May 8th, 2008, LOS ANGELES – Radical Publishing, under its imprint Radical Books, is pleased to announce that Yoshitaka Amano will be signing copies of Yoshitaka Amano’s Mateki: The Magic Flute Saturday, July 26^th at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con convention.

Based on the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Magic Flute, Yoshitaka Amano presents the story with his own unique vision using 128 pages of original artwork in a full color, oversized, hardcover book, set for release in June, 2008.

Mateki: The Magic Flute has never been published outside of Japan leaving Radical Publishing exclusive world-wide rights for this international edition. “Having Yoshitaka Amano on board for our first book is like a dream come true”, explained Radical Publishing’s President, Barry Levine. “His style is simply amazing. When Amano showed me the pages for Mateki: The Magic Flute, I knew immediately that this deserved a world wide release and I wanted it to be a part of Radical Books. In addition, the whole Radical team is honored to have Amano stopping by our booth and signing Saturday during the Comic-Con show. We have a huge lineup this year and expect to see more announcements like this in the coming months.” MATEKI is a beautiful and dark tale of a young man who must put away his flute to become a warrior so he may save his lover from the lord of darkness.

Mateki: The Magic Flute is a fantasy story told by an artist known around the world for his work on Vampire Hunter D, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: The Dream Hunters, and the Final Fantasy games. In discussing Mateki: The Magic Flute in a recent interview, Amano explained “The story itself is so well known, I don’t think I need to repeat it here. What actually attracted me most is the music Mozart wrote. Even though I knew the story from the accompanied texts, just listening to music gave me an inspiration of making it more like a ballet sequence, without words but the movements of images.” Edmund Shern of Imaginary Friends Studios provides the English adaptation and the supervision for the design of this magical volume.

Yoshitaka Amano’s Mateki: The Magic Flute is featured in April 2008 Diamond Previews catalogue and will ship in June of this year. Yoshitaka Amano’s Mateki: The Magic Flute has a Diamond order code of APR084071.

About Radical Publishing Radical Publishing is founded by BARRY LEVINE (Producer for Rogue Pictures’ BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, Executive Producer for the in development Warner Brothers’ REX MUNDI movie, written by JIM UHLS, starring JOHNNY DEPP and Universal Pictures’ R.I.P.D), his protégé JESSE BERGER, and longtime writer/publisher DAVID ELLIOTT (Atomeka Press and Tundra Publishing).

Radical Publishing is bringing the best in writing, storytelling and fully-painted cover and interior artwork to the global comic book market by prominent international talents such as YOSHITAKA AMANO, JOHN BOLTON, LUIS ROYO, JIM STERANKO, STEVE NILES, IAN EDGINTON, STEVE MOORE, SAM SARKAR, STJEPAN SEJIC, DAVE WILKINS, STEVE PUGH, JAMES HEFFRON, TOMM COKER, CLAYTON CRAIN, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, WETA WORKSHOP, IMAGINARY FRIENDS STUDIOS, and many more.

Http://radicalpublishing.blogspot.com

www.radicalcomics.com

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The SVA student and second-generation comic book illustrator will spend his 21^st birthday sketching Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow on MTV’s TRL.

On the heels of his webcomic debut, The Greatest, and the release of his first sketchbook at the recent New York Comic Con, artist Josh Adams has been invited to serve as one of two guest illustrators on the episode of MTV’s TRL filming on Monday, April 28 (currently scheduled on MTV.com to air Thursday, May 1st).

“As far as 21st birthdays go, spending mine with Iron Man is pretty high up there,” says Adams.

Besides being a chance for Adams to meet, interact with, and then draw one of his favorite actors, Robert Downey Jr., it will be an opportunity to show off his talent to a mainstream audience on nationwide television!

TRL airs at 3:30 pm ET/PT on MTV. Check your listings for air dates for the “Iron Man” episode of TRL.

Bio: At just 20 years of age, Josh Adams has led the life many established artists dream of. Being the son of a bonafide comic book legend, iconic artist Neal Adams, Josh has worked his whole life to be the best he can at his chosen field. And he hasn’t learned his trade from only one master — as a student at the School of Visual Arts, in New York, Josh has learned from mainstream greats like Phil Jimenez, Klaus Janson and Joey Cavalieri, indie talents Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, and countless “friends of the family” whom he’s met over the years. At 18 years of age, Josh was doing poster design and storyboarding commercials for the Sci Fi Channel, earning his first professional credits as an artist before even finishing high school. For more information, visit http://www.whatwouldjoshdo.com or e-mail Josh directly at Josh@WhatWouldJoshDo.com.

