Skydance Media and Alibaba Pictures Join Forces to Finance and Produce Flying Tigers Feature Film
Oscar-Nominated Writer Randall Wallace to Script
SANTA MONICA, Calif. & BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skydance, a diversified media company that creates elevated, event-level entertainment for global audiences, and Alibaba Pictures, Alibaba Group’s entertainment affiliate, today announced that they will join forces to finance and produce a Flying Tigers feature film for global release. It has been designated by Skydance Media and Alibaba Pictures as a high-priority development project. The screenplay will be written by Oscar-nominated writer Randall Wallace (Braveheart) and the film will be produced by David Ellison and Dana Goldberg of Skydance together with a team from Alibaba Pictures.
@Skydance and Alibaba Pictures Join Forces to Finance and Produce Flying Tigers Feature Film
The Flying Tigers – formally known as the 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force – was a group of volunteer pilots from the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Led by Captain Claire Lee Chennault, the group fought alongside the Chinese during World War II. The Flying Tigers project will tell the story of the unique brotherhood formed by these intrepid soldiers.
“This production partnership with Alibaba Pictures on Flying Tigers marks an important next step in our strategy to expand the reach of the Skydance brand on a global basis,” said David Ellison, Chief Executive Officer of Skydance Media. “We could not be more excited to work with the incomparable Randall Wallace to bring to life the extraordinary, untold story of the great commitment and sacrifices made by this courageous group of pilots.”
“Flying Tigers carries with it a rich legacy and a movie about this subject matter has been highly anticipated for a very long time,” added Zhang Wei, President of Alibaba Pictures. “It is an ideal piece of content in which to invest and produce with Skydance, a studio with a proven track record of bringing films to the big screen that are both sweeping in scope and universal in appeal.”
“Skydance’s relationship with Alibaba Pictures got off to a great start last summer with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and we look forward to deepening our ties even further as we jointly develop, produce and finance Flying Tigers, an authentic story that draws from both Chinese and U.S. history,” said Skydance Chief Operating Officer Jesse Sisgold.
Randall Wallace is a screenwriter, director, producer and songwriter who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Writers Guild of America award for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Braveheart. He also wrote and directed The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers and Heaven Is For Real and wrote the screenplay for Pearl Harbor. Wallace is the New York Times bestselling author of eight novels.
Today, Skydance is a leading producer and financier of major Hollywood studio films and television shows. Since its inception in 2010, Skydance has produced 10 feature films, which have cumulatively grossed approximately $4 billion in worldwide box office receipts. The Company’s current film slate includes Star Trek Beyond with Paramount on July 22, 2016, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back with Paramount on October 21, 2016, Geostorm with Warner Brothers on January 13, 2017 and Life with Sony on March 24, 2017.
Alibaba Pictures began investing in Hollywood film with its stake in the 2015 Skydance film Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation in partnership with Paramount Pictures.
About Skydance Media
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create elevated, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across platforms, including feature film, television, gaming and digital. Among Skydance Media’s commercially and critically successful feature films are Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, World War Z, Jack Reacher, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Star Trek Into Darkness and True Grit. Its 2015 feature films, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Terminator Genisys, together grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Skydance’s feature film slate includes Star Trek Beyond on July 22, 2016, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back on October 21, 2016, Geostorm on January 13, 2017 and Life on March 24, 2017. Skydance Media’s rapidly growing and critically acclaimed television division launched in 2013. The Company’s television slate now features a variety of projects across a number of networks, including Emmy-nominated Grace and Frankie and Altered Carbon on Netflix, Red Mars on Spike TV and Jack Ryan on Amazon.
About Alibaba Pictures
Since its establishment in August 2014 as the flagship of Alibaba Group’s entertainment business, Alibaba Pictures has been aiming to create an innovative Internet-powered movie and television entertainment powerhouse that covers all segments of the industry’s value chain. Alibaba Pictures’ core businesses span content production, Internet-based promotion and distribution, entertainment e-commerce and international operations. Alibaba Pictures has invested in and produced a series of movies that will be released in 2016, including Ferry Man, Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossom and Ao Jiao Yu Pian Jian. Alibaba Pictures has been eager to be involved in the competitive global entertainment industry. In 2015, Alibaba Pictures invested in the Hollywood blockbuster movie series Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation; and in REAL, a Korean production starring popular Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun which is expected to be released in 2017. Alibaba Pictures is stepping into every sector along the value chain of the film and TV industry. In June 2015, the Company completed the acquisition of Yueke, one of the largest suppliers of cinema ticketing systems in the PRC. In November of the same year, the Company acquired Taobao Movie and Yulebao from Alibaba Group. Alibaba Pictures is listed on both The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (stock code: 1060) and the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (stock code: S91).
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Thursday, April 7, 2016
VIZ Media Announces New Digital Anime for April 2016
VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL ANIME PREMIERES AND CONTENT UPDATE FOR APRIL
Catch The Streaming Premiere Of JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE And TERRAFORMARS As Well As The Debut Of New SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL Episodes
VIZ Media opens the Spring 2016 anime viewing season with a brand new digital anime update and exciting premieres for April 2016.
This month audiences are invited to catch the exciting streaming premiere of two new additions to VIZ Media’s anime roster. The supernatural action adventure, JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE Episode 1 will be available to stream subtitled on April 8th. The sci-fi action horror series, TERRAFORMARS also debuts on April 8th, with Season 2 Episode 1 (subtitled). Subsequent new episodes of both JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE and TERRAFORMARS will be added every Friday.
This month anime fans will also be treated to a double dose of new interstellar action with the digital simulcast premiere of the brand new subtitled season of SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL as well as the continuing exclusive premiere of English dubbed episodes starting with Episode 21 available now with episodes added every Friday.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN ninja action progresses during April with newly added weekly episodes every Thursday beginning on April 14th.
Anime fans will not want to miss the official North American premiere of a trio of new episodes from the final climactic season of the original SAILOR MOON anime series – SAILOR MOON SAILOR STARS (Season 5).
New anime content for April includes:
JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE
· In the year 1999, Jotaro Kujoh travels to a town called Morioh to meet Josuke Higashikata, the secret love child of his grandfather, Joseph Joestar. The two JoJos soon discover that new Stand users are appearing all across town, threatening the lives of the innocent. Swearing to protect his hometown, Josuke must now stand against the evil that lurks within Morioh.
· Catch the JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Season 3 subtitled premiere! Episode 1 will be available to stream on April 8th, with new episodes added every Friday.
TERRAFORMARS
· In the far future, humanity seeks to resolve Earth’s growing overpopulation problem by terraforming Mars as their second home. Five hundred years later, the United Nations Aeronautics and Space Administration sends out an expedition team to explore this new world. But an unintended side effect of the terraforming process has unleashed a horror no one could ever have imagined: the planet has become infested with Terraformars, man-sized cockroaches that prey on humans. Now humanity must bring together all its scientific resources and power to counter this monstrous threat, or face total extinction.
· The premiere of TERRAFORMARS Season 2, Episode 1 (subtitled) begins on April 8th, with a new episode available to stream each Friday!
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN
· Brand new weekly simulcasts of the latest action packed NARUTO SHIPPUDEN episodes are scheduled to take place every Thursday throughout March.
· Catch Episode 455 on April 14th, followed by Episode 456 on April 21st, and Episode 457 on April 28th.
SAILOR MOON
· The final climactic season of the original SAILOR MOON anime series – SAILOR MOON SAILOR STARS (Season 5) concludes with the North American premiere of 3 subtitled episodes this month.
· Season 5, Episodes 198 & 199 are available on April 4th, followed by Episode 200 on April 11th.
SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL
· Enjoy the subtitled streaming simulcast of brand new SAILOR MOON CRYSTAL Season 3 episodes during April with a premiere every Monday starting with Act 27: INFINITY 1 PREMONITION – PART 1 – available now.
· Fans can also catch brand new, English dubbed episodes added every Friday starting with Act 21: COMPLICATION – NEMESIS, available now!
· Act 22: HIDDEN AGENDA - NEMESIS debuts on April 8th, followed by Act 23: COVERT MANEUVERS - WISEMAN on April 15th, Act 24: ATTACK - BLACK LADY on April 22nd and Act 25: SHOWDOWN - DEATH PHANTOM - on April 29th.
VIZ Media’s consolidated online destination for FREE streaming anime content in the U.S. has over 4,200 subtitled and English dubbed episodes and movies from more than 36 series! VIZ Media’s streaming content also reaches an expansive on-demand U.S.-based audience on Hulu, which enables viewers to watch shows anytime, anywhere across devices including Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and mobile devices. A full list of Hulu -enabled devices can be found at http://www.hulu.com/plus/devices.
Additional information on VIZ Media’s streaming anime is available at: http://www.viz.com/anime/streaming/.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Image Comics Announces New Projects on the Eve of Emerald City Comicon 2016
APRIL 2016 IMAGE EXPO ANNOUNCEMENTS REVEALED
Today at the Showbox Market Theater in Seattle, Washington, Image Comics kicked-off Emerald City Comicon with IMAGE EXPO and a slew of exciting creator-owned announcements that set the comics and entertainment industry abuzz.
Image Comics revealed the following creator-owned projects set to launch in the coming year and beyond.
AFAR by Leila del Duca & Kit Seaton
Critically-acclaimed, Russ Manning nominated SHUTTER artist Leila Del Duca teams up as co-creator and writer alongside artist, colorist, and letterer Kit Seaton (THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY, EVE OF ALL SAINTS) for an original graphic novel, AFAR.
In AFAR, Boetema suddenly develops the ability to astrally project to other worlds, unintentionally possessing the bodies of people light years away. Inotu, her inquisitive brother with a pension for trouble, finds himself on the run after he's caught eavesdropping on an illegal business deal between small town business tycoons and their cyborg bodyguard. When Boetema accidentally gets someone hurt while in another girl's body, the siblings are forced to work together to solve the problems they've created on their planet and others.
