Official Press Release

Marvel Entertainment Makes History At SXSW Interactive’s ScreenBurn Arcade in March 2012

Leading Entertainment Company Unveils Groundbreaking New Publishing Initiatives

This Spring, Marvel Entertainment takes Austin, Texas by storm in its inaugural appearance at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival with the Marvel: Digital House of Ideas panel at SXSW ScreenBurn! In this historic event on Sunday, March 11 at 1pm on the IGN stage at the Palmer Events Center, Axel Alonso (Marvel Comics Editor in Chief), Jeph Loeb (Head of Marvel Television) and Peter Phillips (SVP & GM, Marvel Digital Media Group) unveil Marvel’s bold new multimedia plans that includes the premiere of Marvel’s revolutionary new ways to read comics. Not only does this mark the first major appearance by a comic book publisher in SXSW history, but Marvel is coming armed with the big news—and exclusive animation footage—that can’t be missed by any fan in attendance! Best of all, this event is free and open to the public, so everyone can be on hand to see Marvel’s newest innovations.

“Marvel’s always been the industry leader in graphic fiction & digital media and with the announcements we’ve planned, we couldn’t have picked a more appropriate show than SXSW,” said Dan Buckley. Publisher & President of the Print, Animation & Digital Divisions, Marvel Worldwide, Inc. “We’re big believers that both print and digital can work hand-in-hand to bring more readers to comics than ever before—and if you’re at SXSW Interactive you’ll be the first to see just how we’re going to do that.”

Since the launch of Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited in 2007, the first major digital comics program in comics history, Marvel has been on the forefront of digital comics publishing with innovations such as the landmark Marvel Comics app in 2010. Since then, Marvel has expanded its digital comics offerings to numerous platforms, while also becoming the first comics company to offer free digital copies with select print issues and comic shop coupons with the purchase of a digital comic.

“We are very excited to have Marvel on board for the ScreenBurn portion of the 2012 SXSW Interactive Festival,”  said Hugh Forrest, Director of SXSW Interactive. “The presence of this industry leader is another indicator of the growth and maturation of the event. Marvel’s addition to the SXSW lineup will add even more flavor to the mix of creative energy that fills Austin in March.”

After the Marvel: Digital House of Ideas panel concludes, fans in attendance will receive a limited edition lithograph (while supplies last) and a chance to have it signed by Alonso & Loeb in a special Marvel signing session.

“Marvel’s fans are the best in the world—bar none—and I’m excited to meet more of them at SXSW” said Alonso. “We have exciting new plans that you’ll see implemented with the release of Avengers VS X-Men #1 that’ll take the biggest comics event in history and make it even bigger!”

Stay tuned to www.marvel.com and www.sxswscreenburn.com for more details on the Marvel: Digital House of Ideas panel and Marvel’s plans for SXSW.

About Marvel:

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com

About SXSW Interactive:

The 19th annual SXSW Interactive Festival will take place March 9-13, 2012 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2012 for the panels, the parties, the 15th Annual Interactive Awards, Startup Village, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Trade Show and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW

Interactive 2012 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, IFC, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Monster Energy, Samsung, Freecreditscore.com, Microsoft and The Austin Chronicle.

For more information, visit www.sxsw.com/interactive

About SXSW ScreenBurn

SXSW ScreenBurn Arcade presented by Alienware will take place March 9-11, 2012 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, Texas. The SXSW ScreenBurn Arcade is the gaming arm of SXSW Interactive and features three days of a gaming expo that is free and open to the public. Join us for the The Arcade Stage presented by IGN, which will host pro gaming tournaments, panels and reveals by AAA publishers and developers, and a cos play competition. Attendees with a SXSW Interactive, Gold or Platinum badge are also able to participate in ScreenBurn Panels and gaming-related panels at other SXSW campuses. For more info, visit sxswscreenburn.com.