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Official Press Release

Septagon Studios’ SCORN #2: RAGE Preview

Take a closer look behind the cover of Septagon Studios’ debut title Scorn.

The solicitation for the issue reads:

Scorn #2 (Rage) of 4
Written by Kevin Moyers
Artwork by Philipp Neundorf
Cover by Philipp Neundorf
28 PGS Full Color./Rated Mature …$3.75
On Sale May 2008
DIAMOND ORDER CODE: MAR083938 SCORN #2 OF 4) (MR)

The Story:

After saving one life and ending several others, Michael is now a fugitive. While he hunts Torres, two of Chicago’s finest hunt for him. Detectives Keane and Rice are hot on Michael’s bloody trail, but will they get to him before it’s too late?

The comic book will be in stores March 12, 2008; call 1-888-comic-book (1-888-266-4226) to find a store near you.

Retailers may order the issue by contacting their Diamond Customer Service Representatives, or by email at reorders@diamondcomics.com

DIAMOND ORDER CODE PAGE 338: SPOT JAN083866 SCORN #1 OF 4) (MR)
DIAMOND ORDER CODE PAGE 336: MAR083938 SCORN #2 OF 4 (MR)

For more information on Septagon Studios Inc or Scorn, check out the Septagon Studios website at http://www.septagonstudios.com.

For more information on Kevin Moyers and Scorn, check out the Septagon Studios website at http://www.septagonstudios.com/Moyers.html

For more information on how to order products, check out the Septagon Studios website at http://www.septagonstudios.com/Retailers.html

For testimonials and reviews of Scorn check out the Buzz page at http://www.septagonstudios.com/Buzz.html

Sign up for the Septagon Studios Newsletter today for exclusive content:
http://newsletter.septagonstudios.com/?p=subscribe&id=2

###

About Septagon Studios, Inc.
www.septagonstudios.com

Septagon Studios Inc. is a publishing company founded in early 2003 by company President and C.E.O Nicola Defina with his two cousins, Philip Defina (Vice President and Art Director) and Domenic Defina (Consultant/Art Direction). Septagon Studios has carefully positioned itself to occupy a historic place in the industry, and combining comic book publishing with creator services is just the start.

Imagination. Creativity. Unleashed.
For readers. For creators. For everyone

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It was 1978, when legend-in-the-making Neal Adams illustrated the giant-sized extravaganza, Superman vs Muhammad Ali, in which the greatest super hero in comics teamed up with the greatest athlete of the 20^th century. In 2008, Neal’s youngest son, Josh Adams, makes his comics debut with a more reality-based, but no-less-sequential, take on Ali. His historical story about the legendary fighter, aptly titled The Greatest, will debut on April 16, 2008 – the Wednesday prior to the New York Comic Con – at Adams’ official website, http://www.whatwouldjoshdo.com.

“I knew my debut had to be about something I was passionate about, and I also wanted it to be grounded in reality,” said Adams, “So what better subject for my comics debut than a real man who, in the comic book world, has beaten up Superman?”

Since the announcement of Josh Adams’ entry into the comics field earlier this year in Rich Johnston’s column, Lying in the Gutters, fans have been clamoring to see the 20-year-old second-generation artist’s first works. Adams, who is also currently working on his printed debut, chose to make his initial offering to the industry via the webcomic revolution. His choice of subject for this debut was inspired by something deeper: “I’m a competitive guy,” said Adams, “and having a father who has been praised for everything from defining Batman’s image to bringing the concept of ‘dynamic reality’ to comics really makes me feel like I have something to prove. So taking on Muhammad Ali, a subject my father has already famously illustrated, is my way of paying homage to my father’s legacy, while, at the same time, stepping out from his shadow.”

For more information about The Greatest, or to contact Josh Adams personally, visit http://www.whatwouldjoshdo.com or e-mail Josh directly at Josh@WhatWouldJoshDo.com

Bio: At just 20 years of age, Josh Adams has led the life many established artists dream of. Being the son of a bonafide comic book legend, Josh has worked his whole life to be the best he can at his chosen field. And he hasn’t learned his trade from only one master — as a student at the School of Visual Arts, in New York, Josh has learned from mainstream greats like Phil Jimenez, Klaus Janson and Joey Cavalieri, indie talents Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, and countless “friends of the family” whom he’s met over the years. At just 18 years of age, Josh was doing poster design and storyboarding commercials for the Sci Fi Channel, earning his first professional credits as an artist before even finishing high school.

