OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Studio 407 is excited to announce a deal with Argentina's Altercomics for distribution in North America. The four titles Studio 407 is picking up are The Spark, Jailed, Primordial Man and Fictionauts. The Spark GN by rising stars Martin Renard and Nahuel Sagarnaga Cozman, is a sci-fi/super-hero tale for all ages, and will be the first book to be released in the publishing deal. It is available now to order, and will be in stores March 25, 2008.
"We're very excited about bringing these books to the States." Says Studio 407's Editor-In-Chief Chad Jones. "There's a lot of great talent south of the border and we're very lucky to be able to work with them."
The local comic industry in Argentina has continued to thrive despite the economic adversity the country has faced. While many Argentine creators have made the successful crossover to North America and Europe, they also passed on their knowledge to successive generations which in turn helped fuel the boom in self-publishing in Argentina.
Adds Jones, "A lot of these guys have been honing their craft working for publishers abroad, and I think this is a great opportunity for Argentine talent to step into the spotlight as a force behind creator-owned work. As you can see from what Nahuel has done with The Spark (which looks like Matt Wagner doing manga), they have their own distinct take on things."
"We are very pleased that Studio-407 has chosen our stories and demonstrated so much interest in publishing them." Explains Matias, publisher at Altercomics. "We feel more like a part of their family now and we hope that all the US readers can enjoy these books as much as the readers in Latin America have."
The Spark is described as:
Fifteen years ago, a phenomenon called “The Spark” created four super-humans who sacrificed themselves to stop a worldwide cataclysm. Now, The Spark has happened again, creating a new generation of heroes. As three heroes emerge to accept their responsibility as protectors of humanity, everyone wonders, where’s the fourth? Turns out, not everybody wants to be a super-hero. Lucas has been hiding his powers because he has other responsibilities to contend with — school, his full-time job to help his mom with the bills and a little sister who’s more than a handful. But when an alien horde arrives to turn the planet, does Lucas leave his family to save the earth? What’s a super-hero to do?
THE SPARK ISBN# 978-1-935385-01-1
WRITER: MARTIN RENARD
ARTIST: NAHUEL SAGARNAGA COZMAN
FULL COLOR 84 PGS. $13.99
Click HERE for a 9-page preview of The Spark!
Look for Jailed, Primordial Man and Fictionauts to be released throughout 2009
Studio 407 brings together the imagination and creative talents of writers and artists from North America and Asia to generate a flow of distinct and kinetic East-meets-West entertainment. A writer driven studio that blends innovation with tradition, Studio 407 is dedicated to publishing the highest quality in comics and manga, across a wide variety of genres. From capes to kung fu, giant robots to vampires, and secret agents to mad scientists; at Studio 407, we sweat the details.
Altercomics Studios is a group of artists from Argentina that have been producing comic books and manga since 2004. Some of the titles that have already been published in Argentina, include Time 5, Primordial Man, 78 mph and Fictionauts. They have also produced comics for companies such as Avatar Press (USA), Tokyo Pop (USA), Arcana (Canada), and Makma Studio (France). Altercomics ultimate goal is telling captivating and intriguing stories that entertain and provoke.