SD07: IDW (#2229)

Comic-Con attendees will be the first to see artist Ben Templesmith’s first go-it-alone “30 Days of Night” project with the release of “30 Days of Night: Red Snow”—just before the original “30 Days of Night” story hits movie theaters in October.

· “30 Days of Night” co-creator Steve Niles will be previewing his new 30 Days of Night title, “Beyond Barrow,” with art by industry legend Bill Sienkiewicz. Niles will also be appearing alongside Templesmith on the “30 Days of Night” movie panel and signing autographs at the IDW booth.

· Rock-legend Gene Simmons’ son Nick Simmons, who is the breakout star of “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” on the A&E Network, will debut “Nick Simmons’ Skullduggery,” written and illustrated exclusively by Nick.

· Copies of an exclusive “Beowulf” promo comic book will preview the coming weekly miniseries, which is inspired by the Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Shangri-La Entertainment movie that hits theaters this November.

Exclusive “30 Days of Night: Red Snow” Debuts at Comic-Con
Artist Ben Templesmith, one of comics’ fastest-rising stars, makes his debut as both artist and writer in the nightmarish world of vampires at Comic-Con 2007—premiering “30 Days of Night: Red Snow #1.” Co-creator of “30 Days of Night” and “Fell,” Templesmith goes it alone on this gritty, three-part tale.

“30 Days of Night: Red Snow” is set half a century before “30 Days of Night,” the horrifying vampire tale from IDW Publishing that shocked the comic book world in 2002 and quickly became a bona-fide smash hit. Created by writer Steve Niles and artist Templesmith, “30 Days of Night” was the terrifying story of a small Alaskan town overrun by vampires during thirty sunless days of the harsh northern winter. This October, “30 Days of Night” will frighten movie-going audiences with the much-anticipated motion picture adaptation from Sony Pictures, directed by David Slade, best known for directing “Hard Candy,” and starring Josh Hartnett, who also acted in “Sin City,” based on the graphic novel of the same name.

“30 Days of Night: Red Snow,” the first prequel miniseries in the “30 Days of Night” comic book series, is set during World War II. The story follows a British military attaché who is assigned to get aid through Stalin’s frontline troops, all while the Russian winter grows more threatening. However, he finds survival even more difficult than anticipated when an unexpected element—which is much more adept at killing humans than humans are—adds itself to the mix.

In addition to the 28-page story, the exclusive Comic-Con edition of “30 Days of Night: Red Snow #1” includes an exclusive foil-stamped cover by Templesmith; behind-the-scenes artwork; and a 5-page preview of “30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow,” written by Steve Niles and illustrated by industry legend Bill Sienkiewicz.

Templesmith, a Featured Guest at this year’s Comicon whose stylish art has set a new standard in comics horror, will be available for interviews throughout Comic-Con. A Spotlight on Ben Templesmith panel will take place Friday, July 27th at 6 PM.

“30 Days of Night” Co-Creator Steve Niles Debuts New Project at Comic-Con
Writer Steve Niles, one of the most acclaimed comic book writers responsible for the resurgence in the popularity of horror comics, will be appearing at Comic-Con and showing a preview of his latest title, “30 Days of Night: Beyond Barrow.” Niles will be working with award-winning artist Bill Sienkiewicz on this title. “Beyond Barrow” revisits the scene of the original “30 Days of Night,” and introduces an entirely new threat to that town’s denizens.

Niles will also be attending Sony’s “30 Days of Night” movie panel, and signing comics and movie posters in the IDW booth.

Gene and Nick Simmons Release New Work at Comic-Con
Earlier this year, IDW Publishing partnered with rock-legend Gene Simmons, of KISS fame, to create the Simmons Comics Group, an imprint within IDW’s stable of comics. Now, at Comic-Con 2007, “Nick Simmons’ Skullduggery” will be debuted. This comic, which will debut in its entirety later this year, is written and illustrated by Nick Simmons, Gene Simmons’17-year-old son and star in his own right—thanks to the smash-hit “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” on the A&E Network. The exclusive comic will also preview pages from the line of Simmons Comics Group titles, too. Gene and Nick Simmons are both available for interviews on Friday during Comic-Con.

“Beowulf” Preview Released at Comic-Con
“Beowulf,” the ancient epic poem, will receive its most spectacular adaptation of all this November, in the form of a major motion picture from Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and Shangri-La Entertainment, with an all-star cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Crispin Glover, and Angelina Jolie. In turn, the spectacular new motion picture has inspired a comic book adaptation from IDW Publishing.

In four weekly installments in October, writer Chris Ryall, who is also IDW Publishing’s publisher and editor-in-chief; artist Gabriel Rodriguez; and colorist Jay Fotos—the creative team also behind “Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show”—will release an adaptation of the movie, working directly from the screenplay written by Neil Gaiman & Roger Avary.

And, as a special bonus, Paramount Pictures will hand out more than 200,000 copies of an exclusive 8-page “Beowulf” promo-comic book at Comic-Con, which will preview the miniseries to come.