PRESS RELEASE

Web Comic Creator Dirk Tiede Announces Guest Appearances

For Immediate Release: Comic writer and artist Dirk Tiede, creator of the long-running serialized graphic novel Paradigm Shift announced today his upcoming convention schedule and Guest of Honor appearances. Dirk is a founding contributor to premiere comics portal Modern Tales. His work is also showcased in the books “Toon Art: The Art of Digital Comics and Webcomics”, and appears in the documentary “Adventures in Digital Comics”.

Dirk has been appearing at conventions nationwide for over 10 years, not only building a professional reputation as an artist but also a repertoire of panel topics that he presents to convention attendees. Because of this history, Dirk has been invited to be the web comic guest of honor at two conventions and a featured artist at another. These special designations are part of a tour of 13 conventions that span the country from coast to coast and include NonCon, Anime St. Louis and Anime Boston.

No Such Convention (NonCon) is a gaming, comics and anime convention held by Vassar College's No Such Organization in Poughkeepsie, NY. This year marks the eleventh year of NonCon, which will be held on February 18-20. As with the other two guest appearances, Dirk is scheduled to deliver selections from his impressive repertoire of panels and workshops.

Anime St. Louis, Dirk’s second guest appearance, will be at Gateway Center and Doubletree Hotel in Collinsville IL. Hailing from the St. Louis Metro East area, Dirk returns home in 2011 as Anime St. Louis bestows upon him the Guest of Honor title a second time. The convention is scheduled for April 15 to 17.

Heading east to his new home in Boston, Dirk appears the very next weekend at Anime Boston as part of their annual art track. Held each year at the Hynes Convention Center, Anime Boston is the largest anime convention in New England. The three-day convention is scheduled from April 22 through 24 and Dirk will once again be facilitating a sampling of his panel presentations as part of the weekend programming.

Paradigm Shift, currently in its fourth chapter, focuses on smart-ass detectives Kate McAllister and Mike Stuart are propelled into the paranormal while investigating a strange back alley mauling. Kate was one of the best detectives in Chicago, until she developed a bad case of lycanthropy. Now she and her partner Mike are on the run to find the truth. This serialized graphic novel is a police procedural punctuated by explosive gunfights, sardonic humor, and supernatural horror set in a gritty and authentic Chicago backdrop.

For more information on Paradigm Shift, Dirk Tiede or to view his full convention schedule, visit his website at http://www.paradigmshiftmanga.com.