“I kill giants” is the new project Ken has been developping since the last two years with american writer Joe Kelly. Conceived as a graphic novel, its publication in the US in 7 comicbooks is scheduled for San Diego Comic Con in July 2008 through Image Comics. Clicking on the image you’ll have the two-pages presentation shown in the “Previews” catalogue.

The exhibition “Images from a floating world” will be in the Château de la Chesnaie cultural centre in Beauchamp (4, avenue Jules Michelet, Beauchamp-Paris) from 10th May to the 28th June. Simultaneously, Ken will participate in the Manga Champ event (17th and 18th May) also in Beauchamp, with an exhibition, a pannel discussion among others.

Dolmen Editorial through its Siurell collection has published a second compilation of short stories set in the world of “The elven kings”, created by Víctor Santos. Ken has collaborated in this book with an illustration which you can see in its color versión here.

The new issue of this fanzine from Madrid incluyes the short story “6+6” in its black and white version.

The complete “Images of a floating world” series as well as other illustrations will be shown in the FIAP Jean Monnet Culture Centre in Pais (30, rue Cabanis). The event named “Japon d’Avril”, featuring diverse activities about Japan, will be opening on Wednesday 9th April and can be visited until the end of the month. Other exhibitions feature origami sculptures by Eric Joisel and photographies by Yanek.

Iván Ferreiro releases a new record on March 25th. Astiberri Ediciones has coordinated the artists adapting into comic each of the songs, among which David Rubín, Jali, Sandra Uve, Sagar Fornies, Fidel Martínez, Sergio Córdoba, Alberto Vázquez, Pepo Pérez, Javier de Isusi, Paco Roca and Raquel Alzate, who has also drawn the cover art. Ken has transformed the song “Suerte” (Luck) into “La mala suerte” (Bad luck).

The University of Salamanca’s Centro Cultural Hispano-Japonés organises the special course “Manga: a creative process” which will take place from the 4th to the 7th of March 2008 in the Art Faculty. Aimed preferrably at university students, it’ll count as 2 university credits for its 20 hours. Contact: 923 294560 or nipocent@usal.es.

The reputed Japanese Culture Centre in Paris (MCJP) opens their manga course having Ken as a teacher. A trimestral course will be the first contact with the médium, showing the basic points to make an illustration. The course will start on January 19th, being the inscriptions done at the centre itself.

The short story “La juste”, written by Jonathan Mildern has won the second prize in the Raymond Leblanc International Comic Contest. The prize was given in a ceremony in Brussels on the 7th of November, where it was also known that it will be published in the newspaper “Le soir” between the 13th and the 16th of November, as well as on the publication that Le Lombard will be soon releasing.

The so-called “global manga” will be a subject of debate on Sunday 25th at 13:30, in the manga tent if the Getxo Comic Convention. Ken will also be in charge of an open manga workshop the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday from 18 to 20h.

And so as to celebrate it, you’ll be able to download a PDF version of the “Historietas” compilation album (only in spanish) through the monographics section. Disgracefully, the publisher trough which it was published in 2005 has closed, so not assuring its selling in specialiced stores, we’ve thought that making it free for everybody through the net could be a nice way of celebrating the website’s second anniversary. By the way, keep in tune, big changes are on the way!

Ken has been selected to participate in Lingua Comica, an Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Project with the collaboration of the London Comica Festival. Focused on Asia and Europe exchanges, the aim is making a graphic novel project by pairs. Ken is collaborating with Korean artist Choi Juhyun, in an english-language correspondence which is being updated daily and that can be seen by clicking on the image.

The 6th, 7th and 8th of July the new Japan Expo will take place at the Parc d’Expositions of Paris-Nord Villepinte in Paris, the biggest french event dedicated to japanese animation, comics and culture. Glénat France, publishers of the french version of “Japanese in Mangaland” have organised a signing session in their booth with Marc Bernabé and Ken, Saturday and Sunday from 15 to 17h.

Asia Europe Meditations is an art fair exploring the relations between east-west relations that will be held in Poznan (Poland). The Co-Mix exhibition has invited artists from all over the world concerned by these subjects. Ken contributes with a big-sized print of the short story “Como la pólvora”, seen in the book “Historietas” and in the “Marzo” magazine. The opening will be on Sunday 1st of July at 17:30 in Poznan’s CK Zamek Cultural Center.

The opening of this eclectic exhibition on Japan and its imagery will take place on Thursday 21st of June at 18h., where some images of the “Images of a floating world” series by Ken will be presented. The exhibition is situated in Dominique Davy’s Studio at 3, Avenue du Marechal Leclerc (Malakoff, Paris) until June 30th from 15 to 19h.

The 15th animation convention of Paris, which will host several events from the 18th to the 20th of May at the École Epita (14-16 rue Voltaire, Porte d’Italie), will be the setting for a panel discussion along with japanese character designer Yoshitoshi Abe (“Serial Experiments Lain”). More information on the link in the image.

