OUTER SPACE PLATEAU
Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon Hits Issue 175
BERKELEY, CA -- 13 May, 2011 -- Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon is celebrating the 175th issue of his long-running Image Comics title this August... or is he? After being killed not once but three times in the past 30 issues, readers might be wondering if the green-skinned, fin-headed freak that awakes in SAVAGE DRAGON #175 to find himself rocketing through space is actually the real deal... but they'll have to read this special 48-page anniversary issue to find out for sure!
"I've really run Dragon through the ringer over the last few years," Larsen explained. "Even though he'd essentially been killed by a mind-and-body-snatching monster called Virus back in issue #147 and then again by Overlord in #150, when it came to wrapping up the 'Emperor Dragon' saga, it became pretty clear that even with all the body-switching shenanigans, things couldn't just go back to the way they were.
"I knew he had to die... but what then? After focusing on Dragon's son Malcolm for several issues, SAVAGE DRAGON #175 answers that question. Definitively, I hope!"
Written, penciled and inked by Larsen, with a Vanguard back-up story by writer Gary Carlson and artist Frank Fosco, SAVAGE DRAGON #175 promises to set the stage for the next several years' worth of Dragon tales.
The story itself focuses both on Malcolm Dragon, as he faces his greatest challenge yet in the form of the nigh-omnipotent Overlord, while someone who looks an awful lot like his dead father tries to make sense of a new life and a new reality when he finds himself aboard a spaceship headed for parts unknown.
"There are some who confuse what Erik's doing on SAVAGE DRAGON with standard rock 'em, sock 'em superhero stuff, but like Mark Millar's Kick-Ass and Robert Kirkman's INVINCIBLE, this is a series that constantly pushes the boundaries," said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "Very few superhero comics are as uncompromising or as propelled by change as SAVAGE DRAGON, and nearly 20 years after it first began, it's still one of my favorite superhero comics ever."
SAVAGE DRAGON #175 (JUN110478), a 48-page full color comic with a cover price of $4.99, is available for order in the June issue of Previews and will be on sale August 31.
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 four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline 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.
Friday, May 13, 2011
LEGACY OF SAMURAI’S BLOOD
Take Part in a New Samurai Journey and Bring Home Original Art
BERKELEY, CA – 13 May 2011 – Revenge, redemption, honor, and love shine in SAMURAI'S BLOOD, the new six-issue miniseries from Image Comics and Benaroya Publishing. Beginning in June, writer Owen Wiseman, in collaboration with interior artists Nam Kim and Matthew Dalton, along with cover artist Jo Chen, will introduce a tale of three young samurai battling their way through the world while hiding their identities in order to find their destinies. Readers can not only learn of the legacy of SAMURAI’S BLOOD, but they can now enter for a chance to take a piece of the journey home as well!
Wiseman explained, "We wanted to give fans who jump on board early a chance to win some one-of-a-kind art. It's the fans really caring and paying attention that keeps us going, so we wanted to do something special for them."
Before the journey of SAMURAI'S BLOOD begins, readers can join the SAMURAI’S BLOOD community on Facebook and Twitter to enter into a drawing for a chance to win an original interior page of SAMURAI'S BLOOD by Kim! There is no purchase necessary to enter; all you need to do is head to the SAMURAI’S BLOOD Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/SamuraisBlood or follow @SamuraisBlood on Twitter and you are automatically entered to win. Two lucky winners (one from Facebook and one from Twitter) will be chosen at random on the day SAMURAI’S BLOOD #1 hits shelves.
In the first issue of SAMURAI'S BLOOD, the teenage samurais must flee as their village and all they've ever known burn to the ground behind them. Headed for a city they’ve only heard about in stories, the three young samurai must struggle to maintain their lives and true identities in an era when lineage defined you. Will they rise on the tides of vengeance against the evil usurper who has destroyed the rest of their clan, or will they fall on the swords of fate?
SAMURAI'S BLOOD #1 (APR110406), a 32-page full color action adventure comic book priced at only $1.00 will be available in stores on June 8th.
ABOUT OWEN WISEMAN
Owen Wiseman writes graphic novels, screenplays, and prose. Raised by hippies in the Pacific Northwest, Owen loves history, philosophy, mythology, technology, and most -ologies, really. Owen has a degree in Philosophy from Pomona College in sunny Claremont, CA, and would like to get a dog but his apartment manager is some sort of animal-hater.
ABOUT NAM KIM
Nam Kim is a Philadelphia-based artist, founder and director of Studio Imaginary Lines, an all-purpose design house which produces original content for comic books, video games and commercial advertising. Nam is a self-taught illustrator who credits artists such as Burne Hogarth, Jim Lee and Masamune Shiro for shaping his artistic style and vision.
ABOUT BENAROYA PUBLISHING
Founded in 2009 by Michael Benaroya, Benaroya Publishing is a company dedicated to the creation and cultivation of intellectual property by focusing on thrilling and compelling storytelling. Based in Los Angeles, California, Benaroya Publishing launches their debut titles this Spring under the Image Comics label. With David Elliott (FALL OUT TOY WORKS and co-founder of RADICAL PUBLISHING) at the helm as in-house Editor-in-Chief, Benaroya Publishing promises to bring fresh new ideas, and uniquely told stories to the comics literary world.
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 four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline 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.
Take Part in a New Samurai Journey and Bring Home Original Art
BERKELEY, CA – 13 May 2011 – Revenge, redemption, honor, and love shine in SAMURAI'S BLOOD, the new six-issue miniseries from Image Comics and Benaroya Publishing. Beginning in June, writer Owen Wiseman, in collaboration with interior artists Nam Kim and Matthew Dalton, along with cover artist Jo Chen, will introduce a tale of three young samurai battling their way through the world while hiding their identities in order to find their destinies. Readers can not only learn of the legacy of SAMURAI’S BLOOD, but they can now enter for a chance to take a piece of the journey home as well!
Wiseman explained, "We wanted to give fans who jump on board early a chance to win some one-of-a-kind art. It's the fans really caring and paying attention that keeps us going, so we wanted to do something special for them."
Before the journey of SAMURAI'S BLOOD begins, readers can join the SAMURAI’S BLOOD community on Facebook and Twitter to enter into a drawing for a chance to win an original interior page of SAMURAI'S BLOOD by Kim! There is no purchase necessary to enter; all you need to do is head to the SAMURAI’S BLOOD Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/SamuraisBlood or follow @SamuraisBlood on Twitter and you are automatically entered to win. Two lucky winners (one from Facebook and one from Twitter) will be chosen at random on the day SAMURAI’S BLOOD #1 hits shelves.
In the first issue of SAMURAI'S BLOOD, the teenage samurais must flee as their village and all they've ever known burn to the ground behind them. Headed for a city they’ve only heard about in stories, the three young samurai must struggle to maintain their lives and true identities in an era when lineage defined you. Will they rise on the tides of vengeance against the evil usurper who has destroyed the rest of their clan, or will they fall on the swords of fate?
SAMURAI'S BLOOD #1 (APR110406), a 32-page full color action adventure comic book priced at only $1.00 will be available in stores on June 8th.
ABOUT OWEN WISEMAN
Owen Wiseman writes graphic novels, screenplays, and prose. Raised by hippies in the Pacific Northwest, Owen loves history, philosophy, mythology, technology, and most -ologies, really. Owen has a degree in Philosophy from Pomona College in sunny Claremont, CA, and would like to get a dog but his apartment manager is some sort of animal-hater.
ABOUT NAM KIM
Nam Kim is a Philadelphia-based artist, founder and director of Studio Imaginary Lines, an all-purpose design house which produces original content for comic books, video games and commercial advertising. Nam is a self-taught illustrator who credits artists such as Burne Hogarth, Jim Lee and Masamune Shiro for shaping his artistic style and vision.
ABOUT BENAROYA PUBLISHING
Founded in 2009 by Michael Benaroya, Benaroya Publishing is a company dedicated to the creation and cultivation of intellectual property by focusing on thrilling and compelling storytelling. Based in Los Angeles, California, Benaroya Publishing launches their debut titles this Spring under the Image Comics label. With David Elliott (FALL OUT TOY WORKS and co-founder of RADICAL PUBLISHING) at the helm as in-house Editor-in-Chief, Benaroya Publishing promises to bring fresh new ideas, and uniquely told stories to the comics literary world.
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 four major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline 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.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
MORTAL KOMBAT ARCADE KOLLECTION TAKES GAMERS BACK TO THE ARCADES
Iconic Arcade Games Will be Available on PSN, XBLA, and on Windows PC
Burbank, Calif. – May 12, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announces Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. For the first time ever, the original Mortal Kombat arcade trilogy - Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - have been brought together into a single collection which will be available for download in late summer 2011.
“We are very excited to finally have the first three Mortal Kombat games available in one download package for long-time and new fans to play,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “With the release of our 2011 Mortal Kombat, and its return to 2D game play, players have been asking for these classic titles and we are happy to deliver them.”
Developed by Other Ocean in conjunction with NetherRealm studios, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will offer fans the chance to play through the games in their original arcade state and rediscover all their favorite characters, fatalities and environments as well as relive some of the franchise’s most memorable secrets. In addition, this new collection will feature online play, leaderboards, achievements and trophies.
An arcade-perfect port, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection brings players their favorite Mortal Kombat arcade classics for $9.99 on PlayStation Network or 800 Microsoft Points, to put it in arcade terms - 40 quarters ($10).
To help players create an arcade experience at home, GameStop will exclusively offer a limited run of the new Mortal Kombat™ Klassic Fight Sticks designed and manufactured by Performance Designed Products (“PDP”), creators of the sold-out Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Fight Sticks, bundled with a code to download Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the Mortal Kombat™ Klassic Fight Sticks are available for pre-order now for $129.99 at www.gamestop.com.
For more information about Mortal Kombat, please visit www.themortalkombat.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mortalkombat or on Twitter @MK_Mortalkombat
# # #
About NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios, wholly owned by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a leader in the development of interactive entertainment as the creator of the billion dollar Mortal Kombat franchise. Mortal Kombat has spawned two theatrical films, multiple television series, and has sold over 28 million games to date. Located in Chicago, Illinois the award-winning NetherRealm team has been working and creating games together since 1992. Additional information about NetherRealm Studios can be found at www.netherrealm.com
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About PDP
Performance Designed Products LLC, a Lynn Tilton company, is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
About Other Ocean Interactive
Founded in 2006, Other Ocean specializes in developing original and licensed IP for all platforms. It has development studios in Prince Edward Island, Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and Emeryville, California. For more information, please visit: www.otherocean.com
Mortal Kombat™ © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
image001Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Iconic Arcade Games Will be Available on PSN, XBLA, and on Windows PC
Burbank, Calif. – May 12, 2011 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announces Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection for PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. For the first time ever, the original Mortal Kombat arcade trilogy - Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 2 and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - have been brought together into a single collection which will be available for download in late summer 2011.
“We are very excited to finally have the first three Mortal Kombat games available in one download package for long-time and new fans to play,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “With the release of our 2011 Mortal Kombat, and its return to 2D game play, players have been asking for these classic titles and we are happy to deliver them.”
Developed by Other Ocean in conjunction with NetherRealm studios, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will offer fans the chance to play through the games in their original arcade state and rediscover all their favorite characters, fatalities and environments as well as relive some of the franchise’s most memorable secrets. In addition, this new collection will feature online play, leaderboards, achievements and trophies.
An arcade-perfect port, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection brings players their favorite Mortal Kombat arcade classics for $9.99 on PlayStation Network or 800 Microsoft Points, to put it in arcade terms - 40 quarters ($10).
To help players create an arcade experience at home, GameStop will exclusively offer a limited run of the new Mortal Kombat™ Klassic Fight Sticks designed and manufactured by Performance Designed Products (“PDP”), creators of the sold-out Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition Fight Sticks, bundled with a code to download Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the Mortal Kombat™ Klassic Fight Sticks are available for pre-order now for $129.99 at www.gamestop.com.
For more information about Mortal Kombat, please visit www.themortalkombat.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mortalkombat or on Twitter @MK_Mortalkombat
# # #
About NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios, wholly owned by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a leader in the development of interactive entertainment as the creator of the billion dollar Mortal Kombat franchise. Mortal Kombat has spawned two theatrical films, multiple television series, and has sold over 28 million games to date. Located in Chicago, Illinois the award-winning NetherRealm team has been working and creating games together since 1992. Additional information about NetherRealm Studios can be found at www.netherrealm.com
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About PDP
Performance Designed Products LLC, a Lynn Tilton company, is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the Sony PS2, PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS and Wii, and Microsoft Xbox 360, as well as a line of accessories for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
About Other Ocean Interactive
Founded in 2006, Other Ocean specializes in developing original and licensed IP for all platforms. It has development studios in Prince Edward Island, Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and Emeryville, California. For more information, please visit: www.otherocean.com
Mortal Kombat™ © 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Developed by NetherRealm Studios. Microsoft, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. "PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
image001Mortal Kombat, the dragon logo, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Oni Press Expands its Digital Comics collection on comiXology With Sixth Gun and Ghost Projekt
Today Oni Press announced its schedule to release two of their high-acclaimed titles Sixth Gun and Ghost Projekt digitally on the comiXology platform.
The first of the digital releases hit the market starting yesterday and continue over the coming weeks to complete the Ghost Projekt series and a large portion of the available Sixth Gun. The remaining Sixth Gun comic will be released over the next few months shortly after they come out in print.
The first issues of both series will be free with the subsequent issues priced at $1.99. The digital release schedule will be as follows:
* May 11: Sixth Gun #1 and #2
* May 18: Ghost Projekt #1 and #2
* May 25: Sixth Gun #3 and Ghost Projekt #3
* June 1: Sixth Gun #4 and Ghost Projekt #4
* June 8: Sixth Gun #5 and Ghost Projekt #5
* June 15: Sixth Gun #6
The first free issue of Sixth Gun can be found at https://comics.comixology.com/issue/9675/The-Sixth-Gun-1
A short description about the comics can be found below:
Sixth Gun:
By Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt
During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. In time, the Sixth Gun, the most dangerous of the weapons, vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing the girl. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunfighter with a shadowy past, stands in their way.
Ghost Projekt:
Written by Joe Harris, Art by Steve Rolston, Colors by Dean Trippe
Russia is often remembered from the shadow cast during the Cold War-era when every stranger was a spy, but now that the Cold War is long over, some things left behind from that era may not stay lost. An abandoned Soviet research facility somewhere in Siberia has been home to a strange and dangerous weapon that is now in the hands of thieves claiming it for their own. U.S. weapons inspector Will Haley has been assigned to find out what dangers the weapon poses and with the help of Russian agent Anya Romanova they will find the answers, but it will be far from easy.
Today Oni Press announced its schedule to release two of their high-acclaimed titles Sixth Gun and Ghost Projekt digitally on the comiXology platform.
The first of the digital releases hit the market starting yesterday and continue over the coming weeks to complete the Ghost Projekt series and a large portion of the available Sixth Gun. The remaining Sixth Gun comic will be released over the next few months shortly after they come out in print.
The first issues of both series will be free with the subsequent issues priced at $1.99. The digital release schedule will be as follows:
* May 11: Sixth Gun #1 and #2
* May 18: Ghost Projekt #1 and #2
* May 25: Sixth Gun #3 and Ghost Projekt #3
* June 1: Sixth Gun #4 and Ghost Projekt #4
* June 8: Sixth Gun #5 and Ghost Projekt #5
* June 15: Sixth Gun #6
The first free issue of Sixth Gun can be found at https://comics.comixology.com/issue/9675/The-Sixth-Gun-1
A short description about the comics can be found below:
Sixth Gun:
By Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt
During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. In time, the Sixth Gun, the most dangerous of the weapons, vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing the girl. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunfighter with a shadowy past, stands in their way.
