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Godzilla® Smashes Austin Books & Comics
The King of the Monsters™ returns to comics with Austin Books & Comics exclusive cover & signing event
Austin, TX---Thursday, March 17, 2011– The biggest star in Japan prepares to wreak havoc once again! Austin Books & Comics is bringing the King of the Monsters to Austin with its very own, smashing book cover created by noted local comic artist Matt Frank. To celebrate the dramatic return of Godzilla to comics, Austin Books & Comics is hosting a special in-store event and signing with Frank on Wednesday, March 30, from 2 pm to 7 pm.

IDW Publishing recently announced the return of Godzilla® and the hotly-anticipated new comic GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1, featuring pop culture legends that have stomped, smashed, and fought their way across movie screens for over four decades. The new comics feature the King of the Monsters™ himself, along with other a dozen other fan-favorite monsters that have never before been featured in comic books.

In an unparalleled debut promotion, Austin Books & Comics is one of seventy-five comic retailers offering a unique cover featuring Godzilla®’s foot smashing their comic book store. Godzilla fans and comic book lovers will be able to purchase the exclusive first book ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) at Austin Books & Comics on March 30, 2011. As a special contest promotion, cover artist Matt Frank will be giving away one signed original print to a luck winner that evening.

Austin-based Matt Frank, an accomplished comic book artist and story writer whose work has been featured on numerous magazine covers, created the custom Godzilla® comic cover featuring Austin Books & Comics. Frank will be on hand at Austin Books & Comics on March 30, signing posters and comic books, and talking to fans about the new Godzilla® comic series.

Frank has done comic covers for the Ray Harryhausen present's "Back To Mysterious Island" and "It Came From Beneath the Sea Again" as well as having his one shot comic "Wrath Of the Titans: Cyclops". He also provided the monster designs for "Back to Mysterious Island" and worked on Transformers: Beast Wars guide.

Brad Bankston, proprietor of Austin Books & Comics, offers “Austin Books & Comics has always been at the forefront of big, important new comic releases, but being on the cover of an iconic comic is a big first for us. We're thrilled to bring a pop culture icon as huge as Godzilla to Austin, and to host cover artist Matt Frank - even though he 'destroyed' our store!”

“This cover promotion has resulted in unprecedented support and participation by an amazing number of comic book retailers,” adds Ted Adams, CEO/Publisher at IDW. “We thought it was a fun idea when it was conceived, but thanks to so many retailers such as Austin Books & Comics being excited about having Godzilla stomp their shop, it has exceeded even our wildest expectations. Godzilla has laid waste to an amazing number of comic book stores on these covers, resulting in the biggest single press run we’ve ever done. And that just feels appropriate for Godzilla’s return.”

Bringing these fearsome creatures back to comics is a larger-than-life creative team, led by co-writers Eric Powell (The Goon) and Tracy Marsh. Artist Phil Hester (Kevin Smith’s The Green Hornet) will capture every monster moment. In addition to the retailer exclusive covers, issue #1 will also feature two painted covers offered on a 50/50 basis: Eric Powell will provide a gatefold wraparound cover featuring many beloved Toho monsters, and fan-favorite artist Alex Ross contributed an imposing image of Godzilla®. An additional painted cover by Eric Powell is available as an incentive cover, as well.

About Austin Books & Comics
www.austinbooks.com
Central Texas’s biggest and oldest comics and pop culture retailer, Austin Books & Comics has been in business since 1977. Austin Books & Comics is a multiple Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retail finalist, and was inducted into the Austin Chronicle's 'Best Of” Hall of Fame. The Chronicle has referred to Austin Books as “the Library of Alexandria of comics.” Austin Books & Comics is proud to host both frequent and surprise celebrity guest signings and events.

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