SCI-FI STEAMPUNKS AND MAD SCIENTISTS MEET SUCCESS AT IMAGE
First Issues of Carbon Grey and Intrepids Sell Out Immediately at Distribution Level and Require Second Printings
Berkeley, CA – March, 10, 2011 – Image Comics has introduced a slew of recent hits with titles like CHEW, MORNING GLORIES, SKULLKICKERS and INFINITE VACATION, and now two more will swell the ranks. A second printing of Kurtis Wiebe and Scott Kowalchuk’s THE INTREPIDS and Hoang Nguyen’s CARBON GREY are both being rushed to press to satisfy retailer and reader demand.
In THE INTREPIDS, a retro-styled band of orphans have set out to correct the threat of mad scientists under the tutelage of Dante, a genius inventor. Up and coming new writer/artist team Kurtis Wiebe and Scott Kowalchuk have provided a great cast of idealistic young heroes and pit them against such unique henchmen as cyberbears and battle baboons!
“Scott and I are thrilled to hear that THE INTREPIDS has made such an impact with readers," said Weibe. "Having the first issue sell out in one day is more than we ever expected. Thanks so much to our fans, we promise to keep THE INTREPIDS on time and packed with quality!”
CARBON GREY, meanwhile, is a richly painted steampunk/alternate history epic from rising star Hoang Nguyen and his studio, Art House Concepts. The first issue invited readers to experience the fully-realized hyper-violent world of Mitteleuropa and introduced the three beautiful, deadly sisters who protect it through expert firepower. Comic Book Resources dubbed CARBON GREY, "...aggressively ambitious and explosively successful," which has proven very true artistically, but also in terms of initial sales.
“I'm delighted that the book has received such tremendous support," commented Nguyen. "We all believed in CARBON GREY and having it reaffirmed by the audience just lifted us to another level.”
“New ideas are our stock-in-trade here at Image and we've been unleashing a flurry of them since the beginning of this year,” added Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "Both THE INTREPIDS and CARBON GREY are books we picked up during convention season last year, at Emerald City and Wondercon, respectively, and it's really gratifying not only to have them out, but to see such a positive reception for them, in just under a year."
INTREPIDS #1 Second Printing (DIAMOND), a 32 page full-color science fiction adventure comic book, will be on sale April 13, 2011 and THE INTREPIDS #2 (FEB110472) will be on sale April, 6, 2011. CARBON GREY #1 Second Printing (DIAMOND) and CARBON GREY #2 (FEB110454), 32 page full-color science fiction epic comic books, will both be on sale April 13, 2011.
Friday, March 11, 2011
NBM AND TWP INTERACTIVE RELEASE FIRST
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Phil Yeh’s “Dinosaurs Across America
” teaches geography the fun way.
Patrick Rabbit and his Dino friends presenting America’s 50 states in “Dinosaurs Across America” are now enjoyable on the iPad and as an E-book in a fully interactive version that may very well be the first interactive graphic novel ever published.
This book has been a successful fun tool for kids to learn about US Geography for years as a comic book Phil sold at his numerous appearances around schools and libraries across the country advocating for literacy through comics. NBM then contracted with Yeh to do the full color hardcover graphic novel, which has gone to press 3 times with over 15,000 sold. It’s a Library Media Connection Editor’s Choice and has received many great reviews.
And now, thanks to TWP Digital Solution -interactive digital book product by print management specialist Tien Wah Press (TWP)¬- it comes to iPad screens as well as an e-book for PC. This interactive version has Patrick and his friends bring the reader on board a cool spaceship where one can read the first introductory pages and then into a special room where one can zoom in on details for each state, click on a puzzle map to place all the states where they belong and when clicking on each state, see the panel for that state as seen on the print version with Patrick and friends telling the reader some fun and important facts about it. There is also a timeline you can click to see when each state joined the union. Patrick and friends can be moved all around and played with by kids as they enjoy their experience either on the iPad or their PC.
We’re all pretty ignorant when it comes to geography; these comics have made it easy and fun for kids to learn the facts about all 50 states. Now the interactive version makes it even more engaging and engrossing.
“This is part of NBM’s fairly aggressive move into e-books for its graphic novels and reorientation we’ll be making more announcements about soon. Comics and graphic novels will always be in print, they’re too tactile and collectible not to be, but electronic versions are fun too. In this case, we see a fascinating magnification of the effect comics can have at making learning fun,” said NBM Publisher Terry Nantier.
“We are delighted to offer NBM a digital solution for this title as an extension to our print capabilities. This showcases our ability to use superior technology to deliver content in a truly engaging manner across multiple platforms and devices. Through TWP Digital Solution, we’ve taken Dinosaurs Across America to another level while preserving the integrity of Phil Yeh’s great work.” said Mr. Yoichi Sanada, Managing Director of TWP.
It is available as an app for iPad for $9.99 at:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/dinosaurs-across-america/id414643886
and as an e-book at the Koobits store http://www.koobits.com/books.aspx?bk=1182
and wherever e-books are sold
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Phil Yeh’s “Dinosaurs Across America
” teaches geography the fun way.Patrick Rabbit and his Dino friends presenting America’s 50 states in “Dinosaurs Across America” are now enjoyable on the iPad and as an E-book in a fully interactive version that may very well be the first interactive graphic novel ever published.
