ANGEL RETURNS TO DARK HORSE COMICS

Joss Whedon’s vampire detective to continue his adventures in new title running alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine


August 19, 2010, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is thrilled to announce that Joss Whedon’s Angel will return to the Dark Horse stable in 2011. Dark Horse’s Angel will bring the beloved characters from Whedon’s longest-running shows under one roof, allowing for new and exciting explorations of the Buffyverse featuring favorites from the casts of both series.

“I’ve always regretted letting Angel go in the first place,” Dark Horse senior managing editor Scott Allie said. “So we’re really excited about getting him back, as well as all his supporting cast. It’s necessary for how Joss wants to handle season nine, details of which will start spilling out in the months to come. Right now, we’ve got to wrap up season eight, and IDW still has a good long run of books before season nine starts.”

IDW Publishing confirmed today that it will launch the company’s final Angel story arc in November. This closing six-issue arc will serve as a bridge to Dark Horse Comics, which will pick up the series in late 2011. Under the direction of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel creator Joss Whedon, all parties are working together for as seamless a transition as possible. The companies have been coordinating story lines in both Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight and IDW’s Angel, creating a greater sense of cohesion and cooperation to ensure that this transition is true to both ongoing story lines and to the faithful fans of both series.



About Dark Horse Comics



Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.


About IDW Publishing


IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; the BBC’s Doctor Who; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics and ComicMix.

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. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

BATMAN BEYOND:

THE COMPLETE SERIES



LIMITED EDITION COMPILATION SET! INCLUDES ALL 52 ACTION-PACKED EPISODES

plus THREE NEW BONUS FEATURETTES



WARNER HOME VIDEO TO DISTRIBUTE DVD Set NOV. 23





BURBANK, CA (August 19, 2010) – Warner Bros. Animation’s breakthrough series Batman Beyond comes to DVD for the first time in its entirety. Featuring DC Comics’ iconic hero, Batman, Batman Beyond: The Complete Series presents nearly 20 hours of animated action spread over 52 episodes, as well as all-new bonus featurettes and a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet. Batman Beyond: The Complete Series will be distributed by Warner Home Video on November 23, 2010 as a nine-disc limited edition DVD set for $99.98 (SRP).



Batman Beyond: The Complete Series centers on Terry McGinnis, an ordinary teenager ... until his father is mysteriously murdered. Suspecting foul play at his father's company, Wayne/Powers Corporation, Terry meets Bruce Wayne and learns of a secret identity hidden for decades. Now too old to don the cape and cowl as Batman, Wayne refuses to help – so Terry does what any brash young kid would do: steal the Bat-suit and take matters into his own hands! Vowing to avenge his father's death, Terry dons the high-tech suit tricked out with jetpacks, a supersensitive microphone and even camouflage capabilities in search of his father's assassin. It’s 52 action-packed episodes following the adventures of the partnership between an ex-crimefighter and his apprentice, starring Will Friedle (Boy Meets World) as Terry McGinnis and, reprising his seminal role, Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) as Bruce Wayne.



Casting throughout the series’ 52 episodes featured award winners from feature films, primetime television and the Broadway stage – from Paul Winfield, Stockard Channing and Seth Green to

William H. Macy, Wayne Brady and Teri Garr – not to mention George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons), Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), George Takei (Star Trek) and Henry Rollins (the front man for the rock band, Black Flag).



An all-star production team was headed by executive producer Jean MacCurdy and producers Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Glen Murakami and Paul Dini. Writers on the series included Burnett and Dini, as well as Stan Berkowitz, Bob Goodman, Rich Fogel, Hilary Bader and John McCann.



Included in the beautifully custom designed package is a 24-page, 8”x 12” collectible booklet with the inside perspective and artwork from the vaults especially compiled by DC Comics for this release.



Three new bonus features created specifically for the Batman Beyond: The Complete Series are:



TOMORROW KNIGHT: THE BATMAN REBORN

The "Batman Beyond" creative team gives you a peek into the character of Terry McGinnis, and what made him worthy to become the new Caped Crusader.



GOTHAM: CITY OF THE FUTURE

A look at Gotham City, circa 2039, and how the team built a realistic vision of the near future while remaining true to the city they created in Batman: The Animated Series.



THE HIGH TECH HERO

Explore the technology behind the Bat-suit, its amazing powers and the real world science that inspired it.



The collection will also contain the DC 75th anniversary documentary, Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics.