Ghost Projekt:
Written by Joe Harris, Art by Steve Rolston, Colors by Dean Trippe
Russia is often remembered from the shadow cast during the Cold War-era when every stranger was a spy, but now that the Cold War is long over, some things left behind from that era may not stay lost. An abandoned Soviet research facility somewhere in Siberia has been home to a strange and dangerous weapon that is now in the hands of thieves claiming it for their own. U.S. weapons inspector Will Haley has been assigned to find out what dangers the weapon poses and with the help of Russian agent Anya Romanova they will find the answers, but it will be far from easy.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
SUPER DINOSAUR, SUPER SALES
Super Dinosaur #1 Sells Out Again, Goes Back to Press for Third Printing
BERKELEY, CA -- 11 April 2011 -- Following in the footsteps of its sellout first printing, the second printing of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 has sold out at the distribution level a week in advance of its on-sale date and is heading back to press.
Written by Robert Kirkman with art by his ASTONISHING WOLF-MAN collaborator Jason Howard, SUPER DINOSAUR is an all-ages series created by the duo with their own children in mind in an effort to introduce kids everywhere to the joys of reading comic books. To drive that point home, Image released the SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL for Free Comic Book Day 2011, featuring a special story that picks up right where SUPER DINOSAUR #1 leaves off.
"We're really excited people are responding to SUPER DINOSAUR the way they are," Kirkman said. "I did a signing at Golden Apple on Free Comic Book Day, and it seemed like the book was a huge hit with readers of all ages!"
Image Publisher Eric Stephenson added, "Since coming to Image, Robert has been a powerhouse of ideas, but this is the first time he's done something with the potential for broad appeal that SUPER DINOSAUR has, and it's fantastic to see it pay off so well. It's such a fun concept and far from just being a 'kids' comic,' it's a true all-ages book in the sense it can be enjoyed by virtually anyone."
The third printing of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 (MAR118293), a 32-page color comic book priced at $2.99 is available for re-order now with an in-store date of June 15. Meanwhile, SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL (MAR110518) will be in stores May 18, followed a week later by SUPER DINOSAUR #2 (MAR110601) on May 25.
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, 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.
Super Dinosaur #1 Sells Out Again, Goes Back to Press for Third Printing
BERKELEY, CA -- 11 April 2011 -- Following in the footsteps of its sellout first printing, the second printing of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 has sold out at the distribution level a week in advance of its on-sale date and is heading back to press.
Written by Robert Kirkman with art by his ASTONISHING WOLF-MAN collaborator Jason Howard, SUPER DINOSAUR is an all-ages series created by the duo with their own children in mind in an effort to introduce kids everywhere to the joys of reading comic books. To drive that point home, Image released the SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL for Free Comic Book Day 2011, featuring a special story that picks up right where SUPER DINOSAUR #1 leaves off.
"We're really excited people are responding to SUPER DINOSAUR the way they are," Kirkman said. "I did a signing at Golden Apple on Free Comic Book Day, and it seemed like the book was a huge hit with readers of all ages!"
Image Publisher Eric Stephenson added, "Since coming to Image, Robert has been a powerhouse of ideas, but this is the first time he's done something with the potential for broad appeal that SUPER DINOSAUR has, and it's fantastic to see it pay off so well. It's such a fun concept and far from just being a 'kids' comic,' it's a true all-ages book in the sense it can be enjoyed by virtually anyone."
The third printing of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 (MAR118293), a 32-page color comic book priced at $2.99 is available for re-order now with an in-store date of June 15. Meanwhile, SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL (MAR110518) will be in stores May 18, followed a week later by SUPER DINOSAUR #2 (MAR110601) on May 25.
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, 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.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
SHADOWLINE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
ShadowlineOnline and Tales of Mr. Rhee Debut Today
BERKELEY, CA – 10 May 2011 – Shadowline, LLC, Jim Valentino’s partner studio at Image Comics, home of such hits as MORNING GLORIES, GREEN WAKE, THE INFINITE VACATION, BOMB QUEEN and many more, has announced their new website at www.ShadowlineOnline.com will go live today.
“We felt the website needed a complete overhaul,” said Shadowline President/Publisher, Jim Valentino. “We wanted a site that was easy to navigate, one where it would be easy to purchase our books, with all the latest news and other fun stuff. Our new site, designed by D.C. McQueen, has given us all that and more! We’re very excited to show it to the world!”
The launch will also debut Dirk Manning’s latest web-comic, TALES OF MR. RHEE, which will upload a new page every Tuesday and Thursday.
Valentino continued, “Dirk gave us NIGHTMARE WORLD (now collected in two print volumes with a third set for an October release) and this is his latest venture. This brand new horror series is an excellent addition to our web-comics feature on the site.”
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, 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.
ShadowlineOnline and Tales of Mr. Rhee Debut Today
BERKELEY, CA – 10 May 2011 – Shadowline, LLC, Jim Valentino’s partner studio at Image Comics, home of such hits as MORNING GLORIES, GREEN WAKE, THE INFINITE VACATION, BOMB QUEEN and many more, has announced their new website at www.ShadowlineOnline.com will go live today.
“We felt the website needed a complete overhaul,” said Shadowline President/Publisher, Jim Valentino. “We wanted a site that was easy to navigate, one where it would be easy to purchase our books, with all the latest news and other fun stuff. Our new site, designed by D.C. McQueen, has given us all that and more! We’re very excited to show it to the world!”
The launch will also debut Dirk Manning’s latest web-comic, TALES OF MR. RHEE, which will upload a new page every Tuesday and Thursday.
Valentino continued, “Dirk gave us NIGHTMARE WORLD (now collected in two print volumes with a third set for an October release) and this is his latest venture. This brand new horror series is an excellent addition to our web-comics feature on the site.”
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, 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.
BARRY SONNENFELD TO CREATE
"DOMINION: DINOSAURS VERSUS ALIENS"
WITH LIQUID COMICS & CHEYENNE ENTERPRISES
~ Director of 'Men in Black' films announces new film and graphic novel franchise with superstar comic-book creator Grant Morrison ~
NEW YORK, NY- May 10, 2011 - Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black, Get Shorty, Addams Family, Addams Family Values and "Pushing Daisies," for which Sonnenfeld received an Emmy for directing), announced today a publishing and producing partnership with Liquid Comics and producer, Arnold Rifkin (Hostage, 16 Blocks, Live Free or Die Hard). Under the new partnership, Sonnenfeld will simultaneously develop a graphic novel and film property called, "Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens," with superstar comic book writer, Grant Morrison (Batman, The Invisibles, 18 Days), who will write both the graphic novel and the screenplay.
"Growing up my fascination was all things dinosaur, and as an adult, I've had some success making films about aliens, so this is a dream come true. I met Sharad several years ago when I wrote a forward for one of Liquid's graphic novels and we've been trying to do a project together ever since," commented Sonnenfeld.
The story for Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens is based on a secret world war battle that was never recorded in our history books. When an alien invasion attacks Earth in the age of the dinosaurs, our planet's only saviors are the savage prehistoric beasts which are much more intelligent than humanity has ever imagined.
Sonnenfeld, Rifkin and Liquid's CEO & Co-founder, Sharad Devarajan shall be Producers on the film, with WME packaging the project. Morrison and Liquid's Co-founder, Gotham Chopra shall also be attached as Executive Producers.
"My collaboration with such pedigreed talents as Barry, Sharad, and Grant has proven to be a wonderful creative experience, and I look forward to being a part of bringing Barry's vision to the screen," added Arnold Rifkin, President of Cheyenne Enterprises.
Liquid will launch the first graphic novel story for the franchise later this year in print and digital formats for the iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices. Artwork for the graphic novel will be done by acclaimed Liquid Comics artist, Mukesh Singh (Gamekeeper, Devi, 18 Days).
"This epic story is everyone's dream battle come to life. We are thrilled to work with Barry Sonnenfeld to bring his vision of dinosaurs versus aliens to the world and with Arnold Rifkin whose prolific experience as a producer will enable us to take this story to the screen," added Liquid's CEO, Sharad Devarajan. "Barry's creativity is also enhanced by the amazing talents of Grant Morrison who remains one of graphic fiction's modern masters."
ABOUT LIQUID COMICS:
Liquid Comics is a digital entertainment company focused on creating cinematic and mythic graphic novel stories with filmmakers, creators and storytellers. The company was founded by entrepreneurs, Gotham Chopra, Sharad Devarajan and Suresh Seetharaman and uses the medium of digital graphic novel publishing to develop properties for theatrical live-action films, animation and video games. Liquid has created original graphic novels with acclaimed filmmakers and creators including John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Shekhar Kapur, Deepak Chopra, Dave Stewart, Jonathan Mostow, Edward Burns, Nicolas Cage, John Mooreand others. The Company currently has a number of film and television projects in development including Gamekeeper with directorGuy Ritchie; Virulents with director John Moore; Voodoo Child with Nicolas Cage and Reliance; The Leaves with Summit Entertainment; and First Family in development at FremantleMedia Enterprises. www.LiquidComics.com
ABOUT CHEYENNE ENTERPRISES:
Arnold Rifkin formed Cheyenne Enterprises in January 2000 with his former client of 17 years, Bruce Willis. Cheyenne has produced such feature films as Bandits, Hart's War, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Tears of the Sun, The Whole Ten Yards, Hostage, Sixteen Blocks, Just My Luck and Live Free or Die Hard. Rifkin recently optioned the high-profile graphic novel Jeremiah Harm from Boom! Studios and has attached Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch; Wanted) to helm the adaptation. In television, Cheyenne, A. Smith & Co. and Mighty Loud Entertainment aired their reality series Full Throttle Saloon on TruTV in 2009 and has been picked up for a third season in 2011. Before founding Cheyenne Enterprises, Rifkin was a talent agent for over 20 years. He started his career with Nicole David at their company Rifkin-David, and he was a founding partner of the hugely successful Triad Artists. In 1992, Triad Artists was acquired by the William Morris Agency, and Rifkin was named worldwide head of the WMA Motion Picture Department. In 1996, he ascended to the role of president of the agency, where he remained until September 1999. Mr. Rifkin has been a visiting professor at the UCLA producers' program for the last 15 years and has additionally guest lectured at Harvard, Columbia and Yale Universities and the Learning Annex.
"DOMINION: DINOSAURS VERSUS ALIENS"
WITH LIQUID COMICS & CHEYENNE ENTERPRISES
~ Director of 'Men in Black' films announces new film and graphic novel franchise with superstar comic-book creator Grant Morrison ~
NEW YORK, NY- May 10, 2011 - Barry Sonnenfeld (Men In Black, Get Shorty, Addams Family, Addams Family Values and "Pushing Daisies," for which Sonnenfeld received an Emmy for directing), announced today a publishing and producing partnership with Liquid Comics and producer, Arnold Rifkin (Hostage, 16 Blocks, Live Free or Die Hard). Under the new partnership, Sonnenfeld will simultaneously develop a graphic novel and film property called, "Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens," with superstar comic book writer, Grant Morrison (Batman, The Invisibles, 18 Days), who will write both the graphic novel and the screenplay.
"Growing up my fascination was all things dinosaur, and as an adult, I've had some success making films about aliens, so this is a dream come true. I met Sharad several years ago when I wrote a forward for one of Liquid's graphic novels and we've been trying to do a project together ever since," commented Sonnenfeld.
The story for Dominion: Dinosaurs Versus Aliens is based on a secret world war battle that was never recorded in our history books. When an alien invasion attacks Earth in the age of the dinosaurs, our planet's only saviors are the savage prehistoric beasts which are much more intelligent than humanity has ever imagined.
Sonnenfeld, Rifkin and Liquid's CEO & Co-founder, Sharad Devarajan shall be Producers on the film, with WME packaging the project. Morrison and Liquid's Co-founder, Gotham Chopra shall also be attached as Executive Producers.
"My collaboration with such pedigreed talents as Barry, Sharad, and Grant has proven to be a wonderful creative experience, and I look forward to being a part of bringing Barry's vision to the screen," added Arnold Rifkin, President of Cheyenne Enterprises.
Liquid will launch the first graphic novel story for the franchise later this year in print and digital formats for the iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices. Artwork for the graphic novel will be done by acclaimed Liquid Comics artist, Mukesh Singh (Gamekeeper, Devi, 18 Days).
"This epic story is everyone's dream battle come to life. We are thrilled to work with Barry Sonnenfeld to bring his vision of dinosaurs versus aliens to the world and with Arnold Rifkin whose prolific experience as a producer will enable us to take this story to the screen," added Liquid's CEO, Sharad Devarajan. "Barry's creativity is also enhanced by the amazing talents of Grant Morrison who remains one of graphic fiction's modern masters."
ABOUT LIQUID COMICS:
Liquid Comics is a digital entertainment company focused on creating cinematic and mythic graphic novel stories with filmmakers, creators and storytellers. The company was founded by entrepreneurs, Gotham Chopra, Sharad Devarajan and Suresh Seetharaman and uses the medium of digital graphic novel publishing to develop properties for theatrical live-action films, animation and video games. Liquid has created original graphic novels with acclaimed filmmakers and creators including John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Shekhar Kapur, Deepak Chopra, Dave Stewart, Jonathan Mostow, Edward Burns, Nicolas Cage, John Mooreand others. The Company currently has a number of film and television projects in development including Gamekeeper with directorGuy Ritchie; Virulents with director John Moore; Voodoo Child with Nicolas Cage and Reliance; The Leaves with Summit Entertainment; and First Family in development at FremantleMedia Enterprises. www.LiquidComics.com
ABOUT CHEYENNE ENTERPRISES:
Arnold Rifkin formed Cheyenne Enterprises in January 2000 with his former client of 17 years, Bruce Willis. Cheyenne has produced such feature films as Bandits, Hart's War, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, Tears of the Sun, The Whole Ten Yards, Hostage, Sixteen Blocks, Just My Luck and Live Free or Die Hard. Rifkin recently optioned the high-profile graphic novel Jeremiah Harm from Boom! Studios and has attached Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch; Wanted) to helm the adaptation. In television, Cheyenne, A. Smith & Co. and Mighty Loud Entertainment aired their reality series Full Throttle Saloon on TruTV in 2009 and has been picked up for a third season in 2011. Before founding Cheyenne Enterprises, Rifkin was a talent agent for over 20 years. He started his career with Nicole David at their company Rifkin-David, and he was a founding partner of the hugely successful Triad Artists. In 1992, Triad Artists was acquired by the William Morris Agency, and Rifkin was named worldwide head of the WMA Motion Picture Department. In 1996, he ascended to the role of president of the agency, where he remained until September 1999. Mr. Rifkin has been a visiting professor at the UCLA producers' program for the last 15 years and has additionally guest lectured at Harvard, Columbia and Yale Universities and the Learning Annex.
Baltimore Comic-Con Brings the Classics to Charm City
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - May 10, 2011 - They say that a classic never goes out of style and that statement couldn't be truer of the creators just added to the line-up of this year's show! We are proud to announce the addition of Nick Cardy, Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan, and Michael Golden to the growing guest list for the 12th annual Baltimore Comic-Con, taking place August 20-21, 2011.
EVAINK_CARDY_ARTISTWAR_CVR_fpo
Nick Cardy is best known for his work on such DC Comics books as Aquaman and Teen Titans. His artwork has been featured in nearly every comic genre, including western, jungle, crime, super-hero, romance, science fiction, humor and horror. Most recently, Cardy's work was featured in the book Nick Cardy: The Art of War, a lavish, full-color volume that highlights the sketches and illustrations he made while serving in Europe during World War II.
