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San Diego, CA (August 19, 2010) – IDW Publishing today confirmed that it will launch the company’s final ANGEL story arc in November. IDW has published ANGEL comics since 2005, and this closing six-issue arc will serve as a bridge to Dark Horse Publishing, which will pick up the series in late 2011. Under the direction of BUFFY and ANGEL creator Joss Whedon, all parties are working together for as seamless a transition as possible. The companies have been coordinating storylines in both Dark Horse’s BUFFY and IDW’s ANGEL, creating a greater sense of cohesion and cooperation to ensure that this transition is true to both ongoing storylines and to the faithful fans of both series.

News of the upcoming change was recently revealed by Dark Horse Publishing, without coordination with IDW. “Dark Horse really regrets that this news was released before a joint statement from both companies was issued,” said Dark Horse Senior Editor Scott Allie. “Behind the scenes, we’d been working closely with IDW to ensure that the hand-off went smoothly. It was never our intent to catch ANGEL or IDW readers unaware. We’ve been working directly with Chris, Mariah and Brian on the interaction and the overlap between the storylines, and we think it’s gonna be a lot of fun for everyone.”

IDW’s ANGEL #39 is the first step in this closer co-existence. The issue introduces new series writers David Tischman ( ANGEL: BARBARY COAST ) and his TRUE BLOOD co-writer, Mariah Huehner, who kick off IDW’s final six-part storyline entitled “The Wolf, The Ram & The Heart,” which should give fans a good indication of just who the final tale’s “big bad” will be. Longtime ANGEL readers know just how big and how bad Wolfram & Hart can be. Issue #39 is also an excellent jumping on point for new readers, as it begins a new storyline for Angel and his crew.

Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer said, “We’ve loved the half-decade of publishing the exploits of both ANGEL, and the fan support has been truly inspiring and appreciated. The fact that steps are being taken by both companies to tie the books more closely together is something I’ve long wanted to do. This will not only ensure a smooth hand-off back to Dark Horse, it will also give the fans a cohesive storyline and explain some of the lingering questions they might have. While I hate to see Angel go, I know Joss has a vision for where things are headed and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

Starting in October, Brian Lynch and Franco Urru’s ongoing SPIKE series furthers the coordinated storylines. Not only does BUFFY “Scooby Team” member Willow appear in an upcoming issue of SPIKE, but the series will also explain how Spike appeared in BUFFY in a spaceship accompanied by giant alien bugs.

In addition to the storylines being told in ANGEL and SPIKE, November’s ILLYRIA miniseries by Scott Tipton and ongoing ANGEL artist Elena Casagrande will offer further ties with the two ongoing series, even as it vastly complicates the life of its title character.

Added Ryall, “I have nothing but good memories of our time managing Angel’s affairs. ANGEL was one of the first series I worked on upon joining IDW, and it introduced me to the great David Messina, who’s gone on to tackle the sexy vampires of TRUE BLOOD for us. David, Franco, [ANGEL artist] Elena Casagrande, along with Stephen Mooney, John Byrne and writers like Jeff Mariotte, Lynch, Tipton, Tischman, Juliet Landau and so many other talented folk… it’s truly been one of the most rewarding rides I’ve had at IDW. I trust that the license will be in good hands with Dark Horse.

“I know change is hard for fans – and us publishers, too,” Ryall continued, “but I want to remind everyone that we’re still going strong and have big plans for ANGEL well into 2011. Another point in our favor here is that the reversion nevertheless allows us to keep all of our Angel books in print long after we’ve stopped releasing new ANGEL comics. So the news might be surprising but the fact is, the stories you’ve loved aren’t going away any time soon. We’ve still got one last, big year to come, and we’ll fight the good fight until the end. Angel wouldn’t have it any other way.”

ANGEL #39 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in November. Diamond order code SEP10 0373.

SPIKE #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on October 13th. Diamond order code AUG10 0331.

ILLYRIA #1 (of 4, $3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in November. Diamond order code SEP10 0368.

Los Angeles, CA, August 16, 2010 – History’s most lethal combatants will continue the fight for ultimate supremacy as Spike TV renews “Deadliest Warrior,” the network’s first original franchise hit, for a third season, it was announced today by Sharon Levy, executive vice president, original programming, Spike TV.  The series has averaged 1.6 million viewers over it first two seasons, the most recent airing from April-July.  The season 2 finale on July 27 was the #2 ranked show on cable in its timeslot.  The third season of “Deadliest Warrior” will premiere 10 episodes in Summer 2011.

Mack, a Navy SEAL and former host and producer of “Future Weapons” and “Weapons That Changed The World,” joins the cast for the new season. Mack brings a warrior’s perspective to this series, as well as a weapons and battle tactician’s expertise.  Mack will provide viewers a richer understanding of the men behind the weapons and provide insight into the specific military strategies of all the featured warriors.  His expertise with soldier craft and military hardware comes from his experience as a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs.  During his service tenure, he participated in numerous tactical operations with SEAL Team ONE and TWO.  While at SEAL Team TWO, he was attached to the training cadre as the Leading Petty Officer of Land, Mountain and Arctic Warfare.  He also has over 30 years experience in the martial arts, studying such systems as muay thai boxing, Jeet Kune Do, kickboxing, aikido, jujitsu, savate, arnis and karate.

