IDW Heads Into Darkness! Publisher Announces Prequel Series to J. J. Abrams’ Upcoming STAR TREKTM Movie San Diego, CA (December 14, 2012) – IDW Publishing will publish STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS, the official prequel series to Paramount Pictures’ upcoming movie, Star Trek Into Darkness. Like the best-selling Countdown series before it, COUNTDOWN INTO DARKNESS will be the only place for fans to experience the events that set the stage for J.J. Abrams’ sequel to the 2009 blockbuster film Star Trek. Written by Mike Johnson with a story by Roberto Orci and art by David Messina, this 4-issue miniseries will lead directly into the May release of Star Trek Into Darkness, bridging the gap between the two films and giving fans an exclusive peek at the film’s mysterious story. “We were thrilled by the reception that the original Countdown prequel comic received in 2009,” says Johnson. “We're excited to be working again with David Messina and the team at IDW to bring fans an all-new original story that leads directly into the next film. Star Trek is back in a big way in 2013!” Packed with the high-stakes adventure and sci-fi intrigue that has made the Star Trek franchise a global institution, STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS is sure to delight the legions of fans anxiously anticipating the continuing adventure of the intrepid crew of the USS Enterprise. STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color), licensed by CBS Consumer Products, will be available in stores in January 2013. Diamond order code: NOV12 0340 STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS digital comics will be available via the iOS Star Trek Comics and IDW Comics apps, online at read.idwpublishing.com, and in the Apple iBookstore. “STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS” is written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof, based upon “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry, and directed by J.J. Abrams.  Abrams will also produce with Bryan Burk through Bad Robot Productions, along with Lindelof, Kurtzman, and Orci.

About IDW IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Warner Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld are attached to adapt LORE into a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, with Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.

Dixon and Gulacy Declassify G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS! The new series goes undercover this March! San Diego, CA (December 14, 2012) – As part of the re-launch of G.I. JOE comics, based on the iconic brand from Hasbro, IDW Publishing is thrilled to announce G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS! A new ongoing series helmed by comics legends Chuck Dixon and Paul Gulacy, G.I. JOE SPECIAL MISSIONS chronicles the G.I. JOE team members still operating undercover in the wake of many of their identities being exposed to the public. Tying directly into the story of Fred Van Lente and Steve Kurth’s G.I. JOE, Special Missions’ first arc shows how the evil BARONESS ends up high and dry in the eponymous G.I. JOE book. As the raven-haired saboteur extraordinaire martials her forces and attempts to find her way back into the fold of multi-national terror organization COBRA, SCARLETT must put together an elite team to covertly de-fang the storied villainess! Calling on the best covert operators the G.I. JOE team has to offer, readers will be treated to adventures starring beloved characters like BEACH HEAD, MAINFRAME, TRIPWIRE, HARD DRIVE, ICE BERG, and STALKER, just to name a few! “Special Missions was always my favorite of all the original, classic G.I. JOE comics,” said an enthusiastic Dixon. “Larry Hama and Herb Trimpe did an amazing comic as well as monthly tutorials on comic book storytelling. I'm knocked out to get a shot at this title and having Paul Gulacy work with me is one of those too-good-to-be-true scenarios!” “I could read Chuck Dixon writing hard military stories all day long,” said series editor Carlos Guzman. “Nobody's better at telling covert action stories than Chuck and Special Missions is him at his best, telling the most action-packed stories of his distinguished career. And when he’s paired up with his longtime collaborator Paul Gulacy? You can't ask for more than that.” An espionage-fueled counterpoint to the explosive media madness of the ongoing G.I. JOE title, G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS is a must-read for all G.I. JOE fans. If all that weren’t enough, the inaugural issue will feature a cover by Brandon Peterson, a wraparound cover by Jamal Igle, and a special Untold Tales of G.I. JOE cover by Jim Rugg! Harkening back to the classic Special Missions and featuring one of the most battle-tested creative teams in comics, G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS promises to be an instant classic! G.I. JOE: SPECIAL MISSIONS #1 – (FC, 32 pages, $3.99) is in stores March 20th, 2013. Diamond Code: JAN130356

About IDW IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Warner Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld are attached to adapt LORE into a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, with Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.

