Comic Book News

IDW takes the COBRA story to the next level in the new G.I. JOE: COBRA II series, debuting in stores on January 27th. Under license by Hasbro, G.I. JOE: COBRA II continues the danger and suspense of the acclaimed G.I. JOE: COBRA series, as the G.I. JOE team penetrates the evil COBRA organization and eventually comes face to face with COBRA COMMANDER himself.

Following what IGN.com called "an instant classic," G.I. JOE: COBRA II offers the next step in the G.I. JOE team's infiltration of COBRA, as they try to rescue CHUCKLES, one of their own sent in undercover.GI Joe Cobra II

"We've been building the COBRA organization up over the first year and a half of G.I. JOE stories and the COBRA book was a huge part of that," said Andy Schmidt, IDW Publishing's G.I. JOE editor. "We're looking forward to revealing COBRA COMMANDER here first. But how and when he appears will surprise readers. His updated look may not be the only difference..."

With COBRA COMMANDER appearing later in the series, G.I. JOE: COBRA II is poised to dig deep into the COBRA mythos and reveal not just [COBRA COMMANDER image]COBRA COMMANDER, but several other as-of-yet-unseen villians. The G.I. JOE team may have been kicked around by COBRA already, but they haven't seen anything yet!

Writers Mike Costa and Christos N. Gage craft this exciting new series, skillfully building the suspense as the G.I. JOE team gets closer to COBRA COMMANDER. The masterful art of Antonio Fuso gives new layers to the subtle yet undeniable divide that fans have witnessed within COBRA, highlighted in the celebrated G.I. JOE: COBRA Special #1. Covers will be provided by both Fuso and the great Howard Chaykin.

Furthering the series that was named the third best graphic novel of the year by iFanboy.com and the best single issue of the year by MTV Splash Page, G.I. JOE: COBRA II continues to blend succinct storytelling with innovative visuals. Raves io9.com, "If you're looking for the latest smart, inventive reboot, the place to look . . . is G.I. JOE: COBRA."

G.I JOE: COBRA II #1 ($3.99, 32 pages) debuts on January 27, 2010. Diamond order code: NOV09 0809.

Press Release for January 21, 2010

Press Release:

In 1920s New York City, life is hard — and then the zombies appear. Actress Brea Grant (Heroes) and her brother, Zane, weave a historical horror in We Will Bury You, debuting in February 2010. The four-issue series follows two unlikely heroines from the margins of society as they fight to survive and battle the spreading zombie infection.

“Zane and I have been working together on music or other creative endeavors for a long time,” said Brea Grant. “We have a similar sense of the world, sense of humor and work ethic, so it just really works out.”

We Bury You Set during the Roaring Twenties, a time of great change for American society, We Will Bury You takes this challenging era and adds the chaos of zombies for an ingenious new horror story that offers an engaging look at the human condition.

“Besides the aesthetic of the Roaring Twenties being a great and underused environment for horror, there were a lot of big changes going on during that time period,” said Zane Grant. “The country was divided in a lot of complicated ways that are still relevant today.”

The series’ stark images are provided by artist Kyle Strahm, with covers by Ben Templesmith, Eisner-winner Nate Powell, and Trevor Hutchison.

“We wanted someone who could conceptualize both the beauty of the era and the grotesque nature of the zombies,” added Brea. “Kyle’s portfolio had these amazing, scary monsters alongside futuristic images and realistic faces. Everything he draws feels a little mystical, yet bizarre. He has no trouble showing the sickening nature of what we were visualizing.”

Issue #1 debuts in February and sets the stage for disaster, introducing the series protagonists and painting a historically accurate picture of this pivotal time.

“Brea and Zane have crafted a compelling story with a unique take on the zombie subgenre,” commented IDW editor Denton J. Tipton. “Their shared love for the comics medium really shines through, as does their understanding of dramatic storytelling, all delivered with a distinctive voice.”

We Will Bury You #1 (of 4; $3.99; 32 page) will be available in stores in February. Diamond order code DEC09 0924.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renown for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; Fox's Angel; the BBC's Doctor Who; and television's #1 prime time series CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; YOE Books, a partnership with YOE! Studios; and is the print publisher for ComicMix.

IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the publisher has partnered with comiXology, iVerse Media, WOWIO, Amazon.com and Longbox Digital to distribute their digital comics on mobile, portable and desktop readers.

