Wednesday, December 30, 2015

MONSTRESS CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
First and second issues of new dark fantasy series from Liu and Takeda fast-tracked for third and second printings


New York Times bestselling author Marjorie Liu (Astonishing X-Men, Black Widow) and artist Sana Takeda (X-23, Ms. Marvel) launched their new fantasy adventure to early critical acclaim and have taken the comics industry by storm. Image Comics is pleased to announce that issues #1 and #2 are being fast-tracked for third and second printings, respectively, to keep up with the high customer demand.

Vox.com calls MONSTRESS “a world that is as heinous as it is dazzling” while The Hollywood Reporter says it is “full of hidden depths.” The Onion’s A.V. Club calls attention to a “sense of in-between-ness—the book neither traditionally Western nor manga, paced like a novel but drawn like a comic—[that] makes for an incredibly intriguing read.”

Steampunk meets Kaiju in MONSTRESS, an original fantasy epic for mature readers. Young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces. “Watching a series like Monstress come to life is one of the best parts of publishing comics,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Marjorie and Sana are both amazing talents and everyone here is so excited that all their hard work is resulting such a warm response from fans around the world.”

MONSTRESS #1 and #2 remain available for purchase across all digital platforms, including the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com), the official Image Comics iOS app, Comixology’s website (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.

MONSTRESS #1, third printing (Diamond Code NOV158340) and MONSTRESS #2, second printing (Diamond Code NOV158341) will arrive in stores on Wednesday, January 27th. Final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, January 4th.

MONSTRESS #3 (Diamond Code NOV150620) hits stores on Wednesday, January 20th.

    



ABOUT MARJORIE LIU

New York Times
bestselling and award-winning writer Marjorie Liu is best known for her fiction and comic books. She teaches comic book writing at MIT, and she leads a class on Popular Fiction at the Voices of Our Nation (VONA) workshop.
 
Ms. Liu is a highly celebrated comic book writer. Her extensive work with Marvel includes the bestselling Dark Wolverine series, NYX: No Way Home, X-23, and Black Widow: The Name of the Rose. She received national media attention for Astonishing X-Men, which featured the gay wedding of X-Man Northstar and was subsequently nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding media images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Ms. Liu also wrote the story for the animated film, Avengers Confidential: Black Widow and Punisher, which was produced by Marvel, Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
Her newest work is MONSTRESS, an original, creator-owned comic book series with Japanese artist (and X-23 collaborator) Sana Takeda. Published by Image in Fall 2015, MONSTRESS is set in an alternate, matriarchal 1920’s Asia and follows a girl’s struggle to survive the trauma of war. With a cast of girls and monsters and set against a richly imagined aesthetic of art deco-inflected steampunk, MONSTRESS #1 debuted to critical praise. The Hollywood Reporter remarked that the longer than typical first issue was “world-building on a scale rare in mainstream comics.”
Ms. Liu is also the author of more than 19 novels, most notably the urban fantasy series, Hunter Kiss, and the paranormal romance series, Dirk & Steele. Her novels have also been bestsellers on USA Today, which described Liu “as imaginative as she is prolific.” Her critically praised fiction has twice received the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, for THE MORTAL BONE (Hunter Kiss #6), and TIGER EYE (Dirk & Steele #1). TIGER EYE was the basis for a bestselling paranormal romance video game called Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box.
Liu has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, MTV, and been profiled in the Wall Street Journal.com, Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. She is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker, appearing on panels at San Diego Comic Con, the Tokyo Literary Festival, the New York Times Public Lecture series, Geeks Out; and the Asian American Writers Workshop. Her work has been published internationally, including Germany, France, Japan, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
Ms. Liu was born in Philadelphia, and has lived in numerous cities in the Midwest and Beijing. Prior to writing full-time, she was a lawyer. She currently resides in Boston.

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.
Christmas Comes Twice This Year!
BOOM! Studios Announces a
Second Printing for 'Klaus' #2

 
Klaus #2 2nd Print
Klaus #2 2nd Printing Cover by David Rubín
 
December 29,  2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Looks like there was one more present left under the Christmas tree! BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce that the second issue of Klaus, their hit original comic series by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora that details the epic origin of the one and only Santa Claus, has sold out through its first printing at the distributor level. The publisher has rushed to a second printing to fill demand.
 
Klaus #2 second print ships with a new cover by David Rubín (The Fiction) and carries a retail price of $3.99 under Diamond Code NOV158280. Orders close on January 4th, and copies are anticipated to be in stores on January 20th.
 
Set in a dark fantastic past of myth and magic, Klaus tells the story of how Santa Claus really came to be. Where did he begin? What was he like when he was young? And what happens when he faces his greatest challenge? Drawing on Santa Claus’ wilder roots in Viking lore and Siberian shamanism—taking in the creepier side of Christmas, and characters like the sinister Krampus—Klaus is “Santa Claus: Year One.” In issue #2, as the downtrodden people of the twon of Grimsvig struggle under totalitarian rule, Klaus stealthily evades the guard and slips magical, living toys into the poorest of homes to lift their spirits.
 
