Image Comics Launches "Regression" Wed. May 10th

CELEBRATED HORROR WRITER BUNN & ARTIST LUCKERT LAUNCH NIGHTMARISH NEW SERIES REGRESSION

“Bunn, Luckert and Enger have created a real page-turner, frightening, engrossing and clever. A must-read for horror fans.” —Steve Niles, 30 Days of Night

Bram Stoker and Eisner Award-nominated writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, The Sixth Gun, The Empty Man) returns with debut artist Danny Luckert (Haunted) and colorist/letterer Marie Enger (Pistolwhip, 2 Sisters) for a chilling new series in REGRESSION. The new series is set to launch this May.

REGRESSION follows Adrian, a man tormented by ghastly waking nightmares. Pushed to a point of desperation, Adrian reluctantly turns to past life regression hypnotherapy as a means of understanding and treating the unwanted visions. When his consciousness is cast back through time, Adrian witnesses a scene of horrific debauchery and diabolism before waking up. But Adrian’s more unsettled than before and something dark and unnatural has followed him back… Now Adrian finds himself descending into a world of occult conspiracy, mystery, reincarnation, and insanity—from which there is no escape.

"I think most readers know how much of a horror fiend I am," said Bunn. "What many people don't know is that my father was a professional hypnotist for many years. While it wasn't part of his on-stage act, he often conducted past life regressions. During these sessions I saw people describing other time periods with pinpoint accuracy and even saw someone speaking a language they did not know. I also witnessed some really extremely creepy regressions that planted the seeds for this story of supernatural horror conspiracy."

Perfect for fans of Bunn’s critically acclaimed HARROW COUNTY and OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA, REGRESSION is a frightening exploration of the wickedest corners of the untapped psyche.

REGRESSION #1 hits stores on Wednesday, May 10th, 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 Celebrates 20 Nominations for 2017 Eisner Awards

EISNERS ANNOUNCE 20 NOMINATIONS FOR IMAGE COMICS

Digital editions of all nominated titles are on sale for a limited time

PORTLAND, OR — Comic-Con International announced the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2017 last week. Seventeen nominations were for books published by Image Comics, and an additional three nominations were shared with other publishers, bringing the total nominations for Image Comics to twenty. In celebration, digital editions of all nominated titles are on sale at Comixology and ImageComics.com.

FULL LIST OF IMAGE COMICS EISNER 2016 NOMINATIONS

Best Short Story:

• “Monday,” by W. Maxwell Prince and John Amor (from ONE WEEK IN THE LIBRARY)
• “Mostly Saturn,” by Michael DeForge (from ISLAND #8)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot:
CRIMINAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips

Best Continuing Series:

• KILL OR BE KILLED, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
• PAPER GIRLS, by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang
• SAGA, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Best Publication for Teens:
MONSTRESS, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Best Anthology:
ISLAND MAGAZINE, edited by Brandon Graham and Emma Ríos

Best Writer:

• Ed Brubaker, for CRIMINAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, KILL OR BE KILLED, VELVET
• Brian K. Vaughan, for PAPER GIRLS, SAGA
• Max Landis, for GREEN VALLEY (Image/Skybound, shared nomination)
• Jeff Lemire, for DESCENDER, PLUTONA (shared nomination)

Best Best Painter/Multimedia Artist:
Sana Takeda, for MONSTRESS

Best Penciler/Inker or Penciler/Inker Team:
Fiona Staples, for SAGA

Best Coloring:

• Elizabeth Breitweiser, for CRIMINAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, KILL OR BE KILLED, VELVET, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA (Image/Skybound)
• Jean-Francois Beaulieu, for GREEN VALLEY (Image/Skybound)
• Matt Wilson, for CRY HAVOC, PAPER GIRLS, THE WICKED + THE DIVINE (shared nomination)

Best Cover Artist:

• Sean Phillips, for CRIMINAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, KILL OR BE KILLED
• Fiona Staples, for SAGA
• Sana Takeda, for MONSTRESS

In celebration, Image Comics is offering a sale on digital comics for Eisner-nominated series, available on Comixology and ImageComics.com, now through Monday, May 15th, 2017.

Voting for the awards will be open soon at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The Eisner Awards will be presented at a gala awards ceremony to be held on Friday, July 21st, 2017 at Comic-Con International.


ABOUT THE EISNER AWARDS:
The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.
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ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling 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 Comics, Skybound Entertainment, 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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James Wan to Produce "The Conjuring" Spinoff, "The Nun"

Horror Fan Favorite James Wan to Produce New Line Cinema’s “The Nun”

Corin Hardy Directs Latest in The Conjuring Universe

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Filmmaker James Wan, director of the record-setting horror hits “The Conjuring” and “The Conjuring 2,” explores another dark corner of that universe with New Line Cinema’s “The Nun.” Helmed by award-winning director Corin Hardy (“The Hallow”), the new fright-fest has begun production on location in Romania. It will be produced by Wan through his Atomic Monster production company, along with Peter Safran, who has produced all of the films in “The Conjuring” franchise. “The Nun” is set for release on July 13, 2018.

When a young nun at a cloistered abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a novitiate on the threshold of her final vows are sent by the Vatican to investigate. Together they uncover the order’s unholy secret. Risking not only their lives but their faith and their very souls, they confront a malevolent force in the form of the same demonic nun that first terrorized audiences in “The Conjuring 2,” as the abbey becomes a horrific battleground between the living and the damned.

“The Nun” stars Oscar nominated Demian Bichir (“A Better Life”) as Father Burke, Taissa Farmiga (TV’s “American Horror Story”) as Sister Irene, Jonas Bloquet (“Elle”) as local villager Frenchie, Charlotte Hope (TV’s “Game of Thrones”) as the abbey’s Sister Victoria, Ingrid Bisu (“Toni Erdmann”) as Sister Oana, and Bonnie Aarons, reprising her “Conjuring 2” role as the title character.

Wan’s Atomic Monster slate includes “Annabelle” and “Lights Out,” as well as the upcoming “Annabelle: Creation,” with Wan serving as producer on all. Co-creator of the “Saw” and “Insidious” franchises, Wan directed the worldwide hit “Furious 7,” and is next set to helm the highly anticipated feature “Aquaman.”

Safran also produced the sequel “Annabelle: Creation,” opening August 11th, 2017 and is producing “Aquaman.”

Hardy will direct “The Nun” from a screenplay by Gary Dauberman (upcoming “It”), story by Dauberman & James Wan.

Serving as executive producers are Gary Dauberman and Todd Williams, with Michael Clear as co-producer.

Joining Hardy behind the scenes are director of photography Maxime Alexandre (“The Voices,” upcoming “Annabelle: Creation”), production designer Jennifer Spence (“Lights Out,” the “Insidious” films), editor Michel Aller (“Lights Out,” “Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension”), and costume designer Sharon Gilham (TV’s “Black Mirror”).

“The Nun” is a New Line Cinema presentation, an Atomic Monster / Safran Company production, and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 6th, 2017 - Updated #25

Support Leroy on Patreon.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  "Always Dreaming" wins the 143rd Kentucky Derby.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Roy Oliver, the fired cop who shot into a car full of teenagers, killing a 15-year-old, is free on bail after being charged with the child's death.

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OBIT -  From Variety:  The actor Don Gordon died at the age of 90, April 24, 2017.  He was known as a character actor and appeared on the big and small screen alongside his friend Steve McQueen several times, including in the film "Bullitt" and on the TV series, "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

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POLITICS - From WashPost:  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) no longer was Democratic Party candidates to be forced to tow the party line of abortion i.e. be pro-choice.

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ECO - From IndependentUK:  We have all heard of the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan.  Well, more than 8,000 residents could lose their water service and homes for refusing to pay for the poisoned water.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Under GOP House of Representatives healthcare plans, sexual assault and rape would be considered pre-existing conditions.

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BLM - From IBT:  Hog farms spray pig urine and feces into air around North Carolina's Black communities.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO is developing a "Game of Thrones" spinoff.

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COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  The reboot of "The Crow" (the film that cost Brandon Lee his live over 20 years ago) is still alive and is seeking an "R" rating.

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MOVIES - From YahooNews: Mark Wahlberg reflects on almost passing on Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" 20 years ago.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Anna Paquin and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard have been added to the cast of Amazon's anthology, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams."

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TELEVISION - From NewYorkMagazine:  Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's recent monologue about his  newborn son's health issues may affect debates about access to health care, specifically the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a.k.a. "Obamacare."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooTV:  Brad Pitt admits his recent alcoholism.

