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Wacky Wizard Games Imprint and Three New Games Announced by @wwizardgames

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Wise Wizard Games announced the launch of Wacky Wizard Games, a new brand imprint focused on family-friendly, lightweight games. Three games are planned for release in 2024 as part of this new brand imprint: Star Realms Academy, Caution Signs, and Pack the Essentials. If you are interested and attending PAX Unplugged they will have prototypes of Caution Signs and Pack the Essentials. "We are super excited to be adding this new family friendly product line to our catalog. We wanted to maintain the focus of Wise Wizard Games on strategy card and dice games with geeky themes, and have created Wacky Wizard Games as an umbrella for lightweight games with a more whimsical, cute vibe," shared Debbie Moynihan, COO of Wise Wizard Games. Star Realms Academy Forge your own star realms, overloaded with cuteness! A kid friendly but still fun for grown-ups version of the popular Star Realms deckbuilding game for 2 players. A little less math, no reading necessary, but still tons of fun! 

#WhatsNext @ImageComics Announcements for the week of 4/18/2014 @SkyboundEnt @TopCow


This weeks Image Comics announcements include; NAILBITER DELVES INTO THE WORLD OF SERIAL KILLERS, TECH JACKET TAKES FLIGHT, A SAVAGE WOMAN SEEKS HER DESTINY AGAINST ALL ODDS IN DARK ENGINE, APOCALYPSE AL TAKES ON THE UNDERWORLD, EISNERS ANNOUNCE 20 NOMINATIONS FOR IMAGE COMICS, EXCITEMENT FOR THIS NEW SERIES WILL SPREAD, SEE FOREVER IN REMENDER'S AND SCALERA'S BLACK SCIENCE, MANIFEST DESTINY - HERE THERE BE MONSTERS, MANIFEST DESTINY - VARIANT COVER REVEALED, THE TOP COW UNIVERSE EXPLODES WITH APHRODITE IX/CYBER FORCE.




NAILBITER DELVES INTO THE WORLD OF SERIAL KILLERS

A new series that explores the horrors of a town known for its murderers

Image Comics is pleased to reveal early artwork from Joshua Williamson (GHOSTED) and Mike Henderson's (MASKS AND MOBSTERS) new series, NAILBITER, to haunt the comics industry's dreams until its release on May 7th. The forthcoming horror suspense series was announced at Image Expo in January and generated early comparisons to Twin Peaks and The Silence of the Lambs.
“If Josh died I wish he’d leave Nailbiter to me in his will so I could say it was my idea.”
—Scott Snyder (WYTCHES, Batman, American Vampire)
Buckaroo, Oregon has given birth to sixteen of the vilest serial killers in the world. An obsessed FBI profiler investigating the town has suddenly gone missing, and now an NSA agent must work with the notorious serial killer Edward “Nailbiter” Warren to find his friend and solve the mystery of where serial killers come from.

NAILBITER #1 will be available for $2.99, you can order it now with Diamond Code: MAR140480, and final orders are due from retailers on 4/14.


INCOMING COMMUNICATION...

Again this week we have another teaser;


TECH JACKET TAKES FLIGHT

Early artwork released of Joe Keatinge and Khary Randolph's new series

After the tremendous sales of the TECH JACKET DIGITAL miniseries that debuted at Image Expo, Joe Keatinge (SHUTTER, GLORY) and Khary Randolph (Deadpool, Justice League Beyond) announced at Emerald City Comicon that they would team up once again to launch Zack Thompson a.k.a. Tech Jacket into an ongoing print series from Skybound Entertainment with a 7/2 release.

TECH JACKET #1 will be available for $2.99, you can pre-order it with Diamond Code: MAY140599.



A SAVAGE WOMAN SEEKS HER DESTINY AGAINST ALL ODDS IN DARK ENGINE

Sent to the distant past, Sym must thwart her enemies before it’s too late

Ryan Burton teams up with John Bivens for an all-new ongoing series that blends elements of dark fantasy and action with mystery.

With ribsword in hand, with gore in her curling locks, Sym has been sent to the distant past to murder her creators’ enemies. But the twisted alchemists who made Sym do not know that the engine that powers her is sentient, that it is the seed of their destruction. By blood and by fury, Sym will carve out her destiny in this new ongoing series.

