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Shoto Press recognized by NinthArt Lighthouse Awards for Garlands of Moonlight
Journal of the comics medium honors author's first book with Best Debut nomination

NEW YORK, January 12, 2003 -- Shoto Press, a small press imprint specializing in speculative fiction and graphic novels, announced today that its first title, the Xeric award-winning Garlands of Moonlight, earned a place in NinthArt's 2002 Lighthouse Awards' Roll of Honour for the category of Best Debut.

"Jai Sen and Rizky Wasisto Edi's Garlands of Moonlight is one of those books that surprises everyone," commented NinthArt's Lighthouse Awards judges. "Funded by a Xeric Grant, Sen's story of Indonesian myths and Dutch colonialism is unforgettably creepy. Add in Edi's attractive art and a slick-looking final product, with its smaller dimensions and use of silver inks, and it's nothing short of irresistible. This graphic novel will do your bookshelf proud." NinthArt (URL: www.ninthart.com) is a well-respected journal of the comics medium based in the U.K. and its Lighthouse Awards, presented at the end of the year, recognize both independent and mainstream comics creators.

"Garlands of Moonlight receiving the Lighthouse Award nomination for Best Debut makes me very proud," remarked author Jai Sen. "NinthArt represents one of the well-articulated, critical and analytical voices in the world of comics, so we're thrilled to have earned their respect and made it to the Lighthouse Awards' Roll of Honour."

Garlands of Moonlight won a coveted Xeric Foundation Award just before publication in 2002 and received a number of favorable reviews from prominent critics, including Johanna Draper Carlson of Comics Worth Reading, multiple reviewers from Sequential Tart, and Greg McElhatton of iComics Reviews. Garlands is the first book in The Malay Mysteries series. The second installment, The Ghost of Silver Cliff, was released recently in December 2002.

All Shoto Press books are available through Baker & Taylor and include Publisher's Cataloging-in-Publication (P-CIP) data provided by Quality Books, Inc. to integrate graphic novels into library collections and bookstores.

Garlands of Moonlight and The Ghost of Silver Cliff can be ordered, like all Shoto Press books, through the Shoto Press web site (URL: www.shotopress.com), Diamond Previews, local bookstores, and at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble Online.

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