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TELEVISION - From People:  The "Happy Days" cast reunites at a memorial for the late actress Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham on the series.  Moran recently died, apparently from cancer.

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COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Is Josh Gad playing the Penguin in "The Batman."

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BLM - From YahooNews:  North Charleston, South Carolina  police officer Michael Slager finally finally admits what we already know: he is a murderer.  Slager plead guilty to federal civil rights charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott.

From YahooNews:  Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions' KKK version of the U.S. Justice Department will not bring charges against to Baton Rouge, La police officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, for killing Alton Sterling in July 2016.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  City of Boston and the Boston Red Sox apologize to Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones for the racial taunts hurled at him during a recent Orioles-Red Sox Major League Baseball game.

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TELEVISION - From Wired:  Neil Gaiman wishes "American Gods" was not so relevant now.

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POLITICS - From LATimes:  The young'uns love them some "Auntie Maxine" a.k.a. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Police Chief Jonathan Haber admits that he lied in the cop-shooting death of #JorrdanEdwards.

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BOND - From ThePlaylist:  Paul McGuigan, according to rumor, is being considered to direct the 25th James Bond movie.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Jeremy Renner signs to play famed gunslinger "Doc" Holliday.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Ridley Scott says Neill Blomkamp's "Alien 5" is probably dead.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy winners were announced last night.

From Deadline:  The winners in the "Creative Arts" categories of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A black and white version of the recent hit, "Logan," will hit theaters May 16th.

TRAILERS:

From YahooMovies:  See the new trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk," due this July.

Amazon Studios Secures Producing Deals with 3 Production Companies

Amazon Studios Secures Producing Deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions

Each production company will have two-year deals with the distributor

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon Studios announced that it has struck exclusive first-look deals with Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions. Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa’s Bona Fide Productions and Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler’s Killer Films will each have an exclusive first-look deal in both film and television for two years. John Lesher’s Le Grisbi Productions will have an exclusive first-look deal for indie-sized films for two years.

Currently, Amazon Studios is working alongside Bona Fide Productions on Marc Webb’s The Only Living Boy in New York, starring Jeff Bridges, Callum Turner and Kate Beckinsale and Killer Films on Wonderstruck, the latest film from Academy Award-nominated director Todd Haynes, starring Julianne Moore. Wonderstruck will screen in competition at the upcoming 70th annual Cannes Film Festival. Both The Only Living Boy in New York and Wonderstruck are slated for release in 2017.

“Bona Fide Productions, Killer Films and Le Grisbi Productions each have a long history of making critically acclaimed and award-winning films with accomplished filmmakers,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re proud to be working with each of them and excited about our future creative collaborations.”

Bona Fide Productions has produced award-winning films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Little Children and Nebraska. Killer Films is the company behind award-winning titles Still Alice, Carol, Wiener-Dog, a film Amazon Studios purchased at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and the Amazon Original Series “Z: The Beginning of Everything.” John Lesher’s Le Grisbi is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s Hostiles, starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike, and production on White Boy Rick, which is being directed by Yann Demange and starring Matthew McConaughey. Previously, Le Grisbi has produced Fury, Black Mass, End of Watch and Birdman, which won the Oscar for Best Picture at the 2014 Academy Awards.


About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series. First announced in January 2015, Amazon Original Movies in an initiative by Amazon Studios to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution exclusively for Prime members. Like Amazon Original Series, Amazon Original Movies focuses on unique stories, voices and character from top and up-and-coming creators. In 2015 Amazon Studios released its first film, Chi-raq, from critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. Chi-raq is now available for Prime members to stream exclusively. James Gray’s The Lost City of Z is currently in theaters. Up next, Amazon Studios will release Doug Liman’s The Wall on May 12th, Amir Bar-Lev’s Long Strange Trip on May 26th and Michael Showalter’s The Big Sick on June 23rd.

About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 100 video subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV, and more, available to Amazon Prime members in the US as add-ons to their membership. To view the full list of available channels, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers.
•     Instant Access: Customers can instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content.

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

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Warner Bros. Begins Production on "Aquaman" Movie

Production is Underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Super Hero Action Adventure “Aquaman”

Director James Wan and star Jason Momoa dive into the Super Hero’s first-ever solo feature, along with cast mates Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Nicole Kidman and more

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure “Aquaman,” helmed by James Wan (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7”). Jason Momoa stars in the title role, returning to the character he plays in this fall’s “Justice League.”

