PRESS RELEASE - IMAGE COMICS' LIBERTY COMICS RAISES NEARLY $27,000 FOR THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND!LIBERTY COMICS anthology raises nearly $27,000 for The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!

12 November, 2008 (Berkeley, CA) - This past summer, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Corporate Member Image Comics teamed up with an all-star roster of talent for LIBERTY COMICS, a special anthology benefiting the Fund, and raised nearly $27,000 for the organization's important work!

"The CBLDF couldn't defend our field's First Amendment rights if it weren't for the efforts of our supporters, and LIBERTY COMICS is an incredible example of that principle in action," CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein said. "The Fund is a team effort that only exists because of the efforts of the whole industry -- from publishers and creators to retailers and fans. With this project, members of each of those communities stepped up to speak up with one voice in support of the Fund's work., and we're tremendously grateful for their efforts. "

The now sold-out anthology, conceived by editor Scott Dunbier, included a star-studded line-up of contributors and characters from across the industry including: HELLBOY by Mike Mignola, DANGER GIRL by J. Scott Campbell, THE BOYS by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson, CRIMINAL by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips, and original shorts by Mark Millar, Darwyn Cooke, John Paul Leon, Art Adams, Rick Veitch, Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier. All creators donated their work, with Image and Diamond Comic Distributors donating all of their proceeds from the sold out anthology to raise a grand total of $26,967.56.

The donation is part of Image Comics' continual support for the CBLDF in addition to their regular donations as a Corporate Member, the San Diego Comic Con fundraiser they co-host every year and the many efforts the publisher puts out to protect the freedoms of retailer and creator alike. This December readers will have a second chance to support the Fund as a second printing, featuring an all-new Thor cover by acclaimed series artist Walter Simonson, will hit stands.

Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson added, "We couldn't be more proud to support the CBLDF and their never-ending battle to defend our medium's first amendment rights. Considering Image's place in the industry as a bastion of independent, creator-owned comics, we feel they're one of the most important institutions in the industry and look to support them at every chance we get."

LIBERTY COMICS #1 2nd. ptg (OCT082259), a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be available in stores December 3rd, 2008.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently five partners in Image Comics (Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.