TALISMEN RETURNS FROM EXILE IN NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL

Full color fantasy graphic novel to be released in July

Ann Arbor, MI.  Talismen: Return of the Exile will be one of Caliber Comics’ initial releases and scheduled to hit comic shops in July, 2014.

The fantasy story tells the tale of Marine Corporal Ollie Steele who is about to be executed by terrorists when he finds himself magically transported to the Plane of Imaginings, the land where dreams and nightmares originate. In this  dreamland village, Ollie is told that  he has been there before, and that he is destined to save them from the neighboring realm of nightmares.  . There is also a young woman named Astrina who insists she and Ollie are destined to fall in love.  Ollie is in a world of imagination yet one that can be all too real.

Talismen will be relased as a full color graphic novel and is written by Steve Jones and illustrated by Barb Jones, the creator and co-writer.  It had originated years ago as a web comic and the graphic novel concludes the storyline and brings it together.  During iits online run, Talismen was nominated for the Web Cartoonist' Choice Award.

In addition to the graphic novel, Talismen will be supported by a young adult novel, Talismen: The Knightmare Knife which explores Ollie’s first excursion into the Plane when he was only twelve years old.  Both the graphic novel and young adult novel are designed as standalone stories.

Publisher Gary Reed feels that Talismen has a large potential audience, “it has a maturity about it although it is a young adult graphic novel. The writing fits perfectly and the art has a lot of appeal.  Barb does an excellent blend of manga and Disney with a little bit of Chuck Jones drawn in there.”  Reed said that the online comic is no longer available and hasn’t been for awhile but digital versions will be made available after the release of the book via Diamond Distributors.

The Diamond order code is MAY141238.  The full color graphic novel is $16.99.
Isbn: 978-0-9960306-1-8.  104 pages.

"A beautifully drawn fantasy with a cool contemporary twist."
- Aldin Baroza -- (Family Guy, Hey, Arnold! The Movie)

 "An engaging and entertaining tale. Harkens back to the glory days of Elfquest." - Phil Hester -- (Green Arrow, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents)

 "Well-developed characters...great intrigue..."
- Dan Jurgens -- (Death Of Superman, 52)

About Caliber Comics: 
Caliber relaunched in February of 2014 after a hiatus since 2000.  In the 1990’s, they were one of the leading independent comic companies that helped to launch the careers of dozens of today’s top creators.  They offer a wide diverse line of books with emphasis on creator owned titles.

About Barb Jacobs:
Barb is the creator and artist on Talismen which ran as a webcomic before she started on her next series, Xyliatales.  Both have had successful runs but she had to reduce her workload in order to spend more time with her family.

About Steve Jones:
Steve has written for numerous companies including Eternity, Marvel, Adventure, IDW, Caliber, and more.  His comic titles include: Reanimator, Invader from Mars, Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, and more.  He also teaches Comic Writing and has written a number of novels.  He also just released an index to the works of Clive Cussler.