This book has been a successful fun tool for kids to learn about US Geography for years as a comic book Phil sold at his numerous appearances around schools and libraries across the country advocating for literacy through comics. NBM then contracted with Yeh to do the full color hardcover graphic novel, which has gone to press 3 times with over 15,000 sold. It’s a Library Media Connection Editor’s Choice and has received many great reviews.
And now, thanks to TWP Digital Solution -interactive digital book product by print management specialist Tien Wah Press (TWP)¬- it comes to iPad screens as well as an e-book for PC. This interactive version has Patrick and his friends bring the reader on board a cool spaceship where one can read the first introductory pages and then into a special room where one can zoom in on details for each state, click on a puzzle map to place all the states where they belong and when clicking on each state, see the panel for that state as seen on the print version with Patrick and friends telling the reader some fun and important facts about it. There is also a timeline you can click to see when each state joined the union. Patrick and friends can be moved all around and played with by kids as they enjoy their experience either on the iPad or their PC.
We’re all pretty ignorant when it comes to geography; these comics have made it easy and fun for kids to learn the facts about all 50 states. Now the interactive version makes it even more engaging and engrossing.
“This is part of NBM’s fairly aggressive move into e-books for its graphic novels and reorientation we’ll be making more announcements about soon. Comics and graphic novels will always be in print, they’re too tactile and collectible not to be, but electronic versions are fun too. In this case, we see a fascinating magnification of the effect comics can have at making learning fun,” said NBM Publisher Terry Nantier.
“We are delighted to offer NBM a digital solution for this title as an extension to our print capabilities. This showcases our ability to use superior technology to deliver content in a truly engaging manner across multiple platforms and devices. Through TWP Digital Solution, we’ve taken Dinosaurs Across America to another level while preserving the integrity of Phil Yeh’s great work.” said Mr. Yoichi Sanada, Managing Director of TWP.
It is available as an app for iPad for $9.99 at:
http://itunes.apple.com/app/dinosaurs-across-america/id414643886
and as an e-book at the Koobits store http://www.koobits.com/books.aspx?bk=1182
and wherever e-books are sold
MBP Presents LE GUN 1,2,3
Highly coveted first issues of internationally acclaimed art magazine
"I need only to brush shoulders with the artists of LE GUN to be imbued with the elixir of life."
- From Andrzej Klimowski's foreword
New York, NY - March 10, 2011 - In the works for years, the greatly anticipated LE GUN 1,2,3 - a stunning oversized volume of the cult magazine's first three issues - will hit shelves in April. Called a "forum for experimentation" and compared to forerunners Raw, Bazooka, L'Assiette au beurre, and Archigram by Eye Magazine, this tome features a riotous range of artwork from the members of the LE GUN collective, an amazingly talented motley crew of international artists, designers, and writers.
With 400 pages of comics, collages, drawings, puns, paintings, journal entries, quotations, and illustrated stories that defy tidy categories the outsized LE GUN 1,2,3 is a collector's dream. Every arresting page is filled with narrative-driven artwork that artist/designer Andrzej Klimowski calls "pictorial poems." Flipping through it, readers move at breakneck speeds through scenes and fragments as varied as a cowboy's diary found in the belly of an ancient alligator, a rumination on the best tits in Europe, the account of a man who gives up breathing only to find air coming in through his hair follicles, and many more stories that can't be tied down with words.
Deftly combining low-brow humor and irreverence with arcane references and homages to the likes of Baudelaire and Max Ernst, the wildly imaginative work showcased in LE GUN 1,2,3 is sometimes shocking and subversive, sometimes haunting and moving, and always intricately detailed, personal, surreal, and honest. The members of the collective live and work by Andre Breton's words that preface LE GUN 2: "The man who can't visualize a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot."
LE GUN is an art collective established by graduates from London's Royal College of Art's Department of Communication Art and Design. Since the 2004 inception of LE GUN, the group's core - Neal Fox, Matthew Appleton, Bill Bragg, Chris Bianchi, Alex Wright, and Robert Greene - has produced five issues of the publication. They have initiated countless projects in Europe, including installations, shows, and design work, garnering attention from media outlets like Eye and i-D.
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.
LE GUN 1,2,3
LE GUN
Pub Date: April 2011
Page Count: 400
Size: 10 x 13.75 inches
Format: Casebound
Price: $120
ISBN: 978-0-9817805-0-4
Highly coveted first issues of internationally acclaimed art magazine
"I need only to brush shoulders with the artists of LE GUN to be imbued with the elixir of life."
- From Andrzej Klimowski's foreword
New York, NY - March 10, 2011 - In the works for years, the greatly anticipated LE GUN 1,2,3 - a stunning oversized volume of the cult magazine's first three issues - will hit shelves in April. Called a "forum for experimentation" and compared to forerunners Raw, Bazooka, L'Assiette au beurre, and Archigram by Eye Magazine, this tome features a riotous range of artwork from the members of the LE GUN collective, an amazingly talented motley crew of international artists, designers, and writers.