"I'm thrilled to be working with Kit Seaton who beautifully renders the world we've created and packs each page full of emotion and wonder,” said Del Duca. “Kit has been amazing to work with, from designing aliens, cultures, old busted tech, and all the weird environments, to drawing each character rich with emotion and personality."
AFAR hits shelves this Fall 2016.
BLACK CLOUD by Jason Latour, Ivan Brandon, Greg Hinkle, Matt Wilson, Aditya Bidikar, Tom Muller, edited by Maria Ludwig
Co-creators Jason Latour (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, Spider-Gwen), Ivan Brandon (DRIFTER, VIKING) and Greg Hinkle (AIRBOY, THE RATTLER), team up with colorist Matt Wilson (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), letterer Aditya Bidikar, designer Tom Muller, and editor Maria Ludwig for an all-new series called, BLACK CLOUD.
Once upon a time…They built a world where dreams come true... And those dreams went to war. In BLACK CLOUD, we meet Zelda: exiled to Earth, her dreams of revolution are gone, but she still holds the key to the world she left behind. And it’s for sale.
BLACK CLOUD is set to launch in Fall 2016.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS by Jonathan Hickman & Tomm Coker
All hail god money! From Jonathan Hickman (EAST OF WEST, Secret Wars, Avengers) and Tomm Coker (Undying Love) comes a mythical reinterpretation of modern global economics.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS is classic occult indoctrination where the secret schools of magic are actually clandestine banking cartels who control all of society—a hidden world where vampire Russian oligarchs, Black Popes, enchanted American aristocrats, and hitmen from the International Monetary Fund work together to keep ALL OF US in our rightful place.
Each issue contains world-expanding bonus content like maps, corporate organization charts, decoded apocrypha, and stock tips to die for.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS is a brand new, crypto-noir series about dirty, filthy, money... and what kind of people you can buy with it. Set to launch in Fall 2016.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA by Howard Chaykin
Howard Chaykin (SATELLITE SAM, BLACK KISS, AMERICAN FLAGG!) with the able assistance of Jesus Aburto on coloring, and Ken Bruzenak on lettering, unleashes THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA is set in the aftermath of a dirty bomb that wipes New York City off the map, as what will come to be known as the Second American Civil War shatters the domestic landscape in isolated pustules of violence...and a team of five private contractors is charged with stemming this tide of rage and bringing the bombers to justice.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA launches in Winter 2016.
GLITTERBOMB by Jim Zub & Djibril Morissette-Phan & K. Michael Russell & Marshall Dillon
Fan-favorite writer Jim Zub and newcomer Djibril Morissette-Phan come together with colorist K. Michael Russell and letterer Marshall Dillon for GLITTERBOMB.
“Probably the only thing I love more than comics is cinema,” said Morissette-Phan. “Which makes Glitterbomb a dream project since it's a perfect blend of both.”
Set in Hollywood, GLITTERBOMB is a horror story about failed fame and blood-soaked revenge.
"The entertainment industry feeds on our insecurities, desires, and fears,” said Zub. “You can’t toy with those kinds of primal emotions without them biting back.”
GLITTERBOMB is set to launch in late Summer 2016.
HORIZON, by Brandon Thomas, Juan Gedeon & Frank Martin (Skybound)
Writer Brandon Thomas, artist Juan Gedeon, and colorist Frank Martin team up for an all-new series from Image/Skybound titled, HORIZON.
In HORIZON, Zhia Malen thought she’d fought her very last war, until she learned her planet was targeted for occupation…by a desperate world called Earth. The people of Earth will be told that her arrival on our planet means invasion. These are lies. This is retaliation, and Horizon explores what happens when our planet finally runs out of second chances. And when we meet an alien race just as committed to survival as we are…
“This book is about the hypocrisy of survival,” said Thomas. “Our planet has suffered its last abuses, and now humanity’s future lies only in the stars, and some unsuspecting world where we can repeat all of our previous mistakes. Zhia Malen has come to Earth to make sure we finally take some responsibility for our actions.”
HORIZON is set to launch from Image/Skybound in July 13, 2016.
THE HUNT by Colin Lorimer, Jim Campbell, and Joana Lafuente (Shadowline Comics)
Critically acclaimed writer/artist Colin Lorimer (Harvest) teams up with letterer Jim Campbell and colorist Joana Lafuente for THE HUNT.
At her father’s deathbed, Orlaigh Roche came face to face with the age-old myth of The Slaugh; a group of soul-stealing spirits so evil that not even hell would take them. Years later, and with the belief that her father’s soul is still trapped in some form of the netherworld, she goes looking for answers—beginning a journey that leads her down a path to discover what really happens to us after we die.
THE HUNT begins in 2016 from Image/Shadowline Comics.
ISOLA by Brenden Fletcher & Karl Kerschl
Bestselling creators Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl of Burnside, Gotham Academy) and Karl Kerschl (Gotham Academy, The Abominable Charles Christopher) re-team for ISOLA—an epic fantasy adventure series with the scope of Game of Thrones and the spirit of Princess Mononoke.
“Karl and I have been working toward creating Isola for more than 30 years. No joke! We met in elementary school, discovered and obsessed over comics together and pushed each other to become the kind of storytellers we admired,” said Fletcher. “From the playground to our parents’ basements to the comic studio in Montreal, Isola has been decades in the making. We can’t wait to introduce you to this beautiful world.”
ISOLA is set in a mystical land where the queen’s brother enacts a treacherous plot to transform her into a tiger. The captain of the guard, a woman of great skill, brings swift and lethal vengeance, unaware the wicked prince alone has the power to reverse the spell. The two women—one on two legs, one on four—must undertake a perilous journey halfway across the globe to the fabled island of ISOLA, gateway to the underworld, where they hope to find the spirit of the queen’s late brother and return her to human form.
Kerschl added: “working concurrently on superhero comics and my webcomic, The Abominable Charles Christopher, I've always felt like I was creating for two very different audiences. Isola is a marriage of the comic series Brenden and I grew up reading and the animal stories I've been drawing, and I'm excited to finally share it with everyone. ”
ISOLA is set to launch in Spring 2017.
KILL OR BE KILLED by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Elizabeth Breitweiser
Bestselling writer Ed Brubaker (THE FADE OUT, FATALE), artist Sean Phillips (THE FADE OUT, FATALE), and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser (THE FADE OUT, FATALE, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA) reunite for KILL OR BE KILLED, the ultimate pulp crime comic.
KILL OR BE KILLED is the story of a troubled young man who is compelled to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret, as it slowly begins to ruin his life and the lives of his friends and loved ones.
Both a thriller and a deconstruction of vigilantism, KILL OR BE KILLED is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have done together in their long partnership.
KILL OR BE KILLED is set to launch in Summer 2016.
LAKE OF FIRE by Nathan Fairbairn & Matt Smith
Co-creators Nathan Fairbairn (Scott Pilgrim, Batman Incorporated) and Matt Smith (Barbarian Lord) come together for an all-new series titled LAKE OF FIRE.
In LAKE OF FIRE it is 1220 AD, and the gears of the Albigensian Crusade grind on. When an alien mining craft infested with legions of bloodthirsty predators crash-lands in the remote wilderness of the French Pyrenees, a small band of crusaders and a Cathar heretic are all that stands between God's Kingdom and Hell on Earth.
LAKE OF FIRE is set to launch in Summer 2016.
MOONSHINE by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso, edited by Will Dennis
From Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso—the Eisner award-winning creative team behind the crime classic, 100 Bullets—comes the brutal new series, MOONSHINE.
MOONSHINE is set during the Prohibition Era, deep in the backwoods of Appalachia and tells the story of Lou Pirlo, a city-slick “torpedo” sent from New York City to negotiate a deal with the best moonshiner in West Virginia, one Hiram Holt. Lou figures it for milk run—how hard could it be to set-up moonshine shipments from a few ass-backward hillbillies? What Lou doesn’t figure on is that Holt is just as cunning as ruthless as any NYC crime boss and Lou is in way over his pin-striped head. Because not only will Holt do anything to protect his illicit booze operation, he’ll stop at nothing to protect a much darker family secret...a bloody, supernatural secret that must never see the light of day… or better still, the light of the full moon.
"The idea for Moonshine has been bubbling around between Eduardo [Risso] & I for years,” said Azzarello. “It's exciting that it's about to burst forth! But if fans think they know what to expect from us, then they ought to think again.”
MOONSHINE #1 will hit stores in Fall 2016 and marks the first time Azzarello and Risso have worked together with Image Comics and reunites the acclaimed creative team that defined modern crime comics with 100 Bullets… and now puts a horror-twist on a classic gangster tale.
MOTOR CRUSH by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, & Babs Tarr
From the creative team behind the popular, New York Times bestselling Batgirl of Burnside—Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr—comes MOTOR CRUSH—is a stylish, neon-soaked, revved up science-fiction action series.
“I’m thrilled to continue working with this team on our new series, where we’ll really cut loose with our imagination and deliver a world with more style, more action, and more excitement than you’ve ever seen from us!” said Stewart.
By day, a Domino Swift competes for fame and fortune in a worldwide motorcycle racing league. By night, she cracks helmets of rival gangs in brutal, illegal bike wars on the city streets to gain possession of a rare and valuable contraband: an engine-boosting “machine narcotic” known as MOTOR CRUSH. But the origins—and ultimate purpose—of this mysterious substance are unknown, and could put her on a collision course with danger...
Fletcher shared his enthusiasm for returning for a new project, adding: “Working with your friends on the product of your collective, unfiltered imagination is the dream of every creative. And we’re about to live that dream!”