“Batman Beyond was a landmark series as it created altogether new directions for the iconic character, and added dimensions for fans both old and new to the Batman mythology,” said Amit Desai, WHV Vice President of Family, Animation & Sports Marketing. “Warner Home Video is proud to release this important series in an all-encompassing box set, just in time to make a perfect holiday gift for the ultimate fan.”

About Warner Home Video:

With operations in 90 international territories Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About DC Entertainment:

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.



DC SUPER HEROES and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.

(s10)



About Warner Bros. Animation:

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) has been producing award-winning original animation since 1930, when it released its first cartoon, “Sinkin' in the Bathtub.” Since then, WBA’s characters have set the standard for innovative, quality animation. Producing for network and cable television, online, home entertainment and feature films both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the studio’s rich cartoon heritage. WBA also oversees the creative use and production of animated programming based on classic cartoon characters from the Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics libraries. WBA is one of the most-honored animation studios in history.

BIG GAY ICE CREAM TRUCK GETS COOL WITH NEW THEME SONG BY GO-GO

JANE WIEDLIN



“Big Gay Ice Cream Song” Hits Digital Download on August 22, 2010



August 18, 2010 (New York, NY) – Music and ice cream trucks go hand-in-hand, so when New York City’s Big Gay Ice Cream Truck needed theme music, they skipped over the obvious choices – Peaches and Herb are more likely to be a flavor than the music for this rolling love on ice-capade. Big Gay Ice Cream announces today the release of its new theme song, “Big Gay Ice Cream Song,” composed by Jane Wiedlin.



“Big Gay Ice Cream Song” is three minutes of sugary pop goodness, sort of like ice cream for your ears and will be available via iTunes and digital download services August 22, 2010.



The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck began rolling the streets of New York City in June 2009. Described by The Village Voice as “a cross between Mister Softee and Mario Batali” their menu combines traditional soft-serve ice cream with imaginative toppings such as wasabi pea dust, Nilla Wafers, Dulce de Leche, olive oil and sea salt, and other rotating offerings. These are dispensed the way ice cream should be — with humor and good cheer.


While in design-college in the mid 1970s, Jane Wiedlin and Belinda Carlisle founded the legendary rock band the Go-Go’s amidst a burgeoning Los Angeles punk rock scene. The Go-Go’s were the first all-female band to reach #1 on the Billboard charts and released a slew of hits including “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “We Got the Beat,” and “Vacation.” The band’s enormous success also included selling out Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, and appearing twice on the cover of Rolling Stone. In addition to her work as a Go-Go, Jane has released six albums of her own, including the hits “Rush Hour,” “Blue Kiss,” and “Tangled,” which was featured in the movie Pretty Woman. Rolling Stone called Jane’s most-recent solo album Kissproof World, a “solo tour-de-force by an entrepreneur, an actress and rock goddess.”


“Big Gay Ice Cream Song” was produced by Travis Kasperbauer for the Painful Discs label, published by Wiedwacker Music/ASCAP.



For additional information, please contact: info@biggayicecream.com.

HBO® and IDW Publishing Announce
Second Printing for
True Blood® Comic Book Series


Comics Based on HBO Hit Television Series Sells Out

Second Printing Available in Stores on August 25th


[True Blood #1 2nd Printing cover]San Diego, CA (August 18, 2010) – HBO and IDW Publishing are excited to announce that True Blood #1 has sold out! The first issue of this sexy, visually striking comic series launched with huge success at San Diego Comic-Con and comic retailers throughout North America and kicks off the first-ever comic book series based on the hit HBO series True Blood. To meet the continued demand, IDW and HBO are rushing a second printing to stores for a release date of August 25th.

Developed with the show’s Oscar®-and Emmy®-winning creator, Alan Ball (HBO’s Six Feet Under, American Beauty), IDW’s True Blood series is the exclusive, official show comic, adding new and unique layers of supernatural drama to the wildly original Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning television show.

True Blood #1 boasted a print run of over 53,000 copies, sold through comic stores and other outlets, and offering multiple covers. IDW and Diamond Comic Distributors also offered exclusive versions of the first issue at San Diego Comic Con, all of which were sold out by the end of the show. The second installment of the series will release on August 18th.

“The passion fans have for True Blood has elevated the series to new heights and it continues to grow as the story unfolds,” states James Costos, VP Global Licensing and Retailing. “With [True Blood #2 cover]the sell-out success of the comic’s first printing, it is clear that there is an insatiable thirst for different iterations of the television series, and we’re excited to expand the impact of the comic series and get it into even more hands with this second printing.”

