SPANISH LANGUAGE THE WALKING DEAD IN SEPTEMBER

Bestselling Image Comics/Skybound graphic novel gets translation

Its collections are the country's best-selling graphic novels, it has been adapted into the top-rated television series in basic cable history, its 100th issue sold more copies than any other comic book in the 21st century, and now THE WALKING DEAD is breaking new ground by becoming Image Comics' and Skybound's first Spanish-language publication. A Spanish translation of THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME ONE: DAYS GONE BYE by Robert Kirkman, with art by Tony Moore, will be available for the first time in United States in September 2013.

"We're excited to bring The Walking Dead to the Spanish-speaking market in the United States," said Skybound's Director of Business Development Shawn Kirkham. "Our hope is that The Walking Dead in Spanish will help develop a new fan base in this emerging market for comic books."

The first volume of THE WALKING DEAD collects the first six issues of the series, which will reach its 116th issue in September. The Spanish language edition of DAYS GONE BYE (DÍAS PASADOS) will be available for pre-order in July. Subsequent translated editions of THE WALKING DEAD will be published quarterly.

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ABOUT IMAGE COMICSImage 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.

ABOUT SKYBOUNDSkybound is the home of Robert Kirkman's creator-owned work including his Eisner Award-winning comic book series,The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, Thief of Thieves, and Clone as well as Witch Doctor and Invincible Universe. Since its inception, Skybound has created television shows, merchandise and a wide spectrum of platforms, games (The Walking Dead: Assault iOS app), and entertainment events (The Walking Dead Escape). Skybound's successes include the comic behind the hit Emmy®-winning television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 122 countries and 37 languages. Skybound/Kirkman frequently top the hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. Your destinations for all news and merchandise from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles are www.Skybound.com and www.TheWalkingDead.com.

THE FIFTH BEATLE TO BE PUBLISHED

IN THREE STUNNING EDITIONS!

“If anyone was the Fifth Beatle, it was Brian.”—Paul McCartney

MAY 31, MILWAUKIE, OR—Ever since its announcement last fall, there has been buzz about THE FIFTH BEATLE. Written by multiple Tony Award–winning producer Vivek J. Tiwary (Green Day’s American Idiot, The Addams Family, Mel Brooks’s The Producers), The Fifth Beatle, chronicling the life of the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, will officially be released on November 19.

The Fifth Beatle, from M Press Books, a division of Dark Horse Comics, recounts the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided the Beatles to unprecedented international stardom—yet died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two. More than merely the story of “The Man Who Made the Beatles,” The Fifth Beatle is an uplifting, tragic, and ultimately inspirational human story about the desire to leave behind a legacy, amidst the struggle to overcome crushing personal obstacles and insurmountable odds.

This marks the first full-length graphic novel painted by fanboy favorite Andrew C. Robinson (Dusty Star, King Conan, Starman, Superman). The book also features a special section paying homage to the 1960s Beatles cartoons, lovingly drawn by multiple Eisner and Harvey Award–winning cartoonist Kyle Baker (Why I Hate Saturn, Plastic Man, Nat Turner).

“Telling the Brian Epstein story is a true labor of love. The Fifth Beatle really is my life’s work—as I’ve been researching Brian’s life for more than half my own,” says Tiwary. “So it’s with great excitement and anticipation that I can finally share this little-known story about one of the great architects of modern pop culture with the rest of the world.”

Vivek J. Tiwary is also set to write and produce a feature-film adaptation of his graphic novel. Tiwary has signed a deal with Sony/ATV (who control the Lennon/McCartney music catalog) which gives him unprecedented access to Beatles songs for the film.

The standard hardcover edition will be available for $19.99 in an oversized library format. A collector’s-edition hardcover of this groundbreaking graphic novel will also be available, featuring a wraparound, textured cover and a section of bonus materials including Beatles and Brian Epstein memorabilia, artist sketches, and alternate covers, for $49.99.

