HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW SERIES LITTLE BIRD LAUNCHES BIG THIS WEEK

Award winning director/screenwriter Darcy Van Poelgeest and fan-favorite artist Ian Bertram’s highly anticipated Little Bird launched yesterday from Image Comics and is already being rushed back to print to keep up with overwhelming fan enthusiasm for the unique, eye-popping miniseries. Comic shops rallied behind the new series with their early support and yesterday’s debut enjoyed two packed launch signing events—Van Poelgeest making an appearance at Golden Age Collectables in Vancouver and Ian Bertram at Forbidden Planet NYC. Moreover, Little Bird #1 grabbed the spotlight for new comics day and made multiple “Staff Picks” lists at numerous comic shops. Two comic book stores in particular, Challengers Comics + Conversation in Chicagoand All Star Comics in Melbourne, even announced a Little Bird sales battle with high stakes on the line. Critics raved about Little Bird with Comic Book Resources calling it “addictive” and Nerdist dubbing it, “nothing short of a masterpiece.” Bertram first burst onto the scene with his haunting, macabre collaboration with Peter J. Tomasi on House of Penance and since then fans have been abuzz to see his next project hit shelves in Little Bird. With the same limitless scope as a new East of West or Saga—and the drama and surrealism of Akira—Little Bird follows a young resistance fighter in a science-fiction style reminiscent of Alejandro Jodorowsky. In the world of Little Bird, North America has been devastated by three decades of war as the American Empire expands under an ultra-nationalist, theocratic government. But from the ashes of defeat rises Little Bird, a 12-year old girl who sets out to reignite the Canadian Resistance and discover her own identity in a world on fire. Little Bird #1, second printing (Diamond Code JAN198548) will be available on Wednesday, April 10. The final order cutoff deadline for comics shop retailers is Monday, March 18. Little Bird #2 (Diamond Code FEB190164) will be available on Wednesday, April 17. The final order cutoff deadline for comic shop retailers is Monday, March 25. The digital edition of Little Bird #1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including the official Image Comics iOS app, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play. Select praise for Little Bird: “Brims with excellent artwork.” —The Daily Californian “Little Bird is nothing short of a masterpiece and we're only one issue in. We realize how insane that sounds, but once you read this thing you'll see what we mean.” —Nerdist “There's a lot to unpack in this story for a first issue though, so it might require a second pass, but that's hardly a downside considering how easy it is to become immersed in Little Bird's world.” —ComicBook.com “A powerful and thought-provoking first issue. The story is clever and well-rounded and the art is lovely in a surrealistic way. I highly recommend this series.” —Impulse Gamer “Dark, surreal, and addictive.” —Comic Book Resources

ABOUT DARCY VAN POELGEEST Darcy Van Poelgeest is a multi-award winning writer and director living in Vancouver, B.C. His film work has screened internationally at festivals, broadcast on TV, shown in galleries, and become a best seller on iTunes. His debut comic series Little Bird will be released through Image Comics & Glènat Editions in the spring of 2019. ABOUT IAN BERTRAM Ian Bertram is an artist living and working in New York. By combining a love of storytelling with precise, meditative mark making, he creates mystical, grotesque, and primal portraits of the strange. He has published with Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse Comics. He has shown work in New York, Sri Lanka, and Paris. ABOUT IMAGE COMICS Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.