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ACCLAIMED WRITER BRUCE JONES SIGNS 2-YEAR EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT WITH DC COMICS

From DC Comics
Bruce Jones, writer of comics including The Hulk, Spider-Man's Tangle Web and many others, has signed a 2-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics. Jones will be writing for VERTIGO, the DCU, and WildStorm, starting with the miniseries VIGILANTE and a story arc in BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT.

"I've been itching to come over and play in the DC sandbox for years now - to reacquaint myself with old friends both inside the books and out, and to meet new faces," says Jones. "Some of my earliest work was for DC, and it's been too long since I roamed the New York editorial halls (and now the La Jolla editorial halls!) figuratively and literally. I honestly think VIGILANTE is shaping up to be one of my best efforts, and I'm looking forward to continued work with Alex Sinclair on the series. At the same time, I'm enjoying my work with Jonathan Vankin, Joey Cavalieri, Scott Dunbier, and others, as well as Karen Berger on several weird and way-out VERTIGO projects. All in all, I think this is going to be one of my most exciting times in comics!"

Karen Berger, VP - Executive Editor, VERTIGO, says, "We're delighted to have a writer of Bruce's talent and experience here at DC, and we look forward to working with him on projects that will showcase his signature style of modern horror."

"Bruce Jones' versatility and professionalism make him a real asset to DC Comics," says Dan DiDio, DC's VP - Editorial. "We're truly excited to see what he's going to bring to the DCU."

"As a fan of Bruce Jones' work for more than 25 years, it's great to finally get a chance to work with him," says Scott Dunbier, Executive Editor, WildStorm. "I anxiously await whatever ideas his unique vision will deliver."

ARTIST J.H. WILLIAMS III SIGNS TWO-YEAR EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT WITH DC COMICS

From DC Comics
Artist J.H. Williams III, the Eisner Award-nominated artist best known for his spectacular work on America's Best Comics' PROMETHEA, has signed a two-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics. Williams, currently providing covers for JSA, is also the artist of the upcoming WildStorm series DESOLATION JONES, written by Warren Ellis. His past credits also include CHASE and JLA: THE JUSTICE RIDERS.

"In the thirteen years or so I've been working in this business, WildStorm/DC has been the most pleasurable and fulfilling to work with," says Williams. "They have great vision, vitality, scope and conviction. Where else but DC can you taste European and English fare one day and a diverse range of alternative and super-hero the next? I feel I'm at my best when I have as few limits and as many possibilities as feasible. I'm confident that this will only be the beginning of my further collaboration with the pioneering DC Comics."

"J.H. Williams doesn't play it safe," says Scott Dunbier, Executive Editor - WildStorm. "With each page, in any medium, he brings something new and fresh to what he does, and always in service of good storytelling. It's been a true pleasure working with him on PROMETHEA and I look forward to starting work on our new series this summer."

Upcoming DC Collections for 2004

From DC Comics
BATMAN IN THE FORTIES TP
* A trade paperback collecting stories from BATMAN #7, 15, 20, 34, 37, 47, 48, and 49, DETECTIVE COMICS #27, 33, 38, 49, and 80, REAL FACT COMICS #5, STAR-SPANGLED COMICS #70, WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #30 and the classic BATMAN comic strip.
* Written by Bill Finger, Jack Schiff and others with art by Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, George Roussos, Dick Sprang, Jack Burnley, Winslow Mortimer and others and an introduction by Bill Schelly
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $19.95 U.S.

FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE TP
* A trade paperback collecting FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE JUSTICE LEAGUE #1-6
* Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis with art and cover by Kevin Maguire and Joe Rubinstein
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $12.95 U.S.

THE SHAZAM ARCHIVES VOLUME 4 HC
* A hardcover collecting stories from AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS #2, CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES #4 and 5, MASTER COMICS #21 and WHIZ COMICS #25
* Written by William Woolfolk and others with art by C.C. Beck, the Jack Binder Studio, Mac Raboy, Dave Berg and others and a foreword by P.C. Hamerlinck
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $49.95 U.S.

GREEN ARROW: STRAIGHT SHOOTER TP
* A trade paperback collecting GREEN ARROW #26-31
* Written by Judd Winick with art by Phil Hester & Ande Parks and a cover by Matt Wagner
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $12.95 U.S.

JSA: THE LIBERTY FILES TP
* A trade paperback collecting JSA: THE LIBERTY FILES #1-2 and JSA: THE UNHOLY THREE #1-2
* Written by Dan Jolley & Tony Harris with art by Harris & Ray Snyder and a cover by Harris
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $19.95 U.S.

THE DOOM PATROL ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 HC
* A hardcover collecting DOOM PATROL #90-97
* Written by Arnold Drake with art by Bruno Premiani and Bob Brown, a new cover by Brian Bolland and a foreword by Roy Thomas * Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $49.95 U.S.

TEEN TITANS: A KID'S GAME TP
* A trade paperback collecting TEEN TITANS #1-7
* Written by Geoff Johns with art by Mike McKone, Tom Grummett and Marlo Alquiza and a cover by Michael Turner
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $9.95 U.S.

BATGIRL: FISTS OF FURY TP
* A trade paperback collecting BATGIRL #15-16, 21 and 26-28
* Written by Kelley Puckett and Scott Peterson with art by Damion Scott, Vincent Giarrano, Phil Noto, Robert Campanella and Jesse Delperdang and a cover by Scott & Campanella
* Scheduled to be in stores in April with a cover price of $14.95 U.S.

SMALLVILLE TP
BATMAN: GOTHAM CENTRAL TP
* A trade paperback collecting GOTHAM CENTRAL #1-5
* Written by Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker with art and cover by Michael Lark
* Scheduled to be in stores in April with a cover price of $9.95 U.S.

BATMAN: THE WORLD'S FINEST COMICS ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 HC
* A hardcover collecting stories from WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #17-32
* Written by Bill Finger, Don Cameron, Joe Samachson, and others with art by Bob Kane, Jack Burnley, Dick Sprang, Charles Paris, Winslow Mortimer, and others and an introduction by Bill Schelly
* Scheduled to be in stores in April with a cover price of $49.95 U.S.

* A trade paperback collecting SMALLVILLE: THE COMIC #1 and SMALLVILLE #1-4
* Written by Mark Verheiden, Clint Carpenter and Michael Green with art by John Paul Leon, Kilian Plunkett, Renato Guedes, Tom Derenick, Roy Allan Martinez and others and a cover by John Van Fleet
* Scheduled to be in stores in April with a cover price of $9.95 U.S.

BEYOND THE UNIVERSE collections:

CARTOON CARTOONS: NAME THAT TOON! TP
* A 5 1/8" x 7 9/16" trade paperback collecting stories from DEXTER'S LABORATORY #1 and 4, CARTOON CARTOONS #1-2 and CARTOON NETWORK STARRING #2
* Written by Robbie Busch, Jesse Leon McCann, Craig McCracken, Dan Slott, Genndy Tartakovsky, Mo Willems and others with art by Angus Bungay, John Delaney, Vincent Deporter, Tim Harkins, Mike Kazaleh, Neal Sternecky, Genndy Tartakovsky, Willems and others
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $6.95 U.S.

CARTOON CARTOONS: THE GANG'S ALL HERE! TP
* A 5 1/8" x 7 9/16" trade paperback collecting stories from DEXTER'S LABORATORY #5-6, CARTOON CARTOONS #5 and 7 and CARTOON NETWORK STARRING #7
* Written by Scott Cunningham, Joe Edkin, Sholly Fisch, Chuck Kim, Paul Kupperberg, Dave Roman, John Rozum, Dan Slott and others with art by Jeff Albrecht, Bill Alger, Angus Bungay, Vincent Deporter, Tim Harkins, Mike Kazaleh, Neal Sternecky, Genndy Tartakovsky, Bill Wray and others
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $6.95 U.S.

ELFQUEST: THE GRAND QUEST VOLUME 2 TP
* A 5" x 7 3/8" black and white trade paperback collecting ELFQUEST #5-10
* Written by Wendy and Richard Pini with art and cover by Wendy Pini
* Scheduled to be in stores in March with a cover price of $9.95 U.S.