Mack joins series regulars Geoff Desmoulin and Dr. Armand Dorian for season 3. Desmoulin, a biomedical engineer and karate black belt, is in charge of creating and executing all of the various and often intricate tests that are performed and subsequently entered into the show’s computer system.  Dorian analyzes the lethal potential of each attack on the human body and discusses the type of medical treatments which were available at the time to treat such wounds.

“Deadliest Warrior” is produced by 44 Blue Productions, Inc. with Rasha Drachkovitch and Tim Warren serving as executive producers.

The new season will delve deeper into the history of the legendary warriors to create an even more comprehensive composite of these formidable combatants.  Season 3 will also expand its scientific exploration of the warriors’ weaponry, illustrating its innovation and technology.

“We are confident the innovations to Spike’s franchise hit, “Deadliest Warrior,” will be a big hit with show’s ever-growing fan base,” said Levy.  “The addition of more scientific explanation behind the weapons and the historical context of the warriors will enhance the viewers’ experience.”

“Deadliest Warrior: The Game” for Xbox LIVE Arcade has been a top-selling title on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, selling over 190,000 units within the first month of its July 14 release.

Also returning for a new season in conjunction with the new episodes will be Spike.com’s, original round table discussion series, “Deadliest Warrior – The Aftermath.”  For Season 2, it continued to be hugely successful, maintaining the online interest between episodes and generating a total of 2.7 million video views.  “Deadliest Warrior” also performed well on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, ranking as one of the highest selling TV series on the platform. In fact, since launching in April 2009, over 380,000 “Deadliest Warrior” episodes have been downloaded across various download-to-own platforms (iTunes, Xbox, PSN, etc).

“Deadliest Warrior” show pages on Spike.com attracted a season average of over 227,000 weekly unique visitors.  Show-related videos generated over 16.6 million video views during the course of the season.

Along with the use of 21^st century science and the latest in CGI technology, the series enlists warrior-specific, world-class fighters and experts to provide insight into what makes these combatants tick, analyzing every facet of their unique skills of destruction, culminating in a head-to-head final fight between two legends of the battlefield that will produce the deadliest warrior.  The recent second season featured such iconic warriors such as SWAT, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Aztec Jaguar, Jesse James Gang, Al Capone Gang, Roman Centurion, India’s Rajput Warrior, Somali Pirate, KGB and CIA.

Okay, so the power company didn’t turn the power off when they said they were.

Now they’re saying they’re going to try again.

So, mark your calendars – Raspberry World might be down on Wednesday, September 8th between 8am – 4pm PT.

San Diego, CA (August 27, 2010) – Acclaimed novelist and Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of The Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin, has teamed up with IDW Publishing, to release an all-new miniseries, entitled DOORWAYS. Based on his pilot script for a television series that never was, DOORWAYS offers Martin’s science-fiction genius in an initial four-issue series. Martin and artist Stefano Martino bring this reality-bending tale to life starting in November.

“DOORWAYS was the great ‘what if’ of my career, the television pilot that was right on the edge of being greenlit to series… but in the end was not.  I spent a year and a half of my life with Tom and Cat, writing about them, thinking about them, making plans for their adventures.  It broke my heart when it all came to naught,” said Martin.  “But now, at last, thanks to IDW and the talent of Stefano Martino, the world will get to share some of those adventures.  And even better, the comics format will allow us to do things with the story and the visuals that we would never have been able to do on television!  I couldn’t be more excited.”

Every issue of DOORWAYS treats Dr. Tom Mason, and fans, to the very definition of terrifyingly incredible, as doors open to worlds that are twisted mirror of ours. Said DOORWAYS editor Mariah Huehner, “One of the most interesting is a world with no oil. Which is pretty timely.”

DOORWAYS follows Dr. Tom Mason on a multi-dimensional journey as he tries to solve the mystery of Cat, a strange, feral young woman who pops up in his E.R. one night, injured and barely able to communicate, except by ripping off limbs.

Wearing rags that nearly disintegrate, Dr. Tom is drawn in the girl’s strange fears, until he discovers that “Cat” is a person of interest to the government, and a very odd group of  “people” that don’t seem to be from around here… “here” being our dimension…

“Working with George on this project is a lot of fun,” continued Huehner. “It’s a dark sci-fi/fantasy, that’s not unlike the Twilight Zone in terms of taking an ordinary person and suddenly confronting them with very bizarre events and people. Tom is a total “good” guy, loves his girlfriend, likes his job, and just wants to help people. But when Cat shows up she turns his comfortable world upside down.”

Artist Rebecca Wrigley will provide incentive covers for each issue of the initial DOORWAYS series.

George R.R. Martin’s DOORWAYS #1 (of 4, 32 pages, full color, $3.99) will be available in stores in November. Diamond order code SEP10 0362.

Here’s a promotional featurette from the upcoming Gareth Edwards movie Monsters.

For more information please visit: http://monstersfilm.com/

Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/monstersfilm

On August 27 between approximately 8am and 4pm PT Raspberry World will be down because of a planned power outage.

We don’t know why they’re not doing it in the middle of the night either.

And, no, we don’t have our own generator. It’s on the list after we get a new and much faster server – but from the looks of our donation thermometer that’s gonna take a while…