Image Comics Goes Back to Press Before Release

Here’s one that tops the myriad of sell-out issue announcements from Marvel – Image Comics is sending Viking #1 back to press for a second printing, even though the first issue won’t hit the shelves until April 22, 2009.

Take the jump for the full press release.

Press Release

After an amazing reception at this past weekend’s ComicsPRO, writer Ivan Brandon and illustrator Nic Klein’s upcoming ongoing series, VIKING, now faces a pre-release distribution-level sellout of unprecedented proportions despite a very significant overprint, resulting in an near-immediate second printing.

“I can’t thank the retailers enough for the crazy amount of support they’ve shown for us.” Brandon said. “This book is a lot of years in progress and for Nic and I to see this kind of reception… I spent the weekend giddy and humbled and half-waiting to wake up and find out I’d imagined the whole thing. We overprinted by a lot, hoping there’d be word of mouth above our initial orders. To sell out, before the public’s even seen the book… it’s so far beyond what I could ever have hoped far. To make sure as many copies get out there as possible, we’ll be releasing the first printing on April 22nd, with a massive second printing in stores two weeks later on May 6th, to make sure there’s not a huge wait for anyone.”

VIKING, heralded as a crime comic for the 9th century, follows the story of two brothers looking to make their way up the ladder of the Norse criminal underground only to find they’re quickly biting off more than they could ever hope to chew. Nic Klein’s lush renditions of Ivan Brandon’s hard-boiled storytelling results in what has been retailers and press already praising it as the buzz book release of April. The variant cover will feature a slightly tweaked version of Klein’s original gorgeous cover and will retain the series’ high-quality production values and Golden Age dimensions.

ComicsPRO Board Member and Lonestar Comics General Manager Chris Powell added, “At our ComicsPRO meeting, [Image Comics PR & Marketing Coordinator] Joe Keatinge brought a copy of VIKING #1 for retailers to look at.  Everything about the book screamed ‘big hit’, from story to art to production values.  I love the fact that it’s a larger trim size with heavy textured paper that compliments the ‘feel’ of the book nicely.  We upped our orders via telephone from the meeting, and can’t wait to put this book into the hands of our customers!”

VIKING #1 (FEB092371), a 32-page full color comic book for $2.99, will be in stores April 22nd. The second printing will follow on May 6th, 2009. Retailers interested in learning more about ComicsPRO can find more details at www.comicspro.org.

via Image Comics