THE SPIRIT ARCHIVES VOLUME 13 HC
* A hardcover collecting stories from July 7-December 29, 1946
* Written and illustrated by Will Eisner with an introduction by R.C. Harvey
* Scheduled to be in stores in April with a cover price of $49.95 U.S.

GEOFF JOHNS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE WITH DC COMICS

From DC Comics
Geoff Johns, the acclaimed writer of THE FLASH, cowriter of the hit series JSA and HAWKMAN, and writer of the upcoming monthly series TEEN TITANS, has signed a 3-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.

"This is an incredible time to be with DC," says Johns. "The excitement level within the company just keeps building and building and knowing what their game plan is and where they're heading made it a perfect time to jump on board. I couldn't be happier or more excited to focus my creative energies here. Working with people like Dan DiDio, Peter Tomasi, Eddie Berganza and the rest of the crew > -> it's always been a pleasure, and they're really kicking into a new gear.

"Between DC's universe of characters, and the VERTIGO and WildStorm imprints, the opportunities within DC are endless. I'll continue to work on JSA, THE FLASH and HAWKMAN, and then TEEN TITANS this summer with Mike McKone. And we've already begun to talk about what's on the slate next!"

"Geoff has quickly become one of the most prolific and creative talents in the industry, and his love of DC's characters shines through in all his work," says Dan DiDio, DC's VP Editorial. "We look forward to seeing where he takes TEEN TITANS and other DCU heroes in the future."

HOLY BAT OUT OF HELL! TIM BURTON DOES "BATMAN: THE MUSICAL" ?
According to Diamond Comics retailer website, filmmaker Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, maybe a Batman movie or two) is slated to once again direct everyones favorite Dark Knight Detective...in Warner Brothers' Batman: The Musical! The New York Post apparently reported that Burton has reached an agreement with the studio to join writer David Ives and composer Jim Steinman on a multimillion-dollar musical production based on the guardian of Gotham City, with a Broadway debut scheduled for 2005. Jim Steinman is the man behind Meat Loaf's mega selling "Bat Out Of Hell" and "Bat Out Of Hell II" as well as the Bonnie Tyler chestnut "Total Eclipse Of The Heart". No word on any casting yet, although both Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler are said to be available. Just imagining Meat Loaf belting out "Gotham By The Dashboard Light" qualifies as one of the seven signs of the death of pop culture.
Or who knows, it might not be that bad.

Paul Levitz Named DC President And Publisher
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DAVE GIBBONS BRINGS THE ORIGINALS TO VERTIGO

Acclaimed artist and writer Dave Gibbons comes to VERTIGO with THE ORIGINALS, an original, 160-page hardcover graphic novel in black and white that he initially planned to write and illustrate for 2003.
Although Gibbons has, as he puts it, "drawn a warehouseful of comics over the years and written a small hutful," THE ORIGINALS is his first major project as a writer/artist.
"I've been lucky enough to collaborate with some of the best creators in comics, from Alan Moore and Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, José Luis García-Lopéz and Steve Rude. It's hard to turn away from projects with the likes of them to concentrate on collaborating with, well, myself!" says Gibbons.
Once Gibbons hit upon the subject matter of THE ORIGINALS, he knew that he had found the perfect vehicle for his talents and passions.
"If I was going to spend a year or more on a single project, it was going to have to be something I had a real emotional investment in, something that related to the real world I've lived in. Not a science fiction story, although THE ORIGINALS is not set in mundane reality. Not a tedious real-life autobiography or a thinly disguised philosophical treatise, but a piece that communicated aspects of life that had been overpoweringly important to me when I was growing up."
In THE ORIGINALS, Gibbons creates a culture that is as convincing and tangible as the one we live in, but dramatically skewed and surreal. The attention to detail that characterizes his work are being brought to bear on both story and art, as are his storytelling and design skills.
"Just as Dave did with WATCHMEN, he is creating a distinctive world and art style for THE ORIGINALS," says Karen Berger, VP - Executive Editor, VERTIGO. "Dave has already proven himself a writer to be reckoned with, and he's overdue to create a body of work all his own. THE ORIGINALS marks the beginning of that body of work."
"I wanted to come up with a visual style and presentation that are unique to THE ORIGINALS and I think I've succeeded," adds Gibbons. "Actually, I'm having such a great time working on this that I really don't know why I waited so long!"