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News Archives: November 2009
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IMAGE UNITED'S MAMMOTH DEBUT COMPLETELY SELLS OUT UPON RELEASE!
IMAGE UNITED, the Image Comics crossover of the century, sells out at a distribution-level despite significant overprint!
IMAGE UNITED, the six-part crossover featuring Image Founders Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino, made its debut today with a near-immediate sellout at the distribution-level.
"As soon as I held IMAGE UNITED in my hand, I just knew these would go," said Marc Nathan, owner of Reisterstown, MD's Cards Comics & Collectibles and Promoter of the Baltimore Comic Con. "You just knew the covers were going to go. It was perfectly smart on Image's part to put them out this weekend - the best shopping week of the year. Everyone is coming to this weekend to shop, so you know people will be coming back for #2."
IMAGE UNITED is a six-part crossover encompassing the entire Image superhero universe and features each Image founder illustrating their own characters. Since its announcement, the crossover has garnered headlines from the New York Times, USAToday and other massive media outlets with its once-in-a-lifetime approach to the superhero crossover. Despite a significant overprint, the first issue managed to sell out at a distribution-level in less than twelve hours. A new printing will be released to coincide with the second issue and features a cover by SPAWN and HAUNT creator Todd McFarlane.
IMAGE UNITED writer Robert Kirkman said, "With an overprint this substantial, this immediate sellout is a clear indication the founders and their pantheon of characters are as hot as ever. The greatest part about the sell out is this is just the beginning. The best is yet to come."
Added Image Publisher Eric Stephenson: "Working to pull this project together has been an amazing experience for everyone involved, but it's been even more incredible to hear the response we've been getting not only from fans but our partners in the retail community. Everyone's enthusiasm has been extremely gratifying and we can't wait for everyone to see how this whole project unfolds."
IMAGE UNITED #1 2nd Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be on-sale December 23.
And for those who can't wait for the second printing, a special collector's edition of IMAGE UNITED #1 featuring a gold foil-stamped logo is on sale December 3.
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ENSURE YOUR TRIP TO FRANK FRAZETTA'S FANTASTIC WORLDS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
The second collection of tales from the master artist of sci-fi and fantasy comes in limited quantities this December!
THE FRANK FRAZETTA'S FANTASTIC WORLDS returns this holiday season with an all-new hardcover collection containing the second series of highly praised Frank Frazetta inspired and approved one-shots finally under one cover! Due to the extremely limited availability of copies before the new year, fans eager to purchase the volume are highly encouraged to put in their order into their local comic book store now now.
"THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA continues to honor the wide breadth of material beloved by fans of the master artist," Frazetta Comics editor Jay Fotos said. "We've gone to great lengths to ensure the newest volume will be released in time for the holiday season, but we highly encourage those looking to grab a copy to pre-order to ensure theirs is received in time as there will only be a limited amount of copies before the new year."
THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA, VOL. 2, an oversized, limited-edition hardcover, collects NEANDERTHAL, MOON MAID, SORCERER, and FREEDOM from Image?s bestselling Frazetta Comics imprint. Each chapter of THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA presents an all-new adventure by some of the comic book industry's most exciting creators including Tim Vigil, Jay Fotos, Joshua Ortega, Chris Ryall, Nat Jones & others, all inspired and approved by the master artist himself. This volume also contains many never-before-seen bonus scripts, preliminary sketches, unused pages and much, much more.
THE FANTASTIC WORLDS OF FRANK FRAZETTA, VOL. 2 (Diamond SEP090290/ISBN 1607061619), a 178-page full color hardcover for $29.99, will be in comic book stores December 24, 2009.
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IMAGE UNITED CREATORS AND NEWSARAMA KICK OFF THE CROSSOVER OF THE CENTURY WITH A LIVE, ONE TIME ONLY WORLDWIDE COMICS EVENT!
Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri, Todd McFarlane and Jim Valentino unite for a one-time-only live event, only on Newsarama!
In celebration of IMAGE UNITED's highly anticipated debut on Wednesday, November 25th, every single creator including Image founders Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino, Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri, Todd McFarlane and Whilce Portacio along Image partner Robert Kirkman, will unite for a one time only online chat event on Tuesday, November 24th at 7pm to 8:30pm EST.
