Thor brings the thunder to Austin Books & Comics

Local pop culture retailer teams with Marvel, SEGA® and Red Fly Studio to present Wii Thor: God of Thunder game launch party and costume event



Austin, TX---Thursday, April 21, 2011– Become Thor, God of Thunder, as he battles to save his home of Asgard! Austin Books & Comics presents Thor™: God of Thunder Wii video game launch party on Saturday, April 30, 2 pm to 5 pm, featuring original comic book characters Thor and Sif in the flesh, with the Thor character being portrayed by Austin’s own Jarrett Crippen, aka “The Defuser” from Syfy.



SEGA® and Austin game developer Red Fly Studio are teaming up with Austin Books & Comics to launch their new Wii game, Thor: God of Thunder. Guests can attend this free video game launch party and try out an in-store demo of the Thor: God of Thunder game. Players will wield the iconic Mjolnir, Thor's legendary hammer, to fight across multiple Norse worlds, controlling elemental storm powers to overcome hordes of deadly foes with devastating lightning bolts, earthshaking thunder and mighty blasts of wind that sweep away throngs of enemies.



Austin Books & Comics is also hosting a Red Fly Studio ‘meet the developers’ table, featuring key members of the game development team that created Thor: God of Thunder for the Wii. Red Fly Studio is well-known for their previously released titles Mushroom Men: The Spore Ware, Ghostbusters: The Video Game and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.



Chad Barron, producer on Thor: God of Thunder for Red Fly Studio, offers, “Red Fly Studio is already a big believer in supporting the local Austin community. By having the opportunity to launch our brand-new Wii game at Austin Books & Comics, we look forward to meeting more of our Austin fans, and providing enthusiastic support for the Thor franchise.”



Guests can participate in our Thor costume contest, plus receive hourly giveaways of signed posters and special Thor premiums, including the new Wii game. Meet our guest costume characters in person, Thor and his Norse girlfriend Sif, who will be on site in full costume for the duration of the event. There will be no charge to event guests for photos with our costume characters.



The Thor character actor is Jarrett Crippen, an Austin Police Department detective and founder of SCARE for a CURE, a non-profit charity. In 2007, Jarrett—a self proclaimed comic book geek—was selected as a cast member in Stan Lee’s Syfy reality show, “Who Wants to be a Superhero.” He won the competition and was proclaimed the world’s next great superhero! He routinely travels to cities around the country to appear as “The Defuser,” but his favorite stops are Austin area elementary schools, Boy/Girl Scout events and church groups.



RSVP to the Thor: God of Thunder Wii game launch party at http://www.facebook.com/inbox/?compose&attach=2344061033&s=7&p[0]=167358456650996&oid=11937280038#!/event.php?eid=208472779171451. You will automatically be signed up for the chance to win your own copy of Thor: God of Thunder before it releases in stores on May 3, and the Paramount Pictures film opens on May 6. Austin Books & Comics is located at 5002 N. Lamar Blvd.



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.



About Red Fly Studio

www.redflygames.com

Red Fly Studio® is located in beautiful, downtown Austin, Texas. We are an established and passionate independent game developer founded by industry veterans. To date, we have shipped 5 Nintendo Wii titles, including Mushroom Men: The Spore Ware, Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Star Wars: The Force unleashed II and Thor: God of Thunder. Red Fly Studio® is currently working on an unannounced, high profile, next generation console project. Our talented team has collective experience on high profile titles such as Gears of War, Deus Ex, Saints Row, Darksiders, and many more.



About SEGA® of America, Inc.

www.sega.com

SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.



About Marvel Entertainment

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 8,000 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.