IMAGE EXPO ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUEST ED BRUBAKER

Bay Area Comic Book Convention Features Independent Comics’ Best Creators

Berkeley, CA – 30 January 2012 –  IMAGE EXPO, the one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics and showcasing creator-owned comics, has announced that Ed Brubaker, writer of FATALE, will be the latest independent comics star to be added the impressive list of special guests. At Image Expo for a limited appearance on Saturday, February 25, Brubaker will be joining the Image Comics partners Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino, Image founders Rob Liefeld and Whilce Portacio, and a who's who of other creator-owned comics stars!

Brubaker will be part of a panel on writing comics on Saturday at 12 p.m., where he and fellow writers Steve Seagle, Joe Casey, Jonathan Hickman, John Layman, Nick Spencer, and Brian K. Vaughan will discuss the art of crafting scripts and stories.

FATALE, Image Comics' hit new ongoing series drawn by Sean Phillips and colored by Dave Stewart, has been a runaway best-seller, with issue one selling out multiple printings and issue two getting a reprint before it even hits stores.

Previously announced guests include:

Joe Casey (Ben 10, BUTCHER BAKER, THE RIGHTEOUS MAKER, HAUNT)
Jay Faerber (Ringer, DYNAMO 5, NEAR DEATH)
Jonathan Hickman (THE NIGHTLY NEWS, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS)
Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE)
Fiona Staples (SAGA)
Richard Starkings (Comicraft, ELEPHANTMEN)
Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Runaways, SAGA)

IMAGE EXPO, a three-day celebration of creator-owned comics happening at the Oakland Convention Center, is Northern California's premier comic con experience in 2012. Berkeley-based Image Comics will be filling the demand for a 2012 Bay Area comic book convention that arose when WonderCon announced their temporary relocation to Anaheim, California. The three-day event takes place at the Oakland Convention Center in the heart of the bustling nightlife and restaurant center of downtown Oakland, CA on February 24-25-26.

Experience the creativity of the men and women making the best creator owned comics in America at this one-of-a-kind celebration commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Image Comics!

To purchase tickets and find more information about the show, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com.

ABOUT ED BRUBAKER
Ed Brubaker is one of the most acclaimed writers in comics, having won six Best Writer awards, between the Eisners, the Harveys, and most recently, the 2011 Scream Award. With Sean Phillips, he has created Sleeper, Incognito, and Criminal, all of which have been optioned for film. His epic run on Captain America for Marvel has been one of the best-selling comics of the 21st century, with his "Death of Captain America" storyline garnering international headlines.

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.