Radical wins Diamond’s Gem Award for Best New Publisher



February 3rd, 2009 – Radical Publishing is proud to announce that they have been awarded New Comic Book Publisher of the Year for 2008 by Diamond Comics Distribution, the major comic book distributor in North America. Voted on by the comic book store retailers, based on overall impact on the industry, sales performance, quality and creativity, the Gem Awards represent Diamond's annual recognition of outstanding suppliers in the comic book specialty market.



“To say that I am extremely proud of this award is an understatement,” said Radical’s President and Publisher Barry Levine. “It validates all the hard work and long hours that everyone involved with the company has put in for both launching and running Radical.”



The 19th annual awards recognized Radical for its publications of Hercules: The Thracian Wars and Caliber: First Canon of Justice, the company’s two flagship titles that debuted in May to sellout performances; along with the follow-up titles Freedom Formula: Ghost of the Wasteland and City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story, both of which garnered rave reviews, and the deluxe hardcover publication Mateki: The Magic Flute, from international storytelling sensation Yoshitaka Amano.



Both Hercules: The Thracian Wars and Caliber: First Canon of Justice have already been collected into hardcover omnibus editions; a City of Dust: A Philip Khrome Story collected edition, from celebrated horror writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), has already been scheduled, as has a sequel to the hit Hercules series, once again from veteran scribe Steve Moore and art contributions by comics legend Jim Steranko. All of Radical’s titles have featured painted artwork on deluxe, glossy paper, with some of the highest production values in the industry. Many of Radical’s titles have already garnered the interest of Hollywood, with noted directors and producers such as John Woo, Peter Berg, and Bryan Singer attached.



“I started Radical Publishing with the commitment to releasing only the best books in terms of both story and illustration,” Levine said. “Given that we were only in business for eight months for 2008 with just five titles, we definitely achieved that, and will continue to do so for this year and beyond. I want to thank all the retailers not only for their votes, but also for their overall support for this relatively new company. I would also like to thank the press for their write-ups for all of our books and to the comic fans who purchase and read them.”



Current series from Radical include Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising, a space opera that has received uniformly stellar reviews in both the industry and mainstream press, as well as Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead, from fan-favorite creators Steve Pugh and Warren Ellis, which the Philadelphia Daily News just hailed as “lightning in a bottle” and received its “highest possible recommendation.”



Upcoming titles include Aladdin: Legacy of the Lost, a dark and epic retelling of the famous fable with art by Radical’s exclusive artist Patrick Reilly and story by Ian Edginton; FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency, being written by David Hine; and The Last Days of American Crime created and written by Rick Remender.





About Radical Publishing



Radical Publishing is founded by BARRY LEVINE (Producer for HERCULES, CALIBER, FREEDOM FORMULA and Executive Producer for the in-development REX MUNDI movie from Warner Bros., written by JIM UHLS and starring JOHNNY DEPP); his protege JESSE BERGER (Executive Producer for HERCULES, CALIBER and FREEDOM FORMULA); and longtime writer/publisher DAVID ELLIOTT (Atomeka Press and Tundra Publishing).



Radical Publishing brings the best writing, storytelling and fully painted cover and interior art to the global comic book market, from prominent international talents such as YOSHITAKA AMANO, JOHN BOLTON, LUIS ROYO, JIM STERANKO, STEVE PUGH, WARREN ELLIS, ARTHUR SUYDAM, STEVE NILES, MARKO DJURDJEVIC, IAN EDGINTON, DAVID HINE, RICK REMENDER, JOSEPH KOSINSKI, NICK PERCIVAL, STEVE MOORE, SAM SARKAR, STJEPAN SEJIC, DAVE WILKINS, TOMM COKER, CLAYTON CRAIN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, NICK SAGAN, CLINT LANGLEY, NICK SIMMONS, PATRICK REILLY, WETA WORKSHOP, ZOMBIE STUDIOS and many more.



Radical Publishing currently has production deals with Universal Studios, Spyglass Entertainment, PETER BERG's Film 44 and Radical Pictures for HERCULES; JOHN WOO's Lion Rock Productions, JOHNNY DEPP's Infinitum Nihil and Radical Pictures for CALIBER; and BRYAN SINGER's Bad Hat Harry Productions and Radical Pictures for FREEDOM FORMULA.