Broken Frontier

The Stardust Kid, the critically-acclaimed series that reunited Eisner Award winning writer J.M. DeMatteis and legendary fantasy artist Mike Ploog after their memorable run on CrossGen's Abadazad, has found a new home at Ross Richie's Boom! Studios.   The Stardust Kid tells the story of Cody DiMarco, whose urban neighborhood has been transformed into a deadly, enchanted forest.  The only way Cody and his friends can restore their world—and the people they love—is to solve the mystery of the Stardust Kid.

"Abadazad," DeMatteis said, reflecting on the series' beginnings, "is being developed as a new book series for Disney's Hyperion Books For Children—but Mike and I didn't want to leave the world of comic books behind.  Our medium needs more kid-friendly entertainment—and that's why we developed The Stardust Kid, an idea I'd been nursing  for years.  We wanted to present another all-ages fantasy that children...and their parents...could enjoy equally."

"J.M. presented me with the idea," added Ploog, "and then we were off and running.  Just as J.M. had been toying with the story for years, I'd been stockpiling designs for a variety of fantastic new creatures.  When we put our heads together, we discovered that the creatures I'd been designing and the idea he'd been developing worked perfectly together."

"I'm very excited," DeMatteis went on, "about continuing the story of The Stardust Kid at Boom! Studios.  I've worked with Ross Richie since Boom! began...and I'm delighted that he'll be watching over our creation."

"This is the marriage of two of the greatest talents of the field," Richie noted.  "Both pioneers.  Ploog's co-creation, Ghost Rider, gets released this year as a film.  DeMatteis is not only associated with blockbuster hits like the Bwah-ha-ha Justice League, he practically created Vertigo-style adult fantasy in the comic book field with Moonshadow.

They've built the ultimate team with Nick Bell's delicate and nuanced color palette and Dave Lanphear's innovative calligraphy and design."Ploog and DeMatteis' previous collaboration, Abadazad, fueled a bidding war for the rights to defunct publisher Crossgen's publishing catalog.  Rescuing Abadazad from bankruptcy, Disney initiated a massive roll-out through its book division, Hyperion, relaunching the property in the book trade, major retail chain stores, high-volume venues like WalMart, and in the UK, Italy, Australia/New Zealand, France, Finland, Portugal, and other territories worldwide.  Hyperion expects Abadazad to be one of the big publishing success stories of the summer.

"With Hyperion creating such a massive presence for Abadazad," Richie added, "we're poised to see many of those new readers come our way with The Stardust Kid.  It's an exciting project that we're proud to add to the Boom! Studios stable that only further builds our profile as an up-and-coming presence in the direct market and the book stores."

The critics agree:

"More DeMatteis-Ploog magic.  The story is intriguing.  Mike Ploog just gets better and better.  Superb." —Christine Harper, Comics International.

"J.M. DeMatteis, Mike Ploog, Nick Bell and Dave Lanphear...have pooled their talents for another amazing comic book.  The Stardust Kid is captivating."—The Scoop:  Off The Presses, DiamondGalleries.com

"JMD's snarky and irreverent sense of humor is on full display here. Ploog's artwork is every bit as dynamic.  The Stardust Kid is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and leave you wanting more." —Rich Watson, ComicWorldNews.com

"The Stardust Kid is fresh and fun, creepy and wondrous in both story and art." – The Buzzdust Kid, Ain't it Cool News

"The Stardust Kid #1 is an impressive debut issue, a bittersweet coming-of-age fantasy that should easily find an audience among fans of J.K. Rowling and Lewis Carroll as well as readers who felt stung by Abadazad's untimely end." – David Howlett, Buzzscope.com

"…I think that when finished this will be a title to share with many people, for it transcends the medium, and transcends the genre."   Alexander Ness, Popthought.com

"Abadazad fans, rejoice, as the creative team behind that lost and sorely missed series have teamed up once again to present a new comic title that captures the same sort of magic without seeming as though it's just a retooling of their previous efforts. The Stardust Kid boasts the same kind of charming storytelling and inventive visuals we came to expect from Abadazad, but the theme and focus the story explores are actually much different." – Don MacPherson, Critiques on Infinite Earths

"Delightfully imaginative, emotional and visually stunning.  As strong as Abadazad, but showing more promise." – Chad Boudreau, Comicreaders.com

The Stardust Kid #4 will be available in May, via Diamond Comics Distributors' PREVIEWS catalog, Item Order Code: MAR063075. About Boom! Studios: Launched in June of 2005, in six short months Boom! Studios was christened "Best New Publisher" by Wizard Magazine. Featuring an innovative line of creator-driven books, Boom! Studios is a boutique publisher featuring the top talent in the field of comic books and graphic novels.