Press Release
The Cartoon Art Museum, The WorkJuice Corporation, Quixotic Transmedia, and Archaia Entertainment are pleased to present artwork from the much-anticipated The Thrilling Adventure Hour graphic novel at the Cartoon Art Museum from June 29 – October 20, 2013. Featuring artwork from all 10 stories, the Thrilling Adventure Hour graphic novel explores brand-new material from series creators Ben Acker & Ben Blacker. The characters from the critically acclaimed multi-genre stage show and podcast are brought to life in various styles in the graphic novel and on the walls of the Cartoon Art Museum.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour (TAH) is a live stage show in the style of old-time radio performed monthly at the Largo of the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles, California since 2005. Each episode of the show features original stories written by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker. These stories are performed by the WorkJuice Players, a supremely talented and quite friendly troupe of comedians and actors from stage and screen. This cast plays characters from an ever-evolving array of recurring worlds and genres including BUT NOT LIMITED TO space westerns, hobo fairy tales, and screwball romantic ghost stories. In 2011, TAH started podcasting recordings of their performances under Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist Industries umbrella to both success and acclaim. In 2012, TAH and Quixotic Transmedia ran a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that enabled TAH to expand into other media, including a TAH graphic novel that will be released nationwide in late August 2013.
The exhibit features digital reproductions from the TAH graphic novel anthology. The exhibit showcases work from artists Heidi Arnhold, Jordie Bellaire, Randy Bishop, Casey Crowe, Lar deSouza, Joanna Estep, Evan Larson, André May, Chris Moreno, Natalie Nourigat, Joel Priddy, Evan “Doc” Shaner, and Jeff Stokely. The exhibition will also feature exclusive artwork inspired by TAH from renowned artists Jackson Publick (The Venture Bros.), Ben Edlund (The Tick), Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Astonishing X-Men), and cover artwork by Tom Fowler (Mad Magazine, Mysterius The Unfathomable). The exhibit was facilitated by Joe LeFavi of Quixotic Transmedia, CAM’s Roy Zemlicka and Archaia, the publisher of the TAH graphic novel which, again, will be released in late August 2013.
The Thrilling Adventure Hour Reception will be held at the Cartoon Art Museum in August, 2013. Coincidence?
Further details TBA!
About Archaia Entertainment, LLC
Archaia (archaia.com) is a multi-award-winning graphic novel publisher with more than 75 renowned publishing brands, including such domestic and international hits as Mouse Guard, Rust, Cow Boy, Cursed Pirate Girl, Gunnerkrigg Court, and Artesia. Archaia has also published an entire line of graphic novels in partnership with The Jim Henson Company, including the multiple award-winning Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand and such beloved tales as The Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, and Fraggle Rock. Alongside these celebrated titles, Archaia has released English translations of numerous renowned foreign titles to much fanfare, including The Killer, Sergio Toppi’s Sharaz-De, and The Secret History.
This year, Archaia was honored with two Eisner nominations, and in 2012, Archaia was honored with six Harvey Award nominations, two Harvey Awards, six Eisner nominations, and three Eisner Awards (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand won for Best Graphic Album–New, Best Penciller/Inker, and Best Publication Design). Also in 2012, Archaia earned both Gold and Silver awards from ForeWord Reviews. Archaia was honored with nine 2011 Eisner Awards nominations and two Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Album and Best Anthology.
In addition to its partnership with The Jim Henson Company, Archaia has forged creative partnerships with storytellers in all facets of the entertainment industry, resulting in print and digital expansions of such noted properties as Bleedout and HAWKEN (video games), Immortals and Planet of the Apes (film), and Space: 1999 (television).
Archaia has built an unparalleled reputation within the creator community for producing meaningful, transformative content, building one of the industry’s most visually stunning and eclectic slates of graphic novels.
In June 2013, Archaia was acquired by BOOM! Studios. Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent.
About The Cartoon Art Museum
Founded in 1984, the Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the collection, preservation, study, and exhibition of original cartoon art in all forms to benefit historians, cartoonists, journalists, artists, collectors, and the general public. Please visit www.cartoonart.org for more information.