“I am SO excited to continue to work with these boys and really show everyone what we have to offer on something original,” said Tarr. “This book is gonna OOZE style and cool, your eyeballs will barely be able to handle it! I can’t wait to show you guys what we’ve got!”
MOTOR CRUSH rides into town this December 2016.
PRIMA by Jen Van Meter, Rick Burchett, Eric Newsom, edited by Jeanine Schaefer
Spies.
Thieves.
Ballerinas.
PRIMA.
You don’t always see who’s standing in the spotlight.
Creators Jen Van Meter and artist Rick Burchett team up to tell an all-new story about a dance company—comprised entirely of former spies—righting the wrongs of the Cold War in a series called, PRIMA.
PRIMA follows Sophia Forais and Pauline French are the soloist and Managing Director of a dance company that once served as a front for a Resistance cell in France. Engaged for a long run in New York, the dancers have turned their attention and unique skills to aiding a veteran of the Romanian underground now being blackmailed by her American husband. The small operation should prove simple, but Sophia, Paulina and their colleagues will quickly learn that the war has not really ended, and the world is no less ruthless than it was when they were smuggling information and refugees during the Occupation.
“Rick and I started Prima around a shared love of mid-century illustration and hybrid genres. The book started from a simple heist premise but has really evolved into something else —with a large cast and secrets both inside and outside the dance company, there’s a little Robin Hood, a little Le Carre and a healthy dose of soap opera,” said Van Meter. “We wanted to capture the sense of relief, vitality and glamour that followed in the wake of the Allied victory, but couldn’t turn away from the immediate onset of the Cold War, nor from the civilian lives forever altered by the rise and spread of Fascism in Europe. When Jeanine [Schaefer, editor] and Eric [Newsom, designer] became involved in the project, both immediately got what we were trying to do and leapt in to help us refine and control it. The crunchy center of the series is really about the role of Art and the Artist in the political sphere; the sweet, chewy exterior is all ballerinas, cat burglars, jazz musicians, murder and romance.”
An espionage/romance adventure set in the arts world just after WWII, PRIMA is a warm-hearted series of intrigues: To Catch a Thief goes to the ballet.
On stands in FALL 2016.
PRINCE OF CATS by Ron Wimberly
PRINCE OF CATS written and drawn by Ron Wimberly, lettered by Jarred Fisher, and featuring design by Jorden Haley returns to print from Image Comics.
PRINCE OF CATS was first released from Vertigo to critical acclaim in the summer 2012. It was out of print before the following summer. After three years, it will be returning to print through Image Comics.
PRINCE OF CATS is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead meets The Warriors meets Sword of Doom. PRINCE OF CATS sets Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in an alt-universe, mid-eighties New York where dueling with live blades evolved as a cultural phenomenon alongside New York's other street cultures; it eschews the story of the titular star-crossed lovers to follow the tragic story of Tybalt, the Prince of Cats.
PRINCE OF CATS, the definitive remastered author’s edition, is set to release in Fall 2016.
ROCKSTARS by Joe Harris & Megan Hutchison
Fan-favorite Joe Harris (THE X-FILES, SNOWFALL) teams up with artist Megan Hutchison for an all-new, ongoing series a la Almost Famous meets Supernatural called, ROCKSTARS.
ROCKSTARS follows a pair of young, rock ‘n roll investigators as they uncover a mystery involving a legendary band, dead groupies, human sacrifice and a supernatural undercurrent connecting so many famous—and even more undiscovered—secrets, myths and conspiracies peppering rock music throughout the ages.
When a pattern of unsolved ‘groupie’ murders dating back to the 1970s resumes in present-day Los Angeles, nobody makes the connection except for Jackie Mayer, a young rock nerd who not only knows everything about music history, trivia and its myriad secrets and factoids, but also harbors a mysterious, almost magical ability to ‘see’ what most people miss, and determine and divine what’s going unreported.
Joined by a music writer and aspiring investigative reporter named Dorothy Buell, and his loyal cat, Skydog, they soon uncover a vast mystery involving a legendary band’s exploits, their mercurial guitarist’s occult associations, demonic possession, and sacrifices to the dark gods of rock.
“Rockstars is a story I’ve wanted to tell since I was a little kid, flipping through old records, trading bootlegs with the older kids in school, sewing patches onto my denim jacket, playing guitar in bands, and absolutely surrendering my imagination to the majesty of rock n’ roll music and excess, the crazy culture both within and behind it, and what it means and has meant to fans throughout the years. It’s a supernatural investigation into the music I love, the kinds of genre stories I adore, and the kind of larger-than-life figures that always felt so suited to the comics medium.”
Each story arc will feature a case sprung from a different rock n’ roll era—British Invasion, Punk, 80s Heavy Metal, etc.—and draw on Jackie’s unique connection, knowledge, and darkly magical associations to crack them.
The series will launch in Fall 2016.
ROMULUS by Bryan Hill & Nelson Blake II (Top Cow Productions)
Fan-favorite writer Bryan Hill (POSTAL) and Nelson Blake II come together for an all-new Image/Top Cow series in ROMULUS.
Set in the near future, ROMULUS follows the last in a line of near-mystical martial artists wages a revolutionary war against The Order of Romulus, the ancient secret society that trained her—a global organization, hidden in plain sight, that's controlled the world since the days of Ancient Rome.
Their plan? Cull the population with genocide and rule a New World Order. Her plan? Kill them all or die angry.
Romulus launches from Top Cow/Image in Fall 2016.
SEVEN TO ETERNITY by Rick Remender & Jerome Opeña
Writer Rick Remender reteams with collaborators Jerome Opeña (Uncanny X-Force, Fear Agent) and Matt Hollingsworth (TOKYO GHOST, WYTCHES) to bring readers a modern fantasy series following Adam Osidis, a dying knight from a disgraced house, on a mission to rid his world of an insidious God who ensnared him in a Faustian deal.
“Jerome and I began working together at Image ten years ago on titles such as Strange Girl and Fear Agent so it’s very fitting we return now to tell the tale of the Seven to Eternity. All those years ago we began discussing doing an epic fantasy tale at some point, should the planets ever align. A unique take on the familiar genre full of action, unexpected twists, totally unique characters and a villain who might end up stealing the show,” said Remender. “It’s taken us a decade to get it together, but the wait was worth it. During the past decade we’ve collaborated on numerous projects and fine-tuned our mighty nerd skills to a point where what we create here will eclipse our past collaborations. At least I know the art is Jerome’s best to date. Everyone loves Jerome and Matt Hollingsworth, but once their powers were mixed into the art cauldron something new and terrifying was born, a new level of sequential science. Hyperbole be dammed, there will be no better looking comic book in the world of human peoples.”
Gharils Sulm, The God of Whispers is a Machiavellian warlord who holds sway everywhere in the world of Zhal. He’s spread an omnipresent paranoia to every corner of the kingdoms; one of his spies hides in every house, every family, every hall, spreading mistrust and fear.
Adam must choose between joining a hopeless band of magic users in their desperate bid to free their world of the evil God’s burden or give in to the The God of Whispers’ promises of salvation and safety.
The series is set to launch in the Fall of 2016.
SURGEON X by Sara Kenney & John Watkiss, James Devlin, & Jared K. Fletcher, edited by Karen Berger
Writer Sara Kenney and artist John Watkiss come together for an all new series, SURGEON X, and join forces with the award-winning Karen Berger, founding editor of DC’s Vertigo imprint.
Set against the backdrop of an antibiotic apocalypse in near future London. Rosa Scott, a brilliant and obsessive surgeon becomes Surgeon X, a vigilante doctor who uses experimental surgery and black market drugs to treat patients. But as Surgeon X, Rosa soon develops a godlike-complex, deciding who will live and who will die. Ultimately, she believes that to survive in this compromised world her own warped moral code is the one she must follow—even if it endangers those closest to her.
"When I first heard this original and compelling concept, I thought it was time to get back into comics again,” said Berger. “I love that it explores the consequences of a world where the bedrock of modern medicine has crumbled, where people must adapt to a dangerous new reality, and where the lead character’s subversive nature makes us question our own sense of ethics and morality. So excited to be working alongside the fabulously multi-talented creator/writer Sara Kenney and the brilliant, masterful artist John Watkiss. Sara's vision is frighteningly real and beautifully executed."
The comic is informed by hundreds of conversations with scientists, physicians, historians, economists, ethicists & philosophers to create this deeply disturbing, yet authentic future world.
SURGEON X was funded by a Society Award from Wellcome Trust, an independent global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health. They support bright minds in science, the humanities and the social sciences, as well as education, public engagement and the application of research to medicine.
SURGEON X will launch in Fall 2016.
VS by Ivan Brandon, Esad Ribić, Ive Svorcina, Aditya Bidikar, Tom Muller, edited by Sebastian Girner
Writer Ivan Brandon (DRIFTER) and Esad Ribić (Secret Wars) team up with colorist Ive Svorcina, letterer Aditya Bidikar, designer Tom Muller, and editor Sebastian Girner for a futurist drama in, VS.
VS follows the rise and fall of Satta Flynn, a wildly popular soldier in a time when War has been privatized and is a form of entertainment.
Armies financed and equipped by super-corporations. War medics that double as Pit Mechanics. Satta's every move is LIVE on TV. And for the first time, Satta finds out what it's like to lose.
VS is set to launch in Fall 2016.
WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD by Steve Niles & Alison Sampson
Writer Steve Niles teams up with artist Alison Sampson, colorist Stéphane Paitreau, and letterer Clem Robins in WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD.
Sampson used 1970s horror films for inspiration on the artwork and described the book’s overall look as: “about 70% Americana, slightly heightened, like True Blood, and about 30% ripping off of heads.”
A horror-adventure story, WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD follows a family with a teenage son and what happens when their road-trip goes wrong and they find themselves stuck in a town full of satanists.
WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD is set to launch in Fall 2017.
