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MUMBAI:
Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four,
Hulk, Iron Man and the Marvel Comics Universe of superhero
characters, will be forming a new partnership with Sir Richard
Branson's Virgin Comics.
Lee
says, "What a dream assignment!. I can't wait to start
pitting my newest, most exciting superheroes against comicdom's
most powerful, diabolical super villains and then have the
fun of tossing them into far-out, thrill-a-minute adventures
to challenge the readers' imagination!
"And
who better to share in the fun, creating wondrous new worlds
without limit, than the incredibly talented and dedicated
guys at Virgin Comics."
Branson
says, "Stan Lee is a cultural icon and we welcome him
to his new home, Virgin Comics, for this bold new chapter
in his great legacy".
The new universe will initially be anchored around the exploits
of a team of ten superheroes of various backgrounds and origins.
As this team evolves, readers will learn that not all of these
heroes are what they seem, as infighting, abuses of power
and internal struggles will slowly challenge these heroes
as they learn the real villains may lurk within themselves.
Virgin
Comics CEO Sharad Devarajan says, "As a creator, storyteller
and visionary, Stan Lee has created characters that have inspired
the imaginations of generations of audiences around the world
and spoke to the core of humanity, transcending race, religion
and culture.
"It is our greatest joy to bring him back to the industry
he helped define, and though Stan's creations have already
changed the face of entertainment, we are confident that the
best is yet to come."
"Stan
Lee is unquestionably one of history's greatest story-tellers.
To collaborate with him, and have him guide and nurture artists
and writers through Virgin Comics will be one of the legacies
of this company," added Virgin Comics chief creative
officer Gotham Chopra.
As a former Editor-in-Chief at Marvel Comics, Lee trained
some of the industry's most influential creative talents under
a system called the "Marvel Method." Though not
commonly used in the industry today, Lee's process enables
the writer and artist to sculpt the story together from the
ground up in iterative stages, rather than writers just delivering
a full script to an artist in more of a segmented fashion.
As editor of this new superhero universe at Virgin, Lee intends
to once again work with artists in a similar fashion, allowing
a new generation of artists from the comic book and video
game industries an opportunity to learn and collaborate with
Lee.
POW! president and COO Gill Champion said, "The arrangement
with Virgin strengthens our position as a leader in creating
new high concept superheroes for today's fans. Comic Books
and other means of new media distribution are a great way
to introduce our properties. In Virgin, we have found a partner
who understands the importance of Stan's global brand."
The new universe will be unveiled in early 2009 and will initially
be launched as a series of ten graphic novels linked into
a series of online animated shorts. The story is intended
to provide a seamless online and offline experience allowing
audiences numerous entry points and engagement synergies as
they immerse themselves into this universe of heroes.
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