"Since IMAGE UNITED's announcement we've received a tremendous amount of requests for appearances of all creators involved in stores and conventions all across the planet," Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson said. "By teaming up with Newsarama for this once-in-a-lifetime event, we're bringing every creator directly to the readers. This is our thank you for the massive support the Image Comics fan base has already given the project."
On Tuesday evening, November 24th at 7pm EST, the night before issue #1 goes on sale, Newsarama will welcome all seven creators in a 90-minute online interview/chat hosted by Vaneta Rogers, writer of Newsarama's recent Image United Weekly interviews, and every single comic book fan from around the world are invited to attend. McFarlane, Liefeld, Silvestri, Valentino, Larsen, Portacio, and Kirkman will all be there live & together in the same virtual room, to answer your questions and ours about Image Comics' past, present, and future, and of course IMAGE UNITED.
The IMAGE UNITED live event, a 90-minute virtual panel, will begin on Newsarama November 24th, 2009 at 7pm EST. For further details on how to attend this historic online event, please stay tuned to Newsarama.
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YALSA NOMINATES CAVALLARO'S PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) AS A GREAT GRAPHIC NOVEL FOR TEENS!
Michael Cavallaro's acclaimed graphic novel nominated for YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teen book list!
Image Comics and Shadowline, LLC have announced their critically acclaimed graphic novel, PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) by Michael Cavallaro, has been nominated for the prestigious Young Adult Library Services Association Great Graphic Novels for Teens Booklist!
"PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) has received an immense amount of acclaim since its release, but the YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens nomination is one we're most proud of," Shadowline LLC Publisher Jim Valentino said. "We've long felt Michael's very personal tale is the perfect fit in any library and are honored to even be nominated for the booklist. We certainly look forward to any and all feedback we receive from the valued members of the YALSA committee."
PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) opens in 1923, as Italy is pulling itself from the wreckage of the first World War while unknowingly plummeting toward another. The nation seemed to be holding its breath, and the slightest perceived transgression could result in violence. On the evening of the Feast of the Epiphany, it did, causing one man to choose between political standing and his very own family. The YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens nomination is in of itself a prestigious accolade for a very deserving title.
PARADE (WITH FIREWORKS) TP (DIAMOND: SEP082265 - ISBN: 1582409951), a 72-page full color deluxe tradepaperback for $12.99, is in stores now.
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TODD MCFARLANE AND ROBERT KIRKMAN'S HAUNT SCARES UP MULTIPLE SELL OUTS!
McFarlane and Kirkman's HAUNT faces multiple distribution-level sell outs instantly after release!
HAUNT, the sales record-breaking new superhero series conceived by Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman, faces yet another sell out with both its first and second issues completely sold through on a distribution-level.
"Getting this reception a second time around has us all very excited," Kirkman said. "HAUNT is having a tremendous launch at a period in time when the economy doesn't really lend itself to people taking a chance on something new. Not only did the first issue set a recent sales record for Image, but as of last week the reprint and second issue are both gone despite very significant overprints. Todd and I are very appreciative of the fans and retailers supporting HAUNT. We hope to reward them back with years of stories to come."
HAUNT centers on a pair of brothers, Kurt and Daniel Kilgore, who act more like adversaries than family. Kurt, a secret agent, and Daniel, a less than holy priest, bond in a way neither of them expects after Kurt's untimely death. A surprise fusing of Kurt's ghost with Daniel's body creates a chain reaction, turning the brothers into the character, Haunt. While both distribution-level sell out issues will return with all-new printings in December, earlier printings may be available in small quantities at your local comic book store.
HAUNT #1 3rd Printing and HAUNT #2 2nd Printing, both 32-page full color comic books for $2.99, will be in-stores alongside HAUNT #3 (OCT090361) on December 2nd, 2009.
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JIM LEE UNITES WITH IMAGE FOUNDERS FOR THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF THE CENTURY, IMAGE UNITED!