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
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Today at the Showbox Market Theater in Seattle, Washington, Image Comics kicked-off Emerald City Comicon with IMAGE EXPO and a slew of exciting creator-owned announcements that set the comics and entertainment industry abuzz.
Image Comics revealed the following creator-owned projects set to launch in the coming year and beyond.
AFAR by Leila del Duca & Kit Seaton
Critically-acclaimed, Russ Manning nominated SHUTTER artist Leila Del Duca teams up as co-creator and writer alongside artist, colorist, and letterer Kit Seaton (THE BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY, EVE OF ALL SAINTS) for an original graphic novel, AFAR.
In AFAR, Boetema suddenly develops the ability to astrally project to other worlds, unintentionally possessing the bodies of people light years away. Inotu, her inquisitive brother with a pension for trouble, finds himself on the run after he's caught eavesdropping on an illegal business deal between small town business tycoons and their cyborg bodyguard. When Boetema accidentally gets someone hurt while in another girl's body, the siblings are forced to work together to solve the problems they've created on their planet and others.
"I'm thrilled to be working with Kit Seaton who beautifully renders the world we've created and packs each page full of emotion and wonder,” said Del Duca. “Kit has been amazing to work with, from designing aliens, cultures, old busted tech, and all the weird environments, to drawing each character rich with emotion and personality."
AFAR hits shelves this Fall 2016.
BLACK CLOUD by Jason Latour, Ivan Brandon, Greg Hinkle, Matt Wilson, Aditya Bidikar, Tom Muller, edited by Maria Ludwig
Co-creators Jason Latour (SOUTHERN BASTARDS, Spider-Gwen), Ivan Brandon (DRIFTER, VIKING) and Greg Hinkle (AIRBOY, THE RATTLER), team up with colorist Matt Wilson (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), letterer Aditya Bidikar, designer Tom Muller, and editor Maria Ludwig for an all-new series called, BLACK CLOUD.
Once upon a time…They built a world where dreams come true... And those dreams went to war. In BLACK CLOUD, we meet Zelda: exiled to Earth, her dreams of revolution are gone, but she still holds the key to the world she left behind. And it’s for sale.
BLACK CLOUD is set to launch in Fall 2016.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS by Jonathan Hickman & Tomm Coker
All hail god money! From Jonathan Hickman (EAST OF WEST, Secret Wars, Avengers) and Tomm Coker (Undying Love) comes a mythical reinterpretation of modern global economics.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS is classic occult indoctrination where the secret schools of magic are actually clandestine banking cartels who control all of society—a hidden world where vampire Russian oligarchs, Black Popes, enchanted American aristocrats, and hitmen from the International Monetary Fund work together to keep ALL OF US in our rightful place.
Each issue contains world-expanding bonus content like maps, corporate organization charts, decoded apocrypha, and stock tips to die for.
THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS is a brand new, crypto-noir series about dirty, filthy, money... and what kind of people you can buy with it. Set to launch in Fall 2016.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA by Howard Chaykin
Howard Chaykin (SATELLITE SAM, BLACK KISS, AMERICAN FLAGG!) with the able assistance of Jesus Aburto on coloring, and Ken Bruzenak on lettering, unleashes THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA is set in the aftermath of a dirty bomb that wipes New York City off the map, as what will come to be known as the Second American Civil War shatters the domestic landscape in isolated pustules of violence...and a team of five private contractors is charged with stemming this tide of rage and bringing the bombers to justice.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA launches in Winter 2016.
GLITTERBOMB by Jim Zub & Djibril Morissette-Phan & K. Michael Russell & Marshall Dillon
Fan-favorite writer Jim Zub and newcomer Djibril Morissette-Phan come together with colorist K. Michael Russell and letterer Marshall Dillon for GLITTERBOMB.
“Probably the only thing I love more than comics is cinema,” said Morissette-Phan. “Which makes Glitterbomb a dream project since it's a perfect blend of both.”
Set in Hollywood, GLITTERBOMB is a horror story about failed fame and blood-soaked revenge.
"The entertainment industry feeds on our insecurities, desires, and fears,” said Zub. “You can’t toy with those kinds of primal emotions without them biting back.”
GLITTERBOMB is set to launch in late Summer 2016.
HORIZON, by Brandon Thomas, Juan Gedeon & Frank Martin (Skybound)
Writer Brandon Thomas, artist Juan Gedeon, and colorist Frank Martin team up for an all-new series from Image/Skybound titled, HORIZON.
In HORIZON, Zhia Malen thought she’d fought her very last war, until she learned her planet was targeted for occupation…by a desperate world called Earth. The people of Earth will be told that her arrival on our planet means invasion. These are lies. This is retaliation, and Horizon explores what happens when our planet finally runs out of second chances. And when we meet an alien race just as committed to survival as we are…
“This book is about the hypocrisy of survival,” said Thomas. “Our planet has suffered its last abuses, and now humanity’s future lies only in the stars, and some unsuspecting world where we can repeat all of our previous mistakes. Zhia Malen has come to Earth to make sure we finally take some responsibility for our actions.”
HORIZON is set to launch from Image/Skybound in July 13, 2016.
THE HUNT by Colin Lorimer, Jim Campbell, and Joana Lafuente (Shadowline Comics)
Critically acclaimed writer/artist Colin Lorimer (Harvest) teams up with letterer Jim Campbell and colorist Joana Lafuente for THE HUNT.
At her father’s deathbed, Orlaigh Roche came face to face with the age-old myth of The Slaugh; a group of soul-stealing spirits so evil that not even hell would take them. Years later, and with the belief that her father’s soul is still trapped in some form of the netherworld, she goes looking for answers—beginning a journey that leads her down a path to discover what really happens to us after we die.
THE HUNT begins in 2016 from Image/Shadowline Comics.
ISOLA by Brenden Fletcher & Karl Kerschl
Bestselling creators Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl of Burnside, Gotham Academy) and Karl Kerschl (Gotham Academy, The Abominable Charles Christopher) re-team for ISOLA—an epic fantasy adventure series with the scope of Game of Thrones and the spirit of Princess Mononoke.
“Karl and I have been working toward creating Isola for more than 30 years. No joke! We met in elementary school, discovered and obsessed over comics together and pushed each other to become the kind of storytellers we admired,” said Fletcher. “From the playground to our parents’ basements to the comic studio in Montreal, Isola has been decades in the making. We can’t wait to introduce you to this beautiful world.”
ISOLA is set in a mystical land where the queen’s brother enacts a treacherous plot to transform her into a tiger. The captain of the guard, a woman of great skill, brings swift and lethal vengeance, unaware the wicked prince alone has the power to reverse the spell. The two women—one on two legs, one on four—must undertake a perilous journey halfway across the globe to the fabled island of ISOLA, gateway to the underworld, where they hope to find the spirit of the queen’s late brother and return her to human form.
Kerschl added: “working concurrently on superhero comics and my webcomic, The Abominable Charles Christopher, I've always felt like I was creating for two very different audiences. Isola is a marriage of the comic series Brenden and I grew up reading and the animal stories I've been drawing, and I'm excited to finally share it with everyone. ”
ISOLA is set to launch in Spring 2017.
KILL OR BE KILLED by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Elizabeth Breitweiser
Bestselling writer Ed Brubaker (THE FADE OUT, FATALE), artist Sean Phillips (THE FADE OUT, FATALE), and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser (THE FADE OUT, FATALE, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA) reunite for KILL OR BE KILLED, the ultimate pulp crime comic.
KILL OR BE KILLED is the story of a troubled young man who is compelled to kill bad people, and how he struggles to keep his secret, as it slowly begins to ruin his life and the lives of his friends and loved ones.
Both a thriller and a deconstruction of vigilantism, KILL OR BE KILLED is unlike anything Brubaker and Phillips have done together in their long partnership.
KILL OR BE KILLED is set to launch in Summer 2016.
LAKE OF FIRE by Nathan Fairbairn & Matt Smith
Co-creators Nathan Fairbairn (Scott Pilgrim, Batman Incorporated) and Matt Smith (Barbarian Lord) come together for an all-new series titled LAKE OF FIRE.
In LAKE OF FIRE it is 1220 AD, and the gears of the Albigensian Crusade grind on. When an alien mining craft infested with legions of bloodthirsty predators crash-lands in the remote wilderness of the French Pyrenees, a small band of crusaders and a Cathar heretic are all that stands between God's Kingdom and Hell on Earth.
LAKE OF FIRE is set to launch in Summer 2016.
MOONSHINE by Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso, edited by Will Dennis
From Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso—the Eisner award-winning creative team behind the crime classic, 100 Bullets—comes the brutal new series, MOONSHINE.
MOONSHINE is set during the Prohibition Era, deep in the backwoods of Appalachia and tells the story of Lou Pirlo, a city-slick “torpedo” sent from New York City to negotiate a deal with the best moonshiner in West Virginia, one Hiram Holt. Lou figures it for milk run—how hard could it be to set-up moonshine shipments from a few ass-backward hillbillies? What Lou doesn’t figure on is that Holt is just as cunning as ruthless as any NYC crime boss and Lou is in way over his pin-striped head. Because not only will Holt do anything to protect his illicit booze operation, he’ll stop at nothing to protect a much darker family secret...a bloody, supernatural secret that must never see the light of day… or better still, the light of the full moon.
"The idea for Moonshine has been bubbling around between Eduardo [Risso] & I for years,” said Azzarello. “It's exciting that it's about to burst forth! But if fans think they know what to expect from us, then they ought to think again.”
MOONSHINE #1 will hit stores in Fall 2016 and marks the first time Azzarello and Risso have worked together with Image Comics and reunites the acclaimed creative team that defined modern crime comics with 100 Bullets… and now puts a horror-twist on a classic gangster tale.