ALIENS AND ZOMBIES INVADE IDW Chris Ryall, Drew Moss, and Dave Sim Launch THE COLONIZED in April!   San Diego, CA (December 14, 2012) – This spring at IDW, where there’s aliens, there’s zombies! In THE COLONIZED, a new four-issue series launching in April, writer Chris Ryall, artist Drew Moss, and cover artist Dave Sim explore the arrival of these strangely interwoven threats in a secluded separatist town in Montana. In the Carbon Falls Collective, Huxley Robertson is dealing with the passing of his father and pushing against old guard objections as he attempts to push the separatist camp into becoming a fully sustainable green town. As if circumstances weren’t volatile enough, a craft full of alien explorers inadvertently re-animates the town’s dead! Throw a rogue ATF agent into the mix, on the hunt for the town’s weapons cache, and let’s just say this is a bad time for the otherwise sleepy Carbon Falls Collective to be cut off from the outside world. This potent mix of horror, drama, and black humor comes from Chris Ryall, no stranger to either aliens (Groom Lake) or zombies (Zombies vs. Robots), working with illustrator Drew Moss (Zombies vs. Robots Annual), and Locke & Key colorist Jay Fotos, with legendary Cerebus creator Dave Sim providing covers for the four-issue affair. “Exploring the idea of ultimate outsiders like aliens landing in a separatist community and then having both besieged by zombies sounded like ripe territory for commentary-free chaos and some thrilling Drew Moss artwork,” said Chris Ryall, also IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “But then when Dave Sim miraculously signed on to do covers, it made it all coalesce into something even bigger and better.” In addition to Sim’s covers, each issue will also offer special subscription-only variants from stellar artists like John Byrne--who tackles issue one--Gabriel Rodriguez, Zach Howard, and a player-to-be-named-soon. “It’s great to be able to work with my friends on this,” Ryall added, “especially when those friends are so damned talented, they elevate anything they work on. Having Dave Sim or John Byrne covers on a book of our creation is an endless thrill for both Drew and I.” THE COLONIZED #1 ($3.99, 32 pages; full color) will be available in stores in April 2013.

About IDW IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Warner Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld are attached to adapt LORE into a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, with Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.

THE LAUNCH OF SOMETHING "SAVAGE”

SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS #1 Is Another First Issue

This March, Image Comics invites readers to jump on board action and adventure, newly reinvigorated with another very special adjective—THE SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS!

"The response to Uncanny Skullkickers was so tremendous that we knew we couldn't just let something that was working remain unchanged," said Image PR and Marketing Director Jennifer de Guzman. "Relaunching Skullkickers was a total game-changer! For a whole month, it wasn't just plain Skullkickers. It was Uncanny! And now it's going to be Savage! Game. Changer.”

SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS continues the epic SKULLKICKERS storyline and is a perfect jumping-on point for new readers. Even more perfect than last month.

"With over 180 issues released over the past 20 years, Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon is one of the most compelling and consistent creator-owned comics ever made," said creator Jim Zub. "In order to commemorate Erik's hard work and strident 'no relaunching, no renumbering' approach to his series, we thought we'd relaunch and renumber Skullkickers, stealing his precious 'Savage' adjective while we're at it. Thanks, Erik!”

And if you're a diehard collector of SKULLKICKERS sad that you won't have a SKULLKICKERS #20 to add to your collection? Don't worry, we've thought of everything. In addition to the regular "Savage” cover by series artist (and, remember, adorable elf-man) Edwin Huang and Zub himself, we're offering a special "issue #20 variant” B cover by Chris Stevens to make sure your collector streak is unbroken.

It's new. It's classic. It's a modern reinterpretation that gets back to the roots of these timeless characters. SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS #1 is available wherever kick ass comics are sold starting this March.

SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS #1
story: JIM ZUB
art: EDWIN HUANG
cover A:  EDWIN HUANG & JIM ZUB
cover B:  CHRIS STEVENS

MARCH 27
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

SAVAGE SKULLKICKERS: a modern reinterpretation that gets back to the roots of these timeless characters. It's a bold new direction, a continuing story and a newly added adjective! Our twentieth issue is brand a new #1! Welcome to comic math.

P.S. Retailers: Rack this comic beside other new "Savage” comics you may have hanging around the shop. We won't mind.

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.

