IDW Publishing’s Graphic Novel Biographies Of U.S. Presidential Candidates Sen. Barack Obama And Sen. John McCain

[ENGLISH] IDW tells us: (San Diego, CA; September 24, 2008) – Just a few weeks ahead of Election Day, IDW Publishing’s eagerly anticipated comic book biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama will hit bookstores October 8 and will also be available on mobile phones. The larger-than-life personal stories and come-from-behind political victories of the candidates, Senator Barack Obama (Dem; IL) and Senator John McCain (Rep; AZ), have electrified the political discourse in this country and around the world. Now IDW Publishing (www.idwpublishing.com) introduces an extraordinary venture in this political year:  a pair of biographies, PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: BARACK OBAMA (Author: Jeff Mariotte/Artist: Tom Morgan) and PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL: JOHN MCCAIN (Author: Andy Helfer/Artist: Stephen Thompson)  presented in one of the true American art forms, the comic book.  Independently researched and illustrated by a team of veteran artists, the comic books depict key incidents in the lives of the two men.   The books were commissioned with no input from either political campaign.

Comic book authors Andy Helfer and Jeff Mariotte will be appearing at bookstores in New York, Los Angeles and Orange County on October 8 through 10, signing copies of the comics.  Locations are as follows:

New York:

2 pm – 4 pm, Oct 8: Forbidden Planet, 840 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

5 pm – 7 pm, Oct 8: Jim Hanley’s Universe, 4 W 33rd St
New York, NY 10001

 Los Angeles:

6 pm – 9 pm, Oct 9, Golden Apple Comics, 7018 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Orange County:

4 pm – 7 pm, Oct 10, Comics Unlimited, 16344 Beach Blvd, Westminster CA 92683

Already a collector’s item, the books can also be pre-ordered at www.presidentialcomics.com. In addition to the separate tomes, the two issues will also be available in a special trade paperback flip-book edition.   “Comics and graphic novels speak to millions of people encompassing all demographic, social, cultural and economic stripes.  It’s a great way to get beyond the headlines on these two candidates,” says IDW president Ted Adams.

“It’s only fitting that in this historic election that we break new ground in the publishing and online media worlds with the first ever simultaneous release of these graphic novels in both print and on mobile phones. It is also a great move for our democracy to make these beautiful candidate biographies universally available,” said Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards.

Fans can also purchase the comic books for their mobile devices for the UCLICK mobile comic book reader available on phones through top U.S. carriers, the mobile Internet at http://m.gocomics.com, and on the iPhone App Store   Uclick is a leading digital entertainment provider offering a broad mix of popular content for the Web and mobile phones. The Uclick content lineup includes other IDW properties, as well as many other leading brands.

The powerful cover art illustrations for both books were created by fan favorite J. Scott Campbell.  His first book was the popular Gen13, which he followed with Danger Girl, a runaway bestseller that spawned a video game as well as a series of toys. More recently he has been working on a Spider-Man series that will debut in 2009.

Obama author Jeff Mariotte is an award-winning, bestselling writer of more than 30 novels, including original supernatural thrillers River Runs Red and Missing White Girl, horror epic The Slab, and Stoker Award nominated teen horror series Witch Season, as well as books set in the universes of CSI: Miami, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, Spider-Man, Superman, and Star Trek.  He is a veteran comics author, including his original Western series, Desperadoes. 

Andy Helfer, author of the John McCain bio, has been one of comics’ most innovative forces since 1980. During his tenure in charge of Paradox Press, an experimental imprint of DC Comics, he published the original graphic novels Road to Perdition and A History of Violence, both of which became major feature films.  He is also the author of well-received and critically lauded graphic novel biographies of Ronald Reagan and Malcolm X.

BARACK OBAMA: PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL:  28 pages of story and art, plus annotations. $3.99 cover price.   JOHN MCCAIN: PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL:  28 pages of story and art, plus annotations. $3.99 cover price.   FLIP-BOOK encompassing both titles:  $7.99 cover price.

About IDW: IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, Calif. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry including: television’s #1 prime time series CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; Hasbro’s The Transformers, and the BBC’s Doctor Who. 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. In April 2008, IDW released Michael Recycle, the first title from its new children’s book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at http://www.idwpublishing.com.