TST/IDW/SLAYALIVE: ANGEL...INTERACTION!

[CowboyGuy]

This is it! Our big announcement!! No posting anywhere else until Time & Space Toys updates their site on Friday!! Check out our press release! I'll answer as many questions as I can:

NEWS RELEASE


Contact: Kevin Kriess

President

Time and Space Toys

724-452-7240



FANS TO PARTICIPATE IN ANGEL COMIC BOOK SERIES

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September 20, 2007 (Pittsburgh, PA): Online toy and collectible retailer Time and Space Toys has teamed up with IDW Publishing to offer Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fans a chance to get involved in the much anticipated Angel: After the Fall comic book series. Conceptualized by Buffy/Angel creator Joss Whedon himself, the twelve issue series will pick up where Season Five of the fan-favorite television series left off. Time and Space Toys will offer its own exclusive version of the series, inviting fans themselves to create and select the cover artwork for eleven of the twelve issues. Billed as an “interactive comic subscription,” fans who have subscribed to Time and Space Toys' exclusive series will have the opportunity to pitch and discuss cover ideas and vote amongst themselves to determine the exclusive cover concepts that will be used on the published comic books.


Public fan forum SlayAlive.com has been chosen as the venue for entry submissions, discussion and voting. Entries need not be actual drawings, but can also be concepts and ideas to be transformed by IDW's team of artists into a unique cover. A contest will be held each month for the next month's cover. Each month's winner will receive a cover credit in the issue as well as a prize package of Buffy and Angel merchandise from the Time and Space Toys Buffy Collector Club. Each of the twelve issues is limited to 1000 copies. The twelve month subscription to the exclusive cover series is available to purchase only at Time and Space Toys' Buffy Collector Club website, BuffyCollectorClub.com.


“This is a unique experience in which fans' own ideas can be immortalized,” says Time and Space Toys President Kevin Kriess. “ I cannot think of a better way for the continuing story of Angel. The fan ideas and forum interaction will create another level of entertainment and fun for the participants over the next twelve months.”


“This is a creative way to involve Angel’s passionate fanbase in this exciting new series,” added Chris Ryall, IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, “and I’m happy to work with Kevin—and the fans—to deliver some special covers for this project.”


The first issue in the series is scheduled to be released on November 28, 2007 and features a “launch” cover exclusive shared by Pittsburgh area comic store chain, New Dimension Comics. Issues 2 through 12 will be released about once per month after that, each featuring a winning fan cover concept. For more information on participating in this unique comic book experience, please visit www.TimeandSpaceToys.com, www.BuffyCollectorClub.com or www.SlayAlive.com.


TIME AND SPACE TOYS, family owned and operated, is an online retailer of high quality, licensed toys and collectibles based on entertainment properties. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the company has served tens of thousands of customers since 1997. Time and Space Toys launched the Buffy Collector Club in 2005 as an exclusives shop and price savings club for Buffy and Angel fans. Time and Space Toys has established itself as a major retailer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel merchandise. For more information, visit www.timeandspacetoys.com and www.buffycollectorclub.com.


SLAYALIVE is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel discussion forum. Making it's debut in early 2007, the website quickly became a comprehensive and friendly environment for fans to discuss various topics about the Buffy-universe. With support from official sources, SlayAlive is often privy to insider information regarding the new comic endeavors from Joss Whedon, and co. With a bright future ahead, SlayAlive has become a daily stop for fans and creators alike. For more information, visit www.slayalive.com.


IDW PUBLISHING is a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC, a revolutionary creative service company with a wide range of clients. Among their best-selling titles are Hasbro's THE TRANSFORMERS; Fox's ANGEL, Konami's METAL GEAR SOLID, and FALLEN ANGEL. IDW's 30 DAYS OF NIGHT film is in development and will be released by Sony Pictures in October 2007. IDW has films in development at Dimension Films and Paramount Pictures, as well.

Issue 1, exclusive cover. We will have a say for all the exclusive covers after this one!



If you are a subscriber, send your art and ideas to:

[e-mail]

Become a part of Buffyverse history!