THE LEGEND CONTINUES

First issue of new LUTHER STRODE mini-series gets second printing

The eponymous Luther Strode makes his first appearance in the THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #1 as a fist bursting through a closed door — and through a man's head. Justin Jordan's and Tradd Moore's creation, first introduced to the world in 2011 in THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE has come far indeed. Now, THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #1 has sold out at the distributor level and will receive a second printing (NOV128050), to be in stores on January 9.

A sequel to a much-anticipated cult favorite, THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #1 fulfilled critics' expectations of Jordan's and Moore's break-out work:

"Can someone so far gone into his own world be redeemed of his actions, however horrific they may be, if they're for a better world? "Legend” is essentially the much darker version in which most of the questions of "Strange Talent” are skewed through a lense covered in entrails, and the mixture of smart introspection and terrific action let the first entry into the second part of the Luther Strode trilogy a great kick-off."

    - Multiversity Comics

"The Legend of Luther Strode has begun like a furious freight train with its brakes cut. As we all know, once something starts so wrathfully the pace must heighten or risk becoming stagnant. Being familiar with this team's past work, the likelihood of this book slowing down is slim. If The Legend of Luther Strode #1 is any indicator of how things will progress for this book in the future, get ready for one completely mind-blowing experience."

    - Geeks of Doom

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.

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Last Call For Geekmas 2012
Geekenheim's 10% discount with guaranteed Christmas delivery ENDING SOON!

(December 12, 2012- New York, New York) The high end chic art galley Geekenheim is reminding everyone that midnight 12/14/2012 is the last chance for fans to take advantage of
the 10% discount AND guarantee shipping before Christmas. To take advantage of the promotion, buyers should enter geekmas12 at checkout. The discount will remain active until December 24^th for standard delivery. Orders can be placed via http://www.geekenheim.com/shop/.
“From Mustache Trek to Mod Hero Thor, we have everything from the trendy to high end concept art,” explained Founder JamesKenna. “There is something for everyone this gift giving season. Our prints are a full gallery wrap opposed to the typical museum wrap. Each print is wrapped on thick 1.5″ wood frame, with protective, satin finish coating and soy inks are a standard. Our gifts are eco friendly and something people cherish. You can buy any old gift card or you can knock your loved ones socks off and give them something they will love forever.”
New artists and pieces are added routinely. Visit www.geekenheim.com for more information.
Check out our blog at http://www.geekenheim.com/2012/10/nycc-2012/
Friend us on Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/geekenheim?fref=ts
About Geekenheim:
Geekenheim is the on-line marketplace for the geek. Discover art and design products, connect with artists, and share your inspirations. If you are a geek artist, we would like to showcase and sell your artwork! Its your opportunity to reach a global audience without losing your creative rights.  

KISS Goes Solo! A House Divided will Still Rock! San Diego, CA (December 12, 2012) – Echoing their famous series of 1978 solo albums, this March, legendary rockers KISS take to solo adventures in a new miniseries from IDW Publishing! Further exploring the deep mythology that’s made the Kings of Rock hold dual citizenship as Kings of Comics, this year, The-Four-Who-Are-One must take up arms alone against a slew of dynamic enemies and evil forces. Spread out across four dimension-shattering issues, this face-melting slew of hard-rocking comics tectonics kicks off with KISS SOLO: THE DEMON, a tale starring Gene Simmons’ classic alter ego, The Demon! Veteran KISS writer Chris Ryall and fan-favorite Kiss artist Angel Medina, rejoining the band for the first time since Kiss: Psycho Circus, weave another tale of epic bombast and explosive rock and paving the way for the accompanying tales of the Starchild, the Celestial, and the Catman! “We’ve turned KISS into gangsters, barbarians and teenage girls so far in our KISS comics,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer, “but now it’s time to give everyone the unfettered KISS over these four issues. Issue one sees the Demon taking on none other than the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and no one draws widescreen apocalyptic action better than Angel Medina. It’s a thrill to have Angel back in the KISS fold.” In addition to providing full art on issue one, Medina is on board for covers for all four parts of the solo series. To further give longtime fans a bit more, each issue’s storyline and title is culled from the original solo album songs, such as issue one’s “Radioactive.” Continuing a comics partnership as fruitful as it is sonically booming, the solo series is a must-have for comics fans and members of the KISS Army. After all, rocking ‘n’ rolling all night and reading comics every day sounds like a pretty solid plan, doesn’t it? KISS SOLO: THE DEMON (FC, 32 pages, $3.99). In stores 3/20/13 Diamond Code: JAN130393 Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books. IDW can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/idwpublishing and http://tumblr.idwpublishing.com/ and on Twitter at @idwpublishing. About IDW Publishing IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, while Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film. ###