As a part of the events of the new Barcelona Comic Convention, Ken will be making a signing session at Recerca Editorial and Dolmen Editorial’s booth (that have published his books “Historietas” and “Qu4ttrocento” respectively) on Friday 20th from 17 to 18 o’clock and on Sunday 22nd from 12 o’clock. All of his works will be signed.

The NiimuraWeb staff wishes you a happy 2007. And not only in one language, but in four of them! Click on the image to see the spanish, japanese, french and english version of this greeting card Ken has done, and choose the one you like the most. And don’t forget to have a nice 2007!

The book “Los niños vienen sin manual de instrucciones” has been a complete success during this past Christmas’ campaign, almost selling out its fourth edition. The “Japanese in Mangaland” book has been released for its sixth time, while the german and french editions of its second workbook are on its way, all of them books for which Ken has done illustrations. On the gallery you’ll have some unpublished images for the foreign releases.

The “El correo” newspaper publishes as every year a special issue of its “Viernes de evasión” magazine for the Getxo Comic Convention. Ken has written an exhaustive article on the panorama of manga in Spain, entitled “Half a glass of sake”, as well as a step-by-step explanation on how to make an illustration.

The Getxo Comic Convention will take place at the Estación de Las Arenas Square from December the 1st to the 3rd. Having guests like Víctor Mora or Juan Giménez among many others, it’s been programmed for the 3rd at 11:15 a conference entitled “Understanding eastern comic” which will be followed by a free workshop.

The eclectic japanese magazine “Spore” has on sale in Japan a new issue with “love” as its main theme, which includes the japanese versión of “Se alza el telón” (previously published in the 13th issue of “Tos” fanzine), now renamed as “Makuaki” and which has been inversed in its reading sense for the ocassion.

The new “Mundos de papel” magazine’s issue is already on sale, which being an issue devoted to Ken, has an in-depth enterview, a portfolio of illustrations and the unpublished short-story “En la casa de muñecas”, selected at this year’s Madrid Youth Creators’ Contest.

From the 30th of November until the 3rd of December, the Casa de Campo’s Convention Center will host a new edition of Expocómic. Ken has been nominated in the Best Nacional Artist cathegory for his work in the “Qu4ttrocento” comic-book. For voting, please access to the organiser’s website.

This next Thursday 26th of October at 20 pm there will be the presentation event at the Espacio Sins Entido (Válgame Dios st., 6, Madrid) for “Diez Dedos”, a collective album of short noir stories published by Dibbuks Ediciones. The general graphic design concept and illustrations were drawn by Ken.

From the 25th of October Montserrat Jiménez’s book “Los niños vienen sin manual de instrucciones” will be on sale, published by Aguilar and Cuatro. Apart from the cover illustration, Ken drew other illustrations featuring the same characters as in the cover, used for the TV ad campaign.

Ken will be part of the Jury in the animation category in the upcoming Catalonia-Sitges International Cinema Festival, along with comic artist Juan Giménez and animator Sandra Salvador. The new films by Mamoru Oshii, Christiane Cegavske or Mamoru Hosoda will be presented in this Festival.

The new edition of Animadrid will take place from the 29th of September to the 6th of October, with its usual feature-film and short-film competition among many other activities. Ken has collaborated with the guests department, contributing to the attendance of director Satoshi Kon (“Millenium Actress”).

Ken has been invited to the XI Avilés Comic Convention. He will participate in the presentation for the comic “Qu4ttrocento” on the 9th of Sepiember at 19h in the big tent. Alan Davies, Arthur Suydam, David B. or Luis García will be some other artists joining the event, that will take place from the 4th to the 11th of September.

This cultural macro-event in Gijón will offer a panorama on the most innovative voices in music, literature and arts, from the 7th to the 16th of July. On Thursday the 13th at 19h. there will be a presentation of the already famous Pepsi Book, this year dedicated to the Gernica painting, in which Ken has collaborated with a comic written by the portuguese artist José Carlos Fernandes.

For the fourth year in a row, Ken’s work has been selected in Madrid Youth Creators’ Contest. This time the awarded work was the short story “En la casa de muñecas”, which came up as a finalist along with Alfonso Salazar and Christian Suárez’s work among others. Raúl Allén was awarded with 3000€ in this edition.

The new issue of the “Qu4ttrocento” magazine will be on sale right on time in June for the Barcelona Comic Convention, among the other new books of Dolmen Editorial’s Siurell Collection. In this case it’s adopted the form of a false magazine, compilating chapters of fantasy, sci´fi, mafia and western comics, along with some other extra features.

A selection of illustration and comic works that Ken has been doing over the past years will be shown in the AMC Gallery’s stand during the upcoming edition of Arcale (Castilla y León’s Contemporary Art Fair), that will take place from the 25th to the 29th of May in Valladolid’s Feria de Muestras.

Castellón celebrates their Comic Convention in the Jaime I University’s Tecnology and Experimental Sciences’s faculty between the 4th and 6th of May. On Thursday the 4th at 12:30 there will be a panel discussion on manga, with David Ramírez, María Ferrer, Carla Berrocal and Ken Niimura, followed by another pannel discussion entitled “Cultural Crossover” at 17h.