Beginning with issue #1, the True Blood comic series offers the same erotically-charged romance, wry humor, intriguing mystery and suspense the show has become known for. In this comic book series, Sookie and many other Bon Temps locals find themselves waiting in Merlotte’s bar for a strangely portentous raging storm to subside. Soon, they discover they’ve been trapped by an entity that feeds off of raw emotions and begins killing off the patrons one by one until his hunger is sated.


The plot was developed with Ball, along with series writers Elisabeth Finch and Kate Barnow, and co-written by David Tischman and Mariah Huehner. Beautifully illustrated by top tier artist David Messina, the series captures all the bloody details and sexy reveals of this exciting new adventure. Renowned artists J. Scott Campbell, Joe Corroney, and Andrew Currie join Messina in providing covers for the first issue.

The True Blood comics explore the ongoing adventures of telepathic heroine Sookie Stackhouse, her vampire lover Bill Compton, best friend Tara Thornton, enigmatic and ancient vampire sheriff Eric Northman, loyal boss Sam Merlotte, brother Jason Stackhouse, perpetual-virgin vampire Jessica, and the flamboyant cook Lafayette Reynolds.


True Blood #1 (of 6, 2nd printing, 32 pages, full color, $3.99) will be available in stores on August 25th. Diamond order code JUN10 8172.

True Blood #2 (of 6, 32 pages, full color, $3.99) will be available in stores on August 18th. Diamond order code JUN10 0313.



Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.


About IDW Publishing 

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; the BBC's Doctor Who; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics and ComicMix.

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. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.


About HBO Licensing & Retail
HBO Licensing & Retail awards official HBO licenses throughout the world for the development and merchandising of innovative product lines which are inspired by the television broadcaster’s award-winning programs.


© 2010 Home Box Office, Inc. All Rights Reserved. HBO and related service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

UNDERGROUND COMIX PIONEER
DENIS KITCHEN
DEBUTS LATEST ART BOOK!

DENIS KITCHEN'S
CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK
OUT THIS OCTOBER!

August 17, 2010 – Los Angeles CA – BOOM! Town, an imprint of BOOM! Studios, is proud to announces the October release of DENIS KITCHEN’S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK.

This book follows on the heels of THE ODDLY COMPELLING ART OF DENIS KITCHEN, an overview of the pioneering underground cartoonist published this summer by Dark Horse Books. DENIS KITCHEN'S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK is comprised of amazingly peculiar kinds of drawings on “chipboard” that Kitchen has created below the radar for many years. Chipboard is the heavy, grainy card stock at the base of writing tablets. The artist started the habit of drawing on this unlikely substance during long, often boring production meetings at Kitchen Sink Press, his former company, when he would flip his notes tablet over and doodle with a combination of the only tools at hand: a Sharpie pen and fine-point Uni-ball pen.

He became enamored with this odd threesome and the doodles became quite intricate. But because the subject matter was often extremely bizarre, or, in his own words, even “demented,” he filed these away for many years. Originally seen only by close friends and colleagues, Denis has condensed several hundred of these oddly unique and compelling drawings into a single best-of collection. In his Introduction Kitchen describes the process and attempts an insight into the mysterious content:

“These chipboard drawings are completely spontaneous, never conceived ahead of time and never penciled. I have no idea what I’m going to do when the Sharpie point hits board. That makes for an exhilarating creative danger. I allow my sub-conscious mind to overrule the conscious, something that always attracted me to the Surrealist art movement. I will typically start with an abstract line. It might become a vague nose or an ear, but once that general direction is established I still do not know if the ear belongs to a human, a creature or neither. This stream-of-consciousness approach concocts images that often genuinely surprise even me as the lines unfold.”

Editorial and art direction for the 128-page hardcover book was provided by John Lind, winner of last year’s American Graphic Design Award for Underground Classics (Abrams), with design by Greg Sadowski.

DENIS KITCHEN’S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK, measures 6 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches, and features an extra thick 3 mm cover stock (chipboard, of course) with a de-bossed cover image and vertical belly band. Note: contains some images not suitable for minors. Full color throughout. 128 pages. $19.95. This title carries a Diamond Code of AUG100879 and an ISBN13 # 9780978885113 (ten digit ISBN 0978885112).

DENIS KITCHEN'S CHIPBOARD SKETCHBOOK is presented to you by BOOM! Town through an arrangement with Denis Kitchen and Denis Kitchen Publishing.