Issue 2 involves Angel, Connor, Spike and the Dragon. It will be okay to use any of them in your concept ideas!

There's a $400 prize ready to give away for highest voted entry (along with the cover credit). All that is needed is a description (even one sentence). Of course drawings are cool too. Good luck!!

[SlayerLV]

This is amazing news!!! I'm only just a little bummed that you have to have a BCC membership to get the exclusive comics (I don't have a membership & can't afford it). I love the fact that we can submit ideas for the exclusive covers. Thanks TST, Phil aka CowboyGuy, and IDW Publishing. Ooh I wonder if this first cover means that all four of them survive or if it's supposed to be the pose right before the big battle? Either way I love it.

[CowboyGuy]

Also, this may also help TST secure a release for new figures!

[DigitalLeonardo]

Will we get a little summary of the comic before we submit our entries so we know what the comic cover should incluide? Or are we shooting in the dark?

I LOVE the idea though, it'll be really fun.

[CowboyGuy]

Yes, some info will be given ahead of time.

[dane5by5]

Are these going to be the equivalent of the variant covers for Buffy?

[danman]

I love the concept but the price including shipping is $8 an issue! That's pretty steep. You have to really want the exclusive cover to pay double the cover price for it. Cool idea though...

[rockforlove]

admin said:

Also, this may also help TST secure a release for new figures!

I know that what I am about to say is going to sound rude, but I really don't intend it to.

I don't understand the connection between IDW's comics and DST's figures. Can you explain how this comic idea is going to effectively help with getting figures made?

[Slayer489]

This is great news! We get some control over what the exclusive covers will look like! Yay! I'm loving the one of them in the alley by the way! I cannot wait for November 28th!

[henzINNIT]

dane5by5 said:

Are these going to be the equivalent of the variant covers for Buffy?

The varient for issue 1 was already posted, so I think this is a seperate deal.

[Rogue]

Awesome idea!

I'm wondering, like Rockforlove said, how this can help the unreleased figures? Perhaps by including ads inside the comic series?

[CowboyGuy]

The focus of this new endeavor is to make this project a success.

If TST can make this happen, and make a profit on the Buffy property then they can move on to another Buffy project. Applying the success of this to the next thing they wanna do.

Remember that DST wants nothing less than a 3000 unit production run to get a figure out there.

An announcement about figures is coming soon, but it will be after next Wednesdays event day.

Our exclusive cover is going to be REAL. It's going to be just as official as the normal ones. It's also neat because the "concept" creator WILL be credited in the issue.

It's a chance for the fan to be immortalized in a Buffyverse property forever!! The voting time for this month is really short...we have only until next weekend so make sure to subscribe right away. Also, this month is the best chance of winning, because the number of entries is likely to be much lower than future months as more find out about it. The concepts should be up by Monday. Then subscribers can vote throughout the week.

IF anyone has already subscribed, and either has art or a concept please send me a PM and I will talk to you more.

[itmustbebunnies418]

Illyria looks horrible in that cover...in the face, I mean...

Cool news though!

[scotty309]

This is so Awesome :ecstatic:

[CowboyGuy]

BCC subscribers, feel free to send your submissions to:

[e-mail]

We'll be posting submissions on Monday for voting. This month is short so it has to be pretty quick this time. Next issue we'll have lots more time for the submission and voting process.

[buffysmglover]

Phil, this is amazing! I knew something was happening between the new comic and the site, but I had no idea what it was! I won't be able to get the exclusive covers unless by miracle, but I am very excited about this. And I may be getting some news on something cool for you and the site soon. Then again, maybe not. It all depends on... someone who is a very busy bee.

[buffycomic]

was the cover art done by David Messina?

[buffysmglover]

Can we post at other sites now?

[BuffyFanOne]

This is sooo cool! It really is a fantastic oppertunity for the site and everyone involved.
I can't afford a bcc membership at the moment (or for the last year sence my membership expired) but still, it is a really great idea!

[Slayer489]

I'll be voting!

And they'll be an announcement about the figures? Cool! I hope it's some good news.