Witchblade Begins A New Chapter

[ENGLISH] Image Comics tells us: Berkeley, CA – 18 July 2011 – Sara Pezzini has been through a lot in the past six years. She’s had a child, maintained her police career while juggling her duties as Witchblade, lost and gained back the mystical gauntlet, hunted down those who kidnapped her daughter, and even discovered the inner-workings of the universe. Her life has been eventful. However, nothing has prepared her for what’s coming next!

Hot off the Top Cow universe-altering events of ARTIFACTS #13 and WITCHBLADE #150, WITCHBLADE #151 begins a new chapter in the story of Pezzini. The passionate new creative team will provide an ideal jumping on point for new readers.

These changes all start with Tim Seeley (HACK/SLASH) and Diego Bernard (The Man With No Name). Seeley and Bernard mark the first completely new creative team in over six years following the landmark run by Ron Marz and his co-collaborator Stjepan Sejic. Seeley will be using the Marz-era as a springboard from which to tell stories of Sara’s new life and build on the rich Top Cow history and continuity while bringing a new voice and putting her through new challenges.

« Over the years, I’ve developed a rep as a guy who likes to write women who kick ass, and look great doing it, » said Seeley. « I’m over-the-moon at getting the opportunity to follow up one of the most beloved creative teams in comic history, on one of the most enduring heroines ever! »

To celebrate this new chapter, Top Cow is lowering the regular cover price of Witchblade to $2.99 and offering two covers by John Tyler Christopher (ARTIFACTS) and Dennis Calero (X-Men: Noir), as well as a special retailer incentive cover by the legendary J. Scott Campbell.

WITCHBLADE #151 (AUG110425), a 32-page full color comic book, is available for order in the August issue of Previews.

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. 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. A second game is slated for release from 2K Games in the Fall of 2011. 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.

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, 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.