Urbana, IL – Avatar Press, Inc. announced today that it will begin publishing a diverse line-up of action/adventure oriented comic titles beginning in October. Titles to be released in 1996 include Pandora, featuring the modern-day adventures of the character of myth; Silent Rapture, a sword and sorcery tale of revenge; and Lookers, featuring detective agency action with liberal doses of espionage and science fiction mayhem.
“Avatar is committed to publishing quality comic books and related products in a wide variety of genres,” says Avatar Press Editor-in-Chief William A. Christensen. “With all the attention being given to what has formerly been considered the independent segment of the market, it’s clear that the mainstream comic audience is ready and willing to embrace something different. There are good independents on the market, but the demand is out there for many more books of quality. The marketplace values a publisher who provides top-notch writing and artwork, excellent production, and timely delivery of product. Avatar intends to deliver on all three of these counts, because that is good for everyone – reader, retailer, and distributor alike.”
For distribution purposes, the new publisher will initially appear as an imprint of highly-regarded independent publisher Brainstorm Comics, but will begin soliciting product independently of Brainstorm – under the Avatar name – after a few months. “I struck this deal with Brainstorm publisher Kirk Lindo to allow my company to concentrate on producing a quality product, without having to concern ourselves with handling things on the distribution end in the beginning,” says Christensen. “We will be ending that arrangement soon to strike out on our own, and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Kirk Lindo for his efforts in helping Avatar off to a great start. Kirk is a rarity in this business – both a talented creator and an astute businessman – and his assistance has been invaluable to Avatar.”
“The reception the creative community has given to the framework we are building at Avatar is a tribute to the hard work our staff is putting into these books,” Christensen continues. “The writers and artists I’ve talked to enter into our projects knowing that our marketing, design, and production people are going to be every bit as enthusiastic about these books as they are themselves. This creates the best possible situation for everyone involved with a given project, and as a result, every aspect of the books turns out top-notch. These projects are going to be the total package.”
Avatar Press debuts Pandora in October, written by William A. Christensen and Mark Seifert with pencils by Richard Pollard; writer/artist Jude Millien’s Silent Rapture begins in November; and Lookers by Christensen and Seifert with pencils by Rob Durham launches in December.
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