Next up, we've got Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, who, in 2009, penciled an arc of DC's Batman Confidential with Kevin Nowlan providing inks for the 3-issue story. Garcia-Lopez began working for Charlton Comics during the 1960s. After meeting editor Joe Orlando, he quickly moved over to DC where he has spent most of his long career. He also recently worked on the Metal Men strip featured in DC's Wednesday Comics.
Nowlan, who is a true master of various comic disciplines, has worked in comics as a penciler, an inker, a colorist, and a letterer. His work has graced pages featuring characters such as Superman, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Man-Thing. He was featured in TwoMorrows Publishing's Modern Masters, a series which celebrates that lives and work of today's greatest artists, in 2004.
Finally, Michael Golden returns to the Baltimore Comic-Con for another year. Having worked on dozens of books in his 30+ year career, Golden is the co-creator of both Marvel Comics' Rogue and Continuity Comics' Bucky O'Hare.
"We are so excited to be adding these four creators to our guest list," said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. "Their work in the world of comics inspired an entire generation of artists. They are legends in every sense of the word and truly put the 'class' in classic."
In addition to Cardy, Garcia-Lopez, Nowlan, and Golden, confirmed guests for the show including: Jason Aaron (Scalped, PunisherMAX); Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead); Cliff Chiang (Greendale); Frank Cho (50 Girls 50, X-Men: Schism, New Ultimates); David Finch (Brightest Day, Batman: The Dark Knight); Ron Frenz (Spider-Girl); Mike Grell (Action Comics, The Pilgrim); Steve Hamaker (Bone); Jamal Igle (Supergirl, Zatanna); J.G. Jones (Doc Savage, DC Universe Legacies); Barry Kitson (Secret Invasion, Amazing Spider-Man); Laura Martin (New Avengers, Thor); Mark Morales (Fear Itself cover artist); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Brandon Peterson (Ultimate Vision, Strange); Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo); Walter Simonson (Thor); Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL); and Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Iron Man 2.0).
In coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at our website, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace pages.
This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, August 21th.
Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for communications regarding the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries
About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 12th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 6 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - May 10, 2011 - They say that a classic never goes out of style and that statement couldn't be truer of the creators just added to the line-up of this year's show! We are proud to announce the addition of Nick Cardy, Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan, and Michael Golden to the growing guest list for the 12th annual Baltimore Comic-Con, taking place August 20-21, 2011.
EVAINK_CARDY_ARTISTWAR_CVR_fpo
Nick Cardy is best known for his work on such DC Comics books as Aquaman and Teen Titans. His artwork has been featured in nearly every comic genre, including western, jungle, crime, super-hero, romance, science fiction, humor and horror. Most recently, Cardy's work was featured in the book Nick Cardy: The Art of War, a lavish, full-color volume that highlights the sketches and illustrations he made while serving in Europe during World War II.
Next up, we've got Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, who, in 2009, penciled an arc of DC's Batman Confidential with Kevin Nowlan providing inks for the 3-issue story. Garcia-Lopez began working for Charlton Comics during the 1960s. After meeting editor Joe Orlando, he quickly moved over to DC where he has spent most of his long career. He also recently worked on the Metal Men strip featured in DC's Wednesday Comics.
Nowlan, who is a true master of various comic disciplines, has worked in comics as a penciler, an inker, a colorist, and a letterer. His work has graced pages featuring characters such as Superman, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, and Man-Thing. He was featured in TwoMorrows Publishing's Modern Masters, a series which celebrates that lives and work of today's greatest artists, in 2004.
Finally, Michael Golden returns to the Baltimore Comic-Con for another year. Having worked on dozens of books in his 30+ year career, Golden is the co-creator of both Marvel Comics' Rogue and Continuity Comics' Bucky O'Hare.
"We are so excited to be adding these four creators to our guest list," said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. "Their work in the world of comics inspired an entire generation of artists. They are legends in every sense of the word and truly put the 'class' in classic."
In addition to Cardy, Garcia-Lopez, Nowlan, and Golden, confirmed guests for the show including: Jason Aaron (Scalped, PunisherMAX); Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead); Cliff Chiang (Greendale); Frank Cho (50 Girls 50, X-Men: Schism, New Ultimates); David Finch (Brightest Day, Batman: The Dark Knight); Ron Frenz (Spider-Girl); Mike Grell (Action Comics, The Pilgrim); Steve Hamaker (Bone); Jamal Igle (Supergirl, Zatanna); J.G. Jones (Doc Savage, DC Universe Legacies); Barry Kitson (Secret Invasion, Amazing Spider-Man); Laura Martin (New Avengers, Thor); Mark Morales (Fear Itself cover artist); David Petersen (Mouse Guard); Brandon Peterson (Ultimate Vision, Strange); Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo); Walter Simonson (Thor); Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL); and Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Iron Man 2.0).
In coming weeks, look for more announcements from the Baltimore Comic-Con. We are looking forward to highlighting our guests, the Harvey Awards, industry exclusives, and programming. The latest developments can always be found at our website, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace pages.
This year's Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. Convention hours are Saturday 10 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, August 21th.
Contact Information
Please use the following e-mail addresses to contact the Baltimore Comic-Con:
press@baltimorecomiccon.com - for any general press inquiries or to be added to our PR distribution
promoter@baltimorecomiccon.com - for requesting exhibitor, publisher, and Artist Alley applications
registrar@baltimorecomiccon.com - for inquiries about submitted registrations
harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com - for communications regarding the Harvey Awards ceremony and banquet
general@baltimorecomiccon.com - for general Baltimore Comic-Con inquiries
About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 12th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held August 20-21, 2011. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
About The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry's oldest and most respected awards. With a history of over 20 years, the last 6 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in over 20 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit www.harveyawards.org.
Monday, May 09, 2011
SHINKU KICKS SOME SKULLS
Skullkickers #7 Soon to Preview Ron Marz & Lee Moder’s New Shinku Series
BERKELEY, CA – 9 May 2011 – The veteran team of writer Ron Marz (WITCHBLADE, ARTIFACTS) and artist Lee Moder (Wonder Woman, Legion of Super-Heroes) are reuniting with an all-new series at Image Comics. Making its debut in June, SHINKU is the creative team’s first creator-owned work for Image, and readers can get a sneak peek in the back of the equally blood-soaked pages of SKULLKICKERS #7.
"It's an amazing time for creator-owned comics and I really feel that the more diversity and excitement created by new original creations, the better the industry as a whole will be," said SKULLKICKERS creator Jim Zubkavich. "Ron and Lee are veterans with incredible track records, and I'm proud to help show SHINKU to an audience that enjoys action and entertainment."
"This is a story I've had rolling around my head, in one form or another, for a decade,” explained Marz. “So finally getting to tell it, and getting to tell it with the right creative team, is an absolute joy. When a creative team clicks, it's like a jazz combo improvising. Everybody riffs off of everybody else, and produces something greater than any of the parts. I feel like that's what we've got going on here."
In the first issue of SHINKU, readers are introduced to the sole survivor of a once-proud samurai clan: Shinku. In modern Japan, Shinku still secretly continues the charge of her ancestors, waging a solitary war against a clan of powerful vampires that have eluded detection for centuries. Marz and Moder have merged samurai and vampire lore in this epic fusion of martial arts and horror that has Comic Book Resources calling it, “a vampire tale that returns the creatures of the night to their monstrous roots.”
Marz spoke of his early inspiration for the new series: "I grew up watching Universal and Hammer horror films on Saturday afternoons, so where I come from, undead creatures who want to drink your blood are the bad guys, not tortured, sensitive souls. This story is the bastard child of those movies, plus some Akira Kurosawa samurai majesty and some John Woo action.
"I'm always talking about comics needing more genre diversification,” Marz concluded. “Hopefully SHINKU provides some of that by mixing horror, martial-arts action and samurai adventure."
SHINKU #1 (APR110409), a 32-page full color action/horror comic book priced at $2.99 will be available in stores on June 1st. A five-page preview of SHINKU #1 will be on display in the back of SKULLKICKERS #7 (MAR110598), due in stores May 25th for $2.99.
ABOUT RON MARZ
Ron Marz has been writing comics for two decades, starting his career with a lengthy run on Silver Surfer for Marvel. Since then, he has worked for virtually every major publisher and compiled a long list of credits, including stints on Green Lantern for DC, Star Wars for Dark Horse,WITCHBLADE for Top Cow, and as a staff writer for CrossGen Comics. He currently writes WITCHBLADE, MAGDALENA and ARTIFACTS for Image-based Top Cow, among other projects. His creator-owned work includes DRAGON PRINCE at Top Cow; Samurai: Heaven and Earth, and Pantheon City, at Dark Horse; and the vampire tale SHINKU at Image.
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, 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.
Skullkickers #7 Soon to Preview Ron Marz & Lee Moder’s New Shinku Series
BERKELEY, CA – 9 May 2011 – The veteran team of writer Ron Marz (WITCHBLADE, ARTIFACTS) and artist Lee Moder (Wonder Woman, Legion of Super-Heroes) are reuniting with an all-new series at Image Comics. Making its debut in June, SHINKU is the creative team’s first creator-owned work for Image, and readers can get a sneak peek in the back of the equally blood-soaked pages of SKULLKICKERS #7.
"It's an amazing time for creator-owned comics and I really feel that the more diversity and excitement created by new original creations, the better the industry as a whole will be," said SKULLKICKERS creator Jim Zubkavich. "Ron and Lee are veterans with incredible track records, and I'm proud to help show SHINKU to an audience that enjoys action and entertainment."
"This is a story I've had rolling around my head, in one form or another, for a decade,” explained Marz. “So finally getting to tell it, and getting to tell it with the right creative team, is an absolute joy. When a creative team clicks, it's like a jazz combo improvising. Everybody riffs off of everybody else, and produces something greater than any of the parts. I feel like that's what we've got going on here."
In the first issue of SHINKU, readers are introduced to the sole survivor of a once-proud samurai clan: Shinku. In modern Japan, Shinku still secretly continues the charge of her ancestors, waging a solitary war against a clan of powerful vampires that have eluded detection for centuries. Marz and Moder have merged samurai and vampire lore in this epic fusion of martial arts and horror that has Comic Book Resources calling it, “a vampire tale that returns the creatures of the night to their monstrous roots.”
Marz spoke of his early inspiration for the new series: "I grew up watching Universal and Hammer horror films on Saturday afternoons, so where I come from, undead creatures who want to drink your blood are the bad guys, not tortured, sensitive souls. This story is the bastard child of those movies, plus some Akira Kurosawa samurai majesty and some John Woo action.
"I'm always talking about comics needing more genre diversification,” Marz concluded. “Hopefully SHINKU provides some of that by mixing horror, martial-arts action and samurai adventure."
SHINKU #1 (APR110409), a 32-page full color action/horror comic book priced at $2.99 will be available in stores on June 1st. A five-page preview of SHINKU #1 will be on display in the back of SKULLKICKERS #7 (MAR110598), due in stores May 25th for $2.99.
ABOUT RON MARZ
Ron Marz has been writing comics for two decades, starting his career with a lengthy run on Silver Surfer for Marvel. Since then, he has worked for virtually every major publisher and compiled a long list of credits, including stints on Green Lantern for DC, Star Wars for Dark Horse,WITCHBLADE for Top Cow, and as a staff writer for CrossGen Comics. He currently writes WITCHBLADE, MAGDALENA and ARTIFACTS for Image-based Top Cow, among other projects. His creator-owned work includes DRAGON PRINCE at Top Cow; Samurai: Heaven and Earth, and Pantheon City, at Dark Horse; and the vampire tale SHINKU at Image.
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, 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.
IM GLOBAL AND RADICAL STUDIOS HEAD FOR
“THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME”
May 6, Los Angeles: Powerhouse film financing and sales company IM
Global and Radical Pictures, a subsidiary of fast expanding multimedia
company Radical Studios, are partnering on high-concept crime thriller
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, it was announced jointly today by IM
Global CEO and Founder Stuart Ford and Radical’s Barry Levine and
Jesse Berger.
The action thriller is based on the best-selling Radical graphic novel
written by Rick Remender, with a script by Karl Gadejsak, starring Sam
Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator: Salvation),
whose Full Clip Productions label is producing alongside Automatik.
F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen, The Italian Job, The Negotiator) is
attached to direct the film with a Fall 2011 start date.
Michael Schwarz of Full Clip Productions will produce alongside
Radical’s Levine and Berger. Executive Producers will be IM Global’s
Ford, Worthington and Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME is a hard-boiled heist film set in the
very near future where the government plans to implement a form of
legal mind control, making it impossible for its citizens to commit
unlawful acts. Career criminal Graham Bricke (Sam Worthington) must
put together the last heist in American history – on the last night
crime is possible.
Said Ford: “This is such a powerful, iconic piece of material – we
really believe this movie can bring something fresh to the noir
universe and become an explosive action feature film. We’re delighted
to be working alongside the super talented Radical team, Gary and Sam.”
Said Levine: “THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME graphic novel is one of
the most coveted titles in the Radical catalogue and our most
successful international seller. In the development of this film, we
have always been committed to staying true to the core material
because that is what attracted Full Clip principals Michael Schwarz,
John Schwarz and Sam in the first place and is what brought us
together with IM Global. Radical is proud to be making a film that
will both appeal to a global audience, as well as fans of the graphic
novel.”
ABOUT IM GLOBAL
CEO Stuart Ford founded IM Global in 2007. The company is one of the
leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world,
championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial,
art house, foreign language and genre fare. The company is now
comprised of six divisions: IM Global Opus, for mainstream, commercial
cinema; IM Global Acclaim, for critically acclaimed arthouse and
specialty cinema; IM Global Anthem, for the best of non-English
language cinema from around the world; IM Global Octane, for branded
genre fare; IM Global Apsara, a rights acquisition and distribution
vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets across growing
theatrical, digital and VOD distribution platforms.; and AUTOMATIK,
a production and financing joint venture with Alliance Films focused
on films in the $5 million - $15 million range. Highlights of IM
Global’s current slate include the $45 million DREDD, in 3D, which IM
Global is co-financing with parent company Reliance Big Entertainment
with Lionsgate distributing in the U.S.; SAFE, starring Jason Statham,
which is financed by IM Global with Lionsgate distributing in the
U.S.; THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, which the company is partnering
on with fast expanding multimedia and publishing company Radical
Studios; WALKING WITH DINOSAURS 3D, financed by Reliance with
Twentieth Century Fox distributing in the U.S.; $25 million 3D
wildlife feature ENCHANTED KINGDOM, financed by the company and
Reliance; and the documentary feature ONE LIFE, narrated by Daniel
Craig which will be released later this year; WELCOME TO THE PUNCH,
starring James McAvoy, which is financed by IM Global and Alliance
joint venture Automatik; W.E., directed by Madonna; shark thriller
DARK TIDE, starring Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez; Barry Levinson’s
apocalyptic thriller THE BAY; and Sundance and Berlinale official
selection, ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN. Other prominent successes
the company has enjoyed are worldwide box office smash hit PARANORMAL
ACTIVITY, Tom Ford’s critically acclaimed A SINGLE MAN, and special
effects bonanza SKYLINE. In May 2010, Reliance Entertainment, part of
Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group, acquired a majority
shareholding in the company.
