PRESS RELEASE: Comic Shops To Celebrate THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Day On July 19th

DC Entertainment and comic book retailers across North America are declaring Thursday, July 19 "The Dark Knight Rises" Day to celebrate the arrival of this summer’s most anticipated film opening in theaters and IMAX on Friday, July 20. Fans who visit their local comic book retailer on July 19 will receive a free, special edition comic book featuring several exclusive previews of current and upcoming Batman comic books and graphic novels. More than 500,000 copies of the free Batman comic book will be handed out that day on a first-come, first-served basis.

The free Batman: Earth One Special Preview Edition comic book features the first chapter of the highly anticipated graphic novel Batman Earth One written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, as well as a preview of Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls, the New York Times #1 best-selling graphic novel collection of the hit series written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo.

"The arrival of The Dark Knight Rises in theaters is a seminal moment for comic book readers and moviegoers; what better way to mark the occasion than with a free Batman comic book that rewards a broad range of fans and taps into the unprecedented excitement surrounding this film," stated DC Entertainment Vice President of Marketing, John Cunningham.

Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ "The Dark Knight Rises" is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster "The Dark Knight." The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.