Avatar Press Launching C-Day Event

To say that the Badlands are a bad place would be an understatement. To reaffirm that fact through a series of covers that graphically depict their sorry state would be just the right amount of statement. And leave it to Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows to make that statement in the new Crossed: Badlands series.

Kicking March 14, 2012, will be a bi-weekly release schedule of the all-new, ongoing Crossed: Badlands series. While Ennis and Burrows will be working on the first arc, there will also be concurrent arcs as well by Jamie Delano and David Lapham. The entire release is being celebrated with a "C-Day" event in comic shops all over.

“The horror genre has been through a lot as it has gotten more popular in the mainstream. It’s been abused and defanged by charlatans out for a quick buck, those who make one-dimensional, generic, formulaic product,” says Burrows. “With CROSSED, we want to do real horror that pushes the envelope so we can explore the limits of the human condition. It isn’t about violence so much as showing the stakes the characters are facing, and it is our willingness to go to that edge that makes the world so affecting.”

Crossed: Badlands will present tales from all over the globe, with each story arc provided by a different creative team. In Crossed: Badlands #1, Ennis and Burrows relate a story of a young Englishman, scrambling to avoid roving bands of the “Crossed,” while simultaneously dealing with the traumatic death of his wife.

Ennis says, “It feels cold and bleak and bad and dark, which is exactly how I hoped it would. You don’t write CROSSED with the sun shining in your heart; you write it around midwinter, watching the long night devour the feeble day.”

Oh, and that C-Day Event? Comic stores all over will have all means of Crossed paraphernalia, including posters, counter displays, temporary tattoos, buttons, posters, masks and rare Bonus Edition comics. Retailers will also have on hand Crossed: Get Infected C-Day Edition, which will be a special reissue of the first ever Crossed story.

As with many of their comic books, Avatar Press will offer several different cover editions of each Crossed: Badlands issue, providing fans with the freedom of choice for which graphic, visceral images they want to collect. There will be Regular, Torture and Wraparound editions for the first two issues at least.

Full press release and covers after the jump.

AVATAR PRESS C-DAY EVENT KICKS OFF NEW ONGOING "CROSSED: BADLANDS"

Responding to overwhelming fan and retailer support for their wildly successful comic book horror franchise, Avatar Press announces today the launch of a new, ongoing CROSSED comic book series on March 14, 2012, with a bi-weekly release schedule and its first story arc reuniting the creative team of superstar writer Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Punisher) and original series artist Jacen Burrows (NEONOMICON). Concurrent story arcs will be spearheaded by well-established comic book writers such as Jamie Delano (Hellblazer) and David Lapham (Stray Bullets). The worldwide release of CROSSED: BADLANDS will be marked by a special “C-Day” in-store event for comic shop retailers, designed to maximize comic fan awareness and drive sales for area retailers.

Since its debut miniseries in 2008, CROSSED has captured the attention of comic book fans across the world with the high tension and visceral horror of its premise: in moments, a viral contagion spread over the face of the Earth, turning much of the populace into sadistically evil psychopaths. The CROSSED: BADLANDS series will present tales from all over the globe, with each story arc provided by a different creative team. Beginning with issue #1, Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows relate a story of a young Englishman, scrambling to avoid roving bands of the “Crossed,” while simultaneously dealing with the traumatic death of his wife.

The return of Ennis and Burrows to the CROSSED universe has been one long demanded by readers. Regarding his return to script the new CROSSED: BADLANDS series, Ennis says, “It feels cold and bleak and bad and dark, which is exactly how I hoped it would. You don’t write CROSSED with the sun shining in your heart; you write it around midwinter, watching the long night devour the feeble day.”

Artist Jacen Burrows has dedicated several months to the artwork of the first BADLANDS story arc, working ahead to accommodate the bi-weekly publishing schedule. While his most recent sequential artwork was showcased in Alan Moore’s NEONOMICON, a critically-acclaimed Lovecraftian horror series, he has been consistently contributing to CROSSED as a cover artist for every single tie-in comic book (including the FAMILY VALUES and PSYCHOPATH miniseries, as well as the best-selling original graphic novel, CROSSED 3D). His recent body of work has solidified his reputation as a master storyteller of both subtle, atmospheric horror and visceral, bloody gore.

“The horror genre has been through a lot as it has gotten more popular in the mainstream. It’s been abused and defanged by charlatans out for a quick buck, those who make one-dimensional, generic, formulaic product,” says Burrows. “With CROSSED, we want to do real horror that pushes the envelope so we can explore the limits of the human condition. It isn’t about violence so much as showing the stakes the characters are facing, and it is our willingness to go to that edge that makes the world so affecting.”

To promote the launch of CROSSED: BADLANDS, Avatar Press is working with Diamond Comic Distributors and retailers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to celebrate “C-Day,” an in-store event meant to expand readership and drive sales for comic shops. C-Day Survival Kits will be available to retailers, containing promotional goods including posters, counter displays, temporary tattoos, buttons, posters, masks, and rare Bonus Edition comics. As a tool for retailers, Avatar Press will simultaneously release the CROSSED: GET INFECTED C-DAY EDITION comic book, a special reissue of the first-ever CROSSED story that serves as a perfect introduction to the entire series.

As with many of their comic books, Avatar Press will offer several different cover editions of each CROSSED: BADLANDS issue, providing fans with the freedom of choice for which graphic, visceral images they want to collect.

CROSSED: BADLANDS #1 Regular Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120877

CROSSED: BADLANDS #1 Torture Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120878

CROSSED: BADLANDS #1 Wraparound Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120879

CROSSED: BADLANDS #2 Regular Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120883

CROSSED: BADLANDS #2 Torture Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120884

CROSSED: BADLANDS #2 Wraparound Edition
$3.99 SRP, Diamond Item Code: JAN120885

Avatar Press is a groundbreaking independent publishing company which produces a wide variety of cutting-edge comic books, graphic novels, and original web content. Their high-quality publications include the work of such industry luminaries as Garth Ennis (Crossed, Chronicles of Wormwood), Warren Ellis (Freakangels), David Lapham (Caligula, Crossed: Psychopath), and Alan Moore (Neonomicon). They also produce a diverse range of licensed projects including the classic zombie epic Night of the Living Dead and George RR Martin’s Fevre Dream. Their Boundless Comics imprint publishes Brian Pulido’s original Lady Death and Mike Wolfer’s reimagining of the classic femme fatales Pandora, Hellina, and Widow in the series War Goddess. For more information about Avatar Press, their publications, and creators, please visit www.avatarpress.com.

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