Contraband (www.contrabandcomic.com) a new graphic novel by Canadian
writer Thomas Behe and UK illustrator Phil Elliott arriving in
bookstores February 6th is available for pre-order at Amazon.

A near-future tale revealing an all-too-possibly-real world of
underground video, violence and crime on cell phone networks,
Contraband follows a young man's journey into a new "voyeur
underground", where profit-hungry youths prowl streets secretly
filming radical events with mobile devices to satisfy society's demand
for sensational on-the-go content.

Last year, fiction became reality when UK co-creator Phil Elliott was
approached on the street by a teenage girl asking for money. When
Elliott refused, the situation became something much different from
anything he'd experienced.

"A younger kid -- he must have only been about 10 -- started swearing
at me, demanding I give him money," he recalled. "I was then aware
that there was another girl filming all this on her mobile phone. What
was going on here? Were they trying to provoke me? What happened to
the video?"

The incident took on a greater significance when writer Thomas Behe
contacted him to draw a story he'd written. Behe was inspired to write
Contraband after he had noticed people's concerns relating to cell
phones had shifted from physical dangers (ie..radiation, tumours) to
cultural in nature.

"These new issues were social-related," he said. "Mobile ad spamming.
Kids receiving intimidating texts from aggressive class bullies. A
mate of mine was even propositioned to subscribe to some sort of
spy-cam exhibitionist mobi-blog. I had no idea why these folks were
secretly filming everyone, but there was a ton of stuff on there."

In the near-future society of Contraband, Toby, a self-styled "citizen
journalist," is documenting this underground when he is discovered by
agents for a cell-phone channel called Contraband. Forced to work for
them, Toby is assigned the task of finding a female activist set on
sabotaging Contraband and must navigate a difficult path where he must
choose between his own safety and the greater good.

Contraband is a 144 page graphic novel written by Thomas Behe and
illustrated by Phil Elliott. Published by SLG Publishing and due for
release in February 2008, Contraband (Isbn #978-1593621018) is
available from www.amazon.com.

About TJ Behe: Canadian writer TJ Behe has twelve years experience
developing wireless content for global entertainment companies
including BBC, Playboy, MTV and T-Mobile. For more information go to
www.contrabandcomic.com.

About Phil Elliott: UK Artist Phil Elliott's graphic novels include
Illegal Alien (Dark Horse) and Tupelo (Slave Labor) and he has over 20
years experience working with publishers including Marvel, DC, Image
and Fantagraphics. For more informaton go to www.elliott-design.com

About SLG Publishing: San Jose-based Slave Labor Graphics (SLG)
Publishing was founded by Dan Vado in 1986. Over its twenty-year
history, SLG has remained true to its roots as a publisher of great
diversity. Along with publishing top-rated products from global brands
such as Disney, SLG excels in discovering and fostering new talented
individuals in the comics industry including Gene Yang, Jhonen
Vasquez, Evan Dorkin and Roman Dirge. For more information, go to
www.slavelabor.com.