MOTOR CRUSH by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, & Babs Tarr
From the creative team behind the popular, New York Times bestselling Batgirl of Burnside—Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr—comes MOTOR CRUSH—is a stylish, neon-soaked, revved up science-fiction action series.
“I’m thrilled to continue working with this team on our new series, where we’ll really cut loose with our imagination and deliver a world with more style, more action, and more excitement than you’ve ever seen from us!” said Stewart.
By day, a Domino Swift competes for fame and fortune in a worldwide motorcycle racing league. By night, she cracks helmets of rival gangs in brutal, illegal bike wars on the city streets to gain possession of a rare and valuable contraband: an engine-boosting “machine narcotic” known as MOTOR CRUSH. But the origins—and ultimate purpose—of this mysterious substance are unknown, and could put her on a collision course with danger...
Fletcher shared his enthusiasm for returning for a new project, adding: “Working with your friends on the product of your collective, unfiltered imagination is the dream of every creative. And we’re about to live that dream!”
“I am SO excited to continue to work with these boys and really show everyone what we have to offer on something original,” said Tarr. “This book is gonna OOZE style and cool, your eyeballs will barely be able to handle it! I can’t wait to show you guys what we’ve got!”
MOTOR CRUSH rides into town this December 2016.
PRIMA by Jen Van Meter, Rick Burchett, Eric Newsom, edited by Jeanine Schaefer
Spies.
Thieves.
Ballerinas.
PRIMA.
You don’t always see who’s standing in the spotlight.
Creators Jen Van Meter and artist Rick Burchett team up to tell an all-new story about a dance company—comprised entirely of former spies—righting the wrongs of the Cold War in a series called, PRIMA.
PRIMA follows Sophia Forais and Pauline French are the soloist and Managing Director of a dance company that once served as a front for a Resistance cell in France. Engaged for a long run in New York, the dancers have turned their attention and unique skills to aiding a veteran of the Romanian underground now being blackmailed by her American husband. The small operation should prove simple, but Sophia, Paulina and their colleagues will quickly learn that the war has not really ended, and the world is no less ruthless than it was when they were smuggling information and refugees during the Occupation.
“Rick and I started Prima around a shared love of mid-century illustration and hybrid genres. The book started from a simple heist premise but has really evolved into something else —with a large cast and secrets both inside and outside the dance company, there’s a little Robin Hood, a little Le Carre and a healthy dose of soap opera,” said Van Meter. “We wanted to capture the sense of relief, vitality and glamour that followed in the wake of the Allied victory, but couldn’t turn away from the immediate onset of the Cold War, nor from the civilian lives forever altered by the rise and spread of Fascism in Europe. When Jeanine [Schaefer, editor] and Eric [Newsom, designer] became involved in the project, both immediately got what we were trying to do and leapt in to help us refine and control it. The crunchy center of the series is really about the role of Art and the Artist in the political sphere; the sweet, chewy exterior is all ballerinas, cat burglars, jazz musicians, murder and romance.”
An espionage/romance adventure set in the arts world just after WWII, PRIMA is a warm-hearted series of intrigues: To Catch a Thief goes to the ballet.
On stands in FALL 2016.
PRINCE OF CATS by Ron Wimberly
PRINCE OF CATS written and drawn by Ron Wimberly, lettered by Jarred Fisher, and featuring design by Jorden Haley returns to print from Image Comics.
PRINCE OF CATS was first released from Vertigo to critical acclaim in the summer 2012. It was out of print before the following summer. After three years, it will be returning to print through Image Comics.
PRINCE OF CATS is Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead meets The Warriors meets Sword of Doom. PRINCE OF CATS sets Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in an alt-universe, mid-eighties New York where dueling with live blades evolved as a cultural phenomenon alongside New York's other street cultures; it eschews the story of the titular star-crossed lovers to follow the tragic story of Tybalt, the Prince of Cats.
PRINCE OF CATS, the definitive remastered author’s edition, is set to release in Fall 2016.
ROCKSTARS by Joe Harris & Megan Hutchison
Fan-favorite Joe Harris (THE X-FILES, SNOWFALL) teams up with artist Megan Hutchison for an all-new, ongoing series a la Almost Famous meets Supernatural called, ROCKSTARS.
ROCKSTARS follows a pair of young, rock ‘n roll investigators as they uncover a mystery involving a legendary band, dead groupies, human sacrifice and a supernatural undercurrent connecting so many famous—and even more undiscovered—secrets, myths and conspiracies peppering rock music throughout the ages.
When a pattern of unsolved ‘groupie’ murders dating back to the 1970s resumes in present-day Los Angeles, nobody makes the connection except for Jackie Mayer, a young rock nerd who not only knows everything about music history, trivia and its myriad secrets and factoids, but also harbors a mysterious, almost magical ability to ‘see’ what most people miss, and determine and divine what’s going unreported.
Joined by a music writer and aspiring investigative reporter named Dorothy Buell, and his loyal cat, Skydog, they soon uncover a vast mystery involving a legendary band’s exploits, their mercurial guitarist’s occult associations, demonic possession, and sacrifices to the dark gods of rock.
“Rockstars is a story I’ve wanted to tell since I was a little kid, flipping through old records, trading bootlegs with the older kids in school, sewing patches onto my denim jacket, playing guitar in bands, and absolutely surrendering my imagination to the majesty of rock n’ roll music and excess, the crazy culture both within and behind it, and what it means and has meant to fans throughout the years. It’s a supernatural investigation into the music I love, the kinds of genre stories I adore, and the kind of larger-than-life figures that always felt so suited to the comics medium.”
Each story arc will feature a case sprung from a different rock n’ roll era—British Invasion, Punk, 80s Heavy Metal, etc.—and draw on Jackie’s unique connection, knowledge, and darkly magical associations to crack them.
The series will launch in Fall 2016.
ROMULUS by Bryan Hill & Nelson Blake II (Top Cow Productions)
Fan-favorite writer Bryan Hill (POSTAL) and Nelson Blake II come together for an all-new Image/Top Cow series in ROMULUS.
Set in the near future, ROMULUS follows the last in a line of near-mystical martial artists wages a revolutionary war against The Order of Romulus, the ancient secret society that trained her—a global organization, hidden in plain sight, that's controlled the world since the days of Ancient Rome.
Their plan? Cull the population with genocide and rule a New World Order. Her plan? Kill them all or die angry.
Romulus launches from Top Cow/Image in Fall 2016.
SEVEN TO ETERNITY by Rick Remender & Jerome Opeña
Writer Rick Remender reteams with collaborators Jerome Opeña (Uncanny X-Force, Fear Agent) and Matt Hollingsworth (TOKYO GHOST, WYTCHES) to bring readers a modern fantasy series following Adam Osidis, a dying knight from a disgraced house, on a mission to rid his world of an insidious God who ensnared him in a Faustian deal.
“Jerome and I began working together at Image ten years ago on titles such as Strange Girl and Fear Agent so it’s very fitting we return now to tell the tale of the Seven to Eternity. All those years ago we began discussing doing an epic fantasy tale at some point, should the planets ever align. A unique take on the familiar genre full of action, unexpected twists, totally unique characters and a villain who might end up stealing the show,” said Remender. “It’s taken us a decade to get it together, but the wait was worth it. During the past decade we’ve collaborated on numerous projects and fine-tuned our mighty nerd skills to a point where what we create here will eclipse our past collaborations. At least I know the art is Jerome’s best to date. Everyone loves Jerome and Matt Hollingsworth, but once their powers were mixed into the art cauldron something new and terrifying was born, a new level of sequential science. Hyperbole be dammed, there will be no better looking comic book in the world of human peoples.”
Gharils Sulm, The God of Whispers is a Machiavellian warlord who holds sway everywhere in the world of Zhal. He’s spread an omnipresent paranoia to every corner of the kingdoms; one of his spies hides in every house, every family, every hall, spreading mistrust and fear.
Adam must choose between joining a hopeless band of magic users in their desperate bid to free their world of the evil God’s burden or give in to the The God of Whispers’ promises of salvation and safety.
The series is set to launch in the Fall of 2016.
SURGEON X by Sara Kenney & John Watkiss, James Devlin, & Jared K. Fletcher, edited by Karen Berger
Writer Sara Kenney and artist John Watkiss come together for an all new series, SURGEON X, and join forces with the award-winning Karen Berger, founding editor of DC’s Vertigo imprint.
Set against the backdrop of an antibiotic apocalypse in near future London. Rosa Scott, a brilliant and obsessive surgeon becomes Surgeon X, a vigilante doctor who uses experimental surgery and black market drugs to treat patients. But as Surgeon X, Rosa soon develops a godlike-complex, deciding who will live and who will die. Ultimately, she believes that to survive in this compromised world her own warped moral code is the one she must follow—even if it endangers those closest to her.
"When I first heard this original and compelling concept, I thought it was time to get back into comics again,” said Berger. “I love that it explores the consequences of a world where the bedrock of modern medicine has crumbled, where people must adapt to a dangerous new reality, and where the lead character’s subversive nature makes us question our own sense of ethics and morality. So excited to be working alongside the fabulously multi-talented creator/writer Sara Kenney and the brilliant, masterful artist John Watkiss. Sara's vision is frighteningly real and beautifully executed."
The comic is informed by hundreds of conversations with scientists, physicians, historians, economists, ethicists & philosophers to create this deeply disturbing, yet authentic future world.
SURGEON X was funded by a Society Award from Wellcome Trust, an independent global charitable foundation dedicated to improving health. They support bright minds in science, the humanities and the social sciences, as well as education, public engagement and the application of research to medicine.
SURGEON X will launch in Fall 2016.
VS by Ivan Brandon, Esad Ribić, Ive Svorcina, Aditya Bidikar, Tom Muller, edited by Sebastian Girner
Writer Ivan Brandon (DRIFTER) and Esad Ribić (Secret Wars) team up with colorist Ive Svorcina, letterer Aditya Bidikar, designer Tom Muller, and editor Sebastian Girner for a futurist drama in, VS.
