Friday, December 11, 2015

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES 2016 'FREE COMIC BOOK DAY' GOLD OFFERING

Hellboy! Aliens! Serenity!
DECEMBER 10, 2015, MILWAUKIE, OR—What makes a trip to your local comic shop even better? Free copies of your favorite Dark Horse titles for Free Comic Book Day 2016!
Need a reason to pick up Dark Horse Comics’ 2016 Free Comic Book Day offering?
Here’s three!
• An unforgettable lesson from Hellboy’s past is shared by the world’s greatest paranormal investigator!
• A peek into the Aliens: Defiance series reveals an original tale of terror!
• From the world of Joss Whedon, an update on the crew of the Serenity, following the film and the 2014 smash-hit series Leaves on the Wind!
2016 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Aliens film, and now there’s a new xenomorph tale of terror! Brian Wood (The Massive, Rebels, Demo) and Tristan Jones (Ghostbusters, TMNT) tell a story linked to the highly anticipated new series Aliens: Defiance, which hits stands April 27.
Comics legends Mike Mignola (Frankenstein Underground, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.) and Richard Corben (Hellboy: House of the Living Dead, Rat God, Edgar Allan Poe’s Spirits of the Dead) team up for a brand-new Hellboy story set in 1954.
And Chris Roberson (Aliens: Fire and Stone, Hellboy) pens an all-new chapter in Joss Whedon’s Serenity ’verse, illustrated by Stephen Byrne.
Dark Horse offers up the best of the very best for next year’s Free Comic Book Day, taking place exclusively at your local comic shop on May 7, 2015.
 
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 Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
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VIZ MEDIA OPENS 2016 WITH THE LAUNCH OF SHOJO MANGA SERIES HONEY SO SWEET

An Act Of Kindness From Her Past Leads To An Unlikely Romance Between A Nice Girl And Her High School’s Most Notorious Delinquent

San Francisco, CA, December 10, 2015 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, delivers its first shojo series of the year with the launch of HONEY SO SWEET on January 5th.

Manga creator Amu Meguro delivers an endearing romantic comedy about an unlikely relationship that blossoms between a pair of seemingly mismatched high school students. HONEY SO SWEET is her first title to be published in English.

The series is rated ‘T’ for Teen and will be published in print under the Shojo Beat imprint with an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. HONEY SO SWEET also launches digitally on January 5th via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. New volumes will be released on a quarterly basis.

Little did Nao Kogure realize that back in middle school when she left an umbrella and a box of bandages in the rain for injured delinquent Taiga Onise she would meet him again in high school. Nao wants nothing to do with the gruff and frightening Taiga, but he suddenly presents her with a huge bouquet of flowers and asks her to date him – with marriage in mind! Is Taiga really so scary, or is he a sweetheart in disguise?

“Enchanting, fanciful artwork and an endearing ensemble cast make HONEY SO SWEET a special new series for our readers,” says Nancy Thistlethwaite, Senior Editor. “Amu Meguro is a talented new force on the shojo manga scene and fans will not want to miss the debut of this heartwarming romance.”

Newcomer Amu Meguro debuted with her one-shot manga, A Kiss for a Bright Red Apple. HONEY SO SWEET is her current series and runs in the Japanese shojo manga magazine Bessatsu Margaret.

For additional information on HONEY SO SWEET or other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and ONE PIECE, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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HoneySoSweet-GN01Comp
HONEY © 2012 by Amu Meguro/SHUEISHA Inc.
IMAGE/SKYBOUND RELEASE THREE VARIANT COVERS TO CELEBRATE THE WALKING DEAD’S 150TH ISSUE

