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39 Minutes Wins Top Cow’s Pilot Season 2010

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Official Press Release

39 MINUTES WINS TOP COW’S PILOT SEASON 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 10, 2010 – As announced on MTV Geek, Top Cow Productions, Inc. is proud to announce that the winners of Pilot Season 2010 is William Harms and Jerry Lando’s 39 MINUTES.

39 MINUTES beat out ASSET by Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik and David Marquez, CROSSHAIR by Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri, Jeff Katz and Allan Jefferson, FOREVER by Brad Ingelsby and Thomas Nachlik and 7 DAYS FROM HELL by Bryan Edward Hill, Rob Levin and Phil Noto.

39 MINUTES turns a heist story on its head when a group of ex-soldiers turned bank robbers’ decide to hit up small towns leaving a path of destruction by killing everyone who gets in their way.  As the clock’s ticking, the only man who can stop them just happens to be in prison and refuses to help.

“All of the books in this year’s competition are really good,” said Harms.  “I’m excited and humbled that 39 MINUTES came out on top.”

Fans rushed to the web, even crashing the first poll, to vote for their favorite 2010 Pilot Season one-shots.  Pilot Season is an annual initiative Top Cow began in 2007 that borrows its concept from the television industry: five ‘pilots’ are submitted for consideration to be ‘picked up for a season,’ except instead of TV executives decided their fates, it’s the fans!

Now that 39 MINUTES has been declared the winner, the creative team will work with Top Cow’s editorial department to start planning out their series, which will debut in 2011.

Previous winners of Pilot Season include: CYBLADE, VELOCITY, TWILIGHT GUARDIAN and GENIUS.  VELOCITY can currently be found at your local comic book shop shelves, TWILIGHT GUARDIAN (NOV100495) is available for pre-order and, along with GENIUS, will be debuting in 2011.

Pilot Season: 39 Minutes COVA_stamped

Top Cow Echoes ‘We Create’ at Long Beach Comic Con 2010

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BE AMONG THE FIRST TO VOTE FOR PILOT SEASON 2010

TOP COW ECHOES ‘WE CREATE’ AT LONG BEACH COMIC CON 2010

LOS ANGELES, Calif., October 28, 2010 – With Halloween weekend upon us, join Top Cow Productions, Inc. in their home city of Los Angeles at the second annual Long Beach Comic Con, October 29-31, at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Meet the Top Cow team and creators at booth #212 for convention exclusives, preview books and free goodies, and celebrate the success of this year’s action-packed event series Artifacts, launch of Echoes and the kick-off of the Pilot Season 2010 voting period with them.

Fans who stop by the booth will be among the first to launch the Pilot Season 2010 voting period.  At voting stations, attendees can decide who deserves a series of their own:  a group of bank robbers, a femme fatale of the digital age, a former assassin for the CIA, a doctor working at a pharmaceutical company, or an ex-pat who made a del with a demon.  Several creators for this year’s Pilot Season will be on-hand to sway your vote.

Among the creators appearing at the Top Cow booth #212 will be Joshua Fialkov (Tumor, Echoes), Rob Levin (Pilot Season: 7 Days From Hell, Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box), William Harms (Impaler), Filip Sablik (Pilot Season: Asset), Jeff Katz (Pilot Season: Crosshair), Rick Loverd (Berserker), Michael Broussard (Artifacts, The Darkness), Sheldon Mitchell (The Darkness), Rahsan Ekedal (Echoes, The Crazies), Rick Basaldua (Artifacts, The Darkness), Randy Queen (Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain), Sarah Queen (Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain) and Joe Weems (Artifacts, Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia).

Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik is hosting a panel on Saturday, October 30, Top Cow: We Create…Competition, at 3:00-3:45pm in Seaside Ballroom B.  Join Sablik and a host of Top Cow creators as he walks attendees through what the Cow has in store for you in 2011, including the next arc in Artifacts and Magdalena, Top Cow mainstays Witchblade and The Darkness, what’s coming out first at Minotaur Press, and more.  Panelists include Broussard, Mitchell, Levin, Fialkov, Ekedal and Loverd.  All attendees will receive a free gift!

