GI Joe joins the Toys For Tots team

Over 14 million children live in poverty in the United States.  They need a hero this holiday season and here to answer the call of duty is G.I. JOE. Hasbro’s G.I. JOE brand, the Marine Toys for Toys Foundation and actor Dennis Quaid are joining forces to help make this holiday season a little brighter for less fortunate children.  For every G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra toy purchased at stores from November 11 through November 26 (Veterans Day through Thanksgiving), Hasbro will donate a new toy (up to 300,000 toys with a minimum $3.99 value) to Toys for Tots.

Dennis Quaid, who plays GENERAL HAWK in the 2009 blockbuster film G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, will voice a national radio spot, due to premier on Veterans Day, November 11, to help raise awareness for this campaign and the positive impact The U.S. Marines and Toys for Tots make on the lives of children.

“As long time supporters of Toys for Tots, we recognize and applaud the important work the organization does on behalf of economically disadvantaged children nationwide”, said John Frascotti, Hasbros Chief Marketing Officer.  “In working with Toys for Tots once again this year, they were very clear that new toys for the children they serve would be in greater need than ever during these difficult economic times, and we are pleased to step up and do our part.”

“We know this year will be especially hard on families as many have already started to significantly tighten the purse strings”, said retired Marine Corps Major Bill Grein, USMC (Ret), vice president of marketing and development for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.  “These families need a hero this holiday season and Hasbro is it.  Their generous gift of toys and games will enable us to deliver the magic of the holiday season to many of our nations neediest children.”

For more information about how you can help this worthy cause, please visit GIJoe.com and ToysForTots.org.

IDW announces G.I. JOE: Cobra II

Starting in January, G.I. JOE: Cobra II continues the momentum of danger and intrigue in the aftermath of the wildly successful G.I. JOE: Cobra series. Under license by HASBRO, G.I. JOE: Cobra II #1 is the first of a new four-part story that reveals the fate awaiting Chuckles, the new fan-favorite JOE sent to infiltrate COBRA.

“G.I. JOE: Cobra was our riskiest launch—straying furthest from the kinds of stories people are used to reading in G.I. JOE comics. The creators made bold choices and every one of them paid off,” said IDW editor, Andy Schmidt. “These are such great characters that we always wanted to do more with them and once again Mike, Chris, and Antonio have delivered. The first series was great, but this one will blow you away.”

Following what IGN.com called “an instant classic,” writers Mike Costa and Christos N. Gage craft an exciting new miniseries that introduces a brand new Joe and sends her on a deadly rescue mission to save Chuckles. The masterful art of Antonion Fuso gives new layers to the subtle yet undeniable divide that fans have witnessed within COBRA, highlighted in the celebrated G.I. JOE: Cobra Special #1. Covers will be provided by both Fuso and the great Howard Chaykin.

G.I. JOE: Cobra II #1 (of 4) ($3.99, 32 pages) debuts this January. For more information visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

Preview: Afrodisiac

Afrodisiac
by Brian Maruca & Jim Rugg
Published by AdHouse Books

The crew behind Street Angel hits the ghetto with the Afrodisiac - in SuperColor! There’s cats, gats, spats, and feathered hats…action as big as a Georgia ham and wool so fine it’ll blow your mind! Lock up your daughters, come hell or high water, cause here comes the king of the concrete jungle!

details:
96 4C pages
6 ” x 9 ” HC
$14.95 US funds
Shipping December 2009

Visit AdHouse.com to download a PDF preview and check out the funky preview trailer below!

IDW announces new Archie collections for 2010

Get ready for a summer of fun! Starting in May 2010, IDW Publishing will begin its extraordinary series of important Archie collections, offering fans an incredible range of must-have hard covers and trade paperbacks. Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo Volume One kicks things off in May by gathering the very best of this seminal Archie artist in one book, followed by Archie: The Classic Newspaper Comics Volume One, a hardcover collection of strips from the 1940’s, in June. In July, true Archie fans will be delighted by a trade paperback of Archie: Pureheart the Powerful.

Coming of age in post-World War II America, Archie captured the hearts of generations of children and adults. Archie and his friends remain hugely popular today, appealing to comic fans new and old with a blend of timeless stories and classic Americana style. “Archie is one of the most influential comics on popular culture and we are really looking forward to starting our collections by offering these new books to fans,” said Greg Goldstein, IDW’s chief operating officer. “Each book offers a new and different way for fans to enjoy or even rediscover this classic comic, with many more to come.”

The dean of Archie artists, Dan DeCarlo spent nearly 50 years with the characters of Riverdale High, drawing every character at one time or another. Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo Volume One contains dozens of stories handpicked by DeCarlo connoisseurs, all shot from original art and recolored to match the flavor of the original publishing. The Best of Dan DeCarlo is the first in IDW’s Archie “Best Of” series, which will grow to include collections for Bob Montana and Stan Goldberg, among others.

Archie: The Classic Newspaper Comics Volume One will be published under IDW’s Library of American Comics imprint and designed by Eisner Award-winner Dean Mullaney. Volume One reprints the earliest strips starting from 1946-48, many strips for the first time, and showcases the unheralded genius of Montana as he developed the lovable characters.

Archie: Pureheart the Powerful collects, at long last, the short-lived yet much-loved Archie superhero parody stories that first appeared during the “camp craze” of the mid 1960’s. With the coming Archie Comics new Pureheart the Powerful, IDW’s reprint collection is the perfect way for fans to rediscover the original characters.

Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo, Volume One will be available in stores in May 2010. Archie: The Classic Newspaper Comics, Volume One will be available in stores in June 2010. Archie: Pureheart the Powerful will be available in stores in July 2010. For more information on Archie Comics please visit ArchieComics.com and for more on these and other great releases please visit IDWPublishing.com.

Bill Willingham travels to the Whedonverse

It’s going to be a great holiday for Angel fans this year! Starting in December with issue 28, multiple Eisner Award-winning writer Bill Willingham (Fables) becomes the new regular writer of IDW’s ongoing Angel series. Willingham kicks things off in a big way with his first six-issue Angel storyline, titled “The Crown Prince Syndrome.”

Beginning with December’s Angel #28, Willingham delivers a gripping story as the title character struggles with his new-found celebrity and the myriad of moral complications it creates. Joining Willingham on the book as the new regular artist is Brian Denham (The X-Files). Jenny Frison will create distinctive new covers for each issue, and former Angel artist David Messina will offer up variant covers.

“I’m really enjoying writing Angel,” said Willingham. “You don’t often get to play in other people’s universes, and the world created for Angel, with its supernatural-infested L.A., is something I’m having too much fun being involved with.”

This first arc will focus on what life is like for Angel now that the Fall is over and he’s become the idolized, adored, and extremely visible hero of L.A. Angel’s fame definitely makes it harder for him to brood in peace, and the lack of anonymity creates a whole new level of threat, unlike anything he’s used to. “The Crown Prince Syndrome” also reveals what life is like for the rest of the team, especially Connor, who finds out that being a “chosen one” isn’t anywhere near as easy as his dad makes it look.

“I’ve known Bill a long time now, and he always makes it look so easy, so effortless,” said Angel editor Mariah Huehner. “He took one look at these characters and this world and knew exactly what he wanted to do. As a devoted fan of Angel and Bill, I’m just so pleased to get to work with him again on this series. I don’t think anyone is going to be prepared for where he is taking it.”

Beginning with Angel #28, each issue will also feature a special parallel story by Bill Williams and Messina, introducing a brand-new character created by Willingham and Williams, Eddie Hope. Angel #28 will be available in stores in December; more information can be found at IDWPublishing.com.