John Byrne Joins Bernie Wrightson at IDW

There's very little wrong you can do when you take the talents of John Byrne and put them alongside the talents of Bernie Wrightson. The two are among the most revered in the industry, so when a publisher like IDW is fortunate enough to have them both on board you have to take notice. Byrne's new comic is called Trio, while Wrightson's work is called Frankenstein Alive, Alive! and both should be in stores in May.

"Trio really is Byrne's return to superheroic form," said Chris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. He added that "fans who've loved Byrne at all stages of his career, from his beloved and influential superhero comics to his more recent work with us on Star Trek and Next Men, will love what he's bringing to bear on this series."

Trio follows three superpowers heroes named Rock, Paper and Scissors in what can only be imagined as an endless quest to find out who comes out on top. The work will include variant covers by some of Byrne's friends in the industry, starting with "Joltin'" Joe Sinnott on the first issue and Tom Palmer on the second.

Wrightson gets the pleasure of teaming up with Steve Niles for his work that's actually a sequel to his 1983 illustrated version of Frankenstein. It will feature a script by Niles and Wrightson's brushwork, in addition to tons of engrossing supplemental material like interviews, essays and a serialization of Shelley's original work.

"Both Byrne and Wrightson are not only legends in the comics field," Ryall said, "but they're also doing work here that stacks up nicely alongside their very best comics from the past, and we want retailers to know we stand behind these books in a big way. Hopefully the returnability of the issues really speaks to how strongly we feel about these books being a good bet for comic shops."

Full press release below.

IDW Publishing is ecstatic to announce new projects from legendary creators JOHN BYRNE and BERNIE WRIGHTSON! This May, Byrne will be smashing into stands with a brand-new, creator-owned superhero series, TRIO. TRIO follows the exploits of three super-powered heroes known as Rock, Paper, and Scissors on a series of explosive adventures!

Along the way, beloved inkers who have finished off Byrne's pencils in the past will be inking variant covers for the series, starting with "Joltin'" Joe Sinnott on issue 1, and Byrne's Silver Surfer/X-Men: The Hidden Years cohort Tom Palmer on #2.

"Trio really is Byrne's return to superheroic form," saidChris Ryall, IDW's Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. Ryall will be editing Trio himself. He added that "fans who've loved Byrne at all stages of his career, from his beloved and influential superhero comics to his more recent work with us on Star Trek and Next Men, will love what he's bringing to bear on this series."

In FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! Wrightson teams up with one of his greatest collaborators, STEVE NILES to continue the legacy of one of his greatest works. This sequel to Wrightson's acclaimed 1983 illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein was scripted by Niles and will feature Wrightson's inimitable brushwork in addition to heaps of engrossing supplemental material like interviews, essays, and a serialization of Shelley's original work.

And just to show how thrilled we are about these new series, IDW is throwing its full weight behind TRIO and FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! and making each debut issue fully returnable for retailers.

"Both Byrne and Wrightson are not only legends in the comics field," Ryall said, "but they're also doing work here that stacks up nicely alongside their very best comics from the past, and we want retailers to know we stand behind these books in a big way. Hopefully the returnability of the issues really speaks to how strongly we feel about these books being a good bet for comic shops."

This May, join IDW in welcoming these iconoclasts back to genres they helped define and experience time-tested comics greatness firsthand!

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro's The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star Trek; HBO's True Blood; the BBC's DOCTOR WHO; Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Toho's Godzilla; Wizards of the Coasts Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, and Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW's critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot, while Michael Bay‘sPlatinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film.