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Fire in the hole picks up imediatley where the first book left off. Things are going from bad to worse for our Chickenhare and Abe as their narrow escape from the evil Taxidermist Klaus is going to seem like a cakewalk compared to the dangers they’ll face in the sequel to the Eisner nominated graphic novel, Chickenhare: The House of Klaus. Magic and mayhem are about to collide, along with some pointy pitchforks, a few unexpected relatives and more laughs than a barrel full of wet shromph as we discover the origins of their mysterious fellow escapees Meg and Banjo - and what this means to our friends is nothing but trouble!

For more info about Chickenhare or it’s creator Chris Grine please visit the official site.

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Entering is easy — every issue of Division 18: The Union of Novelty Costumed Performers #1 purchased at Booth #2353 will come with a raffle ticket. One winner will be announced on Saturday, April 19th, and another on Sunday, April 20th.

Visit Booth #2353 at any time during the New York Comic Con to learn more about Division 18, to enter the contest, or to get your comics signed by Matt Bergin and Jeremy Donelson. And remember to ask your local comic retailers to order up plenty of Division 18: The Union of Novelty Costumed Performers!

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“The comic book I’m most looking forward to this year… Lukas Ketner’s art is fantastic and Brandon Seifert’s writing is fucking brilliant. I can’t wait to see where they go with this book.” - Mark Sweeney (Black Summer colorist)

The mayor of Portland, Oregon has declared April “Portland Comics Month” — and adding to the four-color flood is the release of WITCH DOCTOR: FIRST INCISION, a new medical horror comic by PDX locals Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner.

It’s a sick world — literally. The universe is an organism, and the creatures of myth and legend are its parasites. Earth’s antibodies — humankind — have been at war with supernature for all of history. But to fight a disease, you don’t need soldiers — you need doctors.

Enter Dr. Vincent Morrow. Excommunicated from the medical community and headhunted into an exciting new career in the black arts, he’s here to diagnose earth’s dark underbelly. Morrow serves the world with both hands — one in magic, one in medicine — as earth’s protector. Earth’s WITCH DOCTOR. It’s a sick world — he’s here to treat it.

“As anyone who’s read The Hot Zone knows, the real world is more horrifying than anything a writer could hope to imagine,” says WITCH DOCTOR writer Brandon Seifert. Seifert points to the candiru, the blood-drinking spiny catfish of Amazon River that get stuck inside people’s urethras. “I could never come up with something that sick — but I can take it as my muse. WITCH DOCTOR grafts the monsters of real medicine and zoology to the archetypes of supernatural horror.”

WITCH DOCTOR: FIRST INCISION is a 16-page horror/medical drama. “It’s a crash-course introduction to Doctor Morrow, his staff and his world, presented as a rather warped take on vampires that’s based on actual blood-drinking animals,” says Seifert. WITCH DOCTOR is currently self-published, but Seifert is hoping FIRST INCISION — which he describes as the WITCH DOCTOR “demo album’” — will change that. “Lukas and I, we’re a ‘band,’ and we’d like to get ’signed’ to a ‘record label.’ We have lots more WITCH DOCTOR stories to tell. We just need a publisher’s help, so we can actually afford to.”

FIRST INCISION debuts in the Pacific Northwest at Portland’s Stumptown Comics Fest on April 26-27. WITCH DOCTOR: FIRST INCISION will also be serialized for free online beginning Thursday, April 24. For more information about WITCH DOCTOR, visit www.witchdoctorcomic.com or www.myspace.com/drvincentmorrow.

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April 11-13, Boston University Eli Wiesel Judaic Studies Center

From the performance of religion in comics, to religious or mythic traditions among the elements of various works, to the use of comics by religious practitioners themselves, the relationship between comics and religion is dynamic and evolving. Given the increasing seriousness with which the public has come to view comics as an art form and Americans’ fraught but passionate relationship with religion, “Graven Images” will provide an opportunity for discussion of cutting- edge artistic and social issues by exploring the roles of religion in comic books and graphic novels. This event is free and open to the public.

Featuring Keynote Speaker James Sturm,

Xeric Award and Eisner Award-winning author of The Golem’s Mighty Swing and James Sturm’s America: God, Gold, and Golems
Co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies and the National Association of Comic Arts Educators (NACAE)

Also featuring comic book creators A. David Lewis, Saurav Mohapatra, Steve Ross, Mark Smylie, and G. Willow Wilson

Co-sponsored by:
The Luce Program in Scripture and Literary Arts
The New England-Maritimes American Academy of Religion
The Boston University Graduate Student Organization
The Boston University Department of Religion, and Caption Box

Full program schedule available at http://www.bu.edu/luce/calendar/religionincomics.html

Questions? Contact ADL@bu.edu