The Energon Pub

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Infestation Spreads Again

Epic crossover event returns with bigger threats, more franchises

IDW’s second ground-breaking multi-title event kicks off in January 2012

[Infestation 2 Cover]San Diego, CA (October 12, 2011) – IDW’s ground-breaking, multi-universe event returns in January with INFESTATION 2. As with the blockbuster original, this epic invasion will spread throughout the IDW-verse and into many fan-favorite titles. With INFESTATION 2, tentacled Lovecraftian “Old Ones” reach across time and space and threaten to destroy everyone everywhere and everywhen.

“Last year, we were just figuring out how to do a monstrous event for the first time,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “This year, we’re going to build on the monstrous part, both in terms of story, titles affected and the threat itself. So people can expect a bigger event here, with lots of legs. Well, tentacles, anyway. We’ve got great creators and a very exciting plan to give people more of what they liked the first time, with some crazy twists and new properties affected, too.”

Coming in January, the kick off issue, INFESTATION 2 #1, will be written by best-selling novelist and comic-book writer Duane Swierczynski and feature art by INFESTATION/INFESTATION: OUTBREAK artist David Messina. This gripping issue sets the stage for Lovecraft’s “Old Ones” to break through time and space and invade many titles, including TRANSFORMERS, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and a special fifth-week one-shot, INFESTATION: TEAM-UP, featuring Bat Boy and GROOM LAKE’s grey alien Archibald in February. Then in March, the Infestation spreads even further, infecting TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES and G.I. JOE. In April, vampires battle zombies in 30 DAYS OF NIGHT: INFESTATION, followed by the stunning closing issue, INFESTATION 2 #2.

Joining Swierczynski and Messina on covers for INFESTATION 2 #1 and #2 will be Alex Garner and Livio Ramondelli. INFESTATION 2 #1 will also feature unique temporary tattoos.

In February, writer Chuck Dixon and artist Guido Guidi will return to the often-requested “Hearts of Steel” timeline for the bi-weekly INFESTATION 2: TRANSFORMERS #1 and #2. Plus, Dungeons & Dragons novelist Paul Krill will introduce a brand-new campaign setting to IDW with INFESTATION 2: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: EBERRON #1 and #2. INFESTATION 2: TEAM-UP will be written by Chris Ryall and illustrated by his WEEKLY WORLD NEWS partner Alan Robinson, and feature covers by Eric Powell and The Simpsons’s Bill Morrison.

In March, Tristan Jones and Mark Torres pair up for INFESTATION 2: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 and #2, while Mike Raicht and Valentine de Landro present INFESTATION 2: G.I. JOE #1 and #2. INFESTATION 2 architect Duane Swierczynski and artist Stuart Sayger will explore the effect of Lovecraft demons on vampires in the INFESTATION 2: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT one-shot.

As a special bonus for fans, every issue of the INFESTATION 2 event will feature a connected cover by artist Livio Ramondelli, and IDW will be producing special incentive temporary tattoos with each issue, too.

Stay tuned to IDWPublishing.com as more creative teams for this epic crossover event are announced. Plus, readers can get a sneak peek at INFESTATION 2 by asking their local retailer about the INFESTATION 2 ashcan, coming in late November and featuring interviews, artwork and information about this momentous event.


INFESTATION 2 #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on January 25, 2012.

INFESTATION 2: TRANSFORMERS #1 and #2 will be in stores on February 1 and 15, 2012, respectively.

INFESTATION 2: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: EBERRON #1 and #2 will be in stores on February 8 and 22, 2012, respectively.

INFESTATION 2: TEAM-UP will be in stores on February 29, 2012.

INFESTATION 2: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 and #2 will be in stores on March 7 and 21, 2012, respectively.

INFESTATION 2: G.I. JOE #1 and #2 will be in stores on March 14 and 28, 2012, respectively.

INFESTATION 2: 30 DAYS OF NIGHT will be in stores on April 4, 2012.

INFESTATION 2 #2 will be available in stores on April 11, 2012.


Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.


About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

The Transformers story, we were actually able to do something fun. One of the first things we did when we got the Transformers license in 2006, I wanted to do these series of miniseries called "Evolutions," which were basically like Transformers Elseworlds. The first one we did was with Chuck Dixon, set back in the 1800s, and was sort of a steampunk take on Transformers. Then that turned out to be the only one of those series that we ever did, for various reasons. But now we're able to go revisit that. I've had people asking me for five straight years, are we ever gonna see that version of those characters again, we really like what you did. And up until now, I've always had to say no, but now we've found a way to bring them back, as well. So it's nice that something people have been wanting for the last half-decade is now able to surface again.

Bumblevivisector wrote:So the Transformers might literally meet H.P. Lovecraft, huh? Well, Lovecraft's monsters sort of blurred together our ideas of aliens and demons before pop-culture distinctions between Horror and SciFi were well defined, and TFs would also be somewhat indistinct from Lovecraft's ancient, incomprehensible beings, so it's worth a shot.

What I hope for most, is that this story firmly introduces Quintessons into the IDWverse (I'm about a year behind on the comics; this hasn't happened outside of hints in Spotlight: Wheelie, has it?) I've long suspected their egg shape and 5-point radial symmetry was based on the Elder things, and that Flint Dille was drawing from 'In the Mountains of Madness' when he gave Rodimus Prime the unwelcome revelation that Transformers were created by the Quints in '5 Faces of Darkness'. Also, 'The Dweller in the Depths' plays like a full blown Lovecraftian Transformers episode, even if there's no actual mythos name dropping, so hopefully someone at IDW has studied it (and a few other Season 3 eps) very carefully.

Bumblevivisector wrote:So the Transformers might literally meet H.P. Lovecraft, huh? Well, Lovecraft's monsters sort of blurred together our ideas of aliens and demons before pop-culture distinctions between Horror and SciFi were well defined, and TFs would also be somewhat indistinct from Lovecraft's ancient, incomprehensible beings, so it's worth a shot.

What I hope for most, is that this story firmly introduces Quintessons into the IDWverse (I'm about a year behind on the comics; this hasn't happened outside of hints in Spotlight: Wheelie, has it?) I've long suspected their egg shape and 5-point radial symmetry was based on the Elder things, and that Flint Dille was drawing from 'In the Mountains of Madness' when he gave Rodimus Prime the unwelcome revelation that Transformers were created by the Quints in '5 Faces of Darkness'. Also, 'The Dweller in the Depths' plays like a full blown Lovecraftian Transformers episode, even if there's no actual mythos name dropping, so hopefully someone at IDW has studied it (and a few other Season 3 eps) very carefully.

El Duque wrote:Optimus Prime vs. Cthulu? It's unlikely that this fantasy battle has popped up in the minds of many fans, but apparently that's what IDW's "Infestation 2" has in store for us. As we know from the interview with IDW's Chris Ryall that was posted earlier today "Infestation 2" will introduce Lovecraftian mythos into the IDW universe, which will include the Transfomers "Hearts of Steel" timeline. Now artist Guido Guidi has treated fans with a sneak peek at one of his "Infestation 2" covers featuring Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime vs. Cthulu. Check out the awesome black and white cover art mirrored below from Guidi's deviantART page.