At the Top Cow booth #212, the publisher will have the following new products available for fans:  Witchblade #139 Long Beach Comic Con exclusive cover by Randy Queen and Sarah Queen, two Halloween lithographs by the Queens and Stjepan Sejic. Additionally, Top Cow will have several exclusive trade paperback bellyband packages.

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. 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.

Witchblade #139 COVC_stamped

Review – Impaler Volume 1 Trade Paperback

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Impaler Volume 1 Trade PaperbackBack in August I got to review the second volume of this series having never read the first volume.  I really enjoyed it enough that at New York Comic Con I made sure to grab the trade paperback for Impaler Volume 1 published by Top Cow.

Written by William Harms with art by Nick Postic and Francis Tsai the story covers a vampire infestation and the warrior tasked with stopping them.  All set with the backdrop of a brutal winter storm

When one of the worst blizzards in modern history descends upon New York City, the blinding snow and wind are the least of the city’s problems.  For hidden in the weather is a growing army of ravenous vampires, and humanity’s only hope lies with Vlad Tempes, the “historical Dracula.”

It’s a great take on vampires adding in a ravenous appetite and onslaught more akin to an attack of nature that can’t be stopped.  This is a tidal wave of evil instead of plotting humans with fangs.  That gives it a better feeling of dread and doom.  This is a force of nature that’s coming to get you.

The art is beautiful and the whole book has a tone of dread.  Inclusion of the “every man” in Vic and his tragic back story infuses a humanity often missing.  The writer is speaking through Vic including his own personal tale through this main character.  A nice touch that adds sadness to the horror.

I loved the second trade paperback and the first is just as good.  Go out and get both now.

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Review – Pilot Season: 39 Minutes

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Pilot Season: 39 Minutes COVA_stampedIt’s the first entry for Top Cow‘s Pilot Season 2010.  Written by William Harms and Jerry Lando, 39 Minutes is a story revolving around a team of Marines now robbing banks, but with a political bent.  This is Heat, but with a message.

Robbing a bank is easy — it’s the getaway that’s hard. The bank’s surrounded by police officers, alarms are blaring, customers and employees are screaming, and the streets are blocked off. So what’s the solution?

Kill everyone in town.

Created and written by William Harms (Impaler) and debuting up-and-coming artist Jerry Lando along with a cover by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire), 39 Minutes turns the heist story on its head.

So, first off Pilot Season is a brilliant idea by Top Cow that produces a few first issues, allowing the public to vote on which one they enjoyed the most, then producing a mini-series for the winner.  So, did this comic make me want to vote for it?  The answer is a resounding hell yes.

The story is great, one hell of a set up, with some great art too.  There’s a very cool bank robbery story but what’s awesome is the series also has a subtler message.  The robbers are all veterans of the Iraq war who’ve been ashamed due to a run in with private contractors.  The series while it could simply be a cops and robbers story also explores duty, country and honor.  Just fantastic.

Now, we’re not going to tell you how to vote, because we need to see the other entries, but this is a hell of a start.  But, Top Cow, if this doesn’t win, can we please see the completed story at some point?  Pretty please?  I’ll be your best friend, pinky swear.

And for you folks debating if you should buy this?  The answer is yes, no thought needed, just do it.

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Top Cow Pilot Season 2010 Signing Tour

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TOP COW PILOT SEASON 2010 SIGNING TOUR

LOS ANGELES, Calif., September 16, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that first title off of the 2010 Pilot Season slate will arrive in stores next week on September 22nd, 2010.  Pilot Season 2010 debuts a new format consisting of five new concepts and five different creative teams released in a span of five weeks.  In support of Pilot Season 2010, stateside creators will be embarking on a signing tour coinciding with their pilot’s release.