About BOOM! Town
Announced in 2010, BOOM! Town is an imprint of BOOM! Studios specializing in publishing high quality, lit-oriented comix. This year, BOOM! Town has released merchandise by TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN's Shannon Wheeler and, in association with Denis Kitchen, R. Crumb and Harvey Kurtzman. BOOM! Town has also already published books such as Wheeler's I THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE FUNNIER and Pete Von Sholly's REPUGLICANS among many others.

MARVEL KNIGHTS ANIMATION:

IRON MAN – EXTREMIS



BLASTS ONTO THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT SHELVES



OWN IT ON DVD NOVEMBER 30, 2010

FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

This Fall, fans can experience the non-stop action and thrilling adventures of IRON MAN in a whole new way! On November 30, 2010, Shout! Factory, in association with Marvel Knights Animation, will debut IRON MAN – EXTREMIS on DVD for the first time. This is the latest release from the enormously successful IRON MAN series created by Marvel Knights Animation and distributed by Shout! Factory for home entertainment.

Adapting the critically acclaimed storyline by superstars Warren Ellis and Adi Granov, Tony Stark (AKA Iron Man) faces his greatest threat ever – a terrorist transformed into an unstoppable force with the powerful bio-engineered Extremis super-soldier serum! Now Tony Stark redefines Iron Man's mission for the 21st century, setting the Armored Avenger in a new direction that will alter his life forever...if he can find a way to defeat a modern day nightmare!

Featuring heart-pumping animation and special effects, the collectible IRON MAN – EXTREMIS DVD features six can’t miss episodes from the multi-part series and a spectacular array of exciting bonus content – all collected in a unique replica of comic book-style packaging that bridges the comic book to DVD concept. A must have for fans of comic books, IRON MAN – EXTREMIS DVD is priced to own at $14.97.

Special DVD Bonus Features include:

· A Conversation With Adi Granov

· Behind-The-Scenes Look At Marvel Knights Animation

· Marvel Super Heroes™: What The —? Starring Iron Man

· Visual History Of Iron Man

· Exclusive Music Video

· Trailers
…and More!



Direct from the pages of the critically acclaimed comic books, Marvel Knights Animation remains true to the legendary Marvel experience of sophisticated storytelling and dynamic artwork. Behind every image and every word lies the genius of Marvel’s celebrated creators like Joss Whedon, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, John Cassaday and Adi Granov. Boasting groundbreaking graphics, sensational soundscapes and, of course, the explosiveness of the Marvel Universe, Marvel Knights Animation merges iconic Marvel comic book graphics and dynamic animation, utilizing some of the latest technology to provide incredible, cutting-edge, in-your-face storytelling. A wonderful hybrid that incorporates all of Marvel’s greatest talents, viewers can experience their favorite comics, as the spectacular visions of these authors and artists come alive in Marvel Knights Animation.



About Marvel Entertainment, LLC

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 5,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com.



About Shout! Factory

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncov

Darwyn Cooke’s Second Parker Novel
Coming in October From IDW

The Outfit continues Cooke’s Eisner Award winning series


San Diego, CA (August 16, 2010) – IDW Publishing and award-winning creator Darwyn Cooke are pleased to announce that The Outfit, the second of Richard Stark’s Parker novels that Cooke is adapting, will be available nationwide in October. Cooke’s initial Parker release, The Hunter, has been a critical and popular success, appearing on over 50 “best of the year” lists as well as The New York Times best-seller list, and recently won a prestigious Eisner Award at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con for “Best Adaptation From Another Work.”

The Outfit finds Parker riding high after evening the score with those who betrayed him in The Hunter. Disguised with a brand new face, life is good until a squealer turns Parker in to the Outfit for the price they put on his head… and suddenly this coast-to-coast crime syndicate discovers that all their bravado doesn’t measure up against one hard man.

“With The Outfit, Darwyn reaffirms that he is one of the preeminent storytellers working in comics today,” said IDW Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier. “To me, editing a book like this is the literary equivalent of catching Sandy Koufax for the 1963 Dodgers.”

Said Cooke, “Scott and I hope our readers enjoy this further look into Parker’s dark and seductive world. October should be a fun month and we’ve several plans in the works to mark the release of this baby.”

Darwyn Cooke, the Eisner-Award-winning writer and artist of such classics as DC: The New Frontier, Selina’s Big Score, and The Spirit, brings to life one of the true classics of crime fiction: Richard Stark’s Parker. Stark was a pseudonym used by the revered and multi-award-winning author, Donald Westlake.


