Wednesday, November 18, 2015

December 2015 Diamond "Previews" Revealed


Diamond Announces Contents of the December 2015 PREVIEWS

December's PREVIEWS features DC Entertainment’s original graphic novel, Wonder Woman Earth One

(BALTIMORE, MD) — The December edition of Diamond Comic Distributors’ monthly PREVIEWS catalog arrives in comic shops, hobby stores, and other specialty outlets on November 25th and features comic books, graphic novels, toys, and other pop culture merchandise scheduled to go on sale beginning February 2016.

ON OUR FRONT COVER: Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette revisit the origins of Wonder Woman in DC Entertainment's long-awaited graphic novel, Wonder Woman Earth One.

ON OUR BACK COVER: Civilization has collapsed in the face of an ice age in Joe Harris and Martin Morazzo's new series Snowfall from Image Comics.

The December PREVIEWS Features

Unsung Heroes —It's not easy being a superhero these days. There's plenty of competition, and you've got to stand out in the crowd if you're going to make your mark. To that end, PREVIEWS celebrates indie superheroes with our "Unsung Heroes" event this month, bringing these deserving characters and series into the spotlight.

On the Flipside —:01 First Second celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, and PREVIEWS talks with First Second's Editorial Director Mark Siegel and Associate Marketing and Publicity Manager Gina Gagliano about the company, where they've been, and where they're going.

Gems of the Month — December's PREVIEWS Gems of the Month include: Lara Croft is back in action in Dark Horse Comics' new Tomb Raider series, set after the new video game; Superman faces a multiversal threat in Neal Adams' new DC Entertainment mini-series, Superman: The Coming of the Supermen; a secret fighting tournament leads to an unexpected crossover in IDW Publishing's Street Fighter x G.I. Joe; Emma Rios and Hwei Lim enter the world of 8House in Image Comics's new series Mirror; and two of Marvel Comics's best-known street level heroes are back in Power Man and Iron Fist.

Splash — PREVIEWS shines a special spotlight at some of the blockbuster books and products coming out in February, including the debut of Miles Morales in the All-New All-Different Marvel universe in Marvel Comics' Spider-Man from Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli; a new era dawns on Barsoom in Dynamite Entertainment's Dejah Thoris; a Time Lord will offer you a jelly baby in Titan Comics' Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor; Looney Labs unleashes Firefly Fluxx; and many more products you have to look forward to in the new year.

PREVIEWS Exclusive Apparel — Each month PREVIEWS offers comic book fans and pop culture aficionados a selection of t-shirts and other apparel that can only be found in your local comic shop! Underboss brings fans the DC Bombshells Panty & Camisole Sets featuring Ant Lucia's pin-up style artwork of Harley Quinn or Wonder Woman. The Red Hood's symbol is featured on the DC Comics: Red Hood "Flip" Black T-Shirt, and Howard the Duck stars on the Howard the Duck: "Space Duck" Black T-Shirt. These and many other shirts can only be found through PREVIEWS.

Indie Edge — PREVIEWS talks to Captain Canuck writer Kalman Andrasofszky about his comics work, the books he's reading, and his career in this month's Indie Edge feature.

Plus: Staff Picks, the month's Certified Cool books, the monthly Bestseller Charts, and so much more!

All this awaits you in the December edition of PREVIEWS, which goes on sale at your local comic shop or specialty store on Wednesday, November 25th with the new, lower cover price of just $3.99.


ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD) — Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing more than 4,000 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.

© 2015 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, Diamond Books logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.


Sequart Announces Release of New Star Wars Book, "A Long Time Ago"

Sequart Releases First of Three STAR WARS Books

Sequart Organization is proud to announce the publication of A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe (http://sequart.org/books/45/a-long-time-ago-exploring-the-star-wars-cinematic-universe/), an essay anthology edited by Star Wars Expanded Universe author Rich Handley and Joseph F. Berenato.

In 1977, the cinematic world was changed forever, thanks to a science-fantasy film about a farm boy, a princess, a wizard, a cyborg, two smugglers, and a pair of robots. Written and directed by George Lucas, Star Wars — in essence, The Wizard of Oz meets The Odyssey meets Lord of the Rings, but in space — was a visual and audio extravaganza like nothing anyone had seen before. And going to the movies would never be the same again. The movie ushered in two (soon to be three) film trilogies and numerous television shows, making the franchise one of the most successful of all time. Star Wars mesmerized audience-goers young and old with its state-of-the-art special effects and resonant soundtrack, and it made “May the Force be with you” a household phrase.