”Pilot Season is an ideal event for us to schedule signing events around because of the wide variety of talent we have participating each year,” explained Publisher Filip Sablik. “This year is no different with established talent like Marc Silvestri, Jeff Katz, and Phil Noto along side exciting up-and-comers like Jerry Lando, David Marquez, and the dynamic duo of Hill and Levin. We’re all getting out on the campaign trail to win the hearts and minds of our voting public!”

Pilot Season: 39 Minutes’ William Harms and Jerry Lando will kick off the launch of Pilot Season 2010 next week in Las Vegas and Philadelphia, respectively.

Book Signing Dates

Pilot Season: 39 Minutes

·       William Harms: Comic Oasis, Las Vegas, September 22, http://www.comicoasis.com

·       Jerry Lando:  Atomic City Comics, Philadelphia, September 25, 2-5pm, http://www.bestphillycomics.com

Pilot Season: Asset

·       Filip Sablik: Earth 2 Comics, Los Angeles, September 29, http://www.earth2comics.com

·       Jenny Frison: Challengers 2.0, Chicago, September 29, 5-7pm, http://www.challengerscomics.com

·       David Marquez: Austin Books and Comics, Austin, TX, October 13, http://www.austinbooks.com

Pilot Season: Crosshair

·       Jeff Katz: Brave New World, Los Angeles, October 16, http://www.bravenewworldcomics.com

Pilot Season: 7 Days From Hell

·       Bryan Edward Hill:  Starclipper Comics, St. Louis, October 23, http://starclipper.com

·       Rob Levin: The Comic Bug, Long Beach, October 23, 4 PM – 8 PM, http://thecomicbug.com

·       Phil Noto:  ACME Comics, October 23, http://www.acmecomics.com (tentative)

For more information on Pilot Season and upcoming signing events, go to www.topcow.com.

Pilot Season

Preview – Pilot Season: 39 Minutes #1

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Pilot Season: 39 Minutes #1

(w) William Harms  (a) Jerry Lando  (cov) Rafael Albuquerque

Pilot Season Begins Anew as a 5-Week Event in 2010!

Robbing a bank is easy — it’s the getaway that’s hard. The bank’s surrounded by police officers, alarms are blaring, customers and employees are screaming, and the streets are blocked off. So what’s the solution?

Kill everyone in town.

Created and written by William Harms (Impaler) and debuting up-and-coming artist Jerry Lando along with a cover by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire), 39 Minutes turns the heist story on its head.

32 Pages  Full Color  Pilot Issue  $3.99

Pilot Season: 39 Minutes COVA_stamped Read more

Review – Impaler Volume 2 Trade Paperback

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Vampire comics (and really vampire stories in general) either work really well, or are utter rubbish (*cough* glitter *cough*).  Impaler Volume 2 Trade Paperback is one of those that works really well.  While you don’t need to read the first volume (I didn’t), it’d definitely help.

International Horror Guild Award finalist William Harms (Wolverine: The Anniversary) returns to his bold new re-imagining of the vampire mythos with a second volume!

Millions of vampires have descended upon America. In a desperate attempt to defeat them, the US military nuked New York City. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The legendary vampire HUNTER, Vlad the Impaler, has returned to stop them, and NYC Detective Victor Dailey has become his unwilling companion. Joining Harms for this volume is up-and-coming painter Matt Timson (Popgun).

Collects Impaler Vol. 2 #1-5 plus a cover gallery and bonus material.

William Harms follows Vlad the Impaler and Victor Dailey in their battle against a vampire plague infected the eastern seaboard of the United States.  The story focuses on a couple of different points that converge a bit.  You have Vlad and Dailey and their travels, a group of soldiers in Washington DC and Philadelphia and one of the soldier’s family and their fleeing of their home.

We get to see three aspects of how people would react to such dire circumstances and it works really well.  There’s a horror aspect to this comic, but also a great focus on the reaction of the characters.  There’s a similar feel to World War Z if you’ve read that amazing book and both work for similar reasons.