The Outfit (160 pages, hardcover, 6" x 9") will be available in stores in October. Diamond order code AUG10 0301. ISBN 978-1-60010-762-7.


Visit IDWPublishing.com to sign up for updates and learn more about the company and its top-selling books.


About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; the BBC's Doctor Who; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for EA Comics and ComicMix.

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. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Gorilla Swings Through Chicago
Ape Entertainment artists come to Wizard World Chicago

(San Diego, CA – August 16, 2010) Ape Entertainment is bringing some of the most groundbreaking creators to Wizard World Chicago while also hunting for new talent. Pocket God iPhone app creators Dave Castelnuovo and Allan Dye will be on hand, courtesy of Wizard World, to sign a limited edition version of Pocket God #1 with cover art by Dye himself. Ape Entertaiment COO Brent E. Erwin will be reviewing portfolios at the Ape Entertainment booth (#117) as the company launches a special contest for artists and colorists. From the beginning of Wizard World Chicago through the end of September, submission of a portfolio automatically enters you to win the chance to do a paid back up story in one of the licensed KiZoic line titles releasing in 2011.

Another innovator, Rob M. Worley, will be signing at the Ape Entertainment booth to promote his new book Scratch9. Worley is best known for founding the first website to track news on comic book related films www.comics2film.com. Revered by industry leaders, Worley’s works spans decades and continents. From webcomics to novels, from Komikwerks to Marvel Worley’s work is a unique vision and enjoyed by every level of comic book fan.

“We work with some of the most amazing people,” explained Erwin. “Dave and Allan created a fun and addicting game and then allowed Ape to translate it to comics where it has gone on to sell 25K copies in the first week of its digital release. Transferring a well known property successfully to a new medium is no easy task, but having great partners who understand the world of comics makes our job so much easier.”

Ape Entertainment is specifically looking for pencilers as well as colorists. All submissions after the event can be sent to submissions@ape-entertainment.com. The Pocket God signing will be Friday at 3pm and Erwin will be on hand to review portfolios throughout the entirety of the show.

To join Ape Comics mailing list go to http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1103318109567&p=oi
To visit the Ape website go to www.Apecomics.com

About Ape Entertainment: Founded in 2003, Ape Entertainment is the brainchild of lifelong comic book devotees David Hedgecock, and Brent E Erwin. Home to such popular titles as GO-GO GORILLA AND THE JUNGLE CREW, SUPERHUMAN RESOURCES, BLACK COAT, ATHENA VOLTAIRE, and THE TROUBLE WITH KATIE ROGERS, it is also the North American publisher for DreamWorks Animation licensed properties SHREK, THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, and Kung Fu Panda.

Cover art for the limited edition #1 of Pocket God available at www.sphinxgroup.com in the downloads section!

Mark Batty Publisher Presents RETROFONTS
Remember and Re-Use the Typographic Past With This Book's 222 Free Fonts
New York, NY - August 16, 2010 - Presented in the style of old type-specimen books, Retrofonts features over 360 of the most eye-catching and timeless fonts designed between the middle of the nineteenth and the end of the twentieth centuries. Organized into nine chronological sections with titles like "Fin de Siècle and Simplicissimus" and "Walkman, Rubik's Cube and Gen X," the fonts catalogued in this impressive volumeprovide a glimpse of the historical, political and cultural context out of which they sprang.

But Retrofonts gives readers more than fonts on the page - the book includes a CD with 222 copyright-free fonts, making it an invaluable tool for graphic designers, typographers and art directors. The professional-quality fonts given away in Retrofonts can be used in myriad ways, while also informing and inspiring readers.

Side by side with the type specimens, examples of the fonts in use demonstrate the aesthetic sensibilities of bygone eras. From 1950s brush scripts to the collage-inspired letterforms of the 1980s and beyond, the fonts author Gregor Stawinski examines exemplify decade-defining design trends, helping today's readers refine their understanding of what was in style, when.

As Stawinski notes, "Typographical time travel succeeds when, as in this book, the most popular typographical trends of different periods in high, low and mass culture are brought together in a vivid presentation. Only then will a review of the exciting history of typography in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries provide thrilling discoveries, forge informative connections or simply entertain."

About Gregor Stawinksi

Gregor Stawinski is a graphic designer based in Munich, Germany.
About Mark Batty Publisher

Mark Batty Publisher (http://www.markbattypublisher.com) is an independent publisher dedicated to making distinctive books on the visual art of communicating, showcasing the visual power and innovation of contemporary culture in all of its varied poses. Today, the visual comes at us from more places than ever, and its dissemination is faster and more advanced every year. Books from Mark Batty Publisher capture this acceleration on the pages of every book. Affordable, well designed, thoughtfully created, and produced to last, MBP books are artful products that readers want to hold onto forever.