DARK ENGINE is about the evil things that lurk inside us all. “Some drive us, some are alive and thinking. And Sym will learn just exactly what drives her, and why she was sent back in time to essentially murder anything standing,” explained Burton. “Of course, John [Bivens] does a brilliant job of capturing the enormous scope of the story, whether it's showing the stygian machinations of Sym's creators or the harrowing vistas that are littered with the husks of old Lovecraftian monsters, it's all there."

DARK ENGINE #1 arrives in stores on 7/16, and will be available for $3.50. It can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAY140574.

APOCALYPSE AL TAKES ON THE UNDERWORLD

New Joe’s Comic trade paperback features fun and fright

Allison Carter is the latest in her family’s long line of paranormal investigators specializing in preventing the end of the world. Her grandfather and umpteenth-great-grandfathers probably never anticipated her father having only a daughter, but Al employs the same Carter wit, smarts, and deadly accuracy as her male predecessors—and then some. With an attitude of "shoot first and to Hell with the questions," she leads a life that would drive other investigators mad, filled with monsters, demons, trolls, mad prophets, zombie detectives, techno-wizards, machinegun toting imps, and undead boyfriends.

In THE ADVENTURES OF APOCALYPSE AL by J.M. Straczynski and Sid Kotian, Al gains an unexpected ally in her latest case as she tries to keep a deranged artifact collector from opening a door into Hell itself.

APOCALYPSE AL is the third title in the Joe’s Comics line to be collected into a trade paperback, after TEN GRAND and SIDEKICK. While the prior two titles featured the dark side of Straczynski’s well-established storytelling skills, APOCALYPSE AL offers a fun and irreverent take on the supernatural, matched with Kotian’s lively art and Bill Farmer’s vibrant colors.

THE ADVENTURES OF APOCALYPSE AL collects all four issues of the miniseries. It will be in comic book stores on May 28 and bookstores on June 10.

THE ADVENTURES OF APOCALYPSE AL
  • ISBN 978-1-60706-980-5
  • 128 pages, full color, paperback
  • $9.99
  • In comic book stores May 28, in bookstores on June 10
  • Collects issues #1-4 of THE ADVENTURES OF APOCALYPSE AL


EISNERS ANNOUNCE 20 NOMINATIONS FOR IMAGE COMICS

And the nominees are… On sale, 50% off all digital editions for a limited time

Comic-Con International announced the nominations for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards 2014 this morning, 17 of which were published by Image Comics. An additional three nominations were shared with other publishers, bringing the total nominations for Image Comics to 20.

Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ SAGA, a winner of previous Eisner awards, was nominated in four categories. The hit series was nominated for Best Continuing Series, writer Brian K. Vaughan was nominated for Best Writer, and artist Fiona Staples was nominated in the Best Painter/Multimedia Artist and Best Cover Artist categories.

Eric Stephenson and Nate Bellegarde’s NOWHERE MEN held its own with three nominations and an additional shared nomination. The series was nominated in the Best Continuing Series category, writer and Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson was nominated for Best Writer, artist Nate Bellegarde was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker, and Jordie Bellaire was nominated in the Best Coloring category for several projects that included NOWHERE MEN, as well as other Image titles like THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, PRETTY DEADLY, and ZERO.

Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta’s EAST OF WEST also raked in three nominations, including Best Continuing Series. Artist Nick Dragotta was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker and Frank Martin was nominated for Best Coloring for their work on the series.

Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky’s SEX CRIMINALS, which has taken the comics industry by storm and was hailed by TIME Magazine as “comic series of the year,” earned two nominations, one for Best Continuing Series and one for Best New Series. In addition, writer Matt Fraction was nominated for Best Writer for several series, including SEX CRIMINALS.

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos’s PRETTY DEADLY received two nominations, plus another two shared nominations. Emma Ríos was nominated for Best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist. The shared nominations included Kelly Sue DeConnick for Best Writer and Best Coloring for Jordie Bellaire. 

Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s critically acclaimed dystopian action series LAZARUS was nominated in the Best New Series category, as was Shadowline/Image’s fantasy series RAT QUEENS by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch. 

OUTLAW TERRITORY, VOL. 3, edited by Michael Woods, was nominated for Best Anthology. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of all the insanely awesome men and women currently working with us at Image Comics,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “One of the great joys of my life has been watching all of these incredible comics make the transition from an exciting idea to an amazing series, and I think our strong showing on this year’s Eisner ballot only further underscores the strength and vitality of creator-owned comics.”