Image Founder and WILDC.A.Ts creator Jim Lee provides all-new cover for November's IMAGE UNITED #1!
Since IMAGE UNITED's announcement, fans have clamored for the one missing Image Comics founder, Jim Lee, to take part in the crossover event. Earlier today, Image and Newsarama revealed Lee will definitely take part with an all-new cover featuring the entire pantheon of Image superheroes at the hands of the resurrected Al Simmons.
"Things just got real," IMAGE UNITED writer Robert Kirkman said. "Having all seven founders truly united propels the crossover to a whole new level. That's a commonly used phrase, but it's definitely the case here. This is exactly the moment fans have been hoping for and I'm very happy to say Jim delivered. That said, if you think this is cool, just wait for what happens next!"
IMAGE UNITED is a six-part crossover encompassing the entire Image superhero universe and features each Image founder illustrating their own characters. Since its announcement, the crossover has set headlines with New York Times, USAToday and other massive media outlets for its once-in-a-lifetime approach to the superhero crossover. Lee's cover is available for order in addition to those by Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Todd McFarlane.
IMAGE UNITED #1, a full-color 32-page comic book for $3.99, will be in-stores November 25th, 2009.
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FRANK CHO AND DOUG MURRAY ANNOUNCE WINNER OF 50-GIRLS-50 TALENT SEARCH!
LIBERTY MEADOWS and NEW ULTIMATES illustrator Frank Cho announces artist for upcoming series co-written by THE 'NAM legend Doug Murray!
For the past several months, LIBERTY MEADOWS creator Frank Cho and THE 'NAM writer Doug Murray have searched for the artist to illustrate their all new miniseries, 50 GIRLS 50. Today they're proud to announce the search is over with winner Axel Medellin!
"The number and quality of the submissions really blew me away. I mean, I knew there were a lot of talented comic artists out there, but I hadn’t expected so many to try this out," Murray said. "Judging was very difficult. We had to grade the entries on multiple counts: the fidelity to the model sheets produced by Frank, the story-telling displayed, the quality of the layouts—all of these factors came into play. We managed to pick the final four artists, but choosing a winner out of the four was extremely difficult since each artists had what we were looking for in terms of quality and clear storytelling skills. Frank and I went back and forth till the very last minute on who the winner should be, with Axel beating out the competition."
Axel Medellin will be illustrating next year's 50-GIRLS-50 based off a story conceived and co-written by Cho and Murray. In addition, he will be working alongside Cho as he works off the NEW ULTIMATES illustrator's character and world designs. Cho will also be providing covers for every issue.
Cho added, "Thank you all for the time and effort you put into this. Also for the simple humanity and kindness you showed each other within the various threads of the 50-GIRLS-50 blog. I was as impressed by that as I was by the artistry of your entries."
50-GIRLS-50, a full-color 32-page comic book for $2.99, will be released in early 2010.
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TODD MCFARLANE TEAMS UP WITH IMAGE FOUNDER AND YOUNGBLOOD CREATOR ROB LIEFELD ON SPAWN #196!
Image Comics founders and IMAGE UNITED collaborators join forces on the highly anticipated finale to SPAWN: ENDGAME!
For the past year, SPAWN: ENDGAME has riveted readers with its game-changing story line featuring the death of Al Simmons and Todd McFarlane's return to illustrating his seminal creation. In November's SPAWN #196, ENDGAME concludes with a bang as McFarlane shares art duties with fellow Image Comics founder Rob Liefeld.
“I was looking for good artistic help, and remembered inking over Rob on his New Mutant covers back in the Marvel days, and most recently a little bit of IMAGE UNITED," McFarlane said. "I thought it would be a fun experiment to see what Capullo layouts, Liefeld pencils and my inks looked like together on a handful of pages.”
In the conclusion of SPAWN: ENDGAME, reporter Marc Rosen connects the miracle patient stories to the new SPAWN, Jim Downing, as detectives Sam, Twitch and Rowand discover the association between Downing's awakening, Bill Winston’s suicide and the Nortego crime syndicate.
SPAWN #196 (JUL090355), a 32-page full color comic book for $2.95, will be in-stores November 25th, 2009.
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