The limited edition (1,500 copies) features a tip-in sheet signed by creators Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker, along with a twenty-four-page bonus section including rare Beatles and Brian Epstein memorabilia and behind-the-scenes sketches, a unique, textured cover, and a special slipcase, for $99.99.

Tiwary will be signing limited prints of The Fifth Beatle at BookExpo America in New York City this Saturday, June 8^th at the Dark Horse booth #1003 at 11 a.m.

Additionally both Tiwary and artist Andrew Robinson will be delivering a panel presentation at HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC on June 9^th titled: Comics of the Fab Four: The Fifth Beatle and Beyond. The panel begins promptly at 11:30 a.m.

“The Beatles will be bigger than Elvis!”—Brian Epstein, 1961

Tiwary is represented by David Alpert and Lawrence Mattis at Circle of Confusion.

ABOUT VIVEK J. TIWARY

Vivek J. Tiwary is an award-winning producer, writer, and financier for film, television, theater, music, and graphic novels. He is the producer and writer of “The Fifth Beatle,” a feature film and graphic novel based on the life of Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. “The Fifth Beatle” has secured unprecedented access to Beatles’ music and is in development to shoot in 2013. In television, Vivek sold a sitcom pilot “Punk Rock Dad” to CBS, based on the bestselling memoir/parenting manual by Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg, and he is developing a number of additional series including “Ascension,” a historical fiction / thriller juxtaposing the history of astronomy with mankind’s future in the stars. On Broadway, Vivek’s productions have won a combined 25 Tony Awards from 44 Tony nominations—every single one of his shows have been decorated. They include “The Addams Family,” Green Day’s “American Idiot” (the groundbreaking adaptation of the superstar rock band’s multi-platinum album), Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” (the most Tony Awards ever) and “Young Frankenstein”, “A Raisin In The Sun” (starring Sean Combs), and “A Little Night Music” (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury). Off-Broadway, Vivek produced a theatrical collaboration between electropop/performance artists Fischerspooner and avant-garde theatre collective The Wooster Group (founded by Willem Dafoe, Spalding Gray, and others) that launched the 2008 Sao Paulo Art Bienal. Vivek also serves on the Board of Directors for Valiant Entertainment (www.valiantentertainment.com), a multi-platform company that boasts the third largest and most-loved universe of comic book characters and has been hailed by the New York Times as “Marvel 2.0”. Prior to founding Tiwary Entertainment Group (www.tiwaryent.com) and online music education/empowerment company StarPolish, Vivek held a number of major label music-industry positions, including launching and heading the Alternative Marketing Department at Mercury/PolyGram Records, and managing Video Promotion for Mercury/PolyGram, where he worked closely with MTV and VH1. Vivek has worked with artists covering the entire musical spectrum including Bruce Springsteen, Shania Twain, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Kiss, LL Cool J, John Mellencamp, Allen Ginsberg, Oasis, Hanson, 311 and The Mighty Mighty BossTones to name but a few. Among many charitable pursuits, Vivek is the Co-Founder of Musicians On Call (www.musiciansoncall), a nonprofit organization that uses music and entertainment to complement the healing process. He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Arts and Sciences. Vivek also holds a filmmaking certificate from The New York Film Academy and is an acting student of Susan Batson/Black Nexxus Acting Studio.

ABOUT DARK HORSE COMICS

Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.

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 PAUL JENKINS ANNOUNCES HIS EXCLUSIVE HOME... AND IT GOES BOOM!


 

  
   

 

May 31st, 2013 - BOOM! Studios is honored to announce that Eisner Award-winning writer Paul Jenkins (DEATHMATCH, FAIRY QUEST) has made this publisher his home for comic projects for the foreseeable future.

