the appreciation of Asian culture, primarily through its media and entertainment. Otakorp, Inc. is directed by an all-volunteer, unpaid staff – we are run by fans, for fans.

For more information about Otakorp, Inc., see http://www.otakon.com/otakorp/index.asp
For more information and the latest news on Otakon 2009, see http://www.otakon.com/

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