Broken Frontier

IDW Publishing’s Shock Festival, a lavishly illustrated tribute to the world of B movies in the form of a “mockumentary”, hits bookstores October 25. 

Created by screenwriter/author Stephen Romano, the book will be released  in a deluxe, oversized 9” x 12” hardcover edition.  It is recommended for mature readers only

 An elaborate work of illustrated fiction, Shock Festival  is a raunchy and hilarious tale of imaginary  exploitation films, brought to life with hundreds of original movie posters and memorabilia items.

Romano (The Riot Act, Masters of Horror) joined forces with legendary comic artist/film designer Tim Bradstreet (Hellblazer) and film actor/director Thomas Jane (The Mist, The Punisher) to create Shock Festival.  

The story depicts an alternate universe of B-movie actors, producers, and directors, all struggling for the brass ring as they churn out films in the B movie universe. 

According to Stephen Romano, “We wanted to do a book that was a complete fabrication, but remain completely true to the spirit of these films we love. Basically what you are looking at is a sort of ‘historical novel’ that uses the period and the art styles of movie posters of the ‘70s and ‘80s to tell a compelling story. It’s an epic tale disguised as a garish, over-the-top work of ‘psychotronic’ film journalism,” he explains.

Romano combined his own experience of working in Hollywood with a longstanding passion for the world of B-movies to create the story. “There’s a rogues’ gallery of whacky characters populating this story, which begins in 1970 and ends in 1987,” Romano explains.  “I'm also a character in the book—a nerdy journalist who tracks down his heroes and eventually gets to make his own movie at the end.”

HC • FC • 356 pages • 9" x 12" •  $39.99 • ISBN: 978-1-60010-322-3

Shock Festival is co-branded by IDW Publishing and Raw Entertainment.