Praise for Klaus #2:
 
“...a great read, and its skillful reworking of myth is for all seasons.” - Comic Book Resources
 
“The combination of the book's violent action and the utter innocence and nobility of Klaus' quest make for a memorable combination.” - IGN
 
“...an intriguing concept that delivers a fun story, with some darker undertones.” - Comic Vine
 
“...effectively mixes classic fairy tales with modern grit to create a fitting holiday treat…” - Pop Matters
 
“...this is a story that is easy to get on board with and is shaping up to be a great run.” - Big Glasgow Comic Page

Comic book fans should bear in mind that first printings of Klaus #2 may still be found at the local comic shop nearest you. Not sure where your nearest comic retailer is? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one!

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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.
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT AND STORYBUNDLE LAUNCH BUNDLE,
BENEFITING TWO GREAT CAUSES

Continue the Spirit of Giving AND Receiving with
Dynamite's "Thrills and Chills" Bundle,
Benefiting the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
and Saved Whiskers Animal Rescue!



December 21, 2015, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Want to enjoy holiday cheer AND some great comics!? Dynamite Entertainment is once again teaming up with StoryBundle, the unique literature bundling site known for its support of indie authors, to host an all-new comic book and graphic novel promotion hosting over 2,500 pages of horror and fantasy-inspired stories! The "Pay What You Want" model lets readers pay as little as $5, with a portion of the proceeds contributed to two very important charitable organizations, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Saved Whiskers Animal Rescue. The more YOU give, the more THEY receive! YOU'LL receive MORE as well, with bonus comics unlocked at the $15 and $20 thresholds!
StoryBundle is offering a fixed set of Dynamite comics featuring iconic characters ranging from Vampirella to Herbert West, Evil Ernie and more in each bundle, but available ONLY till Thursday December 31st! With over 2,500 total pages available, this promotion has something for both longtime fans and newcomers, all empowered to decide how much they want to pay for awesome graphic fiction. StoryBundle has already sold hundreds of thousands of books through its popular horror, fantasy, video game and sci-fi book bundles, and now offer readers to expand their experience to include these newly-offered Dynamite digital stories. What better way is there than for fans to download and load up on great comics than this Story Bundle Offering?
"The Dynamite Fantasy and Horror StoryBundle is a great way for fans to check out some of the thrilling stories Dynamite has to offer." says Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment.  "We're incredibly fortunate to be working with such talented writers as Dean Koontz, Patricia Briggs, Neil Gaiman, Leah Moore, John Reppion, Tim Seeley, Joe Harris, Marc Guggenheim, George RR Martin, Daniel Abraham and so many others, and being able to bring them to a new audience is incredibly rewarding."
"We're thrilled to partner with Dynamite for the 4th time to feature the Dynamite Fantasy and Horror bundle which has a huge variety of titles that make it our biggest and best comic bundle yet! Not only do we have the first four issues of the tremendously popular Game of Thrones, we have past StoryBundle participant Neil Gaiman returning with his The Last Temptation" said Jason Chen, Storybundle founder. "Add to that Dean Koontz's Fear Nothing plus Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Storm Front Vol. 1, along with 14 other tremendously entertaining titles, and we've got a collection that's perfect for you or any comic lover this holiday season."
The first tier of the all-new Dynamite StoryBundle, unlocked with a minimum purchase of $5, includes the following graphic novels:
Charlaine Harris' Grave Sight #1
Evil Ernie Vol 2: The Rise Of Evil Ernie
Raise The Dead #1-4
Dark Shadows #10 - 15
Vampirella Vol 3: Throne Of Skulls
The second tier of the Dynamite StoryBundle, unlocked upon reaching a $15.00 threshold, includes the following collected editions, increasing the total page count to over:
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files: Storm Front Vol 1
Lady Demon #1-4
Super Zombies #1-5
Alice Cooper Vol 1: Welcome To My Nightmare
Dead Irons
The third tier of the Dynamite StoryBundle, unlocked upon reaching a $20.00 threshold, includes the following collected editions, increasing the total page count to over 2,500:
Neil Gaiman's The Last Temptation 
Game Of Thrones #1-4
Purgatori #1-5
Reanimator #1-4
Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Vol. 2
Cryptozoic Man Vol 1: Decapitation Strike
Living Corpse Omnibus
Dean Koontz's Fear Nothing
The Dynamite Horror and Fantasy bundle is available now at StoryBundle.com/comics.




About Dynamite Entertainment:
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The BoysThe ShadowRed SonjaWarlord of MarsBionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more.  Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as VampirellaPanthaEvil ErnieSmiley the Psychotic ButtonChastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent.  Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors.  In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011.  The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

Dynamite Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dynamitecomics
Dynamite Twitter: http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
Dynamite Official Website: http://www.dynamite.com/
Comic Shop Locator Service: 1-888-comicbook, or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com/



About StoryBundle:

StoryBundle was created to give a platform for independent authors to showcase their work, and a source of quality titles for thirsty readers. StoryBundle works with authors to create bundles of ebooks that can be purchased by readers at their desired price. Before starting StoryBundle, Founder Jason Chen covered technology and software as an editor for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com. For more information, visit the official website at storybundle.com, follow the Twitter account @storybundle, and follow StoryBundle on Facebook and Google Plus. For press inquiries, please email press@storybundle.com.