To commemorate the 150th issue of THE WALKING DEAD, Image/Skybound has enlisted the talents of veteran artists Jason Latour (SOUTHERN BASTARDS), Tony Moore (THE WALKING DEAD) and Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE) for three special variant covers in addition to the previously revealed Charlie Adlard cover and blank sketch variant. Additional credits for THE WALKING DEAD #150 include Stefano Gaudiano (inks), Cliff Rathburn (tones), and Rus Wooton (lettering). This special extra-sized anniversary issue will be available in stores on January 13th.
“It's indisputable that reaching issue 150 is a huge achievement in comics. Charlie Adlard and Team Walking Dead have been working tirelessly for over a decade to get us to this milestone and now it's time to celebrate. It's an honor to have comic book pals Jason Latour and Ryan Ottley bringing their vision to these iconic characters. Additionally, words cannot describe how excited I am to have Tony Moore, artist of the first 6 issues, returning to provide a cover for this special event,” said THE WALKING DEAD creator Robert Kirkman.
THE WALKING DEAD #150, Cover A by Adlard & Stewart (Diamond code: NOV150561*), Cover B sketch variant (Diamond code: NOV150562*), Cover C by Latour (Diamond code: OCT158896*), Cover D by Moore (Diamond code:OCT158897*), and Cover E by Ottley (Diamond code OCT158898*) will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, January 13th. The final order cutoff deadline for comic book retailers is Monday, December 21st
*This cover is fully orderable.



                     





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, fantasy, 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 SKYBOUND ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2010, Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform entertainment company specializing in television, comics, film, digital content, interactive, gaming, and merchandise. The company is led by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and his longtime producing and business partner David Alpert.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Time's Up for 'The Last Contract'

The Last Contract #1 Main Cover
The Last Contract #1 Main Cover by Lisandro Estherren

The Last Contract #1 Incentive Cover
The Last Contract #1 Incentive Cover by Vanesa R. Del Rey
 
December 10, 2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - You never know when your past might come back to haunt you. Ed Brisson (Batman & Robin Eternal, Sheltered) and newcomer Lisandro Estherren (Tall Tales from the Badlands) turn the tables on a retired hitman in their original noir limited series The Last Contract, coming this January from award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios.
 
A retired, 80-year-old hitman, known only as “The Man,” is forced back into the game when a list of his kills is leaked by a mysterious blackmailer. The list makes targets out of anyone associated with one of the The Man’s previous jobs, not to mention The Man himself. As he fights to protect those the list exposes, The Man sets off to uncover the identity of the blackmailer so he can move on with his new life once and for all, but will the truth ruin those chances forever?
 
“Ed has taken a genre we’re already huge fans of and given it a twist, taking a hitman who’s well past his prime and forcing him to jump back into the game,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Lisandro’s noirish art couldn’t be a better fit for The Last Contract; this is our first time working with him and he’s proved to be a major talent right out of the gate.”
 
The Last Contract #1 (of 4) arrives in comic shops on January 6th with a main cover by series artist Lisandro Estherren for the price of $3.99 under Diamond order code NOV151138. Also available in a limited quality is a retailer incentive cover by Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award-nominated artist Vanesa R. Del Rey (Scarlet Witch, Klaus).

The Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is December 14th. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one!
 
 
ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates New York Times best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic books and graphic novels. BOOM! Studios is comprised of four distinct imprints: the "Studios" imprint is home to The Woods, Grant Morrison's Klaus, and Big Trouble in Little China; imprint "BOOM! Box" publishes Lumberjanes, Steve Jackson Games' Munchkin, and Giant Days; All-Ages imprint "KaBOOM!" publishes Charles Schulz’ Peanuts; Jim Davis’ Garfield; and Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time. And the "Archaia" imprint is home to Mouse Guard, Cow Boy, and numerous Jim Henson Company properties. Since 2013, BOOM! Studios has had a unique first-look feature film relationship with 20th Century Fox and since August 2014 BOOM! has had a similar first-look relationship with Fox' television studio to develop properties for the small screen.

