The Worlds’ First Super Premium Comic Book
Transatlantic Partnership Results in Super Premium Comic
Zoom Suit to Feature MetalFX and High Def Resolution
Palm Beach January 19, 2005 – A partnership between a printer, publisher and enhanced printing effects company has led to the worlds first “Cover to Cover” enhanced “Super Premium” comic book. Zoom Suit #1 combines cutting edge MetalFX Technology and Datachrome’s Staccato screening process with the artistic skills of legendary comic icons such as Billy Tucci, Bart Sears and Bob Layton.
“It’s like reading your favorite comic on a big screen high definition plasma TV” Said Zoom Suit Creator John Taddeo. “And at 36 Story pages it’s uninterrupted by commercials”.
Zoom Suit, an eagerly anticipated limited series by writer director John Taddeo, is based upon an award winning animated short by the same name. In 2005 the short was accepted to over 50 film festivals and screened to over 250,000 theater attendees. It was an official selection of the San Diego Comic Con Film Festival and was broadcast into 10 Million homes on Adelphia Cable’s High Definition Channel. The exposure on high definition television and the vibrancy of the animated series led to the exploration of creating a comic with visuals that would leap off the page.
To bring the Zoom Suit to comic fans with an alien metal look, Taddeo partnered with Metal FX Technology of the United Kingdom. Impressed Zