ComicsPRO's Exclusive Image

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joe Keatinge
510.644.4980 x.12
joekeatinge@imagecomics.com

COMICSPRO'S EXCLUSIVE IMAGE
Image Comics' makes an exclusive appearance at this year's ComicsPRO annual meeting, featuring Robert Kirkman!

Berkeley, CA -- 25 February 2010 -- Many of the nation's top comic book retailers will converge on Memphis, TN this April for ComicsPRO's Annual Members Meeting, and WALKING DEAD creator and Image COO Robert Kirkman will be delivering the keynote speech. Image Comics will also be making an exclusive appearance at the 2010 retailer event.

"While reviewing our options for the 2010 calendar, Image Comics has decided to put its focus for retailer events on ComicsPRO," said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "We feel the organization does a massive amount of good for the comics industry and with the ever-growing amount of competing events, we felt the need to reaffirm our support for our retail partners by making our appearance at this year's annual meeting our sole retailer event for 2010."

ComicsPRO is the only trade organization for Direct Market comic book retailers. Their goals are not that different from trade organizations in other industries: to promote advocacy, education and opportunity for their members. Each annual meeting focuses on the many issues this unified, yet independent retailer organization faces and works towards building a stronger future. In addition to Kirkman, Stephenson and Image PR & Marketing Coordinator Joe Keatinge will also attend. The company's decision to so strongly support this year's annual meeting has been met with great enthusiasm by members of ComicsPRO's Board of Directors.

ComicsPRO President and Flying Colors Comics owner Joe Field added: "When a key supplier like Image Comics decides that their time, energy and focus are best spent meeting with ComicsPRO retailers in Memphis, it highlights the dedication Image has to professional, dedicated comics specialty retailers. We hope more retailers notice this and make plans to join us for the only retailer-directed trade event in the comics' business."

"What I admire most about Image Comics is its commitment to creators and their independence," ComicsPRO Board of Directors member and Comix Experience owner Brian Hibbs said. "It's amazing to see that same level of commitment and passion being brought to bear for the benefit of the independent comic book retailer as well. This energy and support can't help but make the best retailer-focused event that much better!"

The ComicsPRO Annual Members Meeting is March 24-27th, 2010 at the Hilton Memphis. For more information on the meeting, visit http://comicspro.org/meet10.html

Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently five partners in Image Comics (Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

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2010 Director Election Candidates

Full Members to ComicsPRO will receive a ballot (with instructions) for the 2010 Director Election in the mail.


The 2010 Director Election Candidates are:


Carr D’Angelo

Carr D'Angelo is co-owner of Earth-2 Comics, the only multi-store chain in the Los Angeles area with stores in Sherman Oaks and Northridge.

He started his career in New York as an editor and writer for Starlog, Fangoria and Comics Scene magazines. Moving to Los Angeles, he became a script reader, studio executive and movie producer.

In 2003, D'Angelo partnered with Jud Meyers to open Earth-2, named for the home planet of the legendary heroes of their youth. The Sherman Oaks store received the 2007 Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award. In 2009, they partnered with comic book writer Geoff Johns to acquire the Northridge store.

Eric Kirsammer

Eric Kirsammer graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a bachelor of fine arts degree. He purchased an existing comic book store in 1991 and renamed it Chicago Comics. They moved into their current space in 1993. Chicago Comics won the Capital City Master retailer award in 1994. It also won the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award in 1997, and has been named Best Comic book store by Chicago Magazine, Newcity newspaper and the Reader.

Eric purchased Quimby's bookstore in 1997 and moved it to its current location in 1998. Quimby's has been mentioned in Juxtapoz magazine, The New York times and many others.

Rick Lowell

Rick Lowell is the owner of Casablanca Comics, with two stores located in Portland and Windham, Maine. He has been active in the comics community since the 1970's. Rick and his wife Laura opened Casablanca Comics in 1987. Casablanca Comics has been a finalist in the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award at San Diego Comic Con multiple times.

Rick is very active working with libraries to promote comics, and currently deals with over 100 libraries on a regular basis. Rick has a background in graphic arts and previously worked as an art director before opening the stores. Casablanca Comics is the host for the Maine Comics Arts Festival held in the spring of each year.

Besides a lifelong love of comics, Rick's other interests include vintage diners, pinball, rock 'n roll and the Boston Red Sox. He lives in Portland, Maine with his wife Laura and two children, Caitlin and Duncan.

Ralph Mathieu

Ralph Mathieu has owned Alternate Reality Comics, "The Nexus of Entertainment & Enlightenment", Las Vegas' oldest comic book store, since 1995. In addition to introducing people to the diversity that comics has to offer, his goal for the store consists of finding loving homes for great comics and graphic novels.

Ralph has been a long time sponsor of the Eisner Awards, a member of DC Comics' RRP since 2002, and has been on the planning committee for the Las Vegas Clark County Library Book / Comicbookfest the past two years. Ralph lives and breathes sequential art and shares this passion for this medium with his wife, Katherine Keller, who is one of the founders of, and a regular contributor to, Sequential Tart.


Thank you to all of the retailers who volunteer their time and energy to serve on the ComicsPRO Board of Directors!