Posted in: Comics | Tagged: artist edition, charles schulz, Dave Gibbons, idw publishing, jack kirby, peanuts, Watchmen

Jack Kirby, Dave Gibbons And Charles Schulz Get IDW Artist Editions

Published Sat, 12 Oct 2013 19:00:17 -0500

Here are the official announcements from IDW for not one… not two… but THREE Artist Editions.

First Kirby and Gibbons:

IDW Publishing will be doing two blockbuster Artist's Editions produced under license from DC Entertainment. And these offerings are truly blockbusters—Jack Kirby's New Gods Artist's Edition and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen Artifact Edition. For the first time ever, readers will be able to see up close Kirby's energy and dynamic storytelling, and Gibbons' intricately designed and beautifully realized pages, as they never have before—as close as possible to how they looked on the artist's drawing boards!

Jack Kirby's New Gods Artist's Edition will be released in March and feature five complete issues of Kirby's inaugural Fourth World book. Kirby, often called the King of Comics, is arguably the most important and influential comics creator of all time. His work on New Gods, which he wrote as well as drew, clearly reinforces that notion. Filled with amazing imagery and giant concepts, this book will measure 12 x 17 inches.

Dave Gibbons' Watchmen will debut later in the year. Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is the story most often cited as the greatest graphic novel ever published. This Artist's Edition will be atypical in that the stories will not be complete, and will be an Artifact Edition, the first released by IDW. It will be produced to the same exacting standards as an Artist's Edition, and will feature a cornucopia of individual pages and covers from Watchmen, each image a testament to Gibbons' elegant and nuanced style. This book will also measure 12 x 17 inches.

"IDW's Artist's Editions are among my very favorite comic art books of all time, so I'm thrilled that they're publishing a Watchmen collection," said series artist Dave Gibbons.

"We're equally thrilled," said IDW President Greg Goldstein. "Watchmen is obviously one of the most acclaimed and influential series of all time, and New Gods is arguably the greatest of Kirby's works during his tenure at DC. It's a true privilege to publish these books."

"Wow," added editor Scott Dunbier, "there's not really a lot more to say, is there?"

And then we shuffle over to Schulz:

The esteemed entertainment property, Peanuts, will be returning this winter due to a newly formed partnership with IDW and Peanuts Worldwide—but you've never seen Charlie Brown & the gang quite like this! Presented in the acclaimed Artist's Edition format, Charles Schulz's revered comic strip will be a welcome and important addition to the Artist's Edition library, and the first one devoted entirely to a comic strip.

Peanuts, with its cast of iconic characters, has become an American institution. Debuting in 1950 and running until 2000, the strip was framed around the life and interactions of the lovable blockhead who never gives up, Charlie Brown, and his charming array of companions. Written and drawn by Schulz, the strip was translated into 21 different languages, and syndicated in over 2,600 newspapers. The diverse characters of Peanuts became mainstays of pop culture: from Lucy's psychiatric stand, Schroeder's piano, the kite-eating-tree, Snoopy's doghouse, and Charlie Brown's eternal quest to kick that football—these are images as compelling today as when Schulz first created them a half century ago.

"Having grown up with Charlie Brown, Linus and his blanket, Snoopy and the Red Baron…I could not be happier about bringing them into the IDW family," said Ted Adams, CEO and Publisher of IDW Publishing, "In the world of comic art, it does not get any bigger than Peanuts."

Charles Schulz spent the majority of his career writing and drawing the Peanuts comic strip and was the recipient of numerous awards and citations throughout his life for his influential work. Schulz is "arguably the most influential comic strip creator of the second-half of the 20^th century, his importance to comics and comics history cannot be understated," said editor Scott Dunbier. As Editor of the Artist's Editions, Dunbier, along with the rest of IDW, are honored to publish the timeless creations of Charles Schulz.

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