February will see the release of two new manga from Fanboy, both series near or at the beginning of their publication run, making now as good a time as any to jump in and preorder.

The first new manga scheduled from Fanboy for February is the first issue of Tomoko Taniguchi's Spellbound, the covers from which can be seen above. Other Taniguchi works familiar to North American fans include Call Me Princess and Aquarium, both translated by CPM Manga, but this new series is unique in that it was created with a North American publication in mind first and foremost, not simply translated at a later date. While Spellbound was originally scheduled for an August 2000 release, it has since been delayed till February, but all other details remain the same. The issue will feature 32 pages of black and white art, with a full color cover, and will retail for $2.95. For further details on this magical girl series, including a brief plot synopsis, take a peek at the full press release here.

One of the more interesting aspects of Spellbound's release is the 50/50 ratio between the original cover by Tomoko Taniguchi and an alternate cover by Chiho Saito of Revolutionary Girl Utena fame. Saito's art is simply beautiful and will complement Taniguchi's work very nicely. Also of interest to Saito and Utena fans is the recent news of Viz's acquisition of the manga rights to the series. The March issue (Volume 4, Issue 4) of Animerica Extra will feature the debut of Utena, is scheduled to ship March 7th, 2001, and will retail for $4.95, so if you haven't already subscribed, do so now and revolutionize the world!

The second new manga on tap for February from Fanboy is the second issue of Möbius Klein, Kia Asamiya's prequel to the highly popular Silent Möbius. Being the precursor to the events taking place in its sequel, fans of Silent Möbius will undoubtedly find much to enjoy in this series, as will those new to the Silent Möbius universe. This issue will span 32 pages of black and white art, complete with a full color cover as seen above, and will retail for $2.95 this coming February. For more information on the series and its story, take another look at the full press release here.

Wrapping up the day's news is a joint contest from Urban Vision and AnimeNation. Five chances to win a free Wicked City DVD will be offered to those willing to sign up to Anime Nation's mailing list. To enter and read the full contest rules, head over to the contest page. Interested in seeing what you'll be trying to win? Take a peek at the first of two pages of our Wicked City screen shot galleries here. The contest ends December 22nd, so be sure to get those entries in before then!