THE LAST ARTIFACT

Critically Acclaimed Top Cow Series Approaches Finale

Berkeley, CA – 12 July 2011 – This September, the final issue of Image Comics and Top Cow Productions' ARTIFACTS series will not only feature interior art by comic icon Dale Keown (BERSERKER, PITT), but will set the stage for the entire Top Cow Universe for the foreseeable future. ARTIFACTS, orchestrated by prolific writer Ron Marz (SHINKU, WITCHBLADE) and various artists including Jeremy Haun, has definitely proven to be a world-changing event in the Top Cow Universe.

Marz commented on his work on the upcoming finale: "Honestly, the hardest thing to do with any event series is make sure the ending is worthy of what's come before. That's where the real pressure comes in. So having an immense talent like Dale Keown joining me for issue #13 makes it a lot easier to stick the landing, so to speak. With Dale on board, ARTIFACTS #13 will be epic in every sense of the word. I've been lucky to work with Michael Broussard, Whilce Portacio and Jeremy Haun on the series, and Dale is the icing on the cake."
Keown added, "Top-Cow has created some great characters and story lines for the ARTIFACTS series and I'm thrilled to be working on the finale issue!"

The epic story of ARTIFACTS has been organically threading the lives and fates of the many beloved Top Cow characters together, so that however events in this last issue unfold, all will be impacted. Beginning in October, Top Cow Productions will be scheduling an ARTIFACTS-related title a week, so readers can follow their favorite characters within WITCHBLADE, THE DARKNESS, and THE MAGDALENA, as well as a yet-to-be-announced fourth mystery title after the fallout of ARTIFACTS.

"I am so incredibly excited for September and beyond in the Top Cow Universe. Ron Marz and I first discussed ARTIFACTS over two years ago and it's thrilling to see readers experience the story I've known about all along. It's even more exciting to see Dale Keown return to interior work. No reboots, no relaunches, just an epic event and a manageable comic universe done right!"

ARTIFACTS #13 (JUL110439), a 32-page full color comic book, is available for order in the July issue of Previews Catalog for $3.99 and ARTIFACTS VOL. 2 TP (OCT108036) goes on sale August 3, 2011 for $15.99.

ABOUT TOP COW PRODUCTIONS INC.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. A second game is slated for release from 2K Games in the Fall of 2011. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.