If you’re a fan of vampires or horror, this is definitely a collection worth checking out.

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Top Cow Debuts New ‘Pilot Season’ Concepts and Format

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TOP COW DEBUTS NEW ‘PILOT SEASON’ CONCEPTS AND FORMAT

LOS ANGELES, Calif., August 9, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that Pilot Season 2010 will debut next month with six new concepts and six different creative teams, and will adopt a 6-week event format.  The 32-page preview book, Pilot Season 2010: Declassified, first made available at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego, will be available in stores later this month.

Since 2007, Top Cow has given fans the power to choose the next two Top Cow series based on a selection of one-shot Pilot Season “pilot” issues through online voting.  The inaugural Pilot Season initiative garnered more than four million votes from fans across the globe.

”Pilot Season started as an experiment, but has evolved into a highly anticipated yearly event,” commented Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik, “This year we’re amping up the intensity based on fan and retailer feedback by releasing all 6 projects in a weekly format. With a wide variety of creators, genres, and styles represented, I’m confident there’s something for everyone in this 2010’s contestants!”

The six new concepts include:

Pilot Season: Forever #1 – Created by Matt Hawkins and written by screenwriter Brad Ingelsby with art by Thomas Nachlik with a cover by Bagus Hutomo of IFS, Pilot Season: Forever #1 focuses on a pharmaceutical company, Longevity™, and their development of a drug that extends human life and counters the debilitating effects of aging almost indefinitely.

Pilot Season: 39 Minutes #1 – Created and written by William Harms and debuting art from Jerry Lando with a cover by Rafael Albuquerque, Pilot Season: 39 Minutes #1 turns a heist story on its head when a bank robber’s only solution to getaway from a surrounded bank full of customers and employees is to kill everyone in their way.

Pilot Season: Crosshair #1 – Created and co-written by Marc Silvestri and co-writer Jeff Katz with art by Allan Jefferson, Pilot Season: Crosshair #1 centers on former assassin for the CIA, Justin Weller, who just settled into the life of a loving husband and devoted father in the suburbs, coping with the discovery that he has been brainwashed to kill the President of the United States.

Pilot Season: The Asset #1 – Created and written by Filip Sablk and debuting art from David Marquez with a cover by Jenny Frison, Pilot Season: The Asset #1 redefines the femme fatale for the digital age. Madeline is the woman of Doug’s dreams; the same woman who’s trying to get Doug killed.

Pilot Season: 7 Days from Hell #1 – Created and co-written by the team behind Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin, with jaw dropping art from industry legend Brian Stelfreeze, Pilot Season: 7 Days from Hell #1 finds ex-pat turned mercenary John Bishop mortally wounded, but spared from Hell by a renegade demon seeking redemption.

Pilot Season: Midway Earth #1 – Created and co-written by Marc Silvestri and Rick Loverd with art from Stjepan Sejic, Pilot Season: Midway Earth #1 sees our home planet as the strategic prize in a brutal war between two alien races.

Pilot Season: Forever #1Pilot Season: 39 Minutes #1Pilot Season: Crosshair #1Pilot Season: The Asset #1Pilot Season: 7 Days from Hell #1Pilot Season: Midway Earth #1

Preview – Impaler Volume 2 Trade Paperback

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Impaler Volume 2 Trade Paperback

(W) William Harms (A) Matt Timson (Cov) Matt Timson

International Horror Guild Award finalist William Harms (Wolverine: The Anniversary) returns to his bold new re-imagining of the vampire mythos with a second volume!

Millions of vampires have descended upon America. In a desperate attempt to defeat them, the US military nuked New York City. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. The legendary vampire HUNTER, Vlad the Impaler, has returned to stop them, and NYC Detective Victor Dailey has become his unwilling companion. Joining Harms for this volume is up-and-coming painter Matt Timson (Popgun).

Collects Impaler Vol. 2 #1-5 plus a cover gallery and bonus material.

Full Color 160 pages $14.99  trade paperback

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