VS follows the rise and fall of Satta Flynn, a wildly popular soldier in a time when War has been privatized and is a form of entertainment.
Armies financed and equipped by super-corporations. War medics that double as Pit Mechanics. Satta's every move is LIVE on TV. And for the first time, Satta finds out what it's like to lose.
VS is set to launch in Fall 2016.
WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD by Steve Niles & Alison Sampson
Writer Steve Niles teams up with artist Alison Sampson, colorist Stéphane Paitreau, and letterer Clem Robins in WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD.
Sampson used 1970s horror films for inspiration on the artwork and described the book’s overall look as: “about 70% Americana, slightly heightened, like True Blood, and about 30% ripping off of heads.”
A horror-adventure story, WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD follows a family with a teenage son and what happens when their road-trip goes wrong and they find themselves stuck in a town full of satanists.
WINNEBAGO GRAVEYARD is set to launch in Fall 2017.
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
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Image Comics Announces 2016 Emerald City Comicon Schedule
IMAGE COMICS AT EMERALD CITY COMICON
Creator-owned panels, con exclusive variants, and signings you won’t want to miss
Image Comics is pleased to return to Seattle this year for Emerald City Comicon on Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10, 2016.
LIMITED IMAGE EXPO VARIANTS SOLD AT THE IMAGE BOOTH (#316):
VARIANTS SOLD AT CREATORS’ TABLES:
PANELS HOSTED BY IMAGE COMICS:
Thursday, 4/7/16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Style
Style is what gives comics their swing, whether through visuals or dialogue. What kind of story are you telling? How cool is it? Joe Harris (SNOWFALL), Emi Lenox (PLUTONA), Riley Rossmo (RASPUTIN), Amy Clare (ISLAND), and a few special guests know all about style. Come and pick their brains and find out how to make comics sing.
Friday, 4/8/16, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (T305)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Drama
You scream when your favorite character moves off the page and you cheer when they finally get their way. Drama works! Join us as Joshua Williamson (NAILBITER), Steve Orlando (VIRGIL), Meredith McClaren (HINGES), Nick Barber (RINGSIDE), Jim Zub (WAYWARD), and a few special guests dig into just why drama is so crucial to storytelling.
Saturday, 4/9/16, 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Room (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Thrills
Have you ever finished a comic and felt your heart pounding in your chest? Of course you have. In fact, Kieron Gillen (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), Sloane Leong (FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS), Tom Neely (THE HUMANS), Alex de Campi (NO MERCY), Jason McNamara (THE RATTLER), Brian Schirmer (BLACK JACK KETCHUM), and a few special guests have probably been responsible for getting your heart racing with their work. What's the trick? Come and find out.
Sunday, 4/10/16, 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Collaboration
Writer, artist, colorist, letterer—comics are often a collaborative art form, and collaboration means cooperation. Ed Brisson (THE VIOLENT) writes, Lee Loughridge (WOLF) and Kelly Fitzpatrick (SNOWFALL) color, Ariana Maher (RINGSIDE) letters, and Jamie McKelvie (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE) draws. Working effectively as a team is crucial to making good work. Get some tips, tricks, and advice from these pros and a few guests.
SIGNINGS HOSTED AT IMAGE COMICS BOOTH (#312):
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
2:00-3:30 PM Ed Brubaker (wristband required, 5 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Leila del Duca + Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
3:00-3:45 PM Emi Lenox
3:00-3:45 PM Steve Lieber (3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Rick Remender + Matteo Scalera (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Justin Greenwood
5:00-6:30 PM Image Expo Signing w/special guests (located in ECCC MAIN SIGNINGS AREA, 3 item limit)
5:00-5:45 PM Dustin Nguyen (3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Meredith McClaren
6:00-6:45 PM Joshua Williamson
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
10:00-10:45 AM Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller
10:00-10:45 AM Riley Rossmo
11:00-11:45 AM Fiona Staples (wristband required, 3 item limit)
12:00-1:30 PM Ed Brubaker (wristband required, 5 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Skottie Young (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Rick Remender + Wes Craig + Lee Loughridge (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Sina Grace
3:00-3:45 PM Kurtis Wiebe + Tamra Bonvillain (wristband required, 3 item limit)
3:00-3:45 PM Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
4:00-4:45 PM Simon Spurrier
4:00-4:45 PM Steve Orlando
5:00-5:45 PM Stuart Moore
5:00-5:45 PM Dustin Nguyen (3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Jason Shawn Alexander
6:00-6:45 PM Ryan Browne
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
10:00-10:45 AM Jason McNamara
10:00-10:45 AM Meredith Gran
11:00-11:45 AM Stefano Gaudiano and Tony Akins (SKYBOUND)
11:00-11:45 AM Jim Zub + Tamra Bonvillain + Zack Davisson
12:00-12:45 PM Jonathan Hickman + Nick Dragotta (wristband required, 3 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Rick Remender + Sean Gordon Murphy (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Kurt Busiek
2:00-2:45 PM Joshua Williamson (SKYBOUND)
3:00-3:45 PM Fiona Staples (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Kurtis Wiebe + Tamra Bonvillain (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Sloane Leong
5:00-5:45 PM Skottie Young (wristband required, 3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Jonathan Hickman (wristband required, 3 item limit)
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
10:00-10:45 AM Joe Harris + Kelly Fitzpatrick + Surprise Guest
10:00-10:45 AM Kurt Busiek
11:00-11:45 AM Kyle Higgins + Rod Reis
11:00-11:45 AM Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller
12:00-12:45 PM Kieron Gillen + Jamie McKelvie + Matt Wilson (wristband required, 3 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Leila del Duca + Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
1:00-1:45 PM Brian Schirmer
2:00-2:45 PM Emi Lenox
3:00-3:45 PM Brandon Graham + Amy Clare + Lin Visel (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Brandon Graham + Simon Roy (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Ed Brisson
IMAGE CREATORS IN ARTIST ALLEY:
Alexander, Jason Shawn G-11
Barber, Nick Y-10
Bonvillain, Tamra U-12B
Brisson, Ed AA-07
Browne, Ryan N-10
Burnham, Chris N-09
Busiek, Kurt E-02
Campi, Alex M-14
Craig, Wes D-17
del Duca, Leila Y-10
Dodson, Terry E-12
Dragotta, Nick P-04
Fowler, Tess U-11
Gillen, Kieron DD-06
Grace, Sina V-04
Graham, Brandon Y-12
Gran, Meredith R-02
Greenwood, Justin L-15
Harren, James P-05
Harris Joe CC-04
Howard, Josh O-04B
Keatinge, Joe Y-11
Keller, Keenan R-08
Lenox, Emi Y-02A
Leong, Sloane Y-02
McKelvie, Jamie DD-05
Mooneyham, Chris P-03
Murphy, Sean C-15
Neely, Tom R-08
Nguyen, Dustin F-10
Oeming, Michael X-06
Opeña, Jerome D-17
Ottley, Ryan G-04-05
Reis, Rod Q-02
Remender, Rick D-16
Rossmo, Riley P-01
Roy, Simon Y-12
Sampson, Alison J-13
Scalera, Matteo C-12
Semahn, Jacob T-03
Staples, Fiona C-18-19
Stewart, Cameron S-07
Strahm, Kyle P-06
Tarr, Babs O-08
Visel, Lin Y-03
Wiebe, Kurtis U-11
Williamson, Joshua L-10
Wilson, Matt DD-04
Young, Skottie O-15
Zub, Jim X-04
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
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Creator-owned panels, con exclusive variants, and signings you won’t want to miss
Image Comics is pleased to return to Seattle this year for Emerald City Comicon on Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10, 2016.
LIMITED IMAGE EXPO VARIANTS SOLD AT THE IMAGE BOOTH (#316):
- BLACK ROAD #1 by Brian Wood and Garry Brown, cover art by Garry Brown
- THE FIX #1 by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber, cover art by Steve Lieber
- GRIZZLYSHARK #1 by Ryan Ottley and Ivan Plascencia,
- cover art by Ryan Ottley
- TOKYO GHOST Convention Exclusive hardcover by Rick Remender and Sean Gordon Murphy
VARIANTS SOLD AT CREATORS’ TABLES:
- THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #18 by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (Artist Alley table: DD-06)
- THE WICKED + THE DIVINE Convention Exclusive hardcover by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matt Wilson (Artist Alley table: DD-06)
PANELS HOSTED BY IMAGE COMICS:
Thursday, 4/7/16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Style
Style is what gives comics their swing, whether through visuals or dialogue. What kind of story are you telling? How cool is it? Joe Harris (SNOWFALL), Emi Lenox (PLUTONA), Riley Rossmo (RASPUTIN), Amy Clare (ISLAND), and a few special guests know all about style. Come and pick their brains and find out how to make comics sing.
Friday, 4/8/16, 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (T305)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Drama
You scream when your favorite character moves off the page and you cheer when they finally get their way. Drama works! Join us as Joshua Williamson (NAILBITER), Steve Orlando (VIRGIL), Meredith McClaren (HINGES), Nick Barber (RINGSIDE), Jim Zub (WAYWARD), and a few special guests dig into just why drama is so crucial to storytelling.
Saturday, 4/9/16, 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Room (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Thrills
Have you ever finished a comic and felt your heart pounding in your chest? Of course you have. In fact, Kieron Gillen (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), Sloane Leong (FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS), Tom Neely (THE HUMANS), Alex de Campi (NO MERCY), Jason McNamara (THE RATTLER), Brian Schirmer (BLACK JACK KETCHUM), and a few special guests have probably been responsible for getting your heart racing with their work. What's the trick? Come and find out.
