Tyrese Gibson's Mayhem full of all sorts of acclaim

It's really hard to break into the comic book industry. Countless writers and artists can attest to that. And a lot of people would think that being a celebrity would help get your foot in the door. While that's not always the case, I think Tyrese Gibson is happy to be the exception to the rule. Image has just announced that Mayhem (the new series by Gibson) has garnered nothing but critical acclaim. Not only that, but Meltdown Comics has already presold 10,000 copies of the first issue not even due until August 5. This is a big deal because the store hasn't seen sales like this since the 90s. AND THE BOOK ISN'T EVEN OUT YET! "The success of MAYHEM is a golden opportunity for all retailers to tap into this new influx of readers and in-store foot traffic that Tyrese brings with him,” Meltdown owner Gaston Dominguez said. “Tyrese is a 2.0 celebrity who is a marketing workhorse and whose brand spans across movies, music, and TV. Team MAYHEM are in it to win it! They are sincere and want to put out good products that cater to their fan base and beyond. Believe me when I tell you that if Tyrese Twitters your store name you will get calls and in-store orders.” Seriously, folks like Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee are saying good things about the book. And don't think that Tyrese himself hasn't been appreciative of the accolades. “I am humbled by the love and support MAYHEM has received from all the legendary comic veterans and trend-setters,” Gibson said. “To have the personal endorsements of Jim Lee, Avi Arad, Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison and so many others ... it just blows my mind. I am excited to bring MAYHEM to the die-hard comic book fans, but I am most excited at this opportunity to expose this world to the new generation of comic book fans, who, like me until now have never read a comic book in their lives. They will find new heroes to embrace and enjoy escapism at it's best! This is only the beginning!" I don't know Tyrese personally, but I really think this couldn't happen to a better person. In movies and interviews he always comes across as thoughtful, charismatic and generally positive. It's good to see people such as him being given the opportunity to do something he loves and have it be successful. Keep that in mind when August 5 rolls around and you head to your comic book store. Pick up Mayhem #1 for $2.99. Full press release below. PRESS RELEASE - TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM SHATTERS SINGLE STORE SALES RECORD JUST IN TIME FOR SAN DIEGO COMIC CON, RECEIVING ENDORSEMENTS BY COMIC BOOK HEAVYWEIGHTS! TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM yields big results from grassroots efforts combined with a world-wide press junket by one of Hollywood's biggest superstars! 13 July 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - TYRESE GIBSON's MAYHEM and Image Comics announce their presale efforts through a partnership with Los Angeles, CA's Meltdown Comics have exceeded single store records not seen since the early nineties with over ten thousand units sold. "The success of MAYHEM is a golden opportunity for all retailers to tap into this new influx of readers and in-store foot traffic that Tyrese brings with him,” Meltdown owner Gaston Dominguez said. “Tyrese is a 2.0 celebrity who is a marketing workhorse and whose brand spans across movies, music, and TV. Team MAYHEM are in it to win it! They are sincere and want to put out good products that cater to their fan base and beyond. Believe me when I tell you that if Tyrese Twitters your store name you will get calls and in-store orders.” Image Comics President SPAWN creator Todd McFarlane added, "With the current state of the comic book industry, any new infusion of excitement or customers would be a welcome relief. Tyrese brings both of those to the table along with his unbridled enthusiasm. Image is looking forward to having a long sustained run with him on MAYHEM and some of the other ideas he's talked about for the future." TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM has not only been pushed by Gibson's own efforts through Twitter and his personal outreach to comics retailers, but its also been the center of a world wide publicity campaign tied into his starring role in the recent blockbuster film, Transformers 2. Thus far MAYHEM has been featured by CNN, MTV, The Today Show, Complex, USA Today, E!'s Chelsea Lately, Access Hollywood, Essence, among many others. The tour continues as Gibson, along with MAYHEM's artist, Tone Rodriguez, and co-writers, Mike Le and Will Wilson, will be in attendance during this month's San Diego Comic Con International at Image Comics, booth #2729. He will also be discussing the future of MAYHEM along with the long awaited unveiling of the eventual collection's cover by Image Founder and the superstar artist of ALL-STAR BATMAN & ROBIN, Jim Lee, during The Image Comics Show on Friday, July 24th at 11:30 in Room 5AB. Lee added, "There's nothing more compelling about a bold, original character than an impassioned team of creators. MAYHEM's boundless energy starts from the top as whirlwind dynamo creator Tyrese Gibson singlehandedly makes you love the character as if he were your very own betrayed, tragic son seeking redemption. MAYHEM is fresh, fun and most importantly, from the heart." “I am humbled by the love and support MAYHEM has received from all the legendary comic veterans and trend-setters,” Gibson said. “To have the personal endorsements of Jim Lee, Avi Arad, Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison and so many others ... it just blows my mind. I am excited to bring MAYHEM to the die-hard comic book fans, but I am most excited at this opportunity to expose this world to the new generation of comic book fans, who, like me until now have never read a comic book in their lives. They will find new heroes to embrace and enjoy escapism at it's best! This is only the beginning!" TYRESE GIBSON'S MAYHEM #1 (JUN090321), a 32-page full color comic book for $2.99, will be in-stores August 5th, 2009. For real time MAYHEM updates, please follow Tyrese on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/Tyrese4Real. Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently five partners in Image Comics (Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.

Comments