With 400 pages of comics, collages, drawings, puns, paintings, journal entries, quotations, and illustrated stories that defy tidy categories the outsized LE GUN 1,2,3 is a collector's dream. Every arresting page is filled with narrative-driven artwork that artist/designer Andrzej Klimowski calls "pictorial poems." Flipping through it, readers move at breakneck speeds through scenes and fragments as varied as a cowboy's diary found in the belly of an ancient alligator, a rumination on the best tits in Europe, the account of a man who gives up breathing only to find air coming in through his hair follicles, and many more stories that can't be tied down with words.
Deftly combining low-brow humor and irreverence with arcane references and homages to the likes of Baudelaire and Max Ernst, the wildly imaginative work showcased in LE GUN 1,2,3 is sometimes shocking and subversive, sometimes haunting and moving, and always intricately detailed, personal, surreal, and honest. The members of the collective live and work by Andre Breton's words that preface LE GUN 2: "The man who can't visualize a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot."
LE GUN is an art collective established by graduates from London's Royal College of Art's Department of Communication Art and Design. Since the 2004 inception of LE GUN, the group's core - Neal Fox, Matthew Appleton, Bill Bragg, Chris Bianchi, Alex Wright, and Robert Greene - has produced five issues of the publication. They have initiated countless projects in Europe, including installations, shows, and design work, garnering attention from media outlets like Eye and i-D.
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.
LE GUN 1,2,3
LE GUN
Pub Date: April 2011
Page Count: 400
Size: 10 x 13.75 inches
Format: Casebound
Price: $120
ISBN: 978-0-9817805-0-4
Highly Anticipated Batman: Arkham City™ Launches in Stores Beginning October 18
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced that the highly anticipated videogame Batman: Arkham City™ will step out of the shadows and onto store shelves in North America beginning October 18, in Australia beginning October 19 and in Europe and other global territories beginning October 21, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City is the follow-up to the award-winning hit video game Batman: Arkham Asylum™ and delivers an authentic and gritty Batman experience.
Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City – five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum – and the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new, all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.
Batman: Arkham City is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license. Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game and join the discussion on the recently launched community site at http://community.batmanarkhamcity.com to participate in forums, read upcoming developer diaries and stay abreast of all the latest Batman: Arkham City news.
# # #
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.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About Rocksteady Studios Ltd
Rocksteady Studios is a multi-award winning videogame developer based in London, England. Located in a spacious, purpose built converted factory, with full motion capture and audio studio capabilities, Rocksteady is an energetic company formed by a core team of senior industry professionals. This creates an ideal balance of drive, talent, proven methods, experience and cutting edge technology to make AAA games. Now employing over 90 people, Rocksteady's mission is to be a highly professional, efficient company whose purpose is to make great games, and have happy and healthy team members. This philosophy is the heart and soul of the company. Rocksteady received the coveted ‘studio of the year’ award at the 2009 VGA awards.
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY software © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by Rocksteady Studios Ltd. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Xbox, 'Games for Windows' and the Windows Vista Start button logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced that the highly anticipated videogame Batman: Arkham City™ will step out of the shadows and onto store shelves in North America beginning October 18, in Australia beginning October 19 and in Europe and other global territories beginning October 21, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City is the follow-up to the award-winning hit video game Batman: Arkham Asylum™ and delivers an authentic and gritty Batman experience.
Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City – five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum – and the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new, all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.
Batman: Arkham City is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license. Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game and join the discussion on the recently launched community site at http://community.batmanarkhamcity.com to participate in forums, read upcoming developer diaries and stay abreast of all the latest Batman: Arkham City news.
# # #
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.
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About Rocksteady Studios Ltd
Rocksteady Studios is a multi-award winning videogame developer based in London, England. Located in a spacious, purpose built converted factory, with full motion capture and audio studio capabilities, Rocksteady is an energetic company formed by a core team of senior industry professionals. This creates an ideal balance of drive, talent, proven methods, experience and cutting edge technology to make AAA games. Now employing over 90 people, Rocksteady's mission is to be a highly professional, efficient company whose purpose is to make great games, and have happy and healthy team members. This philosophy is the heart and soul of the company. Rocksteady received the coveted ‘studio of the year’ award at the 2009 VGA awards.
BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY software © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by Rocksteady Studios Ltd. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows Vista Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Xbox, 'Games for Windows' and the Windows Vista Start button logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
PERFORMANCE DESIGNED PRODUCTS ANNOUNCES THE MORTAL KOMBAT FIGHT STICK AND THE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN MORTAL KOMBAT TOURNAMENT
PDP Issues The Ultimate Tournament Challenge To Gamers in Las Vegas This May With $21,000 in Prizes At Stake
LOS ANGELES – March 9, 2011 – Performance Designed Products LLC (“PDP”), a worldwide leader in the video game accessory market, today announced that PDP is producing the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, as well as sponsoring the first ever North American Mortal Kombat tournament. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick is the ultimate arcade-style joystick controller for the upcoming Mortal Kombat video game, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by NetherRealm Studios. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick will also be used at the tournament happening in Las Vegas, NV, on May 14 and 15, where the top contestants will battle for $21,000 in prizes.