 

Jenkins broke into the comic industry in 1988 as editor and production manager for Mirage Studios’ TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, before establishing himself as one of the industry’s top sought writing talents. After a four year run on Vertigo’s HELLBLAZER, Paul enjoyed a decade long stint at Marvel Comics writing a variety of commercially successful and critically acclaimed projects, including the Eisner Award-winning INHUMANS, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, PETER PARKER: SPIDER-MAN, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, and ORIGIN. While working for Marvel, Paul also created the Sentry. Jenkins has also written for a swath of other comic publishers including DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and Top Cow. In addition to his comic book work, Jenkins is a prolific award-winning video game writer with credits on GOD OF WAR, THE DARKNESS, TWISTED METAL BLACK, and INCREDIBLE HULK: ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION.

 

In an open letter to the industry shared exclusively with Comic Book Resources, Paul explained, "I am fully committing to working with BOOM! Studios, where I have already enjoyed more creative freedom in the last six or seven months than I can possibly articulate.”

 

Jenkins began his relationship with BOOM! Studios in 2012 with DEATHMATCH, an ongoing series, which answers the question of how would emerge victorious in a no holds, barred battle between a variety of popular super hero and super villain archtypes. BOOM! also published the serialization of FAIRY QUEST, Paul’s successful Kickstarter with artist Humberto Ramos (SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN). He added, "I know that I am only ever going to be happy if I am allowed to create by a collaborative publisher who truly wants comics to be worth the cover price."

 

Announcements for Jenkins’ future plans for original comic projects will be forthcoming.

"I suppose there comes a time in everyone’s life where they think about the good old days and wish they were 'home',” summed up Jenkins.  “Well, I am lucky enough to be home. I hope readers will see what BOOM! Studios is doing in their cool little corner of the creative world."

 

To read Paul Jenkins’ full open letter to the industry, please head to Comic Book Resources (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45745http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45745).

 

About BOOM! Studios

Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning "Best Publisher" BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry's top talent. BOOM! Studios is the home of Mike Carey's SUICIDE RISK, Clive Barker’s NEXT TESTAMENT and HELLRAISER, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos' FAIRY QUEST, PLANET OF THE APES, Max Bemis' POLARITY and Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE. Steven Grant's graphic novel 2 GUNS will be released as a feature film from Universal Pictures August 2nd, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. BOOM!'s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz' PEANUTS, Jim Davis’ GARFIELD, Cartoon Network's ADVENTURE TIME and REGULAR SHOW, Mike Kunkel's HEROBEAR AND THE KID and Roger Langridge’s Eisner Award-winning SNARKED.

IDW LIMITED ANNOUNCES MARS ATTACKS LIMITED-EDITION BOOK Hardcover to Include Hand-Drawn Sketch Cards from Top Talent May 30th, 2013 (San Diego) – IDW Limited announced plans for interstellar domination today, beginning with the Mars Attacks: Attack from Space Limited-Edition Hardcover (http://idwlimited.com/series/mars-attacks.html ). The book collects the first five issues of the popular IDW comic series. Drawing on the rich card-based history by Topps, each of these highly collectible and rare books will be paired with hand-drawn sketch cards from a wide variety of artists, ranging from fine-art gallery painters to comic-book and trading-card artists. All of the sketch cards are official Mars Attacks sketch cards provided by Topps, and foil stamped exclusively for this limited-edition release. “The new Mars Attacks comic has been an absolute blast!” says IDW Limited director Jerry Bennington. “And when we started designs for the limited edition, we wanted to make sure we celebrated not just the IDW comic, but the roots of the series as well. To us, that meant we had to do sketch cards, and we had to do them right.” Working closely with Topps, IDW Limited has selected a wide variety of top creative talent to provide original, hand-illustrated as well as hand-painted sketch-card art for this special edition. Ranging in diverse style and background, the group assembled for this book is unrivaled in experience and talent. From series artist John McCrea to alternative gallery painter Apricot Mantle to popular trading-card artist Nar!, each participant brings a unique view and twist to the Mars Attacks universe. “I grew up drawing 'Mars Attacks my school' on the back of my bio homework ,” says gallery artist Apricot Mantle. “To have the chance to be a part of this book, it’s almost unbelievable. I can’t wait for people to see what I have planned.” The roster of artists selected for the first volume includes: Jason Adams Ted Dastick Alex Deligiannis Charles Hall Dan Duncan Dan Harding Gary Kezele Miran Kim Apricot Mantle Chris Mason John McCrea Nar! Sean Pence Tim Proctor Eric Talbot Chris Uminga George Webber Jeff Zapata The book will be released in both Red and Blue Label offerings, with each edition being signed by the creative team of John Layman and John McCrea, housed in a custom-built tray case and paired with hand-drawn cards. Red Label books (250 total) will include one sketch card, while each Blue Label edition (50 total) will be packaged with a four-card puzzle-set. Available for pre-order now, get your copy immediately earthlings!  http://idwlimited.com/series/mars-attacks.html MARS ATTACKS: ATTACK FROM SPACE DELUXE LIMITED EDITION (RED-$125.00; BLUE-$400; 124 pages; 11” x 7.3”; hardcover)