In celebration of the nominated series, Image Comics will offer 50% off all the digital editions of the following nominated titles—available on the Image Comics Website immediately, and on ComiXology, Google Play, Amazon, and Apple iBooks beginning 4/16—through midnight EST on April 21, 2014: EAST OF WEST, NOWHERE MEN, SAGA, SEX CRIMINALS, LAZARUS, RAT QUEENS, PRETTY DEADLY, MANHATTAN PROJECTS, ZERO, and OUTLAW TERRITORY, VOL. 3. 

Voting for the awards will open soon at www.eisnervote.com. All professionals in the comic book industry are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is June 13. The results of the voting will be announced in a gala awards ceremony on the evening of Friday, July 25 at Comic-Con International in San Diego.


ABOUT THE EISNER AWARDS
Named for acclaimed comics creator the Will Eisner, the awards are celebrating their 26th year of highlighting the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels.

EXCITEMENT FOR THIS NEW SERIES WILL SPREAD

An all-new ongoing science-fiction series from Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm

Justin Jordan (DEAD BODY ROAD, Luther Strode) and Kyle Strahm (HACK/SLASH, HAUNT) team up for a new science-fiction thriller, SPREAD, a horrifying story of inevitable death and slim hope. Enthusiasm for SPREAD will prove infectious and launch with a social media contest. Post the cover image of SPREAD #1 with the caption “it’s spreading…” and tag @kstrahm and @Justin_Jordan on Twitter and/or Facebook with the hashtag #itsspreading for for a chance to cameo as an extra character in the book, plus other SPREAD swag. Winners will be revealed on the day of release, July 9. 

Ten years ago, humanity dug too deep and unleashed something ancient that couldn’t be controlled. Something that couldn’t be stopped, twisting everything it touched into more of itself. The Spread. Humanity was nearly destroyed before finding a way to slow the Spread to a crawl. Now, deep inside the quarantined zone, one man has found what might be the key to stopping it forever: a baby girl. And if he can save her, he might save the world. 

“It’s Lone Wolf and Cub in a world where John Carpenter’s The Thing ate North America,” said Jordan. “Sean Shields, mostly called ‘No’ in the book—because he’s taciturn enough that it’s most of his dialogue—is one of the survivors. No is ‘Spread-immune,’ unable to be converted by the Spread biomass, and this means he can get closer to the Spread to scavenge useful bits of what used to be civilization—but not without danger. "

The Spread itself is comprised of more than just its threat for virulence the creatures that lurk and thrive within it are equally nefarious. "I've designed piles of crazy organisms that form the Spread ecosystem. [Colorist] Felipe Sobreiro and I have crafted a look for these things that we're very proud of,” said Strahm. “From tiny scavengers to massive predators, every creature has a spot on the food chain and looks pretty cool occupying that spot. The organisms least equipped to survive in the Spread are human beings. Gross things happen when they get too close."

SPREAD #1 arrives in stores on 7/9 and is available for $3.50.

SPREAD can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code MAY140579.

SEE FOREVER IN REMENDER'S AND SCALERA'S BLACK SCIENCE

Science fiction gets warped in new Image Comics trade paperback

In a string of big releases from Image Comics over the past year, BLACK SCIENCE was one of the biggest. The atmospheric pulp sci-fi adventure by Rick Remender (DEADLY CLASS, Captain America) and Matteo Scalera (DEAD BODY ROAD, Secret Avengers) debuted in November and has had multiple printings of every issue released, garnering praise from critics and professionals alike. The first six issues are now being collected into BLACK SCIENCE VOLUME ONE: HOW TO FALL FOREVER, arriving in comic book stores on May 28 and bookstores on June 10.

Anarchist scientist Grant McKay has defied conventions and done the impossible, using a device called the Pillar to punch a hole between dimensions that allows him to travel through all possible universes. But now Grant and his team are storm-tossed on an infinite ocean of alien worlds and long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. With no clear route home, the only way is forward, through the madness of the lightning sea-swamp and a futurepast trenchworld, where the Sons of the Wakan Tech-Tanka wage never-ending war on the savages of Europe!

With an intense, mind-warping story in the vein of H.P. Lovecraft, action-adventure thrills à la Edgar Rice Burroughs, and fantastic Frank Frazetta-inspired visuals by the art team of Scalera and colorist Dean White, BLACK SCIENCE VOLUME ONE is a must-have for any lover of classic science fiction and fantasy.