A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe examines the entire Star Wars saga on the large and small screens. From theatrical films to TV movies, from cartoons and commercials to variety shows and video-based amusement-park rides, the mythos continues to keep audiences glued to their seats. This anthology features insightful essays about the franchise’s long history, written by film historians, novelists, bloggers, and subject-matter experts, exploring why the films proved so immediately popular, where the movies and TV shows have succeeded and faltered, and why we all keep going back a long time ago to that galaxy far, far away.

The book features a foreword by former Star Wars Insider editor, Scott Chernoff, and notable essayists include authors Keith DeCandido, Kevin Dilmore, Dayton Ward; Star Wars fan-site creators Joe Bongiorno and Nathan Butler; and Sequart alums Julian Darius and Ian Dawe.

A Long Time Ago runs 354 pages and is available in print and on Kindle. (Just a reminder: you don’t need a Kindle device to read Kindle-formatted books; you can download a free Kindle reader for most computers, phones, and tablets.) Find out more on the book’s official page or its Facebook page.

Retailers, please email sequart@gmail.com for pricing inquiries.

About Sequart’s Star Wars book trilogy: In the next twelve months, Sequart will release two more Star Wars-related essay anthologies. Summer 2016 will see the release A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics, with an introduction by John Ostrander. And just in time for Christmas 2016, we’ll release the final book, A More Civilized Age: Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe, with an introduction by Timothy Zahn. (All three covers are attached to this email.)

About the publisher: Sequart Organization is devoted to the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as a legitimate art form. Sequart has released twenty-four books, six documentaries, and thousands of online articles. Its documentaries include She Makes Comics, and its books include Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles. Sequart is currently producing a documentary on writing powerhouse Neil Gaiman.

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The Dolby Cinema Experience Awakens for New "Star Wars" Film

The Force Is Strong With Dolby Cinema

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ to be mastered in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) and The Walt Disney Studios today announced that Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in theatres December 18, 2015 will be available as a Dolby Cinema™ experience. Dolby Cinema, featuring Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos®, is a premium cinema offering for exhibitors and moviegoers that combines spectacular image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.

    “Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the most highly anticipated movies ever, and we are excited to continue our legacy of delivering the most advanced filmmaking and playback capabilities to bring Star Wars audiences an experience that only Dolby Cinema can offer.”

Dolby Cinema begins with the filmmaker’s vision—using the full storytelling capabilities that Dolby offers in image and sound production to transform the way movies are made and presented. Combined with state-of-the-art image, sound, and acoustic capabilities, the movie comes alive to deliver cinema in its purest form.

“Dolby Cinema technology is an epic, premium way to go to the movies,” said J.J. Abrams, the writer, producer, and director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “I am honored to be a part of the continuation of the Star Wars saga, and can’t wait for people to see The Force Awakens through the power of the Dolby experience.”

“Dolby has been deeply involved with Star Wars since the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO, Dolby Laboratories. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens is one of the most highly anticipated movies ever, and we are excited to continue our legacy of delivering the most advanced filmmaking and playback capabilities to bring Star Wars audiences an experience that only Dolby Cinema can offer.”

Dolby Cinema features the Dolby Vision projection system, which uses state-of-the-art optics and image processing to deliver high dynamic range with enhanced color technology and a contrast ratio that far exceeds that of any other image technology on the market today. The result is a richer, more detailed viewing experience that delivers strikingly vivid and realistic images that make viewers feel like they are in the movie’s world.

Dolby Cinema also includes the award-winning Dolby® sound technology Dolby Atmos, which moves audio around the theatre, even overhead, with amazing richness and depth. The lifelike sounds of music, people, and ambience flow all around the theatre in sync with the action to create a more immersive and moving experience.


About Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Lucasfilm and visionary director J.J. Abrams join forces to take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Max Von Sydow. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk are producing with Tommy Harper and Jason McGatlin serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt.

About Dolby Cinema
Dolby Cinema delivers the total cinema experience. It combines powerful image and sound technologies with inspired cinema design to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.

Dolby Cinema includes Dolby Vision—a state-of-the-art authoring and playback imaging technology that enables the cinema to bring the story alive onscreen. Outfitted with Dolby Atmos, a Dolby Cinema transports audiences into the movie with breathtakingly real sound that fills the cinema and flows all around them.

When these technologies are combined with the sophisticated Dolby Cinema design, everything comes together to pull moviegoers more deeply into the story and transform their visit into an event. For more information, including locations for Dolby Cinema at AMC Prime™, JT Bioscopen in the Netherlands, UCI Cinesa in Spain, and Cineplexx in Austria, please visit the Dolby Cinema web page.