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, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; HBO’s True Blood; 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.

The 2013 JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO WELCOMES DIRECTOR SHINSUKE SATO AS A SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOR FOR THE EXCLUSIVE U.S. PREMIERE OF HIS LATEST FILM LIBRARY WARS

Award Winning Director Of GANTZ, GANTZ II And SAND CHRONICLES Makes A Rare U.S. Personal Appearance For S.F. Bay Area’s First Dedicated Japanese Film Festival Taking Place At NEW PEOPLE Cinema

San Francisco, CA, May 29, 2013 – The 2013 J-POP Summit Festival, the popular yearly San Francisco summertime Japanese Pop Culture celebration, has announced director Shinsuke Sato as the first Guest of Honor for its inaugural Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF), the first fully-dedicated annual Japanese film event for the S.F. Bay Area, taking place at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema beginning Saturday, July 27^th through Sunday August 4^th.

Director Shinsuke Sato will appear for the very special U.S. premiere of his latest film, Library Wars, on Friday, August 2^nd at 7:00pm, and Saturday, August 3^rd at 1:10pm. The film is a new live-action sci-fi adventure adapted from the bestselling novel and anime series originally written by Hiro Arikawa. In addition to introducing his new film, Sato will engage in an insightful Q&A session with audiences immediately following each theatrical screening.

The Japan Film Festival of San Francisco invites attendees to catch more than 15 films, representing a vivid cross-section of recent Japanese live-action as well as anime cinema, that will have their exclusive U.S. and/or San Francisco premiere at NEW PEOPLE Cinema. The Festival will also be a prominent feature of the 2013 J-POP Summit Festival, taking place across Japantown on Saturday and Sunday, July 27^th and 28^th. A complete schedule of films and advance ticket information is available on www.jffsf.org.

Library Wars is set in the year 2019 in Japan, a new law is passed to crack down on free expression, which allows for the government to create an armed force to find and destroy objectionable printed material. Meanwhile, to oppose this oppressive crackdown, the Library Force is created. The Library Force includes instructor Atsushi Dojo (Junichi Okada) and Iku Kasahara (Nana Eikura), who work to protect the libraries. A fierce battle soon ensues between these two groups.

“It’s a tremendous honor to welcome director Shinsuke Sato as a very special Guest of Honor for our first annual Japan Film Festival of San Francisco,” says Manami Iiboshi, the Executive Director of Japan Film Festival of San Francisco. “His newest film, Library Wars, takes the battle for free speech in an action-packed new direction that shows his creativity and prowess as a filmmaker. We look forward to audiences having this rare opportunity to meet and interact with one of Japan’s most visionary directors at the kick-off of a unique new annual film festival celebrating the best of new Japanese cinema!”

Director Shinsuke Sato was born in 1970 in Hiroshima, Japan. In 1993, while attending Musashino Art University, he wrote the screenplay and directed the 16mm short film, Ryonai Genshuku, which won the 1994 Pia Film Festival Grand Prize. This success launched his career as a film and television drama screenwriter. In 2001, he made his major debut as a director with LOVE SONG. Sato followed this project with The Princess Blade, which was screened at numerous film festivals around the world and distributed in over 20 countries including the United States and United Kingdom. In 2003, the feature film was released in North America and received tremendous critical acclaim.

