Gaming News - February 2004
Austin, TX (February 19, 2004) - NCsoft and Blue King Studios today
announced plans to publish a monthly comic book based on NCsoft’s upcoming game,
City of Heroes.
From NCsoft:
City of Heroes is the creation of San Jose-based game developer, Cryptic
Studios. The full-color, monthly comic book features the triumphs and tragedies
of a trio of super-powered heroes as they fight to find their way in Paragon
City, the setting for the groundbreaking game.
“I’m incredibly excited about City of Heroes,” said Rick Dakan, writer of the
comic book series. “I was one of the original designers on City of Heroes and
have worked for more than four years creating the background, setting and
characters featured in the game. This comic book is a terrific opportunity for
me to bring that world to life in a different medium – adding yet another level
of richness and depth to the City of Heroes experience.”
City of Heroes is the first massively multiplayer online game featuring a
modern, comic book-inspired setting. The game takes place in a virtual world
where players create their own super-powered heroes and fight crime in the
sprawling, villain-filled metropolis of Paragon City.
Michael Lewis, CEO of Cryptic Studios commented, “The City of Heroes comic is
something totally unprecedented in both computer gaming and comic book
publishing. Events in the game world and the game’s storyline will be reflected
in the comic book, while characters from the pages of City of Heroes will make
appearances in the online game. The comic book really is part of the game.”
Everyone who plays City of Heroes online automatically receives a free
subscription to the comic book. Every issue features a 22-page story detailing
the adventures of three young heroes—War Witch, Apex, and Horus. In addition,
each issue includes an eight-page City of Heroes online supplemental section,
featuring special bonus material for and about the game’s players.
NCsoft North America Vice President of Marketing Fred Schmidt said, “With
software package sales of City of Heroes projected to soar well into six-digits
by fall and with every subscriber to the game automatically being eligible to
receive a copy, the City of Heroes comic may reach record levels of
distribution. Add sales from comic book stores and the City Of Heroes comic book
edition is quickly expected to become one of the top-circulation comic books of
any kind in the country by year end.”
Dakan added, “The hope, of course, is that those who enjoy the comic will also
enjoy the game, and vice versa. However, our first priority is putting out a
top-notch comic book every month. Even if you’ve never seen a computer in your
life, you’ll still enjoy City of Heroes. As avid comic book readers, we wanted
to create an exciting and different take on the traditional comic book hero
tale—and something anyone can enjoy.”
The City of Heroes comic features art by Brandon McKinney (Switchblade Honey,
Planet of the Capes) and colors by Moose Bauman (Action Comics, Green Lantern).
The premiere issue of the City of Heroes comic ships in May. In addition to the
issues received by the game’s players, the comic book will also be available in
comic book stores across the country. Starting in March 2004 it will be
available to comic book retailers through Diamond Comic Book Distributors, the
country’s largest comic distributor. Blue King Studios also announced plans to
collect every six issues of the comic into trade paperback books for sale in
comic book stores and other retail outlets.
More information on the City of Heroes game can be found at
www.cityofheroes.com.
« Back to last page · News Page »
 |
