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PRESS RELEASE - ROBERT KIRKMAN BECOMES IMAGE PARTNER!

THE WALKING DEAD and INVINCIBLE’s Robert Kirkman becomes an Image partner!

22 July 2008 - As reported by the New York Times  earlier today, THE WALKING DEAD and INVINCIBLE’s Robert Kirkman has become a corporate partner of Image Comics.

“Image Comics has been a huge part of my life for as long as it’s been in existence,” said Kirkman. “Being inspired by the creation of Image, I’ve entered into my comics career not wanting to write corporate characters as much as I’ve wanted to create my own.  Being a partner at Image, having the chance to help run the company as well as continue to contribute strong creator-owned series to its publishing line is more than I’ve ever thought possible for myself.  I’m very excited to have the opportunity to sit at the table across from my fellow partners, and steer the direction of comics as a whole.”

Robert Kirkman began his Image Comics career in 2002 with the mini-series SUPERPATRIOT and TECHJACKET and in 2003 he debuted what would become his most famous creations, INVINCIBLE & THE WALKING DEAD. Since then he’s seen much success with the Image, including having his creations turned into various forms of media such as television, statues, t-shirts and much more. This new position will have Kirkman working alongside the current Image partners,  Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino, to spearhead a concerted effort to restructure and strengthen Image in the coming years.

Image Publisher Eric Stephenson said, “I’ve known Robert since the day he submitted his first books so to see him rise this far in a relatively small amount of time has been amazing. Not only that, you’d be hard pressed to find someone more passionate about creator owned comics — there’s really no better candidate for the position.”

Further information on this will be given at The Image Comics Show, Friday July 25th between 4-5 PM at the San Diego Comic Con International in room 7AB.

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists.  Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.