BLACK SCIENCE VOLUME ONE: HOW TO FALL FOREVER by Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, and Dean White
  • ISBN 978-1-60706-967-6
  • 152 pages, full color, paperback
  • $9.99
  • In comic book stores May 28, in bookstores on June 10
  • Collects issues #1-6 of  BLACK SCIENCE


MANIFEST DESTINY—HERE THERE BE MONSTERS

The sixth issue of the hit series leaves readers wanting more, goes into a second printing

The sixth issue of Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts’ critically acclaimed Skybound series MANIFEST DESTINY—for which orders keep escalating despite constant sell-outs of every issue—sold out quickly, and will go into its 2nd printing. The journey is just beginning...

MANIFEST DESTINY #6 has completely sold out at the distributor level, but may still be available in comic stores. It is currently available digitally on the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com) and the official Image Comics iOS app, as well as on Comixology on the web (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.

The second printing of MANIFEST DESTINY #6 is available to order with Diamond Code MAR148147 and will be released on 5/14.

MANIFEST DESTINY, VOL. 1 is available to order for $9.99 with Diamond Code MAR140546 and will hit stores on 5/14.

MANIFEST DESTINY #7 will be available on 6/11 and can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code: APR140575.

MANIFEST DESTINY—VARIANT COVER REVEALED

The seventh issue of the hit series will feature an exciting variant cover by Marc Silvestri and Todd McFarlane

Image is pleased to reveal a variant cover featuring art by Marc Silvestri, inked by Todd McFarlane and colored by series colorist Owen Gieni for issue #7 of Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts’ critically-acclaimed Skybound series MANIFEST DESTINY.

MANIFEST DESTINY #7 begins an all-new story arc, and with it, an all-new adventure. Follow Lewis, Clark, and the surviving members of their expedition as they continue westward—only to learn that on a river there’s no safe haven to sail to…

MANIFEST DESTINY #7 will be available on 6/11 for $2.99 and you can order it now with Diamond Code: APR140575. The Silvestri/McFarlane variant cover can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAR148175. Final orders are due from retailers on 5/19.

For those still catching up on the adventure, the second printing of MANIFEST DESTINY #6 is available to order with Diamond Code MAR148147 and will be released on 5/14. MANIFEST DESTINY, VOL. 1 is available to order for $9.99 with Diamond Code MAR140546 and will hit stores on 5/14.

THE TOP COW UNIVERSE EXPLODES WITH APHRODITE IX/CYBER FORCE

An epic new story for these fan favorites begins...

Top Cow is pleased to announce a double-sized crossover event unlike any before! Coming July 2, APHRODITE IX/CYBER FORCE #1, written by Matt Hawkins and with art by Stjepan Šejić, will begin a crossover spin-off series that fans won’t want to miss.

Two teams, seven centuries apart, united by one woman’s diabolical plan. The Chairwoman from CYBER FORCE and APHRODITE IX had a plan to recreate the world in her children’s image. Things didn’t go as planned. Featuring the present day team of Cyber Force and the 28th century Aphrodite IX, this story lays the origins of the new comic series SIXTH GENERATION, launching in 2015.

"When Marc Silvestri and I sat down to talk Cyber Force two years ago we were building up to this eventual connection between Aphrodite IX and Cyber Force," said Hawkins. "This book is a self-contained oversized one shot that will explain who all these characters are and their importance to each other and to the Artifacts side of the universe as well.  We're not looking to overburden it with continuity, just show tangentially how they relate."

APHRODITE IX/CYBER FORCE #1 arrives in stores on 7/2. It will be 48 pages and available for $5.99. Cover A can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAY140582 and Cover B can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAY140583. A variant cover featuring art by Marc Silvestri can be pre-ordered with Diamond Code MAY140584.

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.

ABOUT SKYBOUND

Skybound is the home of Robert Kirkman's creator-owned work including his Eisner Award-winning comic book series, The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, Thief of Thieves, and Clone as well as Ghosted, Witch Doctor and Invincible Universe. Since its inception, Skybound has created television shows, merchandise and a wide spectrum of platforms, games (The Walking Dead: Assault iOS app), and entertainment events (The Walking Dead Escape). Skybound's successes include the comic behind the hit Emmy®-winning television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 122 countries and 37 languages. Skybound/Kirkman frequently top the hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. Your destinations for all news and merchandise from Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles are www.Skybound.com and www.TheWalkingDead.com

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