IDW & Glénat Join Forces and Talents
in an International Partnership

San Diego, CA (July 18, 2017) — US company IDW Publishing and French publisher Glénat are launching a new joint initiative, “Original Graphic Novel”, focused on the creation of original comic books, to be published both in France and the United States.

The main purpose of the program is the creation of genre sequential art fit for both markets in terms of storytelling, formats, and themes.

Following the example of the original Disney collection, (e.g. Café Zombo by French author Régis Loisel), the Original Graphic Novel initiative aims to carry out projects of original comics, in a wide variety of genres —science-fiction, fantasy, western, humor, thriller, adventure, and whatever may inspire the authors coming from the American and the Franco-Belgian industries, and wishing to collaborate and mix their talents, styles, and influences.

As the first initiative of its kind, the association between IDW — the 4^th largest publisher in the U.S. market — and the Glénat group — 3^rd largest in the French market — is a real artistic and commercial bridge between the two countries. 

The first original creations to be published in 2018 are:

• The Highest House, a fantasy project by Mike Carey & Peter Gross, creators of The Unwritten, which was twice nominated for the Hugo Award.
• Lowlifes, a hard-boiled thriller set in modern day Los Angeles, by Brian Buccellato & Alexis Sentenac.

To be followed by:

• Sukeban Turbo by Sylvain Runberg & Victor Santos, a wild and violent ride through New York City.
• Boogeymen, a fantastic tale in which monsters do not live only in children’s minds, by Mathieu Salvia & Djet.
• A Glimpse of Ashes, a social, urban thriller, by Thomas Day & Aurélien Police.
• Gunning Down Ramirez, a bloody road-trip reminiscent of Tarantino’s movies, by Nicolas Petrimaux.
   

About IDW IDW Media Holdings, Inc. (OCTQX: IDWM) is a fully integrated media company, which includes publishing, games, entertainment, and the San Diego Comic Art Gallery. IDW Publishing’s comic book and graphic novel catalog includes some of the world’s most popular entertainment brands, including Transformers, My Little Pony, Star Trek, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, and Disney’s classic characters. At IDW’s core is its commitment to creator-owned comics including 30 Days of Night, Locke & Key, Wormwood, Ragnarök, V-Wars, and Archangel by bestselling sci-fi author William Gibson. IDW Publishing is also home to the acclaimed and award-winning imprints; Top Shelf, The Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, and Artist Editions, showcasing the greatest original art ever published in American comic books. IDW Games’ diverse line-up includes the international phenomenon Machi Koro, as well as hit licensed games such as X-Files, Back to the Future, The Godfather, and TMNT. IDW Entertainment serves as the worldwide distributor of Wynonna Earp airing on the Syfy Channel in the U.S. and is producing BBC America’s Dirk Gently, based on the bestseller by Douglas Adams starring Elijah Wood and Samuel Barnett. About Glénat Publishing In more than 40 years of existence, Glénat has created a diverse and quality catalog of comic books, mangas, hiking guides, coffee table books about nature or gastronomy… fine works which are the reflections of the passions of founder and CEO Jacques Glénat. Since its 2015 reboot, the Glénat Comics collection has been releasing American comics and aims for being the originator of the new trends of the medium. The assignments of the collection are: ·       Highlighting the new series written by renowned authors: Greg Rucka, Matt Fraction, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Joe Benitez... ·       Revealing tomorrow’s talents: Victor Santos, Kelly Thompson, James Harren, Joelle Jones... ·       Publishing some of the most famous licensed pop-culture series: Skylanders, Jem & les holograms, Power Rangers… ·       Initiating creation projects through wise international unions of creators. Glénat Comics released 19 books in 2015 and 44 in 2016. As early as January 2016, the collection got a huge recognition from the industry, when political-sci-fi thriller Letter 44 by writer Charles Soule and artist Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque was nominated in the Angoulême International Comics Festival official selection and for the Cultura public award. 2016 was also the year of the setting up of US major independent series such as Bitch Planet, The Wicked + The Divine, Geof Darrow’s The Shaolin Cowboy, Harrow County, and Lady Mechanika. The end of 2016 was marked by two more nominations in the Angoulême International Comics Festival official selection: Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s first volume of Bitch Planet and Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s fourth volume of Lazarus.