About IDW IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Port Strike Delays Some December IDW Releases Publisher Clarifies What the Delay Means for Fans and Retailers San Diego, CA (December 12, 2012) – In the wake of the strike that closed the L.A.-Long Beach Port last week, IDW regrets to inform fans and retailers that some of the titles scheduled for release on December 19, 2012 will not be available for purchase until January 2 or, in some cases, January 9, 2013. Additionally, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE FOOT CLAN #1, originally scheduled for release on December 26, 2012, will be moved to January 9, 2013. Along with the time lost by the strike at America’s largest cargo shipping complex, the impact of this delay is furthered by the holiday schedule of IDW’s global distributor. As Diamond Comic Distributors does not ship books during the last week of December, IDW will miss out on a last opportunity to get the December 19 and 26 books to retailers and fans before the New Year. “It’s frustrating to have circumstances be out of our control,” said IDW’s CEO and Publisher Ted Adams. “It’s a shame to be unable to get these books—which were completed well in advance of their ship date—in the hands of fans and retailers. Fortunately, however, we’re still left with a very strong slate of titles to finish out 2012 and lots of great books for everyone to enjoy in the New Year.” Below is a list of the revised release dates for the titles in question. IN-STORES 12/19 Archie: Best of Dan DeCarlo, Vol. 1 TPB Classic Popeye #5 Joe Palooka #1 Judge Dredd #2 Judge Dredd: The Complete Brian Bolland HC Killogy #2 Locke & Key: Ω #2 Magic: The Gathering - The Spell Thief #3 2nd Print Mars Attacks #6 Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow #20 Sparrow Box Set Star Trek 100 Page Winter Spectacular Star Trek: TNG/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 #8 Star Trek: TNG: Hive #3 TMNT Classics, Vol. 3 TPB Top 100 Fantasy Movies Transfusion #2 Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #12 True Blood: Where Were You HC IN-STORES 1/2 Complete Dick Tracy, Vol. 14 HC Doctor Who #4                                                      Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms HC              G.I. JOE: Cobra #20 G.I. JOE/Danger Girl #5                                          Godzilla #8 Godzilla: Half-Century War #4 Mars Attacks Popeye One-Shot My Little Pony #1 2nd Print My Little Pony #1 Complete Box Set 2nd Print My Little Pony #2 Star Trek Ongoing #16 Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #2              Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Vol. 2 TPB           Transformers: Prime Season 2 TPB                           Wallace Wood: Woodwork HC                                IN-STORES 1/9 Adventures of Augusta Wind #3 Classic Jurassic Park, Vol. 5 TPB Classic Popeye #6 G.I. JOE: Cobra Son of the Snake TPB Gil Kane's Amazing Spider-Man: Artist's Edition HC The Hollows #2 Jinnrise #1 Joe Palooka #2 Kiss #7 Li'l Abner, Vol. 5 HC Love and Capes: What to Expect #6 Mars Attacks Kiss One-Shot Popeye, Vol. 1 TPB TMNT Adventures, Vol. 3 TPB TMNT: Color Classics #7 TMNT: Secret History of the Foot Clan #1 Transformers: Regeneration One #87 Transformers: Robots in Disguise #13 Transformers Spotlight: Thundercracker Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books. IDW can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/#!/idwpublishing and http://tumblr.idwpublishing.com/ and on Twitter at @idwpublishing. About IDW Publishing IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Warner Brothers and Barry Sonnenfeld are attached to adapt LORE into a feature film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, with Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film. ###

About IDW IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio. IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

PAUL POPE TAKES READERS DEEP

New Image Comics collection spans Pope's early career

The formative years of Paul Pope's development into a world-renowned artist are on display in the new Image Comics collection THE ONE TRICK RIP-OFF/DEEP CUTS. The collection spans his early days as part of a network of self-published artists who didn't fit in either the mainstream or the underground, to his stint in Japan as a budding manga-ka, to his triumphant return to American comics.

The 288-page hardcover collection, with an introduction by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's Charles Brownstein, will also have a limited signed-and-numbered edition.