Sunday, 4/10/16, 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM (T304)
Image Comics: Where Creators Own Collaboration
Writer, artist, colorist, letterer—comics are often a collaborative art form, and collaboration means cooperation. Ed Brisson (THE VIOLENT) writes, Lee Loughridge (WOLF) and Kelly Fitzpatrick (SNOWFALL) color, Ariana Maher (RINGSIDE) letters, and Jamie McKelvie (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE) draws. Working effectively as a team is crucial to making good work. Get some tips, tricks, and advice from these pros and a few guests.
SIGNINGS HOSTED AT IMAGE COMICS BOOTH (#312):
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
2:00-3:30 PM Ed Brubaker (wristband required, 5 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Leila del Duca + Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
3:00-3:45 PM Emi Lenox
3:00-3:45 PM Steve Lieber (3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Rick Remender + Matteo Scalera (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Justin Greenwood
5:00-6:30 PM Image Expo Signing w/special guests (located in ECCC MAIN SIGNINGS AREA, 3 item limit)
5:00-5:45 PM Dustin Nguyen (3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Meredith McClaren
6:00-6:45 PM Joshua Williamson
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
10:00-10:45 AM Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller
10:00-10:45 AM Riley Rossmo
11:00-11:45 AM Fiona Staples (wristband required, 3 item limit)
12:00-1:30 PM Ed Brubaker (wristband required, 5 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Skottie Young (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Rick Remender + Wes Craig + Lee Loughridge (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Sina Grace
3:00-3:45 PM Kurtis Wiebe + Tamra Bonvillain (wristband required, 3 item limit)
3:00-3:45 PM Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
4:00-4:45 PM Simon Spurrier
4:00-4:45 PM Steve Orlando
5:00-5:45 PM Stuart Moore
5:00-5:45 PM Dustin Nguyen (3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Jason Shawn Alexander
6:00-6:45 PM Ryan Browne
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
10:00-10:45 AM Jason McNamara
10:00-10:45 AM Meredith Gran
11:00-11:45 AM Stefano Gaudiano and Tony Akins (SKYBOUND)
11:00-11:45 AM Jim Zub + Tamra Bonvillain + Zack Davisson
12:00-12:45 PM Jonathan Hickman + Nick Dragotta (wristband required, 3 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Rick Remender + Sean Gordon Murphy (wristband required, 3 item limit)
2:00-2:45 PM Kurt Busiek
2:00-2:45 PM Joshua Williamson (SKYBOUND)
3:00-3:45 PM Fiona Staples (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Kurtis Wiebe + Tamra Bonvillain (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Sloane Leong
5:00-5:45 PM Skottie Young (wristband required, 3 item limit)
6:00-6:45 PM Jonathan Hickman (wristband required, 3 item limit)
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
10:00-10:45 AM Joe Harris + Kelly Fitzpatrick + Surprise Guest
10:00-10:45 AM Kurt Busiek
11:00-11:45 AM Kyle Higgins + Rod Reis
11:00-11:45 AM Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller
12:00-12:45 PM Kieron Gillen + Jamie McKelvie + Matt Wilson (wristband required, 3 item limit)
1:00-1:45 PM Leila del Duca + Joe Keatinge + Nick Barber
1:00-1:45 PM Brian Schirmer
2:00-2:45 PM Emi Lenox
3:00-3:45 PM Brandon Graham + Amy Clare + Lin Visel (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Brandon Graham + Simon Roy (wristband required, 3 item limit)
4:00-4:45 PM Ed Brisson
IMAGE CREATORS IN ARTIST ALLEY:
Alexander, Jason Shawn G-11
Barber, Nick Y-10
Bonvillain, Tamra U-12B
Brisson, Ed AA-07
Browne, Ryan N-10
Burnham, Chris N-09
Busiek, Kurt E-02
Campi, Alex M-14
Craig, Wes D-17
del Duca, Leila Y-10
Dodson, Terry E-12
Dragotta, Nick P-04
Fowler, Tess U-11
Gillen, Kieron DD-06
Grace, Sina V-04
Graham, Brandon Y-12
Gran, Meredith R-02
Greenwood, Justin L-15
Harren, James P-05
Harris Joe CC-04
Howard, Josh O-04B
Keatinge, Joe Y-11
Keller, Keenan R-08
Lenox, Emi Y-02A
Leong, Sloane Y-02
McKelvie, Jamie DD-05
Mooneyham, Chris P-03
Murphy, Sean C-15
Neely, Tom R-08
Nguyen, Dustin F-10
Oeming, Michael X-06
Opeña, Jerome D-17
Ottley, Ryan G-04-05
Reis, Rod Q-02
Remender, Rick D-16
Rossmo, Riley P-01
Roy, Simon Y-12
Sampson, Alison J-13
Scalera, Matteo C-12
Semahn, Jacob T-03
Staples, Fiona C-18-19
Stewart, Cameron S-07
Strahm, Kyle P-06
Tarr, Babs O-08
Visel, Lin Y-03
Wiebe, Kurtis U-11
Williamson, Joshua L-10
Wilson, Matt DD-04
Young, Skottie O-15
Zub, Jim X-04
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.
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Top Comics Creators Head to Wizard World Minneapolis 2016
Dean Haspiel, Guy Gilchrist, Gerhard, Tom Cook Among Top Comics Creators To Attend Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6-8
Neal Adams, Clinton Hobart, Arthur Suydam, James O’Barr, Ken Kelly, Michael Golden Also Headline Artist Alley At Minneapolis Convention Center
MINNEAPOLIS – Eisner Award winners Gerhard (“Cerebus”), Dean Haspiel (“American Splendor,” “X-Men”), and Neal Adams (“Batman,” “Green Lantern”), as well as Tom Cook ("He-Man," "She-Ra"), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine art), Ken Kelly (“Kiss” album covers, “He-Man”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Guy Gilchrist (writer/cartoonist, “Nancy,” “Muppet Babies”), Mark Kistler (PBS Television , “The Secret City”) and Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies” “Army of Darkness”) are among the leading comics artists and writers scheduled to attend Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6-8, 2016 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It is the eighth comic con event on the 2016 Wizard World calendar and third year for the show in Minneapolis.
Other top Wizard World Minneapolis Artist Alley guests include Peter Gross (“The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), Danny Fingeroth (group editor, “Spider-Man”), Tim Seeley (“Revival,” “Ant Man & The Wasp”), Allyn Jensrud (“Monkey Man Labs”), Phil Juliano (“Twin Cities Comic Collective”), Jeremiah Lambert (“Transformers,” “Tonka Truck”), Victor Dandridge (“Vantage: Inhouse”), Tim Lundmark (“Hell Has Become Our Home: A Poetic Narrative on the Duality of Marriage”), Mike Maydak (“1782: The Year of Blood,” “The Blackbeard Legacy”), Jim Mehsling (“Into the Void,” “Bounty Hunter: The Interview”), Robert “Bob The Artist” Luedke (“Eye Witness,” “A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth”), Jeff Greenwalt (producer/head writer/ cast member “Rabbit Ears”) and many others.
Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Minneapolis show hours are Friday, May 6, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wizard World Minneapolis is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night.
For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis, visit http://wizd.me/MinneapolisPR.
About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com ), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
Wizard World 2016 schedule available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.
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Neal Adams, Clinton Hobart, Arthur Suydam, James O’Barr, Ken Kelly, Michael Golden Also Headline Artist Alley At Minneapolis Convention Center
MINNEAPOLIS – Eisner Award winners Gerhard (“Cerebus”), Dean Haspiel (“American Splendor,” “X-Men”), and Neal Adams (“Batman,” “Green Lantern”), as well as Tom Cook ("He-Man," "She-Ra"), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine art), Ken Kelly (“Kiss” album covers, “He-Man”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Guy Gilchrist (writer/cartoonist, “Nancy,” “Muppet Babies”), Mark Kistler (PBS Television , “The Secret City”) and Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies” “Army of Darkness”) are among the leading comics artists and writers scheduled to attend Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6-8, 2016 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It is the eighth comic con event on the 2016 Wizard World calendar and third year for the show in Minneapolis.
Other top Wizard World Minneapolis Artist Alley guests include Peter Gross (“The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), Danny Fingeroth (group editor, “Spider-Man”), Tim Seeley (“Revival,” “Ant Man & The Wasp”), Allyn Jensrud (“Monkey Man Labs”), Phil Juliano (“Twin Cities Comic Collective”), Jeremiah Lambert (“Transformers,” “Tonka Truck”), Victor Dandridge (“Vantage: Inhouse”), Tim Lundmark (“Hell Has Become Our Home: A Poetic Narrative on the Duality of Marriage”), Mike Maydak (“1782: The Year of Blood,” “The Blackbeard Legacy”), Jim Mehsling (“Into the Void,” “Bounty Hunter: The Interview”), Robert “Bob The Artist” Luedke (“Eye Witness,” “A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth”), Jeff Greenwalt (producer/head writer/ cast member “Rabbit Ears”) and many others.
Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World Minneapolis show hours are Friday, May 6, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, May 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wizard World Minneapolis is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor and participate in the famed Wizard World Costume Contest on Saturday night.
For more on the 2016 Wizard World Comic Con Minneapolis, visit http://wizd.me/MinneapolisPR.
About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store (www.shopwizardworld.com ), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
Wizard World 2016 schedule available at: www.wizardworld.com/wizcon.html.
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Tuesday, April 5, 2016
The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus to Headline First Wizard World Cruise
Wizard World Cruise To Embark On Maiden Voyage December 2-5; Norman Reedus Among Celebs, Artists, Cosplayers On Board
Wizard World Themed Journey From Miami to Nassau, Bahamas On The Norwegian Sky; Three-Night Cruise Includes Meals, Open Bar, Photos With Celebrity Guests
SEGUNDO, Calif. - Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and Rose Tours today announced its first Wizard World Cruise, a pop-culture, comic con themed, three-night journey on the Norwegian Sky, December 2-5, 2016, from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. The event will feature celebrities including Norman Reedus as well as an Artist Alley with noted comics creators, cosplay contests, exhibitors, parties, video game tournaments and more.
