IDW RELEASES A GRITTY TRIBUTE TO RETRO B-MOVIES—

STEPHEN ROMANO’S SHOCK FESTIVAL





(San Diego, October 6, 2008) IDW Publishing presents an illustrated history of the strangest, most outrageous B-movies you've never seen! An elaborate work of illustrated fiction, Shock Festival – which hits stores October 25 - is a raunchy, hilarious tall tale of imaginary exploitation films, lavishly brought to life with hundreds of never-before-seen original movie posters and memorabilia items.



It's the retro-dazzle of Grindhouse meets the authentic "mockumentary" appeal of Spinal Tap!


Acclaimed screenwriter/author Stephen Romano (The Riot Act, Masters of Horror) joins forces with legendary comic artist/film designer Tim Bradstreet (Hellblazer) and film actor/director Thomas Jane (The Mist, The Punisher) to take you behind the scenes of 101 of the strangest, lowest-common-denominator, most outrageous B movies you’ve never seen.



Shock Festival depicts an alternate universe of B-movie actors, producers, and directors, all struggling for the brass ring as they churn out the most shocking exploitation films ever made, packed with sex, gore, cheap monsters, and psycho killers!



Two years in the making, Shock Festival is illustrated with over 600 movie posters, photos, lobby cards and more - all created by Romano, Bradstreet and a talented team of award-winning artists, including Emmy-nominated animation director David Hartman (Starship Troopers: Roughnecks, Spiderman) and Michael Broom (The Mist, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem).



“Shock Festival is a blend of the most bizarre, obscure, monster movies, blaxploitation films, slasher flicks, and perverted sci-fi celluloid masterpieces no one has ever seen,” says co-publisher/artist Tim Bradstreet. “From the super sexy Starfire Beyond the Galaxy, to the nauseating Universe of Bloody Zombies, Shock Festival makes you grin with delight at the idea of a parallel universe of trashy films that should have existed.”



According to creator Stephen Romano, “We wanted to do a book that was a complete fabrication, but remain completely true to the spirit of these films we love. Basically what you are looking at is a sort of ‘historical novel’ that uses the period and the art styles of movie posters of the ‘70s and ‘80s to tell a compelling story. It’s an epic tale disguised as a garish, over-the-top work of ‘psychotronic’ film journalism,” he explains.



Romano combined his own experience of working in Hollywood with a longstanding passion for the world of B-movies to create the story. “There’s a rogues’ gallery of whacky characters populating this story, which begins in 1970 and ends in 1987,” Romano explains. “I'm also a character in the book—a nerdy journalist who tracks down his heroes and eventually gets to make his own movie at the end.”



The book will be released on October 25 in a deluxe, oversized 9” x 12” hardcover edition. Recommended for mature readers only.



HC • FC • 356 pages • 9" x 12" • $39.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60010-322-3



Shock Festival is co-branded by IDW Publishing and Raw Entertainment.



Raw Entertainment is the brainchild of artist Tim Bradstreet, who serves as art director/designer and illustrator on the project, and Hollywood actor/director Thomas Jane, who appears in the book as the wild and crazy B-movie tough guy Elliot Swann.



About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry including: television's #1 prime time series CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; Hasbro's The Transformers, and the BBC's Doctor Who. IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released Michael Recycle, the first title from its new children’s book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com.





PRAISE FOR STEPHEN ROMANO AND SHOCK FESTIVAL:



“SHOCK FESTIVAL is one of the greatest homages to B-cinema ever undertaken!”

--FANGORIA



“SHOCK FESTIVAL is stunning! A milestone achievement!”

--DREAD CENTRAL



“(STEPHEN ROMANO) brings a fresh, unique voice that is firmly grounded in the genre’s history, yet daring and different than anything that’s come before.”

--BRIAN KEENE

New York Times Best-Selling Author of GHOUL and CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD



“’Stephen Romano writes likes on fire, and not just with some fancy notion like ‘the muse” or “the lord.” No, he writes like someone just SET HIM ON FIRE!”

--JOHN SKIPP

New York Times Best-selling author of THE SCREAM and THE LONG LAST CALL



“His voice is polished, clean, powerful . . . this is a guy with a vision, a dark and mesmerizing worldview . . . brutal, full on street cred, sharp, insightful, human, authentic, but smooth and altogether pure.”

--TOM PICCIRILLI

Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of HELLBOY: EMERALD HELL



“God bless you, Stephen Romano. For you have recognized what we all should know: the whole of the human race has sinned.”

--JOE R. LANSDALE

New York Times Best-Selling Author of THE TWO BEAR MAMBO