John Byrne & IDW Launch FX!

[ENGLISH] Official Press Release – Veteran artist and fan-favorite John Byrne is returning to his roots with the publication of a new superhero comic in the form of IDW Publishing’s (www.idwpublishing.com) FX. Hitting the stands in March, this six-part series tells the story of a new hero for the ages. Struck down by a mysterious accident, Tom Talbot awakens to find that playing pretend has suddenly become all too real: He now has power limited only by his imagination. Comic legend Byrne provides the cover art and interior pencils and inks for the entire series created and written by Wayne Osborne.

« Byrne is back doing superhero comics, only this time he’s doing it for us, » says Chris Ryall, publisher and editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing, referring to the acclaimed art that Byrne created for comics, such as Marvel Comics’ X-Men and Fantastic Four and DC Comics’ Superman.

The first six FX issues follow the adventures of Tom, who has a mysterious accident that gives him an unusual power-whatever he pretends to do actually happens. « If he makes an airplane noise and puts out his arms, he can actually fly, » says Osborne. « It’s how kids play, but when he pretends, it actually happens. »

Osborne chose to do this story as a tribute to all of his favorite comics and as a nod to a long tradition of comic heroes. « He’s a hero because he does the right thing, simply because it’s the right thing to do, and he has fun while he’s doing it, » explains Osborne. « He’s a hero for all ages-for those who have a little bit of a kid still inside them and for kids themselves. If you are a kid, I wanted it to inspire you to pretend to be him for a little while. If you are an adult, I wanted it to help you remember what it was like to be a kid. »

The FX cast also includes Silverback, « a proverbial talking comic book gorilla, » says Osborne; Jack, who is Tom’s best friend; and Vicki, who stumbles on Tom’s secret because of her ability to read minds. « Vicki figures out Tom’s secret while he is daydreaming, and she gets sucked into the adventure, » adds Osborne.

ABOUT IDW PUBLISHING
IDW PUBLISHING is a division of Idea and Design Works, LLC, a revolutionary creative service company with a wide range of clients. Among its best-selling titles are Hasbro’s THE TRANSFORMERS; Paramount/CBS’s STAR TREK; and Fox’s ANGEL. IDW’s 30 DAYS OF NIGHT film from Sony Pictures was released in October 2007 and was the #1 movie in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at www.idwpublishing.com.