“Mortal Kombat is one of the most recognizable video game franchises on the planet and has a huge audience of dedicated fans,” said Tom Roberts, Chief Technical Officer, Performance Designed Products. “We’ve created the ultimate joystick for these fans and now we’re bringing them all together to find the top Mortal Kombat player in North America.”
Once Mortal Kombat players have had the chance to practice and familiarize themselves with the absolute control of the PDP Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, they will be able to pit their fighting prowess against one another in the Mortal Kombat tournament. PDP will be bringing together thousands of serious combatants within Bally’s Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, NV where hundreds of matches will be played using the fight stick in front of members of the Mortal Kombat design team. (Participants must be 18 years or older.)
PDP and NetherRealm Studios have collaborated to produce the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, which features exclusive custom artwork. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick will only be available as part of the Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition or for sale in extremely limited numbers on PDP.com. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick has been designed to reflect the look and feel of the classic Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet and its ergonomic button layout has been updated with additional design and technological touches to create the ideal joystick for serious console players.
The inner workings of the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick are composed of high quality arcade parts from Suzo Happ and are easily accessed without the need of any tools. Inside the joystick base, all parts and wires are protected by a unique plastic shield emblazoned with the Mortal Kombat logo, and there is room to store cables and a copy of the game. The underside of the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick is lined with velvet-wrapped memory foam for the comfort of players who hold the stick on their lap, while rubberized feet at the bottom corners will prevent the stick from sliding when placed on a table or similar surface.
Mortal Kombat, the newest chapter of the award-winning videogame franchise, will be on store shelves starting April 19th, 2011 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. It marks a triumphant return to the series’ mature presentation and a reinvention of its classic 2D fighting mechanic. Mortal Kombat will introduce a number of new gameplay features including tag team, a deeper story mode, and nostalgic online and offline arcade battles. Players will be able to choose from an extensive lineup of iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches as well as several new game modes.
In addition, Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation will make their Blu-ray debuts on April 19th from Warner Home Video. Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation are also available for download through Sony PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, iTunes, Amazon and other online retailers. The films are also available On Demand from cable and satellite providers.
For more information log onto www.themortalkombat.com and www.facebook.com/mortalkombat.
To order a limited-edition Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, visit http://www.pdp.com
For more information about the game, Mortal Kombat, log onto www.themortalkombat.com and visit www.facebook.com/mortalkombat.
To review the rules and sign up to take part in PDP’s $21,000 Mortal Kombat national tournament in Las Vegas, NV on May 14 and 15, visit http://www.pdp.com/mortalkombat
###
About PDP
Performance Designed Products LLC, a Lynn Tilton company, is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade. PDP sells products under a variety of brands, with sales in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and throughout Europe and Australia & New Zealand. PDP is a trademark, of Performance Designed Products LLC. © 2011 Performance Designed Products LLC. For more information on PDP and its products, visit www.pdp.com.
About Patriarch
Patriarch is a vertically-integrated private equity firm with robust in-house operational turn-around expertise. Founded in 2000, Patriarch was built upon a patented financial model designed to manage and monetize the distressed portfolios of financial institutions. Patriarch has since evolved into a global investment firm that concentrates on direct investments in and the transformation of complex businesses, building integrated industry platforms. Patriarch manages funds with over $7 billion of equity and secured loan assets, with equity investments in more than 70 companies and controlling interests in approximately two-thirds of these. For more information, please visit www.patriarchpartners.com.
ABOUT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT:
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
Mortal Kombat™ © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Mortal Kombat and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
PDP Issues The Ultimate Tournament Challenge To Gamers in Las Vegas This May With $21,000 in Prizes At Stake
LOS ANGELES – March 9, 2011 – Performance Designed Products LLC (“PDP”), a worldwide leader in the video game accessory market, today announced that PDP is producing the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, as well as sponsoring the first ever North American Mortal Kombat tournament. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick is the ultimate arcade-style joystick controller for the upcoming Mortal Kombat video game, published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by NetherRealm Studios. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick will also be used at the tournament happening in Las Vegas, NV, on May 14 and 15, where the top contestants will battle for $21,000 in prizes.
“Mortal Kombat is one of the most recognizable video game franchises on the planet and has a huge audience of dedicated fans,” said Tom Roberts, Chief Technical Officer, Performance Designed Products. “We’ve created the ultimate joystick for these fans and now we’re bringing them all together to find the top Mortal Kombat player in North America.”
Once Mortal Kombat players have had the chance to practice and familiarize themselves with the absolute control of the PDP Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, they will be able to pit their fighting prowess against one another in the Mortal Kombat tournament. PDP will be bringing together thousands of serious combatants within Bally’s Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, NV where hundreds of matches will be played using the fight stick in front of members of the Mortal Kombat design team. (Participants must be 18 years or older.)
PDP and NetherRealm Studios have collaborated to produce the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, which features exclusive custom artwork. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick will only be available as part of the Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition or for sale in extremely limited numbers on PDP.com. The Mortal Kombat Fight Stick has been designed to reflect the look and feel of the classic Mortal Kombat arcade cabinet and its ergonomic button layout has been updated with additional design and technological touches to create the ideal joystick for serious console players.
The inner workings of the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick are composed of high quality arcade parts from Suzo Happ and are easily accessed without the need of any tools. Inside the joystick base, all parts and wires are protected by a unique plastic shield emblazoned with the Mortal Kombat logo, and there is room to store cables and a copy of the game. The underside of the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick is lined with velvet-wrapped memory foam for the comfort of players who hold the stick on their lap, while rubberized feet at the bottom corners will prevent the stick from sliding when placed on a table or similar surface.
Mortal Kombat, the newest chapter of the award-winning videogame franchise, will be on store shelves starting April 19th, 2011 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. It marks a triumphant return to the series’ mature presentation and a reinvention of its classic 2D fighting mechanic. Mortal Kombat will introduce a number of new gameplay features including tag team, a deeper story mode, and nostalgic online and offline arcade battles. Players will be able to choose from an extensive lineup of iconic warriors and challenge their friends in traditional 1 vs. 1 matches as well as several new game modes.
In addition, Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation will make their Blu-ray debuts on April 19th from Warner Home Video. Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat: Annihilation are also available for download through Sony PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, iTunes, Amazon and other online retailers. The films are also available On Demand from cable and satellite providers.
For more information log onto www.themortalkombat.com and www.facebook.com/mortalkombat.
To order a limited-edition Mortal Kombat Fight Stick, visit http://www.pdp.com
For more information about the game, Mortal Kombat, log onto www.themortalkombat.com and visit www.facebook.com/mortalkombat.
To review the rules and sign up to take part in PDP’s $21,000 Mortal Kombat national tournament in Las Vegas, NV on May 14 and 15, visit http://www.pdp.com/mortalkombat
###
About PDP
Performance Designed Products LLC, a Lynn Tilton company, is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade. PDP sells products under a variety of brands, with sales in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and throughout Europe and Australia & New Zealand. PDP is a trademark, of Performance Designed Products LLC. © 2011 Performance Designed Products LLC. For more information on PDP and its products, visit www.pdp.com.
About Patriarch
Patriarch is a vertically-integrated private equity firm with robust in-house operational turn-around expertise. Founded in 2000, Patriarch was built upon a patented financial model designed to manage and monetize the distressed portfolios of financial institutions. Patriarch has since evolved into a global investment firm that concentrates on direct investments in and the transformation of complex businesses, building integrated industry platforms. Patriarch manages funds with over $7 billion of equity and secured loan assets, with equity investments in more than 70 companies and controlling interests in approximately two-thirds of these. For more information, please visit www.patriarchpartners.com.
ABOUT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT:
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
Mortal Kombat™ © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Mortal Kombat and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The HPA Launches the Illiteracy Horcrux and the Accio Books! Campaign
Calls on community to Donate a Book and Build a Library for a NYC inner-city school
Boston, MA - The Harry Potter Alliance has launched the Illiteracy Horcrux and will help battle it by collecting books for the New Beginnings Charter School’s new library. This year’s Accio Books! campaign, entitled Donate a Book, Build a Library, aims to collect at least 20,000 pre-school through young adult books for the new school and supply the resources it needs to establish the Imagine Better Library. The HPA has gathered several best-selling authors to inspire their young adult readers to be part of the campaign including John Green, Melissa Anelli, and Maureen Johnson.
“Literacy is at the heart of the Harry Potter Alliance’s mission,” said Executive Director Andrew Slack. “The Harry Potter novels inspired a generation of children and young adults to love reading. There are so many other books with the power to do the same and creating the Imagine Better Library is a great first step in continuing to inspire reading with children.”
New Beginnings Charter School agreed to name their new library the Imagine Better Library as a direct reference to a quote of J.K. Rowling’s from her 2008 Harvard University commencement speech: “We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” The quote, which will be painted on the wall of the library, serves as a reminder of the inspirational power of books.
Anyone can donate to the book drive from anywhere in the world. Books can also be donated within local communities. Further, on March 19-20 participants can make a Borders purchase, through the Borders Rewards Days program, and 10% of the proceeds will go to the HPA. Part of those funds will be used to purchase supplies the school needs to establish the library.
Literacy is a major tenet of the Harry Potter Alliance's mission and was one the central themes of the campaign that won the HPA $250,000 in the Chase Community Giving Challenge in 2010. In the past two years the HPA has collected over 55,000 books, donated to The Delta Center for Culture and Learning in the Mississippi Delta and Agohozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda. Accio Books! is the fifth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, which spans the months between the final two Harry Potter films. Fans of the series are encouraged to tackle seven real-world Horcruxes, or issues facing our world today, just as Harry and his friends must do the same in the fictional world of Harry Potter.