In the fall of 2007, Sato directed the film, Sand Chronicles, which was also based on a popular manga comic series and became a major Japanese office hit. In 2009, he collaborated with Production I.G. and Fuji Television on the full-length animated film, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, as a screenwriter and director. Oblivion Island was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 33^rd Japan Academy Awards. At Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival 2010, the film was also awarded the Jury Prize – Special Mention for the Best Animated Feature Film, and at the 14^th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival, it won the Special Jury Prize in the feature films category. In 2010, Sato directed GANTZ and the sequel, GANTZ II: Perfect Answer, which were also based on hugely popular Japanese anime and manga series. Both films became box office hits. The films are distributed in the U.S. by NEW PEOPLE Entertainment.

NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX^®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and entertaining events. www.newpeoplecinema.com

About J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL

The J-POP SUMMIT FESTIVAL is an annual Japanese Pop Culture celebration that features live bands and artists from Japan, pop culture panel discussions, film premieres, fashion and DJ dance events, and celebrity appearances. The Festival is hosted by NEW PEOPLE in cooperation with the Japantown Merchants Association. In 2012, the two-day event attracted 65,000 attendees.

Additional information about the J-POP Summit Festival is available at J-POP.com.

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Director Shinsuke Sato

“Beautifully filmed, engagingly good and filled

with the most gorgeous men on TV.”

– Linda Stasi, New York Post

ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT

BRINGS YOU THE FINAL CHAPTER

“SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED

THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON”

ON BLU-RAY™ AND DVD SEPTEMBER 3^rd

Three-Disc Set Contains All 10 Episodes and Bonus Features!

Beverly Hills, CA – All hail the conquering hero for his final and fiercest battle.  Anchor Bay Entertainment releases the conclusion of the acclaimed Starz Original series “SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON” on a mighty three-disc Blu-ray™ and DVD set September 3^rd.  From executive producers Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Josh Donen and Steven S. DeKnight here are all 10 heroic episodes, plus bonus features including ‘Making of’ featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage, a fun farewell and much more!  Plus the Blu-ray™ contains exclusive extended episodes and audio commentaries from cast and creators. SRP is $59.99 for the Blu-ray™ and $49.98 for the DVD.  Pre-book is August 7^th.

“The final season of Spartacus was an emotional journey for all involved and hopefully a satisfying conclusion for the fans," says creator and executive producer Steven S. DeKnight.  "We wanted to make the Blu-ray™ and DVD release reflect our gratitude for their enthusiastic support.  It's packed with bonus features, extended episodes and commentary tracks that add an extra, exciting dimension to the world of Spartacus.”

“SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON” takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius.  These victories have not only forged the legend of Spartacus, but have greatly increased the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000.  Rome is indeed beginning to tremble at the threat Spartacus now represents.

Bonus Features:

• SPARTACUS: The Legend Retold                       
• The Price Of Being A Gladiator                 
• A Bloody Farewell               
• The Spoils Of War Revealed: Visual Effects                     
• Adorning The Damned                   
• The Mind Behind SPARTACUS
• BLU-RAY™ EXCLUSIVES – Extended Episodes and Audio Commentaries!                       

“SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON” features Liam McIntyre (Radev) in the role of Spartacus, Manu Bennett (30 Days of Night) as Crixus, Dustin Clare (“Underbelly”) as Gannicus, Dan Feuerriegel (“Home and Away”) as Agron, Simon Merrells (The Wolfman) as Crassus, Todd Lasance (“Cloudstreet”) as Caesar and Cynthia Addai-Robinson (“FlashForward”) as Naevia.

This is it - an epic conclusion to a legendary journey, “SPARTACUS: WAR OF THE DAMNED - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON” is the greatest battle of them all.