About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) creates audio, video, and voice technologies that transform entertainment and communications in mobile devices, at the cinema, at home, and at work. For 50 years, sight and sound experiences have become more vibrant, clear, and powerful in Dolby. For more information, please visit www.dolby.com.

Dolby, Dolby Atmos, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Cinema and Dolby Vision are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. AMC Prime is a trademark of American Multi-Cinema, Inc. DLB-G

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VIZ Media Announces Launch of Naruto Online Store

VIZ MEDIA PARTNERS WITH GENERATOR TO LAUNCH OFFICIAL NARUTO ONLINE STORE

New Web Platform To Stock A Wide Array Of Officially Licensed Products For The Smash Hit Ninja Action Property

San Francisco, CA – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has announced the launch of the official NARUTO online store for the U.S. and Canada in partnership with digital marketing and eCommerce solutions provider, GENERATOR, a division of Sony DADC.

The NARUTO online store at shop.naruto.com is a comprehensive one-stop-shop for an extensive and unique collection of official NARUTO merchandise including anime and manga products, apparel, games and other licensed products and collectibles inspired by the massively popular ninja action property. VIZ Media is the global master licensor for NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN.

Notable featured NARUTO SHIPPUDEN products include:
·         Apparel from Ripple Junction
·         Collectible Japanese figures from Banpresto
·         Belts and accessories from Buckle Down
·         Headbands from Great Eastern
·         Posters from Scorpio
·         Shower curtains from Just Funky
·         Deck building game from Cryptozoic

New NARUTO merchandise and other collectibles will be added regularly! Visit the site often for new products.

“The launch of the NARUTO online store powered by GENERATOR offers fans a fun new destination to shop for a comprehensive selection of official products,” says Kensuke Mase, VIZ Media’s Director of Consumer Products. “GENERATOR is a leader in developing cutting edge ecommerce platforms and we invite everyone to visit shop.naruto.com to explore all of the unique items that are available for purchase!”

“We are very excited to partner with VIZ Media to unveil the official web store for NARUTO,” says Dan Pelson, CEO, relentlessGENERATOR. “This dynamic property is adored by millions of ardent fans and they now have a secure and easy to navigate online platform stocked with scores of exciting licensed products. We look forward to NARUTO fans expanding their personal collections or finding that perfect gift for a friend or loved one for the upcoming holiday season.”

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga properties. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN rated ‘TV-14’) are some of VIZ Media’s most successful titles and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America.

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He's done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense training that will push him to his limits. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks – except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi… well he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily becoming of a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

VIZ Media publishes the bestselling NARUTO manga series in print and digitally and also distributes the NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime series and feature films. Additional information on NARUTO is available at www.Naruto.com.


About relentlessGENERATOR
Sony DADC's relentlessGENERATOR provides direct-to-consumer marketing and commerce solutions to the entertainment industry, leveraging advanced platforms, proven processes, and skilled people to create profitable solutions for clients. Many of the biggest names in media rely on relentlessGENERATOR to build and maintain their online presences and successfully engage, activate, and sell directly to fans. relentlessGENERATOR provides these services on a global basis as an enterprise-wide solution for media brands that are embracing new, digital business models driven by rapidly changing consumer habits.  For additional information, go to: http://www.rgenerator.com

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

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

VIZ Media Stages "Sailor Moon Crystal" Moonlight Party

VIZ MEDIA HOSTS SAILOR MOON MOONLIGHT PARTY V TO CELEBRATE THE ENGLISH DUB PREMIERE OF SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL

Join VIZ Media For A Special Virtual Live Stream Party To Mark The English Dub Premiere Of SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL With Live Commentary, A Real Time Q&A And Trivia Prizes

VIZ Media sends a call out to all U.S.-based anime fans and SAILOR MOON aficionados to join the company as it stages a special virtual Moonlight Party to mark the English dub premiere of SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL on its anime streaming platform on VIZ.com.

The SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL Moonlight Party will take place on Friday, November 20th, 2015 beginning at 6:00pm PST on VIZ Media’s YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlIgAQpSK-Y. The interactive live-stream event will complement the VIZ Media/Hulu streams that evening of SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL Episodes 1 and 2.

Based on Naoko Takeuchi’s legendary manga series, the SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL (rated ‘TV-PG’) anime saga, retells the story of Sailor Moon as she searches for her fellow Sailor Guardians and the Legendary Silver Crystal to stop the dark forces of Queen Beryl. VIZ Media has given the 26-episode sci-fi action series a fresh English dialogue track featuring a cast of some of the most talented anime voice actors in the business.

In SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL Episode 1: Act 1, “Usagi - Sailor Moon,” Usagi Tsukino is a bit of a klutz and a crybaby in the 8th grade, and Luna, a black cat with a crescent moon on her forehead, gives Usagi a miracle brooch. In Episode 2: Act 2, “Ami - Sailor Mercury,” through an unexpected turn of events, Usagi becomes close with Ami Mizuno, a genius girl with an IQ of 300. But there's something odd about the students at Ami's seminar...

As the episodes stream on VIZ.com/Hulu, fans are invited to submit their SAILOR MOON questions via the official VIZ Media Facebook page, and Twitter by using the special hashtag, #MoonlightParty for a real-time Q&A with VIZ Media staff that will run throughout the event. Viewers also can join in a fun SAILOR MOON trivia contest for a chance to win a variety of SAILOR MOON home media box sets, special autographed items and other premiums and collectibles from Japan.

Season 1 of the original SAILOR MOON series, as well as the first-half of Season 2, are available now from VIZ Media on home video as Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo Packs and Standard Edition DVD sets. Fans can catch all 26 subtitled episodes of SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL on Hulu and VIZ.com.

For more information on SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL, please visit www.VIZ.com or Hulu.com/sailor-moon-crystal.

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Review: "Citizenfour" Records the Revolution

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 44 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux

[A version of the review first appeared on Patreon.]

Citizenfour (2014)
Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR:  Laura Poitras
PRODUCERS:  Mathilde Bonnefoy, Laura Poitras, and Dirk Wilutzky
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Kirsten Johnson, Trevor Paglen, Laura Poitras, and Katy Scoggin
EDITOR:  Mathilde Bonnefoy
Academy Award winner

DOCUMENTARY – Politics, Society

Starring:  Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Ewan MacAskill, Jeremy Scahill, Jonathan Man, and Julian Assange with Laura Poitras and Barack Obama (archive)

Citizenfour (stylized as CITIZENFOUR) is a 2014 documentary film from director Laura Poitras.  The film focuses on Edward Snowden, who provided the information that revealed the illegal wiretapping of American citizens' communications by American intelligence agencies.  Citizenfour won the Oscar for “Best Documentary Feature” at the 87th Academy Awards (February 22, 2015).  Oscar-winning director, Steven Soderbergh, is one of this film's executive producers.

Citizenfour's narrative begins in January 2013 when documentarian Laura Poitras receives an encrypted email from an unknown person who calls himself “Citizenfour.”  He offers her inside information about the illegal wiretapping practices of the United States National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence agencies.  The NSA was recording and observing the phone calls of American citizens beyond the scope of what the U.S. Congress had authorized.

In June 2013, accompanied by investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald and The Guardian intelligence reporter, Ewen MacAskill, Poitras travels to Hong Kong for the first meeting with Citizenfour, who identifies himself as Edward Snowden.  Edward Joseph Snowden works for the CIA via his employer, Booz Allen Hamilton, a job that gives him access to highly sensitive and classified information about the wiretapping practices of the NSA, both in the U.S. and abroad.

On Monday, June 3, 2013, Poitras uses her camera to begin filming what would be a four-day interview, in which Snowden reveals to Greenwald and MacAskill the details of domestic surveillance of American citizens.  When Snowden's information becomes “breaking news” around the world, however, none of the participants in this interview feel safe in The Mira, the Hong Kong hotel where Snowden is staying.

Although it chronicles a momentous time in American history, Citizenfour is strangely quiet, even intimate.  This movie is not an all-encompassing survey of domestic surveillance and spying; it is the story of the first quiet days and then, frantic weeks when Snowden whispered the sour nothings that fully revealed the deceitful face of the American government.  It is as if Snowden, Poitras, and Greenwald said to us that we, the people of the United States, should finally, finally and really pay attention to that man behind the curtain.

Even if one is familiar with Edward Snowden and the furious sound of his whistle-blowing, Citizenfour still feels shocking.  Perhaps, this is because Poitras is recording the revelations and the resulting media and political fallout in real time.  This immediacy makes paranoia seem like a more than sensible and reasonable state of mind for any American and even for the rest of the world.

Citizenfour is one of the best films of the year (2014), and it is probably the most important film of the year.  Poitras proves that the documentary and the non-fiction film narrative are more important than ever.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
2015 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win “Best Documentary, Feature” (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky)

2015 BAFTA Awards:  1 win “Best Documentary” (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, and Dirk Wilutzky)

Monday, September 7, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


Monday, November 16, 2015

Archie Comics and Madeifre Launch iOS Digital Comics App

Archie Comics partners with Madefire to launch new, groundbreaking digital comics app

iOS app combines a la carte and unlimited models with Android version to follow

New York, NY – Archie Comics, the acclaimed and bestselling comic book publisher that is home to some of the most well-known pop culture creations in the world, including Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & The Pussycats, the Dark Circle heroes, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the hit AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE and CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA horror series, announced today that it will relaunch its digital comics app in partnership with innovative technology company Madefire.