###
The HP Alliance (www.thehpalliance.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit that engages Harry Potter fans in social activism. With over 70 active chapters and 40 volunteer staff, the HPA has donated five cargo planes to Haiti, 55,000 books, protection for thousands in Darfur, and made huge strides in anti-genocide, LGBT, and media reform advocacy, and more. Covered in hundred of major publications and praised by JK Rowling, Harry Potter celebrities, Paul Farmer, and a slew of NGO’s the HPA recently came in first place in the Chase Bank Community Giving Contest on Facebook winning $250,000.
Calls on community to Donate a Book and Build a Library for a NYC inner-city school
Boston, MA - The Harry Potter Alliance has launched the Illiteracy Horcrux and will help battle it by collecting books for the New Beginnings Charter School’s new library. This year’s Accio Books! campaign, entitled Donate a Book, Build a Library, aims to collect at least 20,000 pre-school through young adult books for the new school and supply the resources it needs to establish the Imagine Better Library. The HPA has gathered several best-selling authors to inspire their young adult readers to be part of the campaign including John Green, Melissa Anelli, and Maureen Johnson.
“Literacy is at the heart of the Harry Potter Alliance’s mission,” said Executive Director Andrew Slack. “The Harry Potter novels inspired a generation of children and young adults to love reading. There are so many other books with the power to do the same and creating the Imagine Better Library is a great first step in continuing to inspire reading with children.”
New Beginnings Charter School agreed to name their new library the Imagine Better Library as a direct reference to a quote of J.K. Rowling’s from her 2008 Harvard University commencement speech: “We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.” The quote, which will be painted on the wall of the library, serves as a reminder of the inspirational power of books.
Anyone can donate to the book drive from anywhere in the world. Books can also be donated within local communities. Further, on March 19-20 participants can make a Borders purchase, through the Borders Rewards Days program, and 10% of the proceeds will go to the HPA. Part of those funds will be used to purchase supplies the school needs to establish the library.
Literacy is a major tenet of the Harry Potter Alliance's mission and was one the central themes of the campaign that won the HPA $250,000 in the Chase Community Giving Challenge in 2010. In the past two years the HPA has collected over 55,000 books, donated to The Delta Center for Culture and Learning in the Mississippi Delta and Agohozo Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda. Accio Books! is the fifth Horcrux of the Deathly Hallows Campaign, which spans the months between the final two Harry Potter films. Fans of the series are encouraged to tackle seven real-world Horcruxes, or issues facing our world today, just as Harry and his friends must do the same in the fictional world of Harry Potter.
###
The HP Alliance (www.thehpalliance.org) is a 501c3 nonprofit that engages Harry Potter fans in social activism. With over 70 active chapters and 40 volunteer staff, the HPA has donated five cargo planes to Haiti, 55,000 books, protection for thousands in Darfur, and made huge strides in anti-genocide, LGBT, and media reform advocacy, and more. Covered in hundred of major publications and praised by JK Rowling, Harry Potter celebrities, Paul Farmer, and a slew of NGO’s the HPA recently came in first place in the Chase Bank Community Giving Contest on Facebook winning $250,000.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
LI'L DEPRESSED BOY IS A SELL OUT!
Second Printing In Stores Soon For This Hip Indie Heart-Breaker
Berkeley, CA - March 8, 2011 - The latest sell-out first issue from Image Comics, THE LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #1, has already been sent back to press for a second printing! S. Stephen Struble and Sina Grace's alt romance comic set to indie music, THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1, will be back in stores again on March 23 with an all new cover.
Writer S. Steven Struble said, "We've been working on the The Li'l Depressed Boy for a long time. All this love really fills our hearts and proves the hard work was worth it."
Up and coming artist Sina Grace commented, "If someone were to tell me that the book not only sold out as fast as it did, but also warranted a second printing, I would have called them a mean liar."
Grace added, "I still cannot believe the tremendous support we've received from fans, retailers, and more so than ever: Image Comics!"
In THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1, fans were introduced to that relatable titular character, LDB, as he seemingly looped through a series of those perfectly captured little moments of pop culture isolation and longing. He is awoken from his reverie by, ironically enough, the girl of his dreams. With the aim of burgeoning friendship, this intoxicating stranger pokes holes in LDB’s insular shell as he must learn to venture into the world outside of himself in order to keep up with her zest for life.
THE LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #2 (JAN110610), a 32-page full color indie romance comic for $2.99, will be in stores on March 9, 2011. THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1 Second Printing (JAN118081) will be available again in stores on March 23, 2011.
Second Printing In Stores Soon For This Hip Indie Heart-Breaker
Berkeley, CA - March 8, 2011 - The latest sell-out first issue from Image Comics, THE LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #1, has already been sent back to press for a second printing! S. Stephen Struble and Sina Grace's alt romance comic set to indie music, THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1, will be back in stores again on March 23 with an all new cover.
Writer S. Steven Struble said, "We've been working on the The Li'l Depressed Boy for a long time. All this love really fills our hearts and proves the hard work was worth it."
Up and coming artist Sina Grace commented, "If someone were to tell me that the book not only sold out as fast as it did, but also warranted a second printing, I would have called them a mean liar."
Grace added, "I still cannot believe the tremendous support we've received from fans, retailers, and more so than ever: Image Comics!"
In THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1, fans were introduced to that relatable titular character, LDB, as he seemingly looped through a series of those perfectly captured little moments of pop culture isolation and longing. He is awoken from his reverie by, ironically enough, the girl of his dreams. With the aim of burgeoning friendship, this intoxicating stranger pokes holes in LDB’s insular shell as he must learn to venture into the world outside of himself in order to keep up with her zest for life.
THE LI'L DEPRESSED BOY #2 (JAN110610), a 32-page full color indie romance comic for $2.99, will be in stores on March 9, 2011. THE L'IL DEPRESSED BOY #1 Second Printing (JAN118081) will be available again in stores on March 23, 2011.
Ape Entertainment Scaring Up an Old Friend
Casper the Friendly Ghost® returning to comic books
NEW YORK, NY (March 8, 2011)—As part of its ever-expanding KiZoic line of all-ages titles, Ape Entertainment and Classic Media announced today that the publisher will be adding the Casper’s Scare School™ property to its roster, featuring the “Official Ambassador of Halloween,” Casper the Friendly Ghost®, and all of the characters from the CGI-animated Casper’s Scare School television series.
Based on the film, Casper’s Scare School, released in 2006, the television series first premiered in the U.S. in 2009 on Cartoon Network. In Scare School, Casper has a new assignment: to get in touch with his spooky side—or else! The school was founded over 100 years ago to educate and prepare the creature youth of today for the difficult challenges they’ll face tomorrow. Its purpose… to turn the pupils into lean, mean, scaring machines! Well, all except for one.
“Anyone who grew up on comic books is familiar with Casper the Friendly Ghost,” states Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin. “What Scare School does is reinvent the character for a new generation of fans, while never losing what appealed to the original readers who first fell in love with Casper decades ago.”
Published under the company’s young reader imprint, KiZoic, Casper’s Scare School will reach stores in October 2011.
“It’s classic Casper but with a slight contemporary spin,” continues Erwin. “And while a lot of the old material featured only Casper at its core, Scare School stars a cast of colorful characters that the entire family can enjoy.”
For more information on Ape Entertainment, visit www.ape-entertainment.com.
Log
###
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, MEGAMIND, and KUNG FU PANDA.
About Casper the Friendly Ghost®
Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop-culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea Entertainment, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music. Visit us at www.classicmedia.tv.
About Classic Media
Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop-culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea Entertainment, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music. Visit us at www.classicmedia.tv.
Casper the Friendly Ghost® returning to comic books
NEW YORK, NY (March 8, 2011)—As part of its ever-expanding KiZoic line of all-ages titles, Ape Entertainment and Classic Media announced today that the publisher will be adding the Casper’s Scare School™ property to its roster, featuring the “Official Ambassador of Halloween,” Casper the Friendly Ghost®, and all of the characters from the CGI-animated Casper’s Scare School television series.
Based on the film, Casper’s Scare School, released in 2006, the television series first premiered in the U.S. in 2009 on Cartoon Network. In Scare School, Casper has a new assignment: to get in touch with his spooky side—or else! The school was founded over 100 years ago to educate and prepare the creature youth of today for the difficult challenges they’ll face tomorrow. Its purpose… to turn the pupils into lean, mean, scaring machines! Well, all except for one.
“Anyone who grew up on comic books is familiar with Casper the Friendly Ghost,” states Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin. “What Scare School does is reinvent the character for a new generation of fans, while never losing what appealed to the original readers who first fell in love with Casper decades ago.”
Published under the company’s young reader imprint, KiZoic, Casper’s Scare School will reach stores in October 2011.
“It’s classic Casper but with a slight contemporary spin,” continues Erwin. “And while a lot of the old material featured only Casper at its core, Scare School stars a cast of colorful characters that the entire family can enjoy.”
For more information on Ape Entertainment, visit www.ape-entertainment.com.
Log
###
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, MEGAMIND, and KUNG FU PANDA.
About Casper the Friendly Ghost®
Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop-culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea Entertainment, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music. Visit us at www.classicmedia.tv.
About Classic Media
Classic Media, one of the world’s largest independent entertainment companies, is a leader in reinventing the classics of yesterday and creating the entertainment classics of tomorrow. The Company owns and manages a globally-recognized portfolio of well-known family and pop-culture entertainment brands, including Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Where’s Waldo?®, The Lone Ranger®, Lassie®, Postman Pat®, and new global brands Tinga Tinga Tales® and Guess with Jess®. Big Idea Entertainment, a member of the Classic Media family, is the leading faith-based studio and producer of children’s programming, including the best-selling animated series, VeggieTales®. Classic Media programming is distributed in more than 170 territories worldwide and showcased in multiple formats, including TV, film, home video, consumer products, publishing, digital, and music. Visit us at www.classicmedia.tv.
A WHOLE NEW TCJ.COM
MARCH 7, 2011, SEATTLE, WA—The Comics Journal is proud to announce the relaunch of TCJ.com with new editorial oversight.
