Afro Samurai Showcased at NYCC
New York Comic-Con (NYCC) 2007, taking place in Manhattan’s Jacob K. Javits Center on February 23-25, is pleased to announce the attendance of Takashi Okazaki, Fuminori Kizaki, Taito Okiura, and Eric Calderon — the Creator, Director, and Co-Producers of Afro Samurai. Okazaki, Kizaki, Okiura, and Calderon will all appear as part of New York Comic Con 2007’s Anime Program, discussing their work on the ground-breaking series on SPIKE TV and presenting never-before-seen clips from Afro Samurai. The five part series is produced by Japanese studio GONZO in association with GDH K.K. and FUNimation Entertainment.
“New York Comic Con is a showcase of the best of popular culture — and Afro Samurai is an example of the best of anime,” Peter Tatara, New York Comic Con’s Director of Anime Programming, said. “A harbinger of the future of animation, Afro Samurai’s a breath-taking work of art, and New York Comic Con is ecstatic to welcome the artists and producers responsible for its creation.”
The animated action-adventure epic that is set in a futuristic yet feudal Japan stars Academy Award ®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson as a black samurai on a mission to avenge the death of his father. Jackson also serves as a series Executive Producer.
Afro Samurai is a creative collaboration between Samuel L. Jackson, Takashi Okazaki, and Japanese animation company GONZO, a division of GDH, who is also acting as Series Producer. The concept of Afro Samurai was created by graphic designer, illustrator, and artist Takashi Okazaki.