CULLEN BUNN DISCOVERS “REMAINS” IN “DEATH FOLLOWS”


THE DEVIL HAS COME TO CALL . . .
DECEMBER 10, 2015, MILWAUKIE, OR—This spring Dark Horse Books is pleased to offer a graphic novel collecting never-before-printed material from Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Sixth Gun) in Death Follows!
Originally debuting digitally through Monkeybrain as The Remains, Death Follows is horrifically and beautifully realized by A. C. Zamudio and Carlos Nicolas Zamudio. The print collection contains the original prose story by Cullen Bunn and a new cover by Simon Bisley.
Death Follows is the darkest story I’ve written. It’s a supernatural horror tale set in rural North Carolina, the story of a mysterious farmhand who shows up at a struggling farm looking for work—and brings a nightmarish cycle of events with him,” remarked Bunn. “It starts with a simple (if somewhat strange) line: ‘The dead rats danced the day the hired man came around.’”
Birdie, her sister, their pregnant mother, and their frail father all live together on a struggling farm. When an itinerant farmhand named Cole comes to their aid, the children should be relieved. Instead, they find their lives spiraling into nightmare, as Cole regards Birdie’s sister with menacing desire. To make matters much worse, wherever he goes, the dead grow restless. As the horror threatens to consume her home and her family, Birdie is haunted by a chilling warning: Some secrets are meant only for the dead.
“The mystery and dread build to a horrific conclusion. It’s the stuff of nightmares, to be sure. I think readers of Harrow County will absolutely love this book,” added Bunn.
Death Follows is in stores May 25, 2016. Preorder your copy today at your local comic shop or through these fine retailers:
Praise for Death Follows:
“Bunn has crafted a simple tale of horror around a questionable love of rodents to create a chilling tale of lost innocence and threatening strangers.”—Bloody Disgusting
“Bunn has proven that he is more than capable at telling scary stories.”—All-Comic
“The last time a comic made the hair stand up on the back of my neck like this was Locke & Key, and that’s saying something.”—Comicosity
Also available from Cullen Bunn:
Harrow County Volume 1: Countless Haints TPB | 978-1-61655-780-5 | AUG150030 | $14.99
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 Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
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Rom the Space Knight Makes Triumphant Return to Comics!
IDW and Hasbro Proudly Present the Return of ROM
on Free Comic Book Day 2016

San Diego, CA (December 10, 2015) – Rom the Space Knight began life as one of the first LED-driven action figures in the late 1970s, then went on to much more acclaim as a comic book hero. Now, removed from comics for over three decades, the character is being given new life in Rom the Space Knight, an all-new comic book series from IDW Publishing.

Rom the Space Knight #0 will make its debut on the first Saturday in May as IDW’s “Gold” offering for Free Comic Book Day. The annual FCBD event sees thousands upon thousands of comics from all publishers given away for free at participating comic shops. The comic will be co-written by IDW Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall and acclaimed comic-book/TV writer Christos Gage. Art on Rom #0 will be handled by David Messina, who will also be sharing artistic duties on the ongoing Rom series. The cover art for Rom #0 is by the Wild Blue Yonder team of Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel.

“It’s no hyperbole for me to say that launching a new Rom comic is one of the things we’ve most wanted to make happen for fans,” said Chris Ryall. “I know this because I’m one of them. The character has been absent from comics for too long and we can’t wait to introduce this all-new version to the world.”

Rom the Space Knight tells the story of Rom, a member of the benevolent Solstar Order and greatest of the Space Knights, interstellar soldiers in a centuries-old war with the Dire Wraiths. The Wraiths are a race of alien invaders who’ve destroyed many planets and infiltrated Earth for nefarious purposes.

Rom the Space Knight #0 will feature an introductory 10-page story of Rom’s arrival on Earth, an incident that sets up an ongoing Rom series launching in July 2016.

“Many people have only heard of Rom but that’s it,” continued Ryall. “And those that do know of his past iteration might have some preconceived notion of what this series will be. And while we can promise that the DNA of the character as established with the original toy remains intact, there will be surprises galore as people experience a new universe built entirely around Rom and company.”

As an added bonus, the issue will contain additional content including character sketches, creator interviews and a glimpse of things to come. This debut represents a major launch for IDW and Hasbro next year, and this special first story will be free throughout the universe next May!