# # #

Retrofonts
By Gregor Stawinski
Page Count: 560 pages
Size: 6.75 x 9.75 inches (17.1 x 24.7 cm)
Format: Color throughout; Casebound w/ CD
Publication Date: August 2010
Price: US $65 UK £43 CA $81
ISBN: 9781935613015

MORE EPIC BATTLES BETWEEN HISTORY’S GREATEST WARRIORS!

Spike TV Renews The Multi-Platform Hit Series

“Deadliest Warrior” For A Third Season

Navy SEAL Richard “Mack” Machowicz Joins The Cast

Los Angeles, CA, August 16, 2010 – History’s most lethal combatants will continue the fight for ultimate supremacy as Spike TV renews “Deadliest Warrior,” the network’s first original franchise hit, for a third season, it was announced today by Sharon Levy, executive vice president, original programming, Spike TV. The series has averaged 1.6 million viewers over it first two seasons, the most recent airing from April-July. The season 2 finale on July 27 was the #2 ranked show on cable in its timeslot. The third season of “Deadliest Warrior” will premiere 10 episodes in Summer 2011.

Mack, a Navy SEAL and former host and producer of “Future Weapons” and “Weapons That Changed The World,” joins the cast for the new season. Mack brings a warrior’s perspective to this series, as well as a weapons and battle tactician’s expertise. Mack will provide viewers a richer understanding of the men behind the weapons and provide insight into the specific military strategies of all the featured warriors. His expertise with soldier craft and military hardware comes from his experience as a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs. During his service tenure, he participated in numerous tactical operations with SEAL Team ONE and TWO. While at SEAL Team TWO, he was attached to the training cadre as the Leading Petty Officer of Land, Mountain and Arctic Warfare. He also has over 30 years experience in the martial arts, studying such systems as muay thai boxing, Jeet Kune Do, kickboxing, aikido, jujitsu, savate, arnis and karate.

Mack joins series regulars Geoff Desmoulin and Dr. Armand Dorian for season 3. Desmoulin, a biomedical engineer and karate black belt, is in charge of creating and executing all of the various and often intricate tests that are performed and subsequently entered into the show’s computer system. Dorian analyzes the lethal potential of each attack on the human body and discusses the type of medical treatments which were available at the time to treat such wounds.

“Deadliest Warrior” is produced by 44 Blue Productions, Inc. with Rasha Drachkovitch and Tim Warren serving as executive producers.

The new season will delve deeper into the history of the legendary warriors to create an even more comprehensive composite of these formidable combatants. Season 3 will also expand its scientific exploration of the warriors’ weaponry, illustrating its innovation and technology.

“We are confident the innovations to Spike’s franchise hit, “Deadliest Warrior,” will be a big hit with show’s ever-growing fan base,” said Levy. “The addition of more scientific explanation behind the weapons and the historical context of the warriors will enhance the viewers’ experience.”

“Deadliest Warrior: The Game” for Xbox LIVE Arcade has been a top-selling title on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, selling over 190,000 units within the first month of its July 14 release.

Also returning for a new season in conjunction with the new episodes will be Spike.com’s, original round table discussion series, “Deadliest Warrior – The Aftermath.” For Season 2, it continued to be hugely successful, maintaining the online interest between episodes and generating a total of 2.7 million video views. “Deadliest Warrior” also performed well on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, ranking as one of the highest selling TV series on the platform. In fact, since launching in April 2009, over 380,000 “Deadliest Warrior” episodes have been downloaded across various download-to-own platforms (iTunes, Xbox, PSN, etc).

“Deadliest Warrior” show pages on Spike.com attracted a season average of over 227,000 weekly unique visitors. Show-related videos generated over 16.6 million video views during the course of the season.

Along with the use of 21st century science and the latest in CGI technology, the series enlists warrior-specific, world-class fighters and experts to provide insight into what makes these combatants tick, analyzing every facet of their unique skills of destruction, culminating in a head-to-head final fight between two legends of the battlefield that will produce the deadliest warrior. The recent second season featured such iconic warriors such as SWAT, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Aztec Jaguar, Jesse James Gang, Al Capone Gang, Roman Centurion, India’s Rajput Warrior, Somali Pirate, KGB and CIA.

About Spike TV

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.