This will be the only cruise appearance for Reedus. Others scheduled to appear include Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, “Spin City”), Sara Underwood (“Attack of the Show”), Billy Martin (lead guitarist/keyboardist, Good Charlotte; artist, “TMNT”), Phil Ortiz (animator, “The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), cosplayers Jackie Craft, Abby Dark Star and Zen Dragon. Additional celebrities and creators to appear aboard Wizard World Cruise will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We are excited to partner with Rose Tours for our first-ever Wizard World Cruise!,” said Randy Malinoff , Wizard World COO. “Rose Tours has the best reputation for providing the fans with a great experience on their celebrity cruises. And having Norman Reedus among our inaugural guests is the best treat we can give our loyal fans!”
A variety of packages will be available, starting at $749.00 per person. The Wizard World Cruise base package includes photos with the celebrities, all meals onboard as well as open bar, a special cruise-only gift item and access to all Wizard World events on the ship. The Norwegian Sky ( https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/sky) also features a casino, spa, full gym, basketball/volleyball court, arcade, 10 bars (all included), four restaurants (included) and three of Norwegian’s famed specialty restaurants.
For more on the 2016 Wizard World Cruise, visit http://www.wizardworldcruise.com .
About Rose Tours
Rose Tours is a leader in Entertainment Cruises, striving to bring fans closer to the entertainers they love in an intimate and exclusive environment. Rose Tours provides a once in a lifetime experience for fans, while producing events for artists including New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, Rick Springfield, Boyz II Men, Matchbox Twenty, Top Chef: The Cruise, the Straight No Chaser Cruise, and many more. For more information, visit www.rosetours.com
About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)
Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store ( www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ ( www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/ .
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Digital Manga Launches Kickstarter for "Kimagure Orange Road"
Do You Long For Some Manga Nostalgia?
DMI’s Crowd Funding For A Favorite 80’s Classic Is Here
Digital Manga Inc. (DMI), a long-time publisher of manga, launches their next new Kickstarter campaign to crowd fund the classic shounen manga, Kimagure Orange Road, for an all new print and digital release! Originally published in Japan from the mid to late 80’s, the Kimagure Orange Road (KOR) manga series ran for a full 18 volumes.
Digital Manga’s plans, through the Kickstarter platform, will be to re-release the series, and collect them into six Omnibus volumes—each volume comprising three volumes from the original Japanese editions (over 550+pgs). The campaign will start off with an initial goal of $34,900, to cover the publication of the first omnibus, with Omnibus vol.2,3,4,5, and 6, each with their own stretch goals. The 40 day running campaign will help spread word to bring back long time fans back to this long remembered classic.
Written by creator Izumi Matsumoto, Kimagure Orange Road tells the story of an indecisive high school student, Kyōsuke Kasuga, specially gifted with ESP, who is intertwined in a love triangle with two other high school girls—tough and introverted Madoka Ayukawa, and happy go-lucky Hikaru Hiyama—both which are also best friends. The series quickly became a classic hit (spinning off novelizations, OVAs, and a full long running anime TV series), because it not only mixed in themes of innocence, love, friendship, comedy and hi-jinks together, it set the standard for teenage-high school-triangle romance for many manga and anime story-telling for years to come.
Digital Manga picked up and rescued the series back in 2014 through its Digital Manga Guild initiative, releasing the remaining individual volumes on their ebook platform, eManga.com. With its continued customer interest, the series, in a short amount of time, proved worthy for a full print publication, including extra special attention to its re-localization for new English audiences to enjoy. Creator Matsumoto, excited for this project, has also offered special unique and one-of-a-kind KOR collector’s items, all signed by him, ranging from hand-drawn shikishis, art books and prints! Listen to him speak now! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oScqRvouuP0&feature=gp-n-y&google_comment_id=z12xu1zp4xuqcjilr234trgp3xfdf1kkx )
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-kimagure-orange-road-classic-manga
Basic Specs per each Omnibus:
-Antique Natural paper stock—(For that classic retro feel!!)
-Size: (5-1/8” x 7-3/16”) (B6 size)
-Language: Localized (translated) to English
-Right to Left Manga reading format
-Pages: avg.~550pgs ea. omnibus
-MSRP: $24.95
-Rated 13+
-Release date: Omnibus 1 ~Aug.-Dec 2016 ; Stretch Goal: Omnibus 2-6 ~Dec.2016
-Re-localized for Omnibus Print Editions
High hopes with the Kimagure Orange Road Kickstarter campaign are riding with Digital Manga, Inc., as this would open doors to more variety and out-of-the-box projects in the future. With available crowd funding platforms like Kickstarter and the sea of untapped manga Digital Manga, Inc. can bring to the masses, DMI is able to gauge and fulfill the interests of the fan community’s faster and easier with little risk to everyone!
About Digital Manga Inc.
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Inc. is one of the industry's most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the West - specifically through the licensing, importation, and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for North America's mainstream and niche markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the spread of Japanese pop culture institutions into the global arena. The company's imprint lines include DMP (its mainstream imprint), DMP Platinum (its classic manga imprint), JUNÉ (its boys love imprint), 801 MEDIA (its adult boys love imprint), Project H (its Seinen Hentai manga imprint) and DMG (a new forefront for its digital distribution initiative).
For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit http://www.digitalmanga.com as well as:
http://www.dmpplatinum.com/
www.dmpbooks.com
www.junemanga.com
www.digitalmangaguild.com
https://www.emanga.com/tezuka
https://www.akadot.com/
Follow on twitter @digitalmanga
Find on Facebook: Digital Manga Inc.
-----------------------
DMI’s Crowd Funding For A Favorite 80’s Classic Is Here
Digital Manga Inc. (DMI), a long-time publisher of manga, launches their next new Kickstarter campaign to crowd fund the classic shounen manga, Kimagure Orange Road, for an all new print and digital release! Originally published in Japan from the mid to late 80’s, the Kimagure Orange Road (KOR) manga series ran for a full 18 volumes.
Digital Manga’s plans, through the Kickstarter platform, will be to re-release the series, and collect them into six Omnibus volumes—each volume comprising three volumes from the original Japanese editions (over 550+pgs). The campaign will start off with an initial goal of $34,900, to cover the publication of the first omnibus, with Omnibus vol.2,3,4,5, and 6, each with their own stretch goals. The 40 day running campaign will help spread word to bring back long time fans back to this long remembered classic.
Written by creator Izumi Matsumoto, Kimagure Orange Road tells the story of an indecisive high school student, Kyōsuke Kasuga, specially gifted with ESP, who is intertwined in a love triangle with two other high school girls—tough and introverted Madoka Ayukawa, and happy go-lucky Hikaru Hiyama—both which are also best friends. The series quickly became a classic hit (spinning off novelizations, OVAs, and a full long running anime TV series), because it not only mixed in themes of innocence, love, friendship, comedy and hi-jinks together, it set the standard for teenage-high school-triangle romance for many manga and anime story-telling for years to come.
Digital Manga picked up and rescued the series back in 2014 through its Digital Manga Guild initiative, releasing the remaining individual volumes on their ebook platform, eManga.com. With its continued customer interest, the series, in a short amount of time, proved worthy for a full print publication, including extra special attention to its re-localization for new English audiences to enjoy. Creator Matsumoto, excited for this project, has also offered special unique and one-of-a-kind KOR collector’s items, all signed by him, ranging from hand-drawn shikishis, art books and prints! Listen to him speak now! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oScqRvouuP0&feature=gp-n-y&google_comment_id=z12xu1zp4xuqcjilr234trgp3xfdf1kkx )
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digitalmanga/publish-kimagure-orange-road-classic-manga
Basic Specs per each Omnibus:
-Antique Natural paper stock—(For that classic retro feel!!)
-Size: (5-1/8” x 7-3/16”) (B6 size)
-Language: Localized (translated) to English
-Right to Left Manga reading format
-Pages: avg.~550pgs ea. omnibus
-MSRP: $24.95
-Rated 13+
-Release date: Omnibus 1 ~Aug.-Dec 2016 ; Stretch Goal: Omnibus 2-6 ~Dec.2016
-Re-localized for Omnibus Print Editions
High hopes with the Kimagure Orange Road Kickstarter campaign are riding with Digital Manga, Inc., as this would open doors to more variety and out-of-the-box projects in the future. With available crowd funding platforms like Kickstarter and the sea of untapped manga Digital Manga, Inc. can bring to the masses, DMI is able to gauge and fulfill the interests of the fan community’s faster and easier with little risk to everyone!
About Digital Manga Inc.
Located in Gardena, CA, Digital Manga Inc. is one of the industry's most unconventional and innovative companies, specializing in building corporate and cultural bridges from Japan to the West - specifically through the licensing, importation, and preparation of anime (Japanese animation), manga (Japanese comic books) and related merchandise for North America's mainstream and niche markets. In this capacity, DMI serves as a catalyst for the spread of Japanese pop culture institutions into the global arena. The company's imprint lines include DMP (its mainstream imprint), DMP Platinum (its classic manga imprint), JUNÉ (its boys love imprint), 801 MEDIA (its adult boys love imprint), Project H (its Seinen Hentai manga imprint) and DMG (a new forefront for its digital distribution initiative).
For more information about Digital Manga Publishing, visit http://www.digitalmanga.com as well as:
http://www.dmpplatinum.com/
www.dmpbooks.com
www.junemanga.com
www.digitalmangaguild.com
https://www.emanga.com/tezuka
https://www.akadot.com/
Follow on twitter @digitalmanga
Find on Facebook: Digital Manga Inc.
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