About Anchor Bay Entertainment

Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading home entertainment company.  Anchor Bay acquires and distributes feature films, original television programming, including STARZ Original series, children's entertainment, anime (Manga Entertainment), fitness (Anchor Bay Fitness), sports, and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray™ formats.  The company has long term distribution agreements in place for select programming with AMC Networks, RADiUS, and The Weinstein Company. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Anchor Bay Entertainment (www.anchorbayentertainment.com) is a Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) business, www.starz.com.

About Starz

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies.  As of March 31, 2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 56.7 million subscribers, including 21.6 million at STARZ, and 35.1 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S.  STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks’ third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television.  Starz Distribution’s home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties.  Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

Once and Future Finally Meet

in Series Finale of MERLIN

‘The Diamond of the Day, Part 2’ debuts Friday, May 31, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy,

capping five seasons of popular adventure series

‘Merlin is hope,’ says actor Colin Morgan

Magic is forever … but MERLIN comes to an enthralling end after five triumphant seasons when its final episode, “The Diamond of the Day, Part 2,” premieres this Friday, May 31, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Syfy.

As “The Diamond of the Day” begins, a great battle rages on Camlann's mighty plain. Merlin must face his moment of destiny: Can he find the strength to save the man he made a King, the Camelot they fought to build, and the brotherhood they shared?

Just as fantasy formed the basis of all 65 episodes, Colin Morgan has been the series’ constant heart as its titular warlock. (Despite many erroneous reports, Merlin is actually not a wizard.)

From his initial days as a naïve apprentice striving to understand and master his powers to the full-fledge greatest warlock to ever live, Merlin has grown before viewers’ eyes – as has Morgan in bringing the character to life.

“It’s been a great adventure, and I’ve learned so much,” Morgan says. “When we started, everything was new. It was my first real role, so everything seemed like a new experience: new lessons, new friends, new adventures. It wasn’t just Merlin coming into his own; I was growing up in front of the camera, too.”

There are a lot of parallels for the character and the show. As Merlin matured, so did the storylines. The darker, more adult stories went hand-in-hand with Merlin’s life lessons. No matter the peril, Merlin was the optimistic compass for the series.

“Merlin is hope,” says Morgan. “He’s the optimist in the story, the believer that there is a positive destiny for Arthur and Camelot. He knows it in his heart, and nothing will change that belief. He knows they can overcome the impossible, and Merlin faces a lot of impossible situations. That stays true to the very end.”

And the end is what viewers around the globe have been discussing. The final scene of the series was met with great intrigue in its initial airing in the U.K., staying faithful to the MERLIN tradition of unconventional telling in regard to the “once and future king” legend.

“There were surprises along the way” admits Morgan. “Our producers took a well-known, loved legend and told the story as they wanted to tell it, right down to the final shot of the final episode. They surprised me with that script – in a good way. It’s exactly the way it should be. I think the fans will treasure the ending.”

As producers/creators Johnny Capps and Julian Jones have stated, five was always the magic number of seasons for MERLIN.

“I really believe the show progressed quite naturally through its five years and really grew to a point where the fifth season was our best,” Morgan says. “It’s a very strong ending: powerful, emotional, fulfilling. I think fans will be very satisfied.”

Bid farewell to five wonderful seasons of MERLIN this Friday, May 31 at 10 p.m. ET/PT when “The Diamond of the Day, Part 2” debuts only on Syfy.

All five seasons of MERLIN are now available on DVD, Blu-ray and on iTunes, and seasons 1 through 4 are available on Netflix. Be sure to follow the latest news on MERLIN at the Official Merlin page on Facebook.

Ashley Eckstein and Her Universe Bringing a Galaxy of New Star Wars™ Fangirl
Fashions to Star Wars Celebration Europe in Essen, Germany

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29th, 2013 - For the first time, actress and entrepreneur, Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars has partnered with Reed Exhibitions to bring her fangirl fashion apparel company, Her Universe™, to Celebration Europe July 26th thru the 28th in Essen, Germany. Eckstein will be personally meeting and greeting fans in the Her Universe shop in the official Celebration store and providing styling tips as well as signing autographs with Official Pix in the autograph section.

