Backbone To Premiere Death, Jr. To The Public At Comic-Con International
Hot New Property in Comic Books, Action Figures and More Will Be On Display
EMERYVILLE, CA - June 28, 2005 - Backbone, part of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent game developer in North America, today announced their participation in Comic-Con International, the largest comic related merchandise show in the Western hemisphere. Backbone will be exhibiting at booth 5321, from July 14-17, 2005, and has a number of events scheduled to show off its hot property Death, Jr. and other new original properties from the company.
"Comic-Con is a massive showcase of the hottest properties in the comic book world and Death, Jr. will be prominently displayed for its growing fan base," said Mike Mika, creative director of Backbone Emeryville. "With a video game, critically acclaimed comic book series, action figures, an art book, t-shirts, and even a feature film in pre-production with Circle of Confusion, Death, Jr. has finally arrived!"
The Death, Jr. video game, developed by Backbone and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. exclusively for the PSPTM (PlayStation®Portable) system, will be playable in the booth each day. Death, Jr. merchandise will also be on sale including issues #1 and #2 of the comic book, limited edition hardcover Death, Jr. art books, and special limited edition Death, Jr. t-shirts.
The creative team behind the creation of the Death, Jr. comic, Ted Naifeh, artist, and Gary Whitta, writer, will also be on hand in the booth on July 16th, from 1PM-3PM signing copies of the comics. Backbone will also be distributing free Death, Jr. posters and free comics featuring three new original properties from the company during the show.
Now that the videogame and comic book series are nearing completion, the creators of Death, Jr. will discuss the trials and triumphs associated with bringing this original property to the masses during a dedicated panel at Comic-Con titled, "Death, Jr.: A Look Back." The panel will take place on Sunday, July 11th from 10:30-11:30AM in Room 6A, and will feature Backbone's Mike Mika and Chris Charla discussing the videogame, and Ted Naifeh and Gary Whitta discussing the comic.
About Death, Jr.
Death Jr., (DJ) the son of the Grim Reaper, is an original intellectual property created by Backbone, a part of Foundation 9 Entertainment. The Death, Jr. video game for the PSP system and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. is scheduled to ship to U.S. retail this August. Death Jr. has already spawned its own line of action figures from Gentle Giant, comic books from Image Comics, and t-shirts from Ripple Junction, and a feature film is in pre-production with Circle of Confusion. For more information about Death, Jr., please visit: www.deathjr.com
About Backbone
Part of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent game developer in North America, Backbone specializes in developing original and licensed IP for all platforms and creating merchandising opportunities in diversified entertainment genres. Backbone is based in Emeryville, CA, and Vancouver, BC and can be found on the web at: www.backboneentertainment.com.
Backbone, along with The Collective, Pipeworks, ImaginEngine, and Digital Eclipse make up Foundation 9 Entertainment. The company's studios have developed more than 250 titles, including more than 50 in 2004 alone. Foundation 9 Entertainment employs more than 325 employees, and has offices in Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Emeryville, Vancouver, Boston, Eugene, and Honolulu. For more information on Foundation 9 Entertainment, please visit: www.F9E.com.
"PSP" is a trademark and "PlayStation" and the "PS" Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Memory Stick DuoTM may be required (sold separately).
Media Contacts:
Nicole Tanner
Foundation 9 Entertainment
(510) 547-6101 ext. 457
or
Sean Kauppinen
Kohnke Communications
(415) 777-4000