ABOUT HASBRO

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences, by leveraging its beloved brands, including LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, PLAY-DOH and TRANSFORMERS, and premier partner brands. From toys and games, television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and lifestyle licensing, Hasbro fulfills the fundamental need for play and connection with children and families around the world. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, ALLSPARK PICTURES, create entertainment brand-driven storytelling across mediums, including television, film, digital and more. Through the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).
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About IDW
IDW Publishing 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, MY LITTLE PONY and JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS; Paramount/CBS’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho’s Godzilla; Twentieth Century Fox’s The X-Files; Sony’s Ghostbusters, Temple Street Productions’ Orphan Black; multiple monthly DISNEY titles; and many more licensed and creator-driven titles.

IDW Publishing is also home to acclaimed imprints such as; The Library of American Comics, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio; and the multiple award-winning IDW Artist’s Edition line. In 2015, IDW acquired Top Shelf Productions, an award-winning publisher of graphic novels. Top Shelf is known for publishing works of literary sophistication, including the #1 New York Times and Washington Post Best Seller March by Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell and the authorized graphic-novel adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

IDW Games publishes both creator-owned and licensed tabletop games. The division was launched in 2014 and has quickly found success with one of the top-selling card games of the year with the Award-Winning Japanese import card game, Machi Koro.

IDW Entertainment was started in 2013 to fund, develop, and produce television series based on IDW properties. IDW Entertainment is currently in development with a slate of properties for television including Wynonna Earp, licensed to Syfy and premiering in early 2016; Brooklyn Animal Control, sold to USA Network with executive producers David Goyer (DaVinci’s Demons, Dark Knight Rises) and Circle of Confusion (Walking Dead); and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, sold to BBC America with writer/executive producer Max Landis (Chronicle).

IDW Entertainment also has several active theatrical projects in development, including Zombies vs. Robots, which is in development as a major motion picture with Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and Sony.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

DARK HORSE COMICS TO PUBLISH “THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS”

Featuring Contributions by Superstar Writers and Artists Margaret Atwood,
Marjorie Liu, Noelle Stevenson, Mariko Tamaki, Editor Hope Nicholson, and More
December 9, 2015—Dark Horse Comics announced today plans to publish the highly anticipated anthology The Secret Loves of Geek Girls. Editor Hope Nicholson has assembled a dazzling mix of prose, comics, and illustrated stories about love, dating, and sex featuring more than fifty creators, including Booker Award–winning novelist Margaret Atwood (The Heart Goes Last), Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer), Trina Robbins (Wonder Woman), Gisèle Lagacé (Ménage à 3), Marguerite Bennett (A-Force), Marjorie Liu (Monstress), and Carla Speed McNeil (Finder). It also features a foreword by Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet) and a new cover by Noelle Stevenson (Nimona). Originally funded via a high-profile Kickstarter campaign, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls will be available from Dark Horse Comics in both comic book stores and bookstores in October 2016.
“These are the stories we bond over when we get together at a comic con, play video games, and marathon Star Trek,” said Hope Nicholson. “They are stories about the loves of our lives (both real and fictional!), and our embarrassing moments as we grow and learn more about the complex worlds of love and dating, especially as they relate to our fandom obsessions. All of the writers and artists involved—especially me—are incredibly excited to work with Dark Horse and bring our stories into comic and book stores worldwide.”
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls includes:

• Cartoons by award-winning novelist Margaret Atwood that detail her personal experiences as a young woman

• A comic by Fionna Adams and Jen Vaughn about what it’s like being a trans woman trying to figure out romantic and sexual inclinations while entrenched in comics

• A story by Mariko Tamaki and Fiona Smyth in which a seventeen-year-old Tamaki dreams of being Montreal’s first chubby Asian Frank N. Furter

• A story by Marguerite Bennett about fandom and how it allows us to say what we feel to our loved ones

• New comics by Meaghan Carter, Megan Kearney, ALB, Meags Fitzgerald, Gillian G., Diana Nock, Roberta Gregory, Laura Neubert, Sarah Winifred Searle, Natalie Smith, Jenn Woodall, and Irene Koh

• Illustrated stories by Janet Hetherington, Sam Maggs and Selena Goulding, Megan Lavey-Heaton and Isabelle Melançon, Cherelle Ann Sarah Higgins and Rachael Wells, Annie Mok, and Stephanie Cooke and Deena Pagliarello

