TOP COW RIDES INTO THE SUNSET

Top Cow and Minotaur Press present new original graphic novel

As announced at Emerald City Comic Comicon, Image Comics and Top Cow Productions will release the first original graphic novel from the Minotaur Press imprint, SUNSET, in July 2012. 

SUNSET, written by CHRISTOS GAGE (Avengers Academy, GI Joe: Cobra) and artist JORGE LUCAS (THE DARKNESS) is a self-contained, black-and-white hardcover graphic novel published in the signature Minotaur Press digest format. The publisher will also offer fans an opportunity to sample the story in a low cost, full-color First Look earlier that month. SUNSET: FIRST LOOK (MAY120527) will be available for comic book stores to order or for fans to pick up at San Diego Comic-Con.

In the noir tradition of Chandler and Spillane, comes a two-fisted tale of revenge and redemption. On the surface, Nick Bellamy looks like any other veteran retiree left behind by a modern world. In reality, Nick is a former enforcer, who stole a fortune and years of freedom from his former mob boss. Now, in the twilight of his life, Nick will lose everything except two things: revenge… and the chance to die with his guns blazing.

“I couldn't be more excited or honored to be part of the very first original graphic novel from Top Cow and Minotaur Press. And their release of the $1.00 preview book containing the first chapter ensures everyone can sample it for a bargain price,” explained writer Christos Gage. “Once people see Jorge Lucas' hard-hitting art and witness Nick Bellamy snarl hipsters into submission - not to mention kill three armed mobsters with a lightbulb, a paint can and some drain cleaner - I hope they won't be able to resist reading the rest of the story!”

“I was proud to work on Sunset, and thrilled that the epic story of Nick Bellamy will be seen at last! I hope all readers will enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed drawing it,” added artist Jorge Lucas. “Christos Gage is an amazing writer, who has built a real thriller in the spirit of film noir and the great road movies.”

Fans who want to get an advanced look at the original graphic novel will have a chance to do so with SUNSET: FIRST LOOK, coming out July 4th, 2012. Collecting the first 22 pages of the hard-hitting noir tale and priced at only $1.00, SUNSET: FIRST LOOK is a perfect low risk way to sample Minotaur Press’s first original graphic novel.

SUNSET HC (MAY120526), a 160-page black-and-white hardcover graphic novel, will be in stores July, 18th, 2012.

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.