The new app, which is live on iOS devices, will feature a bold, streamlined storefront showcasing all of Archie’s diverse and top-selling titles, graphic novels and exclusive digital content, including the year’s biggest new comic books, ARCHIE by writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples and JUGHEAD by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Erica Henderson.

While many comic publishers have chosen to keep their buy-as-you-go and “unlimited” digital comics apps separate, the new Archie Comics app forges new ground by merging both—allowing fans to experience the many worlds and adventures of their favorite Archie titles under the convenient roof of one aesthetically pleasing and groundbreaking app. App users will be given the option to utilize the “Archie Unlimited” service, an “all you can read” option available exclusively through the new Archie Comics app.

“Archie has always been a leader—across the board, from the stories we publish to how we get the great content to our fans. Digital is a big part of this,” said Jon Goldwater, Archie Comics Publisher/CEO. “I’m immensely proud of the new Archie app—it brings us to the forefront of the medium again, thanks to the sterling work of our partners at Madefire. This is a forward-looking, engaging and sleek app that will serve Archie and entertainment fans well, and is a perfect way to ring in Archie’s 75th anniversary.”

“Jon and the team are re-inventing Archie and we’re very proud to be a part of that,” said Ben Wolstenholme, Madefire’s CEO & Co-founder. “Having a direct distribution to their fans is vital for Archie to build on their loyal community. Using our Motion Book Publisher platform, Archie has control of their apps, storefront, and digital comic formats from PDF to fully immersive Motion Books, as well as a flexible model for pricing. It’s a new era for Archie.”

The app, which boasts an all-new comics reader showcasing an improved and fluid reading experience, will also give readers new navigation options—allowing fans to browse by imprint, series, best-sellers and most popular, in addition to the ability to search directly for comics of their choice.

In terms of content, the app will include comics and graphic novels from every Archie imprint, including the New Riverdale titles, traditional Archie stories, Archie Action’s Sonic and Mega Man series, Archie Horror and the company’s Dark Circle super hero books, eliminating the need for fans to switch between apps to fully enjoy the diverse and beloved Archie Comics experience. Additionally, the Archie Comics app will also feature a number of must-have exclusives for Archie fans, including the all-new PEP DIGITAL ongoing series of collections and a new line of DOLLAR DIGESTS.


ABOUT ARCHIE COMICS:
Archie Comics is the leading mass market comic book publisher in the world and the home to a wide array of the most popular humor, action-adventure and superhero characters in entertainment, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Reggie, Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Afterlife With Archie, the Dark Circle Comics superhero characters (The Black Hood, The Fox, The Shield and more), Li’l Jinx and many more. Archie Comics have sold over 2 billion comics worldwide and are published around the world in a number of languages. In addition to comics, Archie characters have been featured prominently in animation, television, film and music. Follow Archie Comics on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Archie Comics Store.

About Madefire
Founded in 2011 by Ben Wolstenholme, Liam Sharp and Eugene Walden, Madefire is a media and technology company, and creator of the award-winning Madefire App. Madefire provides creators and publishers the cutting-edge publishing platform, 'Motion Book Publisher', which enables a digital-first approach to publishing cross-platform in multiple formats. Madefire is backed by Toni Schneider (former CEO, Wordpress), Bill Woodward (Co-founder & former chair Macromedia) and Sina Tamaddon (former SVP Applications, Apple). Advisors include Mike McCue, CEO & co-founder Flipboard and Dave Gibbons, co-creator of Watchmen, and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

About Motion Book Publisher
Motion Book Publisher is a browser-based publishing platform created by Madefire Inc. Motion Book Publisher is designed for all types of visual books; including comics, graphic novels, children’s books, manga and illustrated books. Motion Book Publisher takes the complexity out of digital publishing by enabling Publishers and Creators to master their digital library once and distribute across multiple platforms and file formats. The unique SaaS (Software as a Service) model enables Publishers to pay a flat-rate monthly for the platform and build relationships with their audience directly, controlling their digital revenues and brand. Built from the same platform as Madefire's award winning app, Motion Book Publisher takes a digital-first approach that enables a benchmark end-user experience from phone through to tablet, television and headset - resulting in a future-proofed digital library.

Motion Book Publisher clients include Archie, IDW, Kodansha Advanced Media, Lion Forge and Stan Lee/POW Entertainment.

Website: www.motionbookpublisher.com

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