"I have been trying to make my Her Universe designs available to our European fans for a long time," said Eckstein. "There are fangirls all over the world and I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to bring my Her Universe shop to Celebration Germany!"

Star Wars fans attending Celebration Europe in July will have a real treat as Eckstein is bringing 200 of her exclusive Return of the Jedi 30th anniversary necklaces to Germany. Each necklace comes with an autograph certificate by Eckstein. They will be first come, first serve. In addition, she will be bringing a selection of designs for female fans of all ages including dresses, tunics and fashion tops. Highlights include an exclusive design by Clone Wars Supervising Director Dave Filoni featuring Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, limited to only 200, as well as a Celebration Europe exclusive Darth Vader dress using art Eckstein has loved from Japanese tea towels.

Star Wars Celebration Europe is being held at Messe Essen in Essen, Germany July 26th-28th. It is produced by Reed Exhibitions in partnership with and under the authorization of Lucasfilm Ltd. For more information on Star Wars Celebration Europe including activities, guests and where to purchase tickets go to: http://www.starwarscelebration.eu/Home/

Photo credit: - Kelsey Edwards Photography- http://www.kelseyedwardsphoto.com/ and Preston Mack Photography - www.pmack.com

About Her Universe 
Her Universe was launched in 2009 by actress and entrepreneur Ashley Eckstein, and her partner, The Araca Group, known as one of the most innovative theatrical production and merchandise companies in the world. Her Universe was created to directly address the expanding market of female fans by entering into its first agreement with Lucas Licensing to develop and produce a line of female-centered Star Wars apparel and accessories. The success of that line was followed up with a collection for the Syfy network including such shows as Battlestar Galactica and with BBC America for Doctor Who and with CBS Consumer Products for Star Trek. You can learn more about Her Universe and purchase the current line of fangirl apparel and accessories by going to www.heruniverse.com and by following Eckstein on Facebook (facebook.com/HerUniverse) and Twitter (twitter.com/HerUniverse).



Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM & © 2013 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

This Return of the Jedi necklace honors the 30th Anniversary of the epic film. Her Universe has only made 1,250 necklaces to celebrate the anniversary.  This extremely limited edition piece will come with an autographed certificate by Eckstein and will only be sold at Disney's Star Wars Weekends, San Diego Comic Con and Celebration Germany. 200 necklaces will be available in Germany and they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

Feel the Power of the dark side as you pretend to be Darth Vader in this super flattering and stylish A-line dress. Subtle yet recognizable to any Star Wars fan, you'll impress others with this fashion twist on Darth Vader's famous wardrobe.

Perfect for spring and summer, this A-line Rogue Squadron dress features the Rebel Alliance symbol on the front and the title "Rogue Squadron" on the back!

Ashley was honored to have Dave Filoni, Supervising Director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars design another shirt for Her Universe. Inspired by the final scene from Season 5, this shirt features Ahsoka walking away from Anakin who is left with her Padawan beads in his hand. This is a limited edition shirt and will only be available for a short time.

Celebration brings Star Wars fans together from all over the world and so Ashley felt that it was only appropriate to represent several different cultures all on one shirt. This design features the famous line "May The Force Be With You" in multiple languages! Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Italian and many other languages are represented in the form of the opening crawl of Star Wars!

Revisit the dark side in this retro tee featuring the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, Darth Vader! This is a recreation of a popular shirt back from the 80's.

For the 30th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi we used this well-known design from the classic Han Solo Underoo’s set for kids, from the 80's, on this new retro tee.

This gorgeous artwork featuring Padme Amidala is the perfect complement to our previous best-selling Her Universe Padme Nouveau shirt.

When Ahsoka got a new costume in Season 3 women and girls wanted to Cosplay as her! The costume is very difficult to make so Ashley wanted to provide an easier and more comfortable way to dress up as one of your favorite characters. This tunic is extremely comfortable and even comes with thumbholes!