The film also stars Amber Heard (“Justice League,” “Magic Mike XXL”) as Mera; Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe (“Platoon,” “Spider-Man 2”) as Vulko; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,” “Green Lantern”) as Tom Curry; Dolph Lundgren (“The Expendables” films) as Nereus; Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (upcoming “Baywatch,” Netflix’s “The Get Down”) as Black Manta; with Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring” films, “Watchmen”) as Orm/Ocean Master; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“The Hours,” “Lion”) as Atlanna.

The film is being produced by Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Rob Cowan, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns serving as executive producers.

Wan’s team behind the scenes includes such frequent collaborators as Oscar-nominated director of photography Don Burgess (“The Conjuring 2,” “Forrest Gump”), his five-time editor Kirk M. Morri (“The Conjuring” films, “Furious 7,” the “Insidious” films) and production designer Bill Brzeski (“Furious 7”). They are joined by costume designer Kym Barrett (“The Matrix” trilogy; “The Amazing Spider-Man”), along with Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Charles Gibson (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2”) and VFX supervisor Kelvin McIlwain (“The Fast and the Furious” franchise).

As is fitting for the king of the sea, the shoot will take place mainly in locations spanning the stunning Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia, with extensive filming to be accomplished at Village Roadshow Studios. The production will utilize the facility’s sprawling backlot and all nine VRS soundstages, including its newest, Stage 9, the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Filming will also take place in Newfoundland, Sicily and Tunisia.

An icon for over 75 years, Aquaman is known by fans of DC Comics as the ruler of Atlantis but committed to protecting the entire globe, both land and sea.

Currently set for a 2018 release, the film is based on characters from DC.

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VIZ Media Offers Two Manga Samplers for Free Comic Book Day 2017

VIZ MEDIA SUPPORTS 2017 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY WITH ACTION-PACKED MANGA SAMPLERS SHOWCASING EXCITING NEW TITLES

Visit And Support Local Comics Retailers On May 6th To Receive

Two FREE VIZ Media Samplers Highlighting THE LEGEND OF ZELDA, As Well As DRAGON BALL SUPER And BORUTO!

VIZ Media announces its participation and sponsorship for Free Comic Book Day 2017, with a pair of special FREE manga samplers that will include excerpts from the company’s new THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS series and the definitive THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LEGENDARY EDITION – OCARINA OF TIME release as well as a second sampler containing excerpts from the Shonen Jump action series BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS and DRAGON BALL SUPER.

Scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6th, 2017 at thousands of locations nationwide, Free Comic Book Day is an annual promotional campaign developed by the North American comic book industry to help bring new readers of all ages and interests into independent comic book stores. Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) began in 2002 and is coordinated by the industry's single largest distributor, Diamond Comic Distributors. Readers should visit freecomicbookday.com to find local participating retailers in their area.

VIZ Media participates this year as both a Gold and Silver Level Sponsor with the following FREE exclusive releases (available while supplies last).

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA FCBD 2017 SAMPLER
A special Gold Level Sponsor sampler containing excerpts from the new THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS (rated ‘T’ for Teens) series and also THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LEGENDARY EDITION – OCARINA OF TIME (rated ‘A’ for All Ages). Both series are inspired by the beloved Nintendo® role playing, puzzle-solving, action video game property.

Once upon a time, wizards tried to conquer the Sacred Realm of Hyrule. The Spirits of Light sealed the wizards' power within the Shadow Crystal and banished them to the Twilight Realm beyond the Mirror of Twilight. Now, an evil menace is trying to find Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, and the fragments of the Shadow Crystal to gain the power to rule over both the Twilight Realm and the World of Light.

BORUTO AND DRAGON BALL SUPER FCBD 2017 SAMPLER
A special Silver Level Sponsor sampler featuring excerpts from two of manga’s most revered properties.

In BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS (rated ‘T’ for Teens), Naruto was a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He achieved his dream to become the greatest ninja in his village, and now his face sits atop the Hokage monument. But this is not his story... A new generation of ninja are ready to take the stage, led by Naruto's own son, Boruto! Don’t miss this action-packed excerpt!

In DRAGON BALL SUPER (rated ‘T’ for Teens), ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama’s best-selling series, DRAGON BALL!

For more information on these and other manga titles published by VIZ Media, please visit: VIZ.com.

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