• Prose stories by Brandy Dawley, Diana McCallum, Jen Aprahamian, Katie West, Adrienne Kress, Soha Kareem, Loretta Jean, J. M. Frey, Trina Robbins, Twiggy Tallant, Hope Nicholson, Crystal Skillman, Emma Woolley, Gita Jackson, Natalie Zina Walschots, Alicia Contestabile, Tini Howard, Cara Ellison, Jessica Oliver Proulx, and Erin Cossar
 
About Hope Nicholson
Hope Nicholson is a Winnipeg-based comic book publisher and owner of Bedside Press. She has previously championed the awareness of 1940s Canadian comic book history with her projects Nelvana of the Northern Lights & Brok Windsor, and as a producer and researcher on the documentary Lost Heroes. Recently, she was the editor of the aboriginal comic book anthology Moonshot and publisher of the anthology collection The Secret Loves of Geek Girls. She is the consulting editor on the upcoming Margaret Atwood & Johnnie Christmas series Angel Catbird (Dark Horse, 2016) and publisher of the upcoming reprint collection Fashion in Action by John K Snyder III (Bedside Press, 2016).
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 Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Geof Darrow, Brian Wood, Gail Simone, Stan Sakai, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends, such as Will Eisner, Milo Manara, Kazuo Koike, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, such as The Mask, Ghost, X, and Barb Wire. Its successful line of comics, manga, and products based on popular properties includes Dragon Age, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Tomb Raider, Halo, The Witcher, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
 
Bruce Timm, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Gene Ha Headline Artist Alley At Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, January 8-10

Peter Kuper, Billy Martin, Rafa Sandoval, Tom Cook, Sara Richard, Christos Gage, and Ruth Fletcher Gage Also Among Superstar Artists And Writers At New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

Gatecrasher Ring Of Fire _4 (June 2000). Cover.jpgNEW ORLEANS, December 8, 2015 Bruce Timm (“Harley Quinn,” “Batman: The Animated Series”), Jimmy Palmiotti (“Monolith,” “21 Down”), Amanda Conner (“The Pro,” “Codename Knockout”), Peter Kuper (“SPY vs. SPY,” “World War 3”), Gene Ha (“Justice League,” “Batman”), Billy Martin (“TMNT,” lead guitarist, Good Charlotte), Rafa Sandoval (“Action Comics,” “Catwoman”), Tom Cook (“He-Man,” “Superfriends”), Sara Richard (“My Little Pony,” “Jem and the Holograms”), Christos Gage and Ruth Fletcher Gage (Writer - [Netflix] “Daredevil”) are among the leading comics artists and writers scheduled to attend Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, January 8-10. It is the sixth visit to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and the first event on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con calendar.

Other superstars in Artist Alley in New Orleans include Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Rob Guillory and John Layman (“Chew”), Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), Danny Fingeroth (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man”), Dean Haspiel (“Bored to Death,” “Billy Dogma”), Ben Templesmith (“30 Days of Night,” “Fell”), Doug Sneyd (“Playboy”), Joe Eisma (“Morning Glories,” “Existence 3.0”) and many others.

Top celebrities attending the event include Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner , Hayley Atwell, Frank Grillo, Anthony Mackie and directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America ), Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Jenna Coleman (“Doctor Who”), Norman Reedus , Chandler Riggs, Jon Bernthal, Steven Yeun , Emily Kinney, Michael Cudlitz, and Scott Wilson (“The Walking Dead”), Ben McKenzie and Erin Richards (“Gotham”), William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”), Jason Isaacs ( Harry Potter, Cars 2), WWE® Hall of Famer Ric Flair ® and Diva Charlotte™, Edward James Olmos (“Battlestar Galactica,” Stand and Deliver ), and more.

Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. The first event on the 2016 Wizard World calendar, New Orleans show hours are Friday, January 8, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, January 9, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, January 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans, visit http://wizd.me/NewOrleansPR .

About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (http://www.wizardworld.com) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™, a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

The 2016 Wizard World Comic Con schedule is available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html .