ABOUT RADICAL STUDIOS
Radical Studios is an international multimedia entertainment company,
founded in 2007 by Barry Levine and Jesse Berger, with active
operations across seven subsidiary divisions: Pictures, Interactive,
Television, Publishing, Toys, Music and Radical Asia. Currently,
Radical Pictures is producing HERCULES at MGM; HORIZONS, with Joe
Kosinski directing and Tom Cruise attached to star; THE LAST DAYS OF
AMERICAN CRIME, starring Sam Worthington, to be directed by F. Gary
Gray, with financing through IM Global; EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS at
DreamWorks Studios, to be directed by Sam Raimi; FREEDOM FORMULA at
New Regency with Bryan Singer producing with an eye to direct; and
films in active pre-production with Warner Bros., Fox, and Relativity
Media. Radical Publishing currently has 30 titles in circulation in 9
countries, and a catalog containing more than 70 properties and 1000
characters. In 2008, Radical Publishing received the Gem Award for
“Best New Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors for
publishing quality and excellence.
ABOUT FULL CLIP PRODUCTIONS
Full Clip Production is a multimedia production company founded by Sam
Worthington, Michael Schwarz, and John Schwarz in 2010. The company
has an imprint deal with Radical Publishing to develop intellectual
property to be released by Radical. The first project under the
imprint is the six part comic book series DAMAGED, written by Eisner
Award winner David Lapham (Stray Bullets), which will release in
Summer 2011. Full Clip's slate also includes ALLAN QUATERMAIN with
DreamWorks Studios and THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, partnered with
Radical Pictures and IM Global with Worthington attached to star and
F. Gary Gray directing. The company also has a first-look television
development pact with NBC Universal International to develop
television projects for the global marketplace.
“THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME”
May 6, Los Angeles: Powerhouse film financing and sales company IM
Global and Radical Pictures, a subsidiary of fast expanding multimedia
company Radical Studios, are partnering on high-concept crime thriller
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, it was announced jointly today by IM
Global CEO and Founder Stuart Ford and Radical’s Barry Levine and
Jesse Berger.
The action thriller is based on the best-selling Radical graphic novel
written by Rick Remender, with a script by Karl Gadejsak, starring Sam
Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Terminator: Salvation),
whose Full Clip Productions label is producing alongside Automatik.
F. Gary Gray (Law Abiding Citizen, The Italian Job, The Negotiator) is
attached to direct the film with a Fall 2011 start date.
Michael Schwarz of Full Clip Productions will produce alongside
Radical’s Levine and Berger. Executive Producers will be IM Global’s
Ford, Worthington and Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones.
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME is a hard-boiled heist film set in the
very near future where the government plans to implement a form of
legal mind control, making it impossible for its citizens to commit
unlawful acts. Career criminal Graham Bricke (Sam Worthington) must
put together the last heist in American history – on the last night
crime is possible.
Said Ford: “This is such a powerful, iconic piece of material – we
really believe this movie can bring something fresh to the noir
universe and become an explosive action feature film. We’re delighted
to be working alongside the super talented Radical team, Gary and Sam.”
Said Levine: “THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME graphic novel is one of
the most coveted titles in the Radical catalogue and our most
successful international seller. In the development of this film, we
have always been committed to staying true to the core material
because that is what attracted Full Clip principals Michael Schwarz,
John Schwarz and Sam in the first place and is what brought us
together with IM Global. Radical is proud to be making a film that
will both appeal to a global audience, as well as fans of the graphic
novel.”
ABOUT IM GLOBAL
CEO Stuart Ford founded IM Global in 2007. The company is one of the
leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world,
championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial,
art house, foreign language and genre fare. The company is now
comprised of six divisions: IM Global Opus, for mainstream, commercial
cinema; IM Global Acclaim, for critically acclaimed arthouse and
specialty cinema; IM Global Anthem, for the best of non-English
language cinema from around the world; IM Global Octane, for branded
genre fare; IM Global Apsara, a rights acquisition and distribution
vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets across growing
theatrical, digital and VOD distribution platforms.; and AUTOMATIK,
a production and financing joint venture with Alliance Films focused
on films in the $5 million - $15 million range. Highlights of IM
Global’s current slate include the $45 million DREDD, in 3D, which IM
Global is co-financing with parent company Reliance Big Entertainment
with Lionsgate distributing in the U.S.; SAFE, starring Jason Statham,
which is financed by IM Global with Lionsgate distributing in the
U.S.; THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, which the company is partnering
on with fast expanding multimedia and publishing company Radical
Studios; WALKING WITH DINOSAURS 3D, financed by Reliance with
Twentieth Century Fox distributing in the U.S.; $25 million 3D
wildlife feature ENCHANTED KINGDOM, financed by the company and
Reliance; and the documentary feature ONE LIFE, narrated by Daniel
Craig which will be released later this year; WELCOME TO THE PUNCH,
starring James McAvoy, which is financed by IM Global and Alliance
joint venture Automatik; W.E., directed by Madonna; shark thriller
DARK TIDE, starring Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez; Barry Levinson’s
apocalyptic thriller THE BAY; and Sundance and Berlinale official
selection, ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN. Other prominent successes
the company has enjoyed are worldwide box office smash hit PARANORMAL
ACTIVITY, Tom Ford’s critically acclaimed A SINGLE MAN, and special
effects bonanza SKYLINE. In May 2010, Reliance Entertainment, part of
Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group, acquired a majority
shareholding in the company.
ABOUT RADICAL STUDIOS
Radical Studios is an international multimedia entertainment company,
founded in 2007 by Barry Levine and Jesse Berger, with active
operations across seven subsidiary divisions: Pictures, Interactive,
Television, Publishing, Toys, Music and Radical Asia. Currently,
Radical Pictures is producing HERCULES at MGM; HORIZONS, with Joe
Kosinski directing and Tom Cruise attached to star; THE LAST DAYS OF
AMERICAN CRIME, starring Sam Worthington, to be directed by F. Gary
Gray, with financing through IM Global; EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS at
DreamWorks Studios, to be directed by Sam Raimi; FREEDOM FORMULA at
New Regency with Bryan Singer producing with an eye to direct; and
films in active pre-production with Warner Bros., Fox, and Relativity
Media. Radical Publishing currently has 30 titles in circulation in 9
countries, and a catalog containing more than 70 properties and 1000
characters. In 2008, Radical Publishing received the Gem Award for
“Best New Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors for
publishing quality and excellence.
ABOUT FULL CLIP PRODUCTIONS
Full Clip Production is a multimedia production company founded by Sam
Worthington, Michael Schwarz, and John Schwarz in 2010. The company
has an imprint deal with Radical Publishing to develop intellectual
property to be released by Radical. The first project under the
imprint is the six part comic book series DAMAGED, written by Eisner
Award winner David Lapham (Stray Bullets), which will release in
Summer 2011. Full Clip's slate also includes ALLAN QUATERMAIN with
DreamWorks Studios and THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME, partnered with
Radical Pictures and IM Global with Worthington attached to star and
F. Gary Gray directing. The company also has a first-look television
development pact with NBC Universal International to develop
television projects for the global marketplace.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Oni Press at Free Comic Book Day!
That’s right, Oni Press is giving away the first issue of the highly anticipated new series from Joe Harris andBrett Weldele for free!
Driven to discover the truth regarding his father’s mysterious death many years prior, Melvin Reyes seeks to prove the existence of Spontaneous Human Combustion after fresh outbreaks of the phenomenon reveal a pattern only he can see, a predictability model only he can read, and the terrifying realization that whatever phenomenon consumed his father is also boiling inside of him, just waiting for release.
Joe and Brett will be talking with fans and signing copies of the FREE SPONTANEOUS at Dragon’s Lair in Austin, TX this Saturday. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Coming your way this Free Comic Book Day: the Oni Press Rated Free for Everyone! This all-ages anthology packs in two exclusive previews from upcoming books POWER LUNCH by J. Torres & Dean Trippe and SKETCH MONSTERS by Josh Williamson & Vinny Navarette.
J. Torres will be signing copies at Comic Book Addiction in Whitby, Ontario from 10 – noon and then at theToronto Comics Art Festival from 1 – 5.
Dean Trippe will be signing at A World of Heroes.
Josh Williamson will be signing at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach from 11-3 then Pulp Fiction in Long Beach from 3-5.
Vinny Navarette will be at Bridge City Comics in Portland OR from 11-1
You also have a chance to meet some of your other favorite Oni creators on Free Comic Book Day. Just take a look at this list of talent:
Matthew Southworth will be at Comic Stop U-District (formerly Zanadu) from 10 – 1
Greg Rucka will be at Olympic Cards and Comics from noon – 4.
Jen Van Meter will be at Olympic Cards and Comics from noon – 4.
Steve Lieber will be at Things From Another World, Hollywood from 2 – 5.
Ray Fawkes will be at the Toronto Comics Art Festival.
Kelly Sue DeConnick will be at Things From Another World, Beaverton from noon – 3.
Steve Rolston will be at Metropolis Comics & Toys from noon – 5.
Ross Campbell will be at the Toronto Comics Art Festival.
Remington Veteto will be at Criminal Records from 1 – 6.
Cara McGee will be at Criminal Records from 1 – 6.
Wook-Jin Clark will be at Criminal Records from 11 – 1 and at Oxford Comics from 1 – 4.
Jeremy Haun will be at Hurley’s Heroes from noon – 8.
Christopher Mitten will be at Challengers Comics + Conversation from noon – 3.
Matt Loux will be at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
Robbi Rodriguez will be at The Comic Bug from noon – 7
Tyler Crook will be at The Comic Bug from noon – 3.
Brian Wood will be at Brooklyn Comics & More from noon – 1:30 and at Manhattan Comics from 3 – 4:30.
Cullen Bunn will be at Elite Comics from 10 – 4.
Brian Hurtt will be at Elite Comics from 10 – 4.
Meredith MccLaren will be at Samurai Comics.
Monica Gallagher will be at Collector’s Corner from 9 – 3.
Chris Schweizer will be at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find from noon – 6
That’s right, Oni Press is giving away the first issue of the highly anticipated new series from Joe Harris andBrett Weldele for free!
Driven to discover the truth regarding his father’s mysterious death many years prior, Melvin Reyes seeks to prove the existence of Spontaneous Human Combustion after fresh outbreaks of the phenomenon reveal a pattern only he can see, a predictability model only he can read, and the terrifying realization that whatever phenomenon consumed his father is also boiling inside of him, just waiting for release.
Joe and Brett will be talking with fans and signing copies of the FREE SPONTANEOUS at Dragon’s Lair in Austin, TX this Saturday. Be sure to stop by and say hello.
Coming your way this Free Comic Book Day: the Oni Press Rated Free for Everyone! This all-ages anthology packs in two exclusive previews from upcoming books POWER LUNCH by J. Torres & Dean Trippe and SKETCH MONSTERS by Josh Williamson & Vinny Navarette.
J. Torres will be signing copies at Comic Book Addiction in Whitby, Ontario from 10 – noon and then at theToronto Comics Art Festival from 1 – 5.
Dean Trippe will be signing at A World of Heroes.
Josh Williamson will be signing at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach from 11-3 then Pulp Fiction in Long Beach from 3-5.
Vinny Navarette will be at Bridge City Comics in Portland OR from 11-1
You also have a chance to meet some of your other favorite Oni creators on Free Comic Book Day. Just take a look at this list of talent:
Matthew Southworth will be at Comic Stop U-District (formerly Zanadu) from 10 – 1
Greg Rucka will be at Olympic Cards and Comics from noon – 4.
Jen Van Meter will be at Olympic Cards and Comics from noon – 4.
Steve Lieber will be at Things From Another World, Hollywood from 2 – 5.
Ray Fawkes will be at the Toronto Comics Art Festival.
Kelly Sue DeConnick will be at Things From Another World, Beaverton from noon – 3.
Steve Rolston will be at Metropolis Comics & Toys from noon – 5.
Ross Campbell will be at the Toronto Comics Art Festival.
Remington Veteto will be at Criminal Records from 1 – 6.
Cara McGee will be at Criminal Records from 1 – 6.
Wook-Jin Clark will be at Criminal Records from 11 – 1 and at Oxford Comics from 1 – 4.
Jeremy Haun will be at Hurley’s Heroes from noon – 8.
Christopher Mitten will be at Challengers Comics + Conversation from noon – 3.
Matt Loux will be at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
Robbi Rodriguez will be at The Comic Bug from noon – 7
Tyler Crook will be at The Comic Bug from noon – 3.
Brian Wood will be at Brooklyn Comics & More from noon – 1:30 and at Manhattan Comics from 3 – 4:30.
Cullen Bunn will be at Elite Comics from 10 – 4.
Brian Hurtt will be at Elite Comics from 10 – 4.
Meredith MccLaren will be at Samurai Comics.
Monica Gallagher will be at Collector’s Corner from 9 – 3.
Chris Schweizer will be at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find from noon – 6
TCAF – MAY 7TH & 8TH AT THE TORONTO REFERENCE LIBRARY, 789 YONGE STREET, TORONTO, CANADA
Convention season is nicely under way and we welcome those who joined our list at MoCCA, especially Lucinda who won our prize draw! This weekend it is the turn of those Northern Neighbors to host TCAF – Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Full details can be found here: http://torontocomics.com/ . Thanks and good luck to all involved and lots of fun to every visitor!
Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be in attendance on the first floor (is that what I call ground floor?) at table 152, right by the Beeton Auditorium (programming) entrance and the way up to the next floor of the show. We’ll be highlighting our new title FARM 54 which will ship to stores later this month. You can see an excerpt from the book over at the Graphic Novel Reporter site here: http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/farm-54-0 Be sure to stop by and take a look at this and our other award winning titles.
Farm 54 cover (NB).jpg
Talking of awards…
2011 EISNER NOMINATIONS
eisners11_sm.bmp9788496427488 KOREA_COVERjpeg.jpg
We are very pleased to announce that our title ‘Korea As Viewed By 12 Creators’ released in 2010 has been nominated for an Eisner Award 2011 in the category Best Anthology following in the footsteps of its companion volume ‘Japan As Viewed By 17 Creators’. Voting is now open at: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.php for the professionals among you. If you haven’t already checked these books out then you can do so this weekend at TCAF (see above) or at our newly designed web site…
…talking of a newly designed WEB SITE guess what we just did?
We hope you enjoy the new look site which we feel is much easier to navigate and find the information you seek. Now we have the basics up there we will work on the mistakes (Oooops!) and making additions and further improvements. We are always pleased to hear from you with your thoughts and you can now contact us more easily through the site. First ten interesting and fresh ideas that we receive and use will receive a free book from our award winning range. [Sorry, we already thought of the Facebook / Twitter bit which will come in time J]
OK, that’s enough of your time for this mailing. Thanks as always from a right royal weddinged UK!!
Convention season is nicely under way and we welcome those who joined our list at MoCCA, especially Lucinda who won our prize draw! This weekend it is the turn of those Northern Neighbors to host TCAF – Toronto Comic Arts Festival. Full details can be found here: http://torontocomics.com/ . Thanks and good luck to all involved and lots of fun to every visitor!
Fanfare / Ponent Mon will be in attendance on the first floor (is that what I call ground floor?) at table 152, right by the Beeton Auditorium (programming) entrance and the way up to the next floor of the show. We’ll be highlighting our new title FARM 54 which will ship to stores later this month. You can see an excerpt from the book over at the Graphic Novel Reporter site here: http://graphicnovelreporter.com/content/farm-54-0 Be sure to stop by and take a look at this and our other award winning titles.
Farm 54 cover (NB).jpg
Talking of awards…
2011 EISNER NOMINATIONS
eisners11_sm.bmp9788496427488 KOREA_COVERjpeg.jpg
We are very pleased to announce that our title ‘Korea As Viewed By 12 Creators’ released in 2010 has been nominated for an Eisner Award 2011 in the category Best Anthology following in the footsteps of its companion volume ‘Japan As Viewed By 17 Creators’. Voting is now open at: http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.php for the professionals among you. If you haven’t already checked these books out then you can do so this weekend at TCAF (see above) or at our newly designed web site…
…talking of a newly designed WEB SITE guess what we just did?