Cosplaying Princess Leia has never been so comfortable! Pretend to be everyone's favorite Self Rescuing Princess with this costume hoodie from Her Universe. By wearing this lightweight zip-hoodie you can be Princess Leia with the hood up or just geek chic with the hood down.

By popular demand, Ashley heard the requests to create a scaled down version of our popular adult Princess Leia hoodie for young girls. Now, here it is! Slip the hoodie on, buns and all, and you instantly become a self-rescuing princess!

Everyone's favorite little droid comes to life in this ultra comfortable R2-D2 hooded tunic -available in both adult and youth sizes!

Everyone's favorite little droid comes to life in this ultra comfortable R2-D2 hooded tunic -available in both adult and youth sizes!

THE SLACKER SUPERHERO SELLS OUT

THE BOUNCE #1 gets second printing

The first issue of Joe Casey's and David Messina's new series THE BOUNCE has sold out the same week of its release and will receive a second printing, to be in stores on June 26. THE BOUNCE is a comic about a new kind of superhero, infused with a psychedelic sensibility and definite sense of fun.

"All of us working on THE BOUNCE are more than gratified that people seem to give a damn," said writer and co-creator Casey. "The first issue is just the beginning, though. Stick around and you won't be sorry.  Meanwhile, there's no better feeling in the world than selling out at Image Comics!"

THE BOUNCE #1 has been received with critical success:

"Casey and Messina have delivered a far more honest kind of superhero, and it's a welcome change of pace."

- Uproxx

"...off to a strong start with fantastic art and enough zany ideas to make Stan Lee jealous."

- Unleash the Fanboy

"Casey has revitalized superhero comics in The Bounce #1."

- Geeks of Doom

The second printing of THE BOUNCE #1 is available for pre-order now (Diamond code APR138113) and will be in stores the same day as the second issue, June 26. THE BOUNCE #2 will feature a special variant cover by Sara Pichelli.

THE BOUNCE follows on the heels of Joe Casey's hit new series SEX (drawn by Piotr Kowalksi), which has had multiple sell-outs and reprints of its first two issues.

Casey is part of of the creative studio Man of Action.

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ABOUT IMAGE COMICSImage 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.

About Man of Action Studios

Man of Action Studios, the bi-coastal entertainment company started in 2000, created the megahit Ben 10, a three billion dollar boys' action empire that has been called the most successful superhero launch of the past three decades and a hit across every platform making it the ultimate transmedia success story. Man of Action Studios consists of creators and acclaimed comic book writers Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle. The quartet collectively worked on the largest franchise characters in comics from Superman to X-Men before refocusing on creating worlds/characters for their own original comic books and graphic novels published through their Man of Action imprint at Image Comics. They also created cult favorite series Generator Rex for Cartoon Network and are co-executive producers and writers for Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD, the network's #1 rated animated show. In May, Disney XD previews Marvel's Avengers Assemble, debuting this July, so they again called upon Man of Action Studios as the writers and executive producers for their biggest launch yet. Man of Action Studios are also executive producers on the new international Gormiti series as well as their upcoming original animated series, The 7Cs, produced by Sam-Zag. Beyond the world of animation, Man of Action Studios has created wildly successful video games, toy lines, comic books, stage productions, as well as forthcoming feature films and live action television shows, some of which are based on their own created and written comic book series and original graphic novels. Upcoming films based upon Man of Action creations include New Line's The Great Unknown based upon Rouleau's comic book series, and Big Hero 6, created by Rouleau and Seagle, announced as Disney's first animated feature based on a Marvel property. Man of Action Studios is a creative collective that generates and adapts ideas into the highest-rated television shows and best-selling merchandise in the US and internationally. A large contingent of international content creators also seek the MOA expertise to bridge the culture gap on projects ranging from SpinMaster's highly successful Bakugan franchise to Nickelodeon's new series, Monsuno. Man of Action Studios has been called "The Beatles of boys' action projects… minus the internal strife."