The first half of the collection is the story "The One Trick Rip-Off" that was originally serialized in Dark Horse Presents in 1995-1996. In a heat-drenched Los Angeles, gangs with names like "The Paid-in-Spades," "The Moolah Muthas" and, of course, "The One Tricks" battle for dominance with each other — and within their ranks. Tubby and Vim are in love and want escape, but they only way they know how is what they've learned in their world. So they set themselves up to be thieves stealing from thieves. And if they fail, it's the end.

A 'nineties West Side Story, with a touch of the surreal and supernatural, "The One Trick Rip-Off" represents, to Pope, a portrait of sorts of himself as a young artist.

"I would say in retrospect, the work in this book is strong," Pope said.  "It is early and rough in places, but I was young and I was ambitious. It is good to be generous to your early work as an artist since it is the path which leads you to where you eventually arrive. There is no nihilism in art. The only fault is in stopping."

The "Deep Cuts" half of the collection is a remarkably diverse, probing, and experimental set of short comics. There are illustrations of Rimbaud's poetry and ancient Greek tragedy; manga about curry-eating, troublemaking teenage girls; and paeans to love and sensuality and city life. These stories were created between 1993 and 2001, a period that took Pope from Columbus to Toronto to Tokyo and finally to New York City.

"These are the early steps of an artist struggling and striving to be better and to be accomplished," said Pope of his early work. "I hope people enjoy this work. It is aggressive and it is punk rock, and that never goes out of style."

Both editions of THE ONE TRICK RIP-OFF/DEEP CUTS will be in stores on January 16.

###

One Trick Rip-Off / Deep-Cuts HC

By: Paul Pope
Price: $29.99
Price (S&N): $75.00
ISBN: 978-1-60706-718-4
ISBN (S&N): 978-1-60706-729-0
Diamond ID: NOV120442
Diamond ID (S&N): NOV128018

On Sale: January 16, 2013

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.

FEAR AGENT LIBRARY VOLUME 1 SELLS OUT! 

Dark Horse Announces Reprint Timed with the Release of

Volume 2 in Spring of 2013!

MILWAUKIE, OR, DECEMBER 12—Dark Horse Comics gives one of its most beloved creator-owned series in its vast archives a long-overdue deluxe treatment! Demand has proven to be much higher than Dark Horse could have anticipated, with the first printing selling out before hitting the shelves of comic shops today.

Rick Remender, Tony Moore, and Jerome Opeña’s Fear Agent was a critics’ darling long before the X-Men joined the Avengers. Published first by Image Comics, Fear Agent came to Dark Horse in 2007 and stayed through the series’ end in late 2011. It follows the adventures of Heath Huston, a first-class drunk, an interplanetary alien exterminator, and the last of the Fear Agents, the band of Texans who once defended Earth from an onslaught of aliens seeking its annihilation. After our “hero” has been stripped of all that he loved—his home, his family, and his world—Huston spends his hours putting himself in constant danger for low wages and little thanks, with a bottle of whiskey to keep him company.

This epic tale is told in three major parts: Heath’s origin as a young father fighting an alien invasion, his time as a middle-aged, broken-down alcoholic alien exterminator, and his old age, as the last man alive who can stave off robotic conquerors.

“Fear Agent was a six-year-long labor of love that Tony, Jerome, and all the collaborators dumped themselves into, and it’s extremely gratifying that the series is breaking through to a new audience. It’s nice to know Heath Huston will live on.”

—Rick Remender

“I’m truly overwhelmed by the response to this hardcover edition. We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the pages of Fear Agent over the years, so it’s great to not only see it collected into such a handsome tome, but to see that our man Heath is still finding his way into new readers’ hearts, as well.”

—Tony Moore

“The Fear Agent library selling as well as it has been is amazing! It’s gratifying to know that work we all did years ago is still exciting readers and hopefully finding a new audience as well.”

—Jerome Opeña

This deluxe hardcover library, the first of two, collects issues #1–#15 of the acclaimed Fear Agent comics, along with half of the Tales of the Fear Agent side stories, covers, pinups, and artists’ sketch galleries.

To celebrate this landmark release, Dark Horse will make the first two collections available digitally for the first time, with the first issue available for free download! Visit Digital.DarkHorse.com for more details.

Make your way to your local comic shop today, or order now from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, as quantities are extremely limited!

Dark Horse is going back to print immediately, with a new volume shipping from Diamond on ­March 27, 2013, and arriving at retail on April 3.