We hope you enjoy the new look site which we feel is much easier to navigate and find the information you seek. Now we have the basics up there we will work on the mistakes (Oooops!) and making additions and further improvements. We are always pleased to hear from you with your thoughts and you can now contact us more easily through the site. First ten interesting and fresh ideas that we receive and use will receive a free book from our award winning range. [Sorry, we already thought of the Facebook / Twitter bit which will come in time J]
OK, that’s enough of your time for this mailing. Thanks as always from a right royal weddinged UK!!
IMAGE COMICS IN A STORE NEAR YOU ON FCBD
The Best of Creator-Owned Comics Celebrates Free Comic Book Day This Saturday
BERKELEY, CA – 5 May 2011 – Every year on the first Saturday in May, publishers and local comic shops join forces in an event like no other: Free Comic Book Day! In an effort to introduce comic books to new readers and give established fans incentive to try something new or different, they are given free comics!
Image Comics is well known for introducing new titles in a variety of styles and genres to readers, so it's only natural that the publisher has been reaching out to new readers by participating in FCBD since it began in 2002. With two new Image Comics FCBD titles at comic book shops across the country and an impressively extensive list of our best creators participating at signings, this year is no exception!
Of all the free comics available on FCBD, kids young and old won't want to miss the SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL, the first new series published under Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint. This colorful all ages story is about a young boy genius and his best friend, a genetically-modified Tyrannosaurus Rex. For more information about Kirkman and artist Jason Howard's SUPER DINOSAUR series and a link to download a preview of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 through comiXology's Image Comics app, visit www.superdinosaur.com.
Our other free comic this year is wholly different from the light-hearted all ages title. DARKNESS II: CONFESSION is a prequel to the upcoming 2K game, Darkness II, which is based on Top Cow Productions' long-running THE DARKNESS series. With art by both Michael Broussard and Romano Molenaar, this comic will give readers a glimpse into the tortured life of Jackie, the Darkness bearer. For more information about The Darkness II video game, visit www.embracethedarkness.com. For more information about THE DARKNESS, as well as many more Top Cow Productions comics, visit www.topcow.com.
Image Comics would also like to help spread the word about all the events that retailers have scheduled with our talented writers and artists on FCBD. We have compiled a list so that you might locate and visit all the comic shops in your area that are hosting your favorite comic creators.
Image Comics' Creators Store (hyperlinked to sites) City State Start time End time Additional Merchandise/Events/Sales
Jimmie Robinson (BOMB QUEEN) The Escapist Berkeley CA 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Bomb Queen comics available and FREE sketches!
Matt Hawkins (DARKNESS, Top Cow Productions President) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Signing copies of Top Cow's Free Comic Book Day offering - The Darkness II: Confession
Michael Broussard (DARKNESS) Earth-2 Comics Northridge CA 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Signing Top Cow FCBD offering The Darkness II: Confession, also Artifacts and The Darkness
Filip Sablik (LAST MORTAL, DARKNESS, Top Cow Productions Publisher) Brave New World Newhall CA 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Signing Top Cow FCBD offering The Darkness II: Confession. Last Mortal and Pilot Season: Asset, as well as sketches
Mark Sable (GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES) Collector's Paradise Pasadena Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Free preview copies of GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES
Rick Basaldua (RISING STARS, PILOT SEASON) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Signing The Dakness as well as sketches for attendees
Sheldon Mitchell (DARKNESS) Collector's Paradise Pasadena Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Signing The Dakness as well as sketches for attendees
Derek McCulloch (PUG) The Escapist Berkeley CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signed copies of Pug will be available.
Richard Starkings (ELEPHANTMEN) The Comic Bug Manhattan Beach CA 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. IMAGE FIRSTS ELEPHANTMEN #1 available
Tomm Coker (UNDYING LOVE) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signing and Sketching
Whilce Portacio (Image Comics founder, IMAGE UNITED, ARTIFACTS, SPAWN) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
Chris Moreno (SIDEKICK, OUTLAW TERRITORY, 24 SEVEN) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Daniel Freedman (UNDYING LOVE) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signing and Sketching
Joshua Hale Fialkov (CYBLADE, ALIBI, ECHOES) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Kody Chamberlain (SWEETS) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Tone Rodriguez (MAYHEM, SHADOWHAWK) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Viktor Kalvachev (BLUE ESTATE) Fantastic Comics Berkeley CA 12:30 p.m.
Jason Howard (ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN, SUPER DINOSAUR) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. FCBD - SUPER DINOSAUR: ORIGIN SPECIAL
Owen Wiseman (SAMURAI'S BLOOD) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, SUPER DINOSAUR) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. FCBD - SUPER DINOSAUR: ORIGIN SPECIAL
Joshua Hale Fialkov (CYBLADE, ALIBI, ECHOES) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 4:00 p.m.
Kody Chamberlain (SWEETS) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 4:00 p.m.
Chris Houghton (REED GUNTHER) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA
Erik Larsen (SAVAGE DRAGON, SPIDERMAN) Fantastic Comics Berkeley CA
Jeff Cahn (RED SPIKE) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA
Scott Kowalchuk (INTREPIDS) Another Dimension Comics Calgary CANADA 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Selling prints and Original prints
Riley Rossmo (PROOF, GREEN WAKE, COWBOY NINJA VIKING) Another Dimension Comics Calgary CANADA 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Signing books and selling original art
Jim Zub (SKULLKICKERS) Toronto Comic Arts Festival Toronto CANADA 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Selling Skullkickers trades and convention-only sketchbooks
Greg Horn (THE ART OF GREG HORN) Yancy Street Comics Port Richey FL
Nathan Edmondson (THE LIGHT, WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?) Criminal Records Atlanta GA
Phil Hester (DARKNESS, FIREBREATHER) Daydreams Comics Iowa City IA 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Phil Hester (DARKNESS, FIREBREATHER) Cup O' Kryptonite (May 6th) Des Moines IA 9:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m. FCBD after dark Pre-Party!
Chris Burnham (OFFICER DOWNE) Dark Tower Comics Chicago IL
Jonathan Hickman (NIGHTLY NEWS, RED WING) Comic Vault Chicago IL
Alex Grecian (PROOF) Elite Comics Kansas City KS 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Signing copies of Proof
Lee Leslie (SCREAMLAND) B Bop South Prairie Village KS
Frank Cho (50 GIRLS 50) Cards, Comics and Collectibles Reisterstown MD
Jeremy Haun (ARTIFACTS, DARKNESS) Hurley's Heroes Joplin MO 12:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Chris Giarrusso (G-MAN) Acme Comics Greensboro NC 1:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. G-Man: Cape Crisis #2 Acme Comics variant edition | G-Man vs Acme Bat T-Shirt
Ron Marz (ARTIFACTS, SHINKU) Comic Depot Saratoga Springs NY 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Limited copies of FCBD Silver Scorpion (Liquid Comics)
Ron Marz (ARTIFACTS, SHINKU) Excellent Adventures Ballston Spa NY 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Limited copies of FCBD Silver Scorpion (Liquid Comics)
Dirk Manning (NIGHTMARE WORLD) Packrat Comics Hilliard OH 10:00 a.m. 10:00 p.m. 2-for-1 Sale: NIGHTMARE WORLD Vol 1 GN and NIGHTMARE WORLD Vol 2 GN
Steve Lieber (UNDERGROUND) Things From Another World Portland OR 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Anyone who buys a copy of Underground gets a free drawing in it!
David Hahn (ALL NIGHTER) Things From Another World Portland OR 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE, SEA BEAR & GRIZZLY SHARK) Nightflight Comics Salt Lake City UT 2:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. FREE sketches!
Mike Oeming (POWERS, MICE TEMPLAR) Comics Dungeon Seattle WA 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Nate Simpson (NONPLAYER) Arcane Comics Seattle WA 12:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Selling posters and signing comics/posters
Micah Farritor (FEAR AGENT, STRANGE GIRL) Westfield Comics (East Side) Madison WI 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist Tim Seeley’s HACK/SLASH, Jane Wiedlin’s LADY ROBOTIKA) Westfield Comics (East Side) Madison WI 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
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, 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.
The Best of Creator-Owned Comics Celebrates Free Comic Book Day This Saturday
BERKELEY, CA – 5 May 2011 – Every year on the first Saturday in May, publishers and local comic shops join forces in an event like no other: Free Comic Book Day! In an effort to introduce comic books to new readers and give established fans incentive to try something new or different, they are given free comics!
Image Comics is well known for introducing new titles in a variety of styles and genres to readers, so it's only natural that the publisher has been reaching out to new readers by participating in FCBD since it began in 2002. With two new Image Comics FCBD titles at comic book shops across the country and an impressively extensive list of our best creators participating at signings, this year is no exception!
Of all the free comics available on FCBD, kids young and old won't want to miss the SUPER DINOSAUR ORIGIN SPECIAL, the first new series published under Robert Kirkman's Skybound imprint. This colorful all ages story is about a young boy genius and his best friend, a genetically-modified Tyrannosaurus Rex. For more information about Kirkman and artist Jason Howard's SUPER DINOSAUR series and a link to download a preview of SUPER DINOSAUR #1 through comiXology's Image Comics app, visit www.superdinosaur.com.
Our other free comic this year is wholly different from the light-hearted all ages title. DARKNESS II: CONFESSION is a prequel to the upcoming 2K game, Darkness II, which is based on Top Cow Productions' long-running THE DARKNESS series. With art by both Michael Broussard and Romano Molenaar, this comic will give readers a glimpse into the tortured life of Jackie, the Darkness bearer. For more information about The Darkness II video game, visit www.embracethedarkness.com. For more information about THE DARKNESS, as well as many more Top Cow Productions comics, visit www.topcow.com.
Image Comics would also like to help spread the word about all the events that retailers have scheduled with our talented writers and artists on FCBD. We have compiled a list so that you might locate and visit all the comic shops in your area that are hosting your favorite comic creators.
Image Comics' Creators Store (hyperlinked to sites) City State Start time End time Additional Merchandise/Events/Sales
Jimmie Robinson (BOMB QUEEN) The Escapist Berkeley CA 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Bomb Queen comics available and FREE sketches!
Matt Hawkins (DARKNESS, Top Cow Productions President) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Signing copies of Top Cow's Free Comic Book Day offering - The Darkness II: Confession
Michael Broussard (DARKNESS) Earth-2 Comics Northridge CA 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Signing Top Cow FCBD offering The Darkness II: Confession, also Artifacts and The Darkness
Filip Sablik (LAST MORTAL, DARKNESS, Top Cow Productions Publisher) Brave New World Newhall CA 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Signing Top Cow FCBD offering The Darkness II: Confession. Last Mortal and Pilot Season: Asset, as well as sketches
Mark Sable (GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES) Collector's Paradise Pasadena Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Free preview copies of GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES
Rick Basaldua (RISING STARS, PILOT SEASON) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Signing The Dakness as well as sketches for attendees
Sheldon Mitchell (DARKNESS) Collector's Paradise Pasadena Pasadena CA 11:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Signing The Dakness as well as sketches for attendees
Derek McCulloch (PUG) The Escapist Berkeley CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signed copies of Pug will be available.
Richard Starkings (ELEPHANTMEN) The Comic Bug Manhattan Beach CA 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. IMAGE FIRSTS ELEPHANTMEN #1 available
Tomm Coker (UNDYING LOVE) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signing and Sketching
Whilce Portacio (Image Comics founder, IMAGE UNITED, ARTIFACTS, SPAWN) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
Chris Moreno (SIDEKICK, OUTLAW TERRITORY, 24 SEVEN) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Daniel Freedman (UNDYING LOVE) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Signing and Sketching
Joshua Hale Fialkov (CYBLADE, ALIBI, ECHOES) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Kody Chamberlain (SWEETS) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Tone Rodriguez (MAYHEM, SHADOWHAWK) Collector’s Paradise Comics & Gallery Canoga Park CA 12:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. "Sketches for HERO Initiative" fundraiser
Viktor Kalvachev (BLUE ESTATE) Fantastic Comics Berkeley CA 12:30 p.m.
Jason Howard (ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN, SUPER DINOSAUR) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. FCBD - SUPER DINOSAUR: ORIGIN SPECIAL
Owen Wiseman (SAMURAI'S BLOOD) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, SUPER DINOSAUR) Golden Apple Comics Los Angeles CA 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. FCBD - SUPER DINOSAUR: ORIGIN SPECIAL
Joshua Hale Fialkov (CYBLADE, ALIBI, ECHOES) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 4:00 p.m.
Kody Chamberlain (SWEETS) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA 4:00 p.m.
Chris Houghton (REED GUNTHER) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA
Erik Larsen (SAVAGE DRAGON, SPIDERMAN) Fantastic Comics Berkeley CA
Jeff Cahn (RED SPIKE) Meltdown Comics Los Angeles CA
Scott Kowalchuk (INTREPIDS) Another Dimension Comics Calgary CANADA 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Selling prints and Original prints
Riley Rossmo (PROOF, GREEN WAKE, COWBOY NINJA VIKING) Another Dimension Comics Calgary CANADA 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Signing books and selling original art
Jim Zub (SKULLKICKERS) Toronto Comic Arts Festival Toronto CANADA 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Selling Skullkickers trades and convention-only sketchbooks
Greg Horn (THE ART OF GREG HORN) Yancy Street Comics Port Richey FL
Nathan Edmondson (THE LIGHT, WHO IS JAKE ELLIS?) Criminal Records Atlanta GA
Phil Hester (DARKNESS, FIREBREATHER) Daydreams Comics Iowa City IA 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
Phil Hester (DARKNESS, FIREBREATHER) Cup O' Kryptonite (May 6th) Des Moines IA 9:00 p.m. 12:00 a.m. FCBD after dark Pre-Party!
Chris Burnham (OFFICER DOWNE) Dark Tower Comics Chicago IL
Jonathan Hickman (NIGHTLY NEWS, RED WING) Comic Vault Chicago IL
Alex Grecian (PROOF) Elite Comics Kansas City KS 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Signing copies of Proof
Lee Leslie (SCREAMLAND) B Bop South Prairie Village KS
Frank Cho (50 GIRLS 50) Cards, Comics and Collectibles Reisterstown MD
Jeremy Haun (ARTIFACTS, DARKNESS) Hurley's Heroes Joplin MO 12:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m.
Chris Giarrusso (G-MAN) Acme Comics Greensboro NC 1:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. G-Man: Cape Crisis #2 Acme Comics variant edition | G-Man vs Acme Bat T-Shirt
Ron Marz (ARTIFACTS, SHINKU) Comic Depot Saratoga Springs NY 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Limited copies of FCBD Silver Scorpion (Liquid Comics)
Ron Marz (ARTIFACTS, SHINKU) Excellent Adventures Ballston Spa NY 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Limited copies of FCBD Silver Scorpion (Liquid Comics)
Dirk Manning (NIGHTMARE WORLD) Packrat Comics Hilliard OH 10:00 a.m. 10:00 p.m. 2-for-1 Sale: NIGHTMARE WORLD Vol 1 GN and NIGHTMARE WORLD Vol 2 GN
Steve Lieber (UNDERGROUND) Things From Another World Portland OR 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Anyone who buys a copy of Underground gets a free drawing in it!
David Hahn (ALL NIGHTER) Things From Another World Portland OR 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Ryan Ottley (INVINCIBLE, SEA BEAR & GRIZZLY SHARK) Nightflight Comics Salt Lake City UT 2:30 p.m. 6:00 p.m. FREE sketches!
