animate!, the commissioning project established by Arts Council England and Channel 4 that supports risk-taking and experimental animation works for television, is the focus of the ANIMATE! BOOK, published in December 2006 by LUX in collaboration with Arts Council England. Since 1990, animate! has commissioned 84 diverse films including works from David Shrigley (WHO I AM AND WHAT I WANT), Run Wrake (RABBIT) and AL + AL (PERPETUAL MOTION IN THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, INTERSTELLA STELLA), amongst others. The ANIMATE!

Nicolas Cage and his 15 year-old son, Weston Cage, are teaming on two comicbook thrillers -- ENIGMA and THE SADHU.

Infinity Studios Llc. has shipped graphic novels, UNBALANCE UNBALANCE Vol. 1 as well as CHUN RHANG YHUR JHUN (CRYJ) Vol. 2.

UNBALANCE UNBALANCE Volume 1 is a 200-page Korean color graphic novel with artwork by Soo-Hyon Lee and story by Dall-Young Lim. The title begins as a young man finds and returns a lost wallet and cell phone to a beautiful young lady, beginning the destined relationship between two strangers. The young lady turns out to be the young man’s future homeroom teacher, who has a twisted sense of right and wrong.

Veteran animator and former Animation Guild president Tom Sito has written his first book, DRAWING THE LINE, THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ANIMATION UNIONS FROM BOSKO TO BART SIMPSON, published by the University Press of Kentucky, list price $32.

Russian animator Andrei Doubrovski has released an animated e-book, MEET THE FLASH.

Composed as a course for Flash newcomers, every lesson features a movie clip, showing some practical usage of the text.

The course is published as a "flash-book, " he says. It is a Flash movie that can be played on Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

The 34 embedded clips can be played as a single full-length and full-size movie (total running time about three hours). The elaborated controls allow you to instantly find any fragment — by time or by topic.

Titan Books will publish THE 4400: THE OFFICIAL COMPANIO, SEASONS 1 AND 2, the first of a series of behind-the-scenes books about USA Network's sci-fi series THE 4400.

The first companion is set to coincide with the premiere of the fourth season on USA and the release of the season-three DVD set in summer 2007.

The tome will include behind-the-scenes interviews, factual nuggets, quotes, trivia, extensive episode guides, exclusive photos and a 16-page full-color supplement. It will sell for $14.95.

Research and Markets has published the Asian Animation Industry: Strategies, Trends and Opportunities 2006 (www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c42556) report.

In his first book, DESIGN FIRST FOR 3D ARTISTS, Geoffrey Kater taught emerging production designers and animators how to create and nurture their own personal design style. Now, in his second book in the series, DESIGN FIRST FOR 3D SKETCHBOOK, Kater provides hundreds of full-on designs and thumbnail sketches that serve to inspire designers, 3D artists and filmmakers alike. DESIGN FIRST FOR 3D SKETCHBOOK can be ordered through the Design First site, www.designfirstfor3D.com or at www.lulu.com.

Southbank Publishing has released a richly illustrated book — a part-history, part-tribute, part-critical analysis of the Halas and Batchelor Cartoon Studio, Britain’s leading and most influential animation company between 1940-1995. It draws on the archives of the Halas & Batchelor Collection and looks at the key works of the studio, including ANIMAL FARM, Britain’s first full length animated feature; THE TALES OF HOFFNUNG, with the legendary Peter Sellers; AUTOBAHN, featuring the music of Kraftwerk; and BUTTERFLY BALL, with the work of Beatles illustrator, Alan Aldridge.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of STAR TREK, TOKYOPOP and CBS Consumer Products have joined forces to produce STAR TREK: THE MANGA, based on the original STAR TREK TV series. Like the television classic, these new journeys venture into the terrain of social politics, personal reflection and bare-knuckled brawls between Captain Kirk and the galaxy's most cunning alien species.

All computer how-to books in the In Pictures series are being provided free to the public, as downloadable files.

Anyone who visits In Pictures' website at www.inpics.net/ can download any and all of its 22 different books for free, in Adobe PDF format. In the month since the site was launched, more than 20,000 people have visited it to download free books.

In July, AVA Publishing (UK) Ltd. will release Paul Wells’ new book, THE FUNDAMENTALS OF ANIMATION. The book will sell for $29.95.

Authors Angie Jones and Jamie Oliff offer up a new book, THINKING ANIMATION: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN 2D AND CG, which, as its title suggests, is designed to help traditional artists embrace new technology needed to stay employed. THINKING ANIMATION (www.thinkinganimation.com) is a one-of-a-kind book that emphasizes how artists can use traditional animation techniques and principles with today's computer-generated animation technology. Released June 27, 2006, the 300-page book is available from Thomson Course Technology (www.courseptr.com) for a retail price of $39.99.

TOKYOPOP and the Los Angeles Public Library announce the all-new "Manga Madness Summer Reading Club," a first-of-its-kind collaboration designed to encourage teens to read. Teens, ages 11 to 18, who join the "Manga Madness Summer Reading Club" at their local branch library will receive a free folder, book bag, reading log and bookmarks. Every branch will have special scheduled teen programs as part of the reading club. Also, each reading club participant will receive a certificate at the end of the summer reading program.

For the first time, award-winning filmmaker David B. Levy has collected the insights of more than 100 professionals from the top of the animation industry into a new book titled, YOUR CAREER IN ANIMATION: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE, which tackles the most crucial issues that animation artists face today.

University Press of Mississippi will release the new book, MOUSE TRACKS: THE STORY OF WALT DISNEY RECORDS, written by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar with a foreword from Leonard Maltin.

Stan Winston is collaborating on the first-ever book to reveal all the behind-the-scenes secrets of his groundbreaking and hugely influential artistry and effects work.

Titan Books of London will work closely with Stan Winston and the artists of the Stan Winston Studio on the new book, tentatively titled THE WINSTON EFFECT: THE ART AND HISTORY OF STAN WINSTON STUDIO, written by CINEFEX editor Jody Duncan.

From author Brian L. Smith and publisher 'friends of ED', comes the first 3ds Max book ever written strictly for architectural visualization, titled, FOUNDATION 3DS MAX 8 ARCHITECTURAL VISUALIZATION.

Topics covered include:
* How to model an architectural scene and create stunning materials that breathe life into your projects
* How to use real-world photometric lights and global illumination to achieve photorealism
* Efficient project workflow and scene assembly

Ballistic Publishing announced EXPOSÉ 4, featuring 317 artworks from 241 artists in 49 countries, selected from more than 5,000 submissions. EXPOSÉ 4 is now available to pre-order from Ballistic Publishing and begins shipping in June.

On April 26, 2006, ZOOM SUIT #1 hits comic shops featuring an overt cover contest and a gaggle of covert “Easter Eggs” revealing phone numbers and websites that take readers out of the comic and into the middle of an Internet conspiracy. The comic is based on short film that has appeared in more than 60 film festivals since the world premiere at the Palm Beach International Film Festival on April 18, 2005 where it won “Best Animation.”