The editorial team that is taking over are Dan Nadel and Tim Hodler. Together they co-founded the Eisner-nominated magazine and blog Comics Comics with cartoonist Frank Santoro in 2006. They published four print issues and the web edition quickly grew into one of the most vital forums for critical and historical discussion of comics, marked by contributions from some of the leading cartoonists and writers in the field.
The Comics Journal print magazine has chronicled the comics medium since it’s first publication in 1976. It has been a leading force of journalism exploring both the facets of the comics industry and the artistic value of the books. Releasing over 300 issues, The Journal is changing face as well with an over 600-page tome of criticism and interviews for issue 301.
The new TCJ.com will continue this tradition by offering an online magazine for interviews, criticism, history and ideas in a concise, beautifully designed format. The site will feature multiple book reviews every week, making it a clearinghouse for the latest critical responses to comics and graphic novels from all over the spectrum.
There is a myriad of contributing writers offering a wide a to the new TCJ.com, all bringing together leading voices from literary critics, to pop culture journalists, to comics reviewers. Expect to see writing from Richard Gehr, Nicole Rudick, Jesse Pearson, Andrew Leland, Frank Santoro, Jeet Heer, Ken Parille, R. Fiore, Joe McCulloch, Chris Mautner, Ryan Holmberg, Gary Groth, and many others.
Along with featuring long form articles on all aspects of the medium from leading contemporary writers, TCJ.com will also host a monthly diary feature, in which an artist (or other comics figure) takes us through a week of their life in prose, pictures or cartoons, one day at a time. This column is kicking off with Vanessa Davis, followed by Brandon Graham, then Joyce Farmer, with many more to come.
The new TCJ.com is focused on bringing the magazine's archive to a new online readership. With holdings including hundreds of interviews with the leading cartoonists of the 20th century and serve as a living record of the development of the comics medium. Beginning March 1, and rolling out over several months, each issue of The Comics Journal will be made available in its entirety to subscribers. Non-subscribers will have the opportunity to sample highlights from many of the issues as well.
Dan Nadel is the publisher of the acclaimed PictureBox Inc, which has released graphic novels, art books, and novels by the likes Gary Panter, Charles Willeford, Yuichi Yokoyama, and Wilco. He has also written two of the most vital recent books on comics history: Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries, 1900-1969 and Art in Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940-1980. Nadel won a Grammy Award for his art direction of Wilco's A Ghost is Born album package, and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Tim is a writer and editor who has been published in Bookforum, Details, New York Magazine, and the Ganzfeld, among other places.
MARCH 7, 2011, SEATTLE, WA—The Comics Journal is proud to announce the relaunch of TCJ.com with new editorial oversight.
The editorial team that is taking over are Dan Nadel and Tim Hodler. Together they co-founded the Eisner-nominated magazine and blog Comics Comics with cartoonist Frank Santoro in 2006. They published four print issues and the web edition quickly grew into one of the most vital forums for critical and historical discussion of comics, marked by contributions from some of the leading cartoonists and writers in the field.
The Comics Journal print magazine has chronicled the comics medium since it’s first publication in 1976. It has been a leading force of journalism exploring both the facets of the comics industry and the artistic value of the books. Releasing over 300 issues, The Journal is changing face as well with an over 600-page tome of criticism and interviews for issue 301.
The new TCJ.com will continue this tradition by offering an online magazine for interviews, criticism, history and ideas in a concise, beautifully designed format. The site will feature multiple book reviews every week, making it a clearinghouse for the latest critical responses to comics and graphic novels from all over the spectrum.
There is a myriad of contributing writers offering a wide a to the new TCJ.com, all bringing together leading voices from literary critics, to pop culture journalists, to comics reviewers. Expect to see writing from Richard Gehr, Nicole Rudick, Jesse Pearson, Andrew Leland, Frank Santoro, Jeet Heer, Ken Parille, R. Fiore, Joe McCulloch, Chris Mautner, Ryan Holmberg, Gary Groth, and many others.
Along with featuring long form articles on all aspects of the medium from leading contemporary writers, TCJ.com will also host a monthly diary feature, in which an artist (or other comics figure) takes us through a week of their life in prose, pictures or cartoons, one day at a time. This column is kicking off with Vanessa Davis, followed by Brandon Graham, then Joyce Farmer, with many more to come.
The new TCJ.com is focused on bringing the magazine's archive to a new online readership. With holdings including hundreds of interviews with the leading cartoonists of the 20th century and serve as a living record of the development of the comics medium. Beginning March 1, and rolling out over several months, each issue of The Comics Journal will be made available in its entirety to subscribers. Non-subscribers will have the opportunity to sample highlights from many of the issues as well.
Dan Nadel is the publisher of the acclaimed PictureBox Inc, which has released graphic novels, art books, and novels by the likes Gary Panter, Charles Willeford, Yuichi Yokoyama, and Wilco. He has also written two of the most vital recent books on comics history: Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries, 1900-1969 and Art in Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures, 1940-1980. Nadel won a Grammy Award for his art direction of Wilco's A Ghost is Born album package, and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.
Tim is a writer and editor who has been published in Bookforum, Details, New York Magazine, and the Ganzfeld, among other places.
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