Mike Oeming (POWERS, MICE TEMPLAR) Comics Dungeon Seattle WA 1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Nate Simpson (NONPLAYER) Arcane Comics Seattle WA 12:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. Selling posters and signing comics/posters
Micah Farritor (FEAR AGENT, STRANGE GIRL) Westfield Comics (East Side) Madison WI 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
Rachelle Rosenberg (colorist Tim Seeley’s HACK/SLASH, Jane Wiedlin’s LADY ROBOTIKA) Westfield Comics (East Side) Madison WI 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Artists will be on hand to do sketches for attendees, with proceeds benefiting the Hero Initiative.
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, 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.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF DC UNIVERSE
SUPER HEROES PUT THEIR TRAINING TO
THE TEST AS WARNER HOME VIDEO
RELEASES YOUNG JUSTICE SEASON
1
VOLUME 1 OUT ON DVD JULY 19TH
One Disc Featuring Four Fantastic Episodes of the Brand-New
Cartoon Network Show, from Warner Bros. Animation
BURBANK, CA (May 6, 2011) – The newest Warner Bros. Animation–produced hit series on Cartoon Network is finally out on DVD as Warner Home Video (WHV) unleashes its secret weapon with Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1. These DC Universe teenage super heroes have quickly proven to be a hit as the favorite show among boys 9-14. With non-stop action, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 comes to DVD for the first time on July 19, 2011 for $14.97 SRP.
In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over — to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice — Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis — will find out and whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero.
These teenage heroes collectively become the Justice League’s secret weapon against the forces of evil. The young protégés must put their super hero education to the test and band together to covertly fight the evildoers that exist on Earth-16. Utilizing The Cave as their home base, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the league’s famous and identifiable elders to handle secretly.
While the team works to take on more super hero responsibilities, they are in constant training by the Justice League to eventually take their place alongside the great heroes. Red Tornado is their supervisor; Black Canary is in charge of their training; and Batman determines and directs their assignments. Of course, in true teenage fashion, the members of the team push the limits of their missions, often turning a simple assignment from Batman into something significantly larger.
“DC fans have been vocal about their love for Young Justice, so I am particularly pleased to announce our first DVD release,” said Sam Register, Executive Vice President Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.
“We are thrilled to bring the newest and youngest members of the DC Universe to homes with the release of Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director of Family and Animation Marketing. “As a brand-new series, Young Justice is already a favorite and will continue to excite fans with its group of crime-fighting teenage super heroes.”
Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 is executive produced by Sam Register and produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The voice cast includes Jesse McCartney as Robin, Khary Payton as Aqualad, Jason Spisak as Kid Flash, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis and Bruce Greenwood as Batman.
Episodes:
Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1
1. Independence Day, Part 1
2. Independence Day, Part 2
3. Welcome to Happy Harbor
4. Drop Zone
About Warner Home Video:
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology, and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. In 2010, WBA unveiled three new theatrically released CG cartoon shorts that feature iconic Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. For television, WBA currently produces Batman: The Brave and the Bold, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Young Justice for Cartoon Network, and will soon launch The Looney Tunes Show, ThunderCats, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and more. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio’s rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
SUPER HEROES PUT THEIR TRAINING TO
THE TEST AS WARNER HOME VIDEO
RELEASES YOUNG JUSTICE SEASON
1VOLUME 1 OUT ON DVD JULY 19TH
One Disc Featuring Four Fantastic Episodes of the Brand-New
Cartoon Network Show, from Warner Bros. Animation
BURBANK, CA (May 6, 2011) – The newest Warner Bros. Animation–produced hit series on Cartoon Network is finally out on DVD as Warner Home Video (WHV) unleashes its secret weapon with Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1. These DC Universe teenage super heroes have quickly proven to be a hit as the favorite show among boys 9-14. With non-stop action, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 comes to DVD for the first time on July 19, 2011 for $14.97 SRP.
In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over — to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice — Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis — will find out and whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero.
These teenage heroes collectively become the Justice League’s secret weapon against the forces of evil. The young protégés must put their super hero education to the test and band together to covertly fight the evildoers that exist on Earth-16. Utilizing The Cave as their home base, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the league’s famous and identifiable elders to handle secretly.
While the team works to take on more super hero responsibilities, they are in constant training by the Justice League to eventually take their place alongside the great heroes. Red Tornado is their supervisor; Black Canary is in charge of their training; and Batman determines and directs their assignments. Of course, in true teenage fashion, the members of the team push the limits of their missions, often turning a simple assignment from Batman into something significantly larger.
“DC fans have been vocal about their love for Young Justice, so I am particularly pleased to announce our first DVD release,” said Sam Register, Executive Vice President Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.
“We are thrilled to bring the newest and youngest members of the DC Universe to homes with the release of Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director of Family and Animation Marketing. “As a brand-new series, Young Justice is already a favorite and will continue to excite fans with its group of crime-fighting teenage super heroes.”
Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 is executive produced by Sam Register and produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The voice cast includes Jesse McCartney as Robin, Khary Payton as Aqualad, Jason Spisak as Kid Flash, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis and Bruce Greenwood as Batman.
Episodes:
Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1
1. Independence Day, Part 1
2. Independence Day, Part 2
3. Welcome to Happy Harbor
4. Drop Zone
About Warner Home Video:
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.
About DC Entertainment:
DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
About Warner Bros. Animation:
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology, and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. In 2010, WBA unveiled three new theatrically released CG cartoon shorts that feature iconic Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. For television, WBA currently produces Batman: The Brave and the Bold, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated and Young Justice for Cartoon Network, and will soon launch The Looney Tunes Show, ThunderCats, Green Lantern: The Animated Series and more. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio’s rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
CELEBRATE
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
WITH BOOM! STUDIOS
AT A LOCAL COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU!
BOOM! STUDIOS
CELEBRATES
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, MAY 7th, 2011 WITH
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION &
DARKWING DUCK #1 / CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS #1
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY FLIP BOOK
May 6, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - Celebrate Free Comic Book Day at a local comic shop near you! This Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7th, 2011, request your Free Comic Book Day editions of ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST and DARKWING DUCK #1 / CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS #1 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY FLIP BOOK!
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION features an original prequel story by New York Times bestseller and SUPERMAN writer Chris Roberson with art by Francesco Biagini and cover art by Erik Jones that leads directly into the first issue of the new ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST this July.
And while you're there, be sure to check out our special $1 BOOM! BLASTS featuring the #1 issues of some of our best selling titles.
IRREDEEMABLE #1 / INCORRUPTIBLE #1 $1 BOOM BLAST
DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #1 $1 BOOM BLAST
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK $1 BOOM BLAST
BOOM! Studios will be out in full force as BOOM!/KABOOM! creators will all be out signing their books and meeting fans all across the country!
STARBORN, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?: DUST TO DUST and ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST
writer Chris Roberson
@ Austin Books and Comics
5002 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78751
Event from 8AM to 7PM
http://www.austinbooks.com/pages/events.php
DARKWING DUCK writer Ian Brill
28 DAYS LATER writer Michael Alan Nelson
and CBGB’s writer Sam Humphries
@ 4 Color Fantasies
7172 Archibald Avenue Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701
Event from 11AM to 4PM
http://www.4colorfantasies.com/
DARKWING DUCK artist James Silvani
@ Nuclear Comics & Skate
28985 Golden Lantern #B107
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
TOY STORY and CARS’ artist Travis Hill
@ Pop City Comics
2114 Edgewater Drive Orlando, FL 32804
http://www.popcitycomics.com/popcitycomics.htm
Find your local comic book retailer with http://www.comicshoplocator.com
About BOOM! Studios
Award-winning "Best Publisher" BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of bestselling comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent, including Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE, Stan Lee's SOLDIER ZERO, THE TRAVELER, and STARBORN (the first new series in print from the industry icon in 20 years), new HELLRAISER comics written by Clive Barker as well as 20th Century Fox's PLANET OF THE APES, 28 DAYS LATER, and DIE HARD, Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, and The Henson Company's FARSCAPE. BOOM!'s recently rebranded all-ages imprint, KABOOM! will see publication of PEANUTS, SPACE WARPED, Roger Langridge's SNARKED!, Scholastic's WORDGIRL and DUCKTALES, as well as continuing to publish fan-favorite Disney Afternoon series DARKWING DUCK, CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS along with Disney standards MICKEY MOUSE, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE, and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
WITH BOOM! STUDIOS
AT A LOCAL COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU!
BOOM! STUDIOS
CELEBRATES
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, MAY 7th, 2011 WITH
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION &
DARKWING DUCK #1 / CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS #1
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY FLIP BOOK
May 6, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - Celebrate Free Comic Book Day at a local comic shop near you! This Free Comic Book Day, Saturday May 7th, 2011, request your Free Comic Book Day editions of ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST and DARKWING DUCK #1 / CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS #1 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY FLIP BOOK!
ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST FREE COMIC BOOK DAY EDITION features an original prequel story by New York Times bestseller and SUPERMAN writer Chris Roberson with art by Francesco Biagini and cover art by Erik Jones that leads directly into the first issue of the new ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST this July.
And while you're there, be sure to check out our special $1 BOOM! BLASTS featuring the #1 issues of some of our best selling titles.
IRREDEEMABLE #1 / INCORRUPTIBLE #1 $1 BOOM BLAST
DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS #1 $1 BOOM BLAST
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SCROOGE MCDUCK $1 BOOM BLAST
BOOM! Studios will be out in full force as BOOM!/KABOOM! creators will all be out signing their books and meeting fans all across the country!
STARBORN, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?: DUST TO DUST and ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST
writer Chris Roberson
@ Austin Books and Comics
5002 North Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78751
Event from 8AM to 7PM
http://www.austinbooks.com/pages/events.php
DARKWING DUCK writer Ian Brill
28 DAYS LATER writer Michael Alan Nelson
and CBGB’s writer Sam Humphries
@ 4 Color Fantasies
7172 Archibald Avenue Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701
Event from 11AM to 4PM
http://www.4colorfantasies.com/
DARKWING DUCK artist James Silvani
@ Nuclear Comics & Skate
28985 Golden Lantern #B107
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
TOY STORY and CARS’ artist Travis Hill
@ Pop City Comics
2114 Edgewater Drive Orlando, FL 32804
http://www.popcitycomics.com/popcitycomics.htm
Find your local comic book retailer with http://www.comicshoplocator.com
About BOOM! Studios
Award-winning "Best Publisher" BOOM! Studios (www.boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of bestselling comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent, including Mark Waid series IRREDEEMABLE, Stan Lee's SOLDIER ZERO, THE TRAVELER, and STARBORN (the first new series in print from the industry icon in 20 years), new HELLRAISER comics written by Clive Barker as well as 20th Century Fox's PLANET OF THE APES, 28 DAYS LATER, and DIE HARD, Philip K. Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?, and The Henson Company's FARSCAPE. BOOM!'s recently rebranded all-ages imprint, KABOOM! will see publication of PEANUTS, SPACE WARPED, Roger Langridge's SNARKED!, Scholastic's WORDGIRL and DUCKTALES, as well as continuing to publish fan-favorite Disney Afternoon series DARKWING DUCK, CHIP 'N' DALE RESCUE RANGERS along with Disney standards MICKEY MOUSE, DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE, and WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES.
AMERICAN & SYRIAN YOUTHS CREATE NEW
DISABLED SUPERHERO - THE SILVER SCORPION
~ At Crucial Historical Moment, Young Diplomats Unveil a Comic Book Hero That Transcends Political, Cultural and Religious Differences ~
NEW YORK, NY- May 6, 2011 - Liquid Comics and the Open Hands Initiative, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to public diplomacy efforts, announced today the launch of a new comic book that will introduce children around the world to the Silver Scorpion, an Arab teenager who loses his legs in a tragic accident, but whose powers- his creators hope- include the ability to help build bridges between the youth of America and the Arab world, starting with Syria.
The first issue of the Silver Scorpion will be given away free across comic book retailers in the United States this Saturday May 7th as part of "Free Comic Book Day". In addition, a digital edition of Silver Scorpion is also now available for free on the home page of Scribd.com where it can be read online and through iPad devices, as well as shared with friends through Facebook and Twitter. A larger, magazine-sized collector version of the first issue is also available for order via HP's Magcloud print on demand service.
Silver Scorpion is more than just a new superhero; it represents a unique breakthrough in U.S. public diplomacy efforts at a crucial juncture in the relationship between America and the Arab world. As President Bill Clinton highlighted at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative, the Silver Scorpion "will help to establish trust and understanding between cultures, to empower young people with disabilities."
"As the Arab world is undergoing historic and transformative changes, the American people can, and should, play an important role in strengthening and deepening the relationships between the people of our two cultures," said Jay T Snyder, American businessman and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Open Hands Initiative. "This comic book is an act of public diplomacy, a gift from the young people of America and Syria to the world."
"Disability is an issue that connects all people, no matter their race or religion or country," said Dr. Valerie Karr, a Contributing Editor to the Comic and a specialist on disability. "A dedication to the rights of people with disabilities is the most fundamental expression of shared values one can find. The Silver Scorpion is the embodiment of those values."
In August 2010, Liquid Comics joined the Open Hands Initiative to take a group of American youths with disabilities to Damascus, where they met with a group of young Syrian counterparts at the first-ever international "Youth Ability Summit". In workshops led by Liquid Comics and disability experts from the Victor Pineda Foundation, the children were asked to work together to create an original superhero that reflected their cross-cultural values and ideals as well as the challenges of living with a disability. By the end of the summit, the wheelchair-bound character of the Silver Scorpion was born.
The Silver Scorpion tells the story of an Arabic teenager, Bashir Bari, who loses his legs in a tragic accident. Consumed with anger and grief, Bashir retreats into a world of isolation, resentful of the pitiful looks and whispers of strangers. When he accidentally witnesses the murder of Tarek, a mysterious local metalsmith, Bashir is unwittingly chosen as the new guardian of an ancient power that has remained hidden for centuries. With new abilities allowing him to manipulate the metal around him, Bashir must rise above his personal grief and use this newfound gift to protect the world, while learning firsthand to embrace the values of tolerance and cooperation to achieve great heights. Liquid Comics worked with leading comic book talents Ron Marz and Mukesh Singh to help take the ideas of the youth participants and turn them into an exciting comic book story.
Liquid Comics Co-Founder & CEO Sharad Devarajan says the Silver Scorpion's superpowers go even further. "Our hope is that the Silver Scorpion will also be a positive role model to increase a dialogue and tear down some of the divisive political and social rhetoric between the West and the Arab region. Great superheroes have always been allegories to larger societal issues in the world. The bigger story of our generation is the story of globalization and our ability to overcome our regional and cultural differences to find our common humanity. While I hope people enjoy the adventures of Bashir and his transformation into the Silver Scorpion, for me, the more exciting story is how this comic book was created- from the minds of two very different groups of extraordinary youths who speak to the very best of globalization in the years ahead."
Snyder added, "What is truly amazing about this comic book is not just that it features a disabled superhero as the main character, but that it was inspired by youths who came from the United States and Syria. They had never met before. They spoke different languages. They had different cultures and backgrounds. Yet still, they found common ground through their creativity, and have given the world a character that transcends their differences."
The ten American children who participated in the Youth Ability Summit that led to the creation of the "Silver Scorpion" say Bashir is the character they'd longed to see on the pages of a comic book. "The Silver Scorpion illustrates that no matter if you are in Damascus or Des Moines, at the end of the day, we all share the same hopes and dreams," said Sarah Funes, a teenager from South San Francisco, California."Creating this comic has united our small group from two different worlds forever as part of a unique community, and we cannot wait to share our experiences and creation with the world."
Syrian students who took part in the summit said that the collaboration with American children was life-changing. "It made me feel that I have to improve my life," said Abdulrahman Hussein, who wants to learn English so he can meet more people and better communicate with his new American friends.
"We hope the character also teaches children with disabilities to overcome the perception of their disability as a weakness, and instead find empowerment and pride in who they are, regardless of their differences,"added Devarajan.
In addition to the US release, 50,000 copies of the Silver Scorpion in Arabic will also be distributed for free to schools and youth centers within Syria, as well as in various countries throughout the region. The comic series will feature additional issues and superheroes in the coming months, including female and western heroes, who will interact and engage with the Silver Scorpion as he seeks to defeat a mysterious evil.
Please visit www.FreeComicBookDay.com for more information on how to locate a comic book retailer near you to get a free copy of Silver Scorpion. Digital editions of Silver Scorpion are available to read for free online at www.Scribd.com/LiquidComics and people can also order a "Print-on-Demand" collector's edition of Silver Scorpion to be mailed to them at http://www.magcloud.com/browse/Issue/178024
DISABLED SUPERHERO - THE SILVER SCORPION
~ At Crucial Historical Moment, Young Diplomats Unveil a Comic Book Hero That Transcends Political, Cultural and Religious Differences ~
NEW YORK, NY- May 6, 2011 - Liquid Comics and the Open Hands Initiative, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to public diplomacy efforts, announced today the launch of a new comic book that will introduce children around the world to the Silver Scorpion, an Arab teenager who loses his legs in a tragic accident, but whose powers- his creators hope- include the ability to help build bridges between the youth of America and the Arab world, starting with Syria.
The first issue of the Silver Scorpion will be given away free across comic book retailers in the United States this Saturday May 7th as part of "Free Comic Book Day". In addition, a digital edition of Silver Scorpion is also now available for free on the home page of Scribd.com where it can be read online and through iPad devices, as well as shared with friends through Facebook and Twitter. A larger, magazine-sized collector version of the first issue is also available for order via HP's Magcloud print on demand service.
Silver Scorpion is more than just a new superhero; it represents a unique breakthrough in U.S. public diplomacy efforts at a crucial juncture in the relationship between America and the Arab world. As President Bill Clinton highlighted at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative, the Silver Scorpion "will help to establish trust and understanding between cultures, to empower young people with disabilities."
"As the Arab world is undergoing historic and transformative changes, the American people can, and should, play an important role in strengthening and deepening the relationships between the people of our two cultures," said Jay T Snyder, American businessman and Co-Founder and Chairman of the Open Hands Initiative. "This comic book is an act of public diplomacy, a gift from the young people of America and Syria to the world."
"Disability is an issue that connects all people, no matter their race or religion or country," said Dr. Valerie Karr, a Contributing Editor to the Comic and a specialist on disability. "A dedication to the rights of people with disabilities is the most fundamental expression of shared values one can find. The Silver Scorpion is the embodiment of those values."
In August 2010, Liquid Comics joined the Open Hands Initiative to take a group of American youths with disabilities to Damascus, where they met with a group of young Syrian counterparts at the first-ever international "Youth Ability Summit". In workshops led by Liquid Comics and disability experts from the Victor Pineda Foundation, the children were asked to work together to create an original superhero that reflected their cross-cultural values and ideals as well as the challenges of living with a disability. By the end of the summit, the wheelchair-bound character of the Silver Scorpion was born.
The Silver Scorpion tells the story of an Arabic teenager, Bashir Bari, who loses his legs in a tragic accident. Consumed with anger and grief, Bashir retreats into a world of isolation, resentful of the pitiful looks and whispers of strangers. When he accidentally witnesses the murder of Tarek, a mysterious local metalsmith, Bashir is unwittingly chosen as the new guardian of an ancient power that has remained hidden for centuries. With new abilities allowing him to manipulate the metal around him, Bashir must rise above his personal grief and use this newfound gift to protect the world, while learning firsthand to embrace the values of tolerance and cooperation to achieve great heights. Liquid Comics worked with leading comic book talents Ron Marz and Mukesh Singh to help take the ideas of the youth participants and turn them into an exciting comic book story.
Liquid Comics Co-Founder & CEO Sharad Devarajan says the Silver Scorpion's superpowers go even further. "Our hope is that the Silver Scorpion will also be a positive role model to increase a dialogue and tear down some of the divisive political and social rhetoric between the West and the Arab region. Great superheroes have always been allegories to larger societal issues in the world. The bigger story of our generation is the story of globalization and our ability to overcome our regional and cultural differences to find our common humanity. While I hope people enjoy the adventures of Bashir and his transformation into the Silver Scorpion, for me, the more exciting story is how this comic book was created- from the minds of two very different groups of extraordinary youths who speak to the very best of globalization in the years ahead."
Snyder added, "What is truly amazing about this comic book is not just that it features a disabled superhero as the main character, but that it was inspired by youths who came from the United States and Syria. They had never met before. They spoke different languages. They had different cultures and backgrounds. Yet still, they found common ground through their creativity, and have given the world a character that transcends their differences."
The ten American children who participated in the Youth Ability Summit that led to the creation of the "Silver Scorpion" say Bashir is the character they'd longed to see on the pages of a comic book. "The Silver Scorpion illustrates that no matter if you are in Damascus or Des Moines, at the end of the day, we all share the same hopes and dreams," said Sarah Funes, a teenager from South San Francisco, California."Creating this comic has united our small group from two different worlds forever as part of a unique community, and we cannot wait to share our experiences and creation with the world."
Syrian students who took part in the summit said that the collaboration with American children was life-changing. "It made me feel that I have to improve my life," said Abdulrahman Hussein, who wants to learn English so he can meet more people and better communicate with his new American friends.
"We hope the character also teaches children with disabilities to overcome the perception of their disability as a weakness, and instead find empowerment and pride in who they are, regardless of their differences,"added Devarajan.
In addition to the US release, 50,000 copies of the Silver Scorpion in Arabic will also be distributed for free to schools and youth centers within Syria, as well as in various countries throughout the region. The comic series will feature additional issues and superheroes in the coming months, including female and western heroes, who will interact and engage with the Silver Scorpion as he seeks to defeat a mysterious evil.
Please visit www.FreeComicBookDay.com for more information on how to locate a comic book retailer near you to get a free copy of Silver Scorpion. Digital editions of Silver Scorpion are available to read for free online at www.Scribd.com/LiquidComics and people can also order a "Print-on-Demand" collector's edition of Silver Scorpion to be mailed to them at http://www.magcloud.com/browse/Issue/178024
Thursday, May 05, 2011
50 GIRLS 50 IS SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
Upcoming Sci-Fi Epic To Feature Covers and More by Comics Legend Frank Cho
BERKELEY, CA – 5 May 2011 – Image Comics' upcoming new 50 GIRLS 50, the sexy sci-fi epic co-created by Frank Cho and Doug Murray, will be fit to bursting with fantastic art! Along with the outstanding work of Axel Medellin, winner of the talent search for the perfect 50 GIRLS 50 artist, Cho himself will be contributing his own distinct art to the universe of 50 GIRLS 50.
Besides the gorgeous covers, Cho will also be providing a two page epilogue after each issue of the upcoming four issue miniseries. And as if that wasn't enough, Cho's character designs and breakdowns will be on display as backup material!
"I've always been a science fiction fan since I saw Blade Runner and Aliens," Cho commented. "I saw the beautiful pages Axel was producing, saw how much fun he was having and just couldn't resist. I had to jump in and have some fun myself! The two-page epilogue that I wrote and drew was completely unplanned and spur of the moment...
"Okay, it was an excuse for me to draw hot women."
Newcomer Medellin added: "I'm honored to be working with Frank Cho, a real legend in the comics biz! His work has inspired me and instructed me, like so many other young artists. To be working with him now is like a dream come true. It's safe to say that the 12-year-old me would not have believed me if I told him!"
50 GIRLS 50 #1 (APR110392), a 32-page full color comic book priced at $2.99 will be landing in stores June 1. A five-page preview of 50 GIRLS 50 #1 will be available in ELEPHANTMEN #31 (FEB110456) on May 11 for $2.99.
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, 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.
Upcoming Sci-Fi Epic To Feature Covers and More by Comics Legend Frank Cho
BERKELEY, CA – 5 May 2011 – Image Comics' upcoming new 50 GIRLS 50, the sexy sci-fi epic co-created by Frank Cho and Doug Murray, will be fit to bursting with fantastic art! Along with the outstanding work of Axel Medellin, winner of the talent search for the perfect 50 GIRLS 50 artist, Cho himself will be contributing his own distinct art to the universe of 50 GIRLS 50.
Besides the gorgeous covers, Cho will also be providing a two page epilogue after each issue of the upcoming four issue miniseries. And as if that wasn't enough, Cho's character designs and breakdowns will be on display as backup material!
"I've always been a science fiction fan since I saw Blade Runner and Aliens," Cho commented. "I saw the beautiful pages Axel was producing, saw how much fun he was having and just couldn't resist. I had to jump in and have some fun myself! The two-page epilogue that I wrote and drew was completely unplanned and spur of the moment...
"Okay, it was an excuse for me to draw hot women."
Newcomer Medellin added: "I'm honored to be working with Frank Cho, a real legend in the comics biz! His work has inspired me and instructed me, like so many other young artists. To be working with him now is like a dream come true. It's safe to say that the 12-year-old me would not have believed me if I told him!"
50 GIRLS 50 #1 (APR110392), a 32-page full color comic book priced at $2.99 will be landing in stores June 1. A five-page preview of 50 GIRLS 50 #1 will be available in ELEPHANTMEN #31 (FEB110456) on May 11 for $2.99.
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, 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.
IDW Launches Crawl To Me In July
A new original horror comic series by Life of Agony bassist Alan Robert
[Crawl to Me Cover Image]San Diego, CA (May 5, 2011) – IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the launch of CRAWL TO ME, a new original horror comic by Alan Robert. Created, written, and illustrated by Robert, best known for being the bassist and creative force behind the respected hard rock group, Life of Agony, as well as the creator of the Wire Hangers comic series, with a film now in development. Robert has paired up with IDW once again for an all-new mini-series set to debut in July 2011.
CRAWL TO ME takes place in an isolated country town during the frigid winter months. The story centers on a young family as they cope with a series of disturbing events that force them to question their relationship, their faith and their very existence.
"I couldn't have been happier to do Wire Hangers with Alan," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer, "and to see him stretch in different areas here is even more gratifying. This is a dark, psychologically affecting and surprisingly intimate story that I'm happy to foist on an unsuspecting comic-reading public. Put another way, if you survived Wire Hangers with any part of your psyche intact, Crawl to Me should help finish the job."
The story follows husband and wife, Ryan and Jessica. As they move into their first home together, strange things begin to occur. Half-eaten animals and other remains are found inside the basement’s crawl space. Their family dog disappears within the house. Distant voices are heard from beneath the floorboards. The couple begins to think that an evil entity is living inside their walls. Nothing can prepare them for what they’ll discover, but Ryan and Jessica soon realize that they must set aside all they believe to be true, in order to face their inevitable reality.
CRAWL TO ME boasts three unique covers per issue featuring cover art by Robert, Silent Hill: Past Life painter, Menton J. Matthews III and UK illustrator, David Lupton. Visit the official website, at crawltomecomic.com.
“All my life, I’ve been told that I have a warped and twisted imagination. So, with these horror stories, I’m finally putting my morbid thoughts to good use,” says Robert. “When Wire Hangers was received so well by comic and horror fans last year, it really inspired me to continue creating stories in the medium. With Crawl to Me, I wanted to go even darker, but, don’t be fooled. This is not your typical, run-of-the-mill, haunted house story. It’s more of a thriller, filled with a ton of demented mind-games that will keep you guessing. Think of it like a Twilight Zone episode on steroids.”
Click here to see an exclusive preview of the comic!
CRAWL TO ME #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in July.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
About IDW Publishing 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 and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC's Doctor Who; Toho’s Godzilla and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio; and is the print publisher for EA Comics.
IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.
About Alan Robert
In 2010, Alan Robert’s debut comic series, Wire Hangers, received the Cover of the Year Award by ComicMonsters.com. The four-issue series was published monthly by IDW and later collected into a trade-paperback book. Robert's band, Life of Agony, recently celebrated their twenty-year anniversary with a successful tour, where the group performed in front of crowds as large as 500,000 people in Europe. A double-disc set entitled 20 Years Strong: River Runs Red - Live in Brussels (I Scream Records) is in stores worldwide.
Robert is also wrapping up the writing process for his new Spoiler NYC album, titled Banned in 38 States. Robert is the lead vocalist/bassist for the New York based, punk-trio. Banned in 38 States will be the sophomore release for Spoiler NYC, following their 2007 debut, Grease Fire in Hell's Kitchen (SOS Records/I Scream Records). Two new exclusive tracks, produced by Grammy-Award winning producer, Ken Lewis (Lenny Kravitz, Beastie Boys, Fall Out Boy) can be heard online.
Information about Robert’s bands can be found at LifeOfAgony.com and SpoilerNYC.com.
A new original horror comic series by Life of Agony bassist Alan Robert
[Crawl to Me Cover Image]San Diego, CA (May 5, 2011) – IDW Publishing is pleased to announce the launch of CRAWL TO ME, a new original horror comic by Alan Robert. Created, written, and illustrated by Robert, best known for being the bassist and creative force behind the respected hard rock group, Life of Agony, as well as the creator of the Wire Hangers comic series, with a film now in development. Robert has paired up with IDW once again for an all-new mini-series set to debut in July 2011.
CRAWL TO ME takes place in an isolated country town during the frigid winter months. The story centers on a young family as they cope with a series of disturbing events that force them to question their relationship, their faith and their very existence.
"I couldn't have been happier to do Wire Hangers with Alan," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer, "and to see him stretch in different areas here is even more gratifying. This is a dark, psychologically affecting and surprisingly intimate story that I'm happy to foist on an unsuspecting comic-reading public. Put another way, if you survived Wire Hangers with any part of your psyche intact, Crawl to Me should help finish the job."
The story follows husband and wife, Ryan and Jessica. As they move into their first home together, strange things begin to occur. Half-eaten animals and other remains are found inside the basement’s crawl space. Their family dog disappears within the house. Distant voices are heard from beneath the floorboards. The couple begins to think that an evil entity is living inside their walls. Nothing can prepare them for what they’ll discover, but Ryan and Jessica soon realize that they must set aside all they believe to be true, in order to face their inevitable reality.
CRAWL TO ME boasts three unique covers per issue featuring cover art by Robert, Silent Hill: Past Life painter, Menton J. Matthews III and UK illustrator, David Lupton. Visit the official website, at crawltomecomic.com.
“All my life, I’ve been told that I have a warped and twisted imagination. So, with these horror stories, I’m finally putting my morbid thoughts to good use,” says Robert. “When Wire Hangers was received so well by comic and horror fans last year, it really inspired me to continue creating stories in the medium. With Crawl to Me, I wanted to go even darker, but, don’t be fooled. This is not your typical, run-of-the-mill, haunted house story. It’s more of a thriller, filled with a ton of demented mind-games that will keep you guessing. Think of it like a Twilight Zone episode on steroids.”
Click here to see an exclusive preview of the comic!
CRAWL TO ME #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in July.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
About IDW Publishing 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 and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC's Doctor Who; Toho’s Godzilla and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio; and is the print publisher for EA Comics.
IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.
About Alan Robert
In 2010, Alan Robert’s debut comic series, Wire Hangers, received the Cover of the Year Award by ComicMonsters.com. The four-issue series was published monthly by IDW and later collected into a trade-paperback book. Robert's band, Life of Agony, recently celebrated their twenty-year anniversary with a successful tour, where the group performed in front of crowds as large as 500,000 people in Europe. A double-disc set entitled 20 Years Strong: River Runs Red - Live in Brussels (I Scream Records) is in stores worldwide.
