Broken Frontier

The first issue of Monte Cook’s highly anticipated PTOLUS: CITY BY THE SPIRE won’t be hitting shelves until May of 2006.

But that won’t stop fantasy fans from getting in on the fun now with an exclusive lithograph from Dabel Brothers Production featuring the stunning art of Caanan White.

“PTOLUS is an incredible property with a huge fanbase,” said Les Dabel, Vice President and New Business Director of DB Pro. “So we wanted to have something special to offer to the fans before the book goes to print. We’re all tremendous fans of Caanan White’s work on this title, and we know he’s going to become a fan favorite quickly once PTOLUS arrives in stores.”

“A few years back, we celebrated the launch of our flagship title, THE HEDGE KNIGHT, with a limited edition lithograph that really showcased the art and got people excited,” explained Dabel. “So as we celebrate another anniversary of creating comics for fantasy fans, we thought it would be only fitting to offer another our readers another great lithograph to introduce another great title.”

The lithograph features the story’s main character, Sheva Callister, baring her hungersword front and center with an amazing array of characters, creatures, and places from the world of Ptolus surrounding her. And in the background lies the famous “city by the spire” where her adventures take place, a realm so vast that it stretches from the skies down into the depths below.

The print will measure 24” x 36” and sell for $14.95 (plus shipping and handling) directly from the DB Pro Shop at http://www.dabelbrothers.com .  The Dabel Brothers are currently taking pre-orders for the first batch and plan to begin shipping by Mid-March.

“We’re excited about PTOLUS, and we’re excited about this lithograph,” said Ernst Dabel, President of DB Pro. “And as we get closer to the book’s launch in May, we hope our fans will be excited too!”

PTOLUS: CITY BY THE SPIRE is a six issue miniseries from Dabel Brothers Production. It will be available at comic book retailers everywhere in May, 2006 and distributed by Diamond Distributors, Inc.

More information about the PTOLUS comic book and other projects from DB Pro can be found at http://www.dabelbrothers.com . A special section of the official Ptolus site dedicated to the comic is also available at http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?Ptolus_DBPro.

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Over the last five years, enduring both struggle and success, the Dabel Brothers have always made it clear why they’re in the comic book industry –

They’re doing it for the fans.

And while the Dabel Brothers are finding themselves busier than ever with a huge launch of highly-anticipated titles like Orson Scott Card’s RED PROPHET and WYRMS, Raymond E. Feist’s MAGICIAN, Monte Cook’s PTOLUS and their original series MARSHAL, they can’t help but look for more ways to include their fans on the goings-on within the company. Recently, the Brothers launched a “Creator’s blog” at http://dabelbrothers.blogspot.com to offer additional insight into the process of creating books at DB Pro, and Dabel Brothers fans have always had a special home on the Dabel Brothers Forums at http://www.dabelbrothers.com/forum , where the Brothers often test new ideas -- and offer special preview art! – for their regular readers.

And now fans can learn even more about the process of creating comics at DB Pro with “THE COMICS PANEL,” the official weekly podcast of Dabel Brothers Production.

Hosted by editor Sean J. Jordan (who’s written and edited the lion’s share of DB Pro’s books) and Roynne Gillespie (who debuted in the industry with her work on the adaptation of Tad Williams’sTHE BURNING MAN), THE COMICS PANEL is a weekly Internet radio show that talks about comic books from a production point of view, offering listeners insight into the process of putting together a book.

“We wanted to get beyond doing a show where we just talk about comic books as fans,” explained Jordan, “and instead offer something with a little more depth. Since the comic book industry is filled with people who are interested in becoming creators some day, we thought it would be fun to talk about the processes of publishing as well as to introduce our audience to the folks behind the scenes who do the hard work that rarely gets recognized, like lettering and production.”

The first four episodes, which are slated for February and released every Thursday, focus on introducing the bulk of the staff at DB Pro. But from March on, says Jordan, the show will also feature guests from outside the company, including popular comic book creators, famous authors, and other surprise personalities. And while the show is intended as a promotional tool to help build awareness about the Dabel Brothers’ upcoming books, both Jordan and Gillespie hope to steer the show away from being a commercial and shape it into something any comic book fan or would-be-creator will enjoy.

THE COMICS PANEL is available for download at http://www.dabelbrothers.com/thecomicspanel/ , and it will be available for subscription via RSS feed and iTunes by the beginning of March. For more information, please visit http://www.dabelbrothers.com.