The move is in direct response to requests from fans and in an effort to tap into a new growth market. The publisher plans to focus on primarily archival material and sold out issues of recent series. The first of Top Cow’s digital comics will be available beginning tomorrow, December 10th, 2009.

Top Cow Top Cow’s digital comics have been optimized and reformatted for mobile devices and desktop computers, such as Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPhone. The publisher will have numerous first issues and entry point issues available for free, as well as a pay-per-download.

“Top Cow is very excited to have our titles available on multiple platforms,” said Top Cow publisher, Filip Sablik. “The potential to reach out and connect to a new audience and hopefully drive those new readers to physical comic book stores are all driving forces for this coordinated push. And partnering with comiXology, iVerse, WOWIO, Amazon and Longbox ensures we’re using the most up-to-date technology to provide our readers with an easy, accessible and satisfying experience.”

The move follows the mobile digital distribution of The Darkness/Pitt #1 on the iPhone made available through comiXology’s ‘Comics’ iPhone application.

"In many cases, we will be able to make recently sold out issues of comics available digitally right before the following issue comes out in direct market stores and encourage new fans to continue reading the story at their local comic shop,” added Sablik, “We’re value our direct market partners a great deal and are taking measured steps to ensure we help grow our business with them, rather than cannibalizing sales.”

Top Cow will release the following titles for the month of December for free: Witchblade #1, Wanted #1, The Darkness/Pitt #1 (already available on Comics by comiXology), Witchblade #80, Tracker First Look, The Darkness Volume 3 #1, Berserker #0, Impaler Volume 2 #1, Hunter-Killer #1 and The Darkness Volume 1 #1. Each week will see new issues available for fans to download.

For the month of January, the additional titles will be made available including: Witchblade #2-8, Wanted #2-6, The Darkness/Pitt #2, Witchblade #81, The Darkness Volume 3 #2, Witchblade #82, Tracker #1, The Darkness Volume 3 #3, Impaler Volume 1 #1, Witchblade #83, Berserker #1, The Darkness Volume 3 #4, Impaler Volume 2 #2, Impaler Volume 1 #2-6, Witchblade #84, Hunter-Killer #2-12, The Darkness Volume 3 #5 and The Darkness Volume 1 #2-6.

About Top Cow Productions Inc.
Top Cow Productions, Inc. (www.topcow.com), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The company has launched 20 franchises (18 original and two licensed) in the industry’s Top 10, seven at #1, a feat accomplished by no other publisher in the last two decades. Its flagship franchise, WITCHBLADE, was TNT’s #1 original film of 2000 and the subsequent TV series was released on DVD on July 29, 2008. A feature film, co-produced by Platinum Studios, Inc. and Arclight Films, is slated to begin production in Australia with director Michael Rymer. WITCHBLADE is also the first American property to be fully adapted in Japan as an original anime and manga by Studio GONZO in 2006. Top Cow’s other flagship property, THE DARKNESS, was developed into a major next-generation video game release by Starbreeze and 2K Games and achieved platinum sales status. WANTED, an Eisner-nominated miniseries published by Top Cow from 2003-2005, is now a major motion picture from Universal Pictures starring Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. Virtually all of Top Cow’s other properties are in development as feature films, live-action television, animation or video games. Top Cow has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games and roleplaying games.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they, along with a number of Los Angeles-based comic book publishers, will be participating in Golden Apple’s All-Star Holiday Spectacular celebrating Golden Apple’s 30th anniversary. The event, co-hosted by Comic Book Resources, takes place this Saturday, December 12th, 2009, from 11am – 5pm. Fans are encouraged to stop by for creator signings, free giveaways, huge sales, and pick up the Angelus #1 event-exclusive variant. Admission is free.Holiday Spectacular

Among the artists appearing at Golden Apple All-Star Spectacular will be pencillers Eric Basaldua (Witchblade Annual, Hunter-Killer), Michael Broussard (The Darkness), Sheldon Mitchell (Trinity: Blood on the Sands, Witchblade Annual), and Nelson Blake II (Pilot Season: Murderer, The Darkness); inker Rick Basaldua (Witchblade Annual) and writers Rick Loverd (Berserker) and Joshua Hale Fialkov (Alibi, Cyblade)

The publisher will be offering an exclusive Golden Apple Exclusive variant cover to Angelus #1 for the event by Eric Basaldua. The variant will be available for $10 for attendees and is limited in quantity. In addition, Top Cow will have numerous bargain-priced comics including “dollar boxes” and free giveaway comics, bookmarks, and posters.

Golden Apple is located at 7018 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038.