Robert is also wrapping up the writing process for his new Spoiler NYC album, titled Banned in 38 States. Robert is the lead vocalist/bassist for the New York based, punk-trio. Banned in 38 States will be the sophomore release for Spoiler NYC, following their 2007 debut, Grease Fire in Hell's Kitchen (SOS Records/I Scream Records). Two new exclusive tracks, produced by Grammy-Award winning producer, Ken Lewis (Lenny Kravitz, Beastie Boys, Fall Out Boy) can be heard online.
Information about Robert’s bands can be found at LifeOfAgony.com and SpoilerNYC.com.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
IMMORTALITY IS A CURSE
The Story of a Man's Failure in Life and Death Debuts This Month With Last Mortal
BERKELEY, CA – 4 May 2011 – Fresh from the recent success of Joshua Hale Fialkov and and Rahsan Ekedal's critically acclaimed ECHOES, Minotaur Press has once again paired up with Top Cow Productions and Image Comics to bring readers a gritty new four issue miniseries. LAST MORTAL, a noir revenge story with a supernatural twist by writer and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik (THE DARKNESS II: CONFESSION, PILOT SEASON: ASSET) and writer John Mahoney with artist Thomas Nachlik (PILOT SEASON: FOREVER), will be in stores soon.
LAST MORTAL tells the tale of Alec King, a born loser who could never succeed at anything. When Alec's best friend and partner in crime's latest get rich quick scheme leaves their operation forever altered, he is left at rock bottom. Will he find a way to break his pattern of continued failure and reach a better day?
Top Cow Publisher and writer Filip Sablik said, "I'm incredibly excited and proud to see this series released as a creator. Alec's story is one that my co-creator John and I have been working on for roughly fifteen years. The combination of a grounded street level revenge story and the more supernatural, personal journey Alec undergoes has a unique, wide appeal held together brilliantly by Thomas Nachlik's striking, bold art."
“Last Mortal is a book that is near and dear to Filip and my hearts and is a story we have been writing in one form or another for most of our lives," added Mahoney. "The street level pulp setting for this four issue miniseries asks the question: What can a man accomplish with a second chance when that opportunity is forced upon him against his will?”
Nachlik spoke of his collaboration with the two co-creators on LAST MORTAL: "Filip Sablik and John Mahoney - a dream team of writers - after working on this script for so many years had a clear vision of their concepts but were open to new ideas at the same time. That's the perfect combination for every sequential artist working on such a complex and unique story concept."
Readers who want to meet the creators while picking up the first issue of LAST MORTAL should make sure to visit Collector's Paradise in Canoga Park, CA on Saturday, May 21st. The store will be hosting a LAST MORTAL book release party from 7 PM to 10 PM. There will be a signing with co-creators John Mahoney and Filip Sablik, an art show of Thomas Nachlik's original work from the first issue, a live DJ and free drinks. And to top it off, Sablik will be getting a tattoo live at the event of the ouroboros symbol that is seen on the covers! For more information about the event, visit http://comicsandcards.net.
A video trailer of the new series can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCNfDf1bgLk. Trailer sound design, score, and voiceover are by Joshua Boden.
LAST MORTAL #1 (MAR110522), a 32-page black and white supernatural noir comic book priced at $3.99 will be available on May 18. ECHOES HC, collecting the entire 5 issue series as well as a ton of extras including sketches, script pages, process pieces and more, will be available in stores on June 22nd for $19.99.
ABOUT TOP COW PRODUCTIONS INC.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. A second game is slated for release from 2K Games in the Fall of 2011. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.
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, 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.
The Story of a Man's Failure in Life and Death Debuts This Month With Last Mortal
BERKELEY, CA – 4 May 2011 – Fresh from the recent success of Joshua Hale Fialkov and and Rahsan Ekedal's critically acclaimed ECHOES, Minotaur Press has once again paired up with Top Cow Productions and Image Comics to bring readers a gritty new four issue miniseries. LAST MORTAL, a noir revenge story with a supernatural twist by writer and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik (THE DARKNESS II: CONFESSION, PILOT SEASON: ASSET) and writer John Mahoney with artist Thomas Nachlik (PILOT SEASON: FOREVER), will be in stores soon.
LAST MORTAL tells the tale of Alec King, a born loser who could never succeed at anything. When Alec's best friend and partner in crime's latest get rich quick scheme leaves their operation forever altered, he is left at rock bottom. Will he find a way to break his pattern of continued failure and reach a better day?
Top Cow Publisher and writer Filip Sablik said, "I'm incredibly excited and proud to see this series released as a creator. Alec's story is one that my co-creator John and I have been working on for roughly fifteen years. The combination of a grounded street level revenge story and the more supernatural, personal journey Alec undergoes has a unique, wide appeal held together brilliantly by Thomas Nachlik's striking, bold art."
“Last Mortal is a book that is near and dear to Filip and my hearts and is a story we have been writing in one form or another for most of our lives," added Mahoney. "The street level pulp setting for this four issue miniseries asks the question: What can a man accomplish with a second chance when that opportunity is forced upon him against his will?”
Nachlik spoke of his collaboration with the two co-creators on LAST MORTAL: "Filip Sablik and John Mahoney - a dream team of writers - after working on this script for so many years had a clear vision of their concepts but were open to new ideas at the same time. That's the perfect combination for every sequential artist working on such a complex and unique story concept."
Readers who want to meet the creators while picking up the first issue of LAST MORTAL should make sure to visit Collector's Paradise in Canoga Park, CA on Saturday, May 21st. The store will be hosting a LAST MORTAL book release party from 7 PM to 10 PM. There will be a signing with co-creators John Mahoney and Filip Sablik, an art show of Thomas Nachlik's original work from the first issue, a live DJ and free drinks. And to top it off, Sablik will be getting a tattoo live at the event of the ouroboros symbol that is seen on the covers! For more information about the event, visit http://comicsandcards.net.
A video trailer of the new series can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCNfDf1bgLk. Trailer sound design, score, and voiceover are by Joshua Boden.
LAST MORTAL #1 (MAR110522), a 32-page black and white supernatural noir comic book priced at $3.99 will be available on May 18. ECHOES HC, collecting the entire 5 issue series as well as a ton of extras including sketches, script pages, process pieces and more, will be available in stores on June 22nd for $19.99.
ABOUT TOP COW PRODUCTIONS INC.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. A second game is slated for release from 2K Games in the Fall of 2011. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.
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, 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.
CORALINE PARTNERS FOCUS FEATURES AND LAIKA RETEAM FOR TWO-PICTURE DISTRIBUTION DEAL;
3D STOP-MOTION ANIMATED COMEDY THRILLER
PARANORMAN OPENS AUGUST 17, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK and PORTLAND, OR, May 4, 2011 – Focus Features and LAIKA, the two companies behind the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline are reteaming for LAIKA’s next two projects. The first of the duo, ParaNorman, will be released nationwide on August 17th, 2012. The second, yet-to-be-named, picture will be released nationwide in 2014. Following the groundbreaking Coraline, ParaNorman is only the second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D. Focus CEO James Schamus and LAIKA President and CEO Travis Knight made the announcement today.
As on Coraline, Focus will hold worldwide distribution rights to the movies, and Universal Pictures International will release them overseas. Coraline is Focus’ second-highest-grossing movie of all time, with over $75 million domestically. The picture earned Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature Film; and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI) with an AFI Award.
Currently in production, ParaNorman is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Mr. Butler’s original screenplay. Mr. Fell was director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away. Mr. Butler was storyboard supervisor on Coraline and storyboard artist on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. The voice cast includes Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Jeff Garlin (Toy Story 3), John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.), Bernard Hill (Titanic), Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Leslie Mann (Rio), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (How to Train Your Dragon), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch (30 Rock).
In the comedy thriller, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Mr. McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
Arianne Sutner, animation producer on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Travis Knight are producing ParaNorman. Academy Award winner Brian Van’t Hul (King Kong, Coraline) is the movie’s visual effects supervisor; Emmy Award winner Nelson Lowry (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) is its production designer; and Tristan Oliver (Fantastic Mr. Fox, the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) is the director of photography on ParaNorman.
Mr. Schamus commented, “Everyone at Focus is proud to be partnered with LAIKA again on their newest wondrous creations. Travis Knight is both an extraordinary businessman and a visionary artist who we know will shepherd these projects with imagination and originality. We’re thrilled to have ParaNorman as our next movie together, one which marries the stunning visuals of 3D stop-motion with a compelling, heartfelt, and funny story anchored by a terrifically relatable underdog hero.”
Mr. Knight added, “ParaNorman is a story of intense beauty and emotional truth. It’s audacious, has genuine heart, and is funny as hell. We’re incredibly excited to share this wonderful story with the world. And we’re privileged to work again with Focus Features, with whom we share a commitment to bold, distinctive, and enduring films. LAIKA and Focus are truly kindred spirits. James Schamus and his extraordinary team have built their reputation on original thinking, old-fashioned muscle, and an unerring fidelity to creatively rich and thematically challenging cinema. We’re thrilled to extend the relationship that began with Coraline and look forward to being a part of the Focus/Universal family for years to come.”
About LAIKA
Fueled by the vision of its owner, NIKE Co-Founder and Chairman Phil Knight and its President and CEO Travis Knight, LAIKA Inc. is an animation company specializing in feature films and commercials. LAIKA, located in Portland, Oregon, has a 30-year history of presenting the artistry of award-winning filmmakers, designers, and animators in the field of animated entertainment and commercials. LAIKA’s first feature, Coraline, was released by Focus Features in February 2009 and was the first stop-motion animated feature to be conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3D. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Animated Feature, and won the prestigious Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Festival. LAIKA/house is a world-renowned commercial animation studio acclaimed for its skill in storytelling and character performance in a variety of animation media, including 2D, CG, and stop-motion. Its work has garnered the attention of top advertising agencies and has attracted clients such as Starbucks, Apple, Coca-Cola, ESPN, M&Ms, and Planters. For more information about LAIKA, please visit www.laika.com
About Focus Features
Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.
In addition to the LAIKA movies, current and upcoming Focus releases include Moonrise Kingdom, the new feature from two-time Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; Cary Joji Fukunaga’s acclaimed romantic drama Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender; Joe Wright’s sleeper hit thriller Hanna, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett; Mike Mills’ comedy/drama Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer; John Madden’s espionage thriller The Debt, starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and Jessica Chastain; writer/director Dee Rees’ contemporary drama Pariah, which world-premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; the untitled father/son drama from writer/director Paul Weitz starring two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and Paul Dano; and Lone Scherfig’s romance One Day, based on the bestselling novel, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
Focus Features and Universal Pictures International are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
3D STOP-MOTION ANIMATED COMEDY THRILLER
PARANORMAN OPENS AUGUST 17, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK and PORTLAND, OR, May 4, 2011 – Focus Features and LAIKA, the two companies behind the Academy Award-nominated animated feature Coraline are reteaming for LAIKA’s next two projects. The first of the duo, ParaNorman, will be released nationwide on August 17th, 2012. The second, yet-to-be-named, picture will be released nationwide in 2014. Following the groundbreaking Coraline, ParaNorman is only the second stop-motion animated feature to be made in 3D. Focus CEO James Schamus and LAIKA President and CEO Travis Knight made the announcement today.
As on Coraline, Focus will hold worldwide distribution rights to the movies, and Universal Pictures International will release them overseas. Coraline is Focus’ second-highest-grossing movie of all time, with over $75 million domestically. The picture earned Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature Film; and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI) with an AFI Award.
Currently in production, ParaNorman is being directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler, from Mr. Butler’s original screenplay. Mr. Fell was director of The Tale of Despereaux and Flushed Away. Mr. Butler was storyboard supervisor on Coraline and storyboard artist on Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. The voice cast includes Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show), Jeff Garlin (Toy Story 3), John Goodman (Monsters, Inc.), Bernard Hill (Titanic), Academy Award nominee Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Leslie Mann (Rio), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (How to Train Your Dragon), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In), and Tony and Emmy Award winner Elaine Stritch (30 Rock).
In the comedy thriller, a small town comes under siege by zombies. Who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman (voiced by Mr. McPhee), who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he’ll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst of all, moronic grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
Arianne Sutner, animation producer on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Travis Knight are producing ParaNorman. Academy Award winner Brian Van’t Hul (King Kong, Coraline) is the movie’s visual effects supervisor; Emmy Award winner Nelson Lowry (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) is its production designer; and Tristan Oliver (Fantastic Mr. Fox, the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) is the director of photography on ParaNorman.
Mr. Schamus commented, “Everyone at Focus is proud to be partnered with LAIKA again on their newest wondrous creations. Travis Knight is both an extraordinary businessman and a visionary artist who we know will shepherd these projects with imagination and originality. We’re thrilled to have ParaNorman as our next movie together, one which marries the stunning visuals of 3D stop-motion with a compelling, heartfelt, and funny story anchored by a terrifically relatable underdog hero.”
Mr. Knight added, “ParaNorman is a story of intense beauty and emotional truth. It’s audacious, has genuine heart, and is funny as hell. We’re incredibly excited to share this wonderful story with the world. And we’re privileged to work again with Focus Features, with whom we share a commitment to bold, distinctive, and enduring films. LAIKA and Focus are truly kindred spirits. James Schamus and his extraordinary team have built their reputation on original thinking, old-fashioned muscle, and an unerring fidelity to creatively rich and thematically challenging cinema. We’re thrilled to extend the relationship that began with Coraline and look forward to being a part of the Focus/Universal family for years to come.”
About LAIKA
Fueled by the vision of its owner, NIKE Co-Founder and Chairman Phil Knight and its President and CEO Travis Knight, LAIKA Inc. is an animation company specializing in feature films and commercials. LAIKA, located in Portland, Oregon, has a 30-year history of presenting the artistry of award-winning filmmakers, designers, and animators in the field of animated entertainment and commercials. LAIKA’s first feature, Coraline, was released by Focus Features in February 2009 and was the first stop-motion animated feature to be conceived and photographed in stereoscopic 3D. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Animated Feature, and won the prestigious Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Festival. LAIKA/house is a world-renowned commercial animation studio acclaimed for its skill in storytelling and character performance in a variety of animation media, including 2D, CG, and stop-motion. Its work has garnered the attention of top advertising agencies and has attracted clients such as Starbucks, Apple, Coca-Cola, ESPN, M&Ms, and Planters. For more information about LAIKA, please visit www.laika.com
About Focus Features
Focus Features and Focus Features International (www.focusfeatures.com) comprise a singular global company. This worldwide studio makes original and daring films that challenge the mainstream to embrace and enjoy voices and visions from around the world that deliver global commercial success. The company operates as Focus Features in North America, and as Focus Features International (FFI) in the rest of the world.
In addition to the LAIKA movies, current and upcoming Focus releases include Moonrise Kingdom, the new feature from two-time Academy Award nominee Wes Anderson, starring Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Jason Schwartzman; Cary Joji Fukunaga’s acclaimed romantic drama Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender; Joe Wright’s sleeper hit thriller Hanna, starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett; Mike Mills’ comedy/drama Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor and Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer; John Madden’s espionage thriller The Debt, starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, and Jessica Chastain; writer/director Dee Rees’ contemporary drama Pariah, which world-premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival; the untitled father/son drama from writer/director Paul Weitz starring two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro and Paul Dano; and Lone Scherfig’s romance One Day, based on the bestselling novel, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.
Focus Features and Universal Pictures International are part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment television networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. Comcast Corporation owns a controlling 51% interest in NBCUniversal, with GE holding a 49% stake.
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