[SWIPED PRESS RELEASE]
In 1984, a graphic novel by the name of XIII was released to a French-reading audience. Written by Jean van Hamme and illustrated by William Vance with a story similar to Robert Ludlum’s THE BOURNE IDENTITY, XIII soon established itself as a fantastic adventure full of twists and turns as readers followed the travels of a man who had no memory of who he was or what he had done. XIII has since become one of Europe’s most popular comics, selling over 16 million copies and enjoying a regular print run of around 550,000 copies per book with additional printings in 15 different languages.
And now, following its successful run as a comic book with a fresh English translation, Dabel Brothers Production (“DB Pro”) has announced that it will begin releasing the series in graphic novel format beginning in June, 2006 with subsequent volumes at a rate of every three to four months. And, by popular demand, the graphic novel will contain the original art of William Vance with no censorship whatsoever.
“Censorship was one of the biggest concerns on the part of the fans with the monthly issues, and we don’t want it to be a barrier any longer,” said Ernst Dabel, President of DB Pro. “XIII is an adult story that does contain some graphic violence and nudity. But it is certainly no more than one would find in many other graphic novels available at a major bookstore, and we see no reason to continue angering fans by censoring it.
While the monthly issues of XIII fared quite well in terms of sales, explained Dabel, DB Pro feels that the trade paperback series will do much better overall.
“In Europe, XIII has been released in graphic novel format from the start,” he said, “at a rate of around one volume per year. Each chapter tells its own story. Each of our graphic novels collect three volumes of the European version, giving readers three years of storylines that will leave them wanting to know the answers to the many questions that are raised by the end.”
To thank fans for supporting the monthly comic book series, the Dabels also plan to release the never-before-published sixth issue of XIII’s monthly run for free.
The first volume of XIII will be available at comic book retailers and bookstores everywhere in June, 2006. The second volume is planned for October.
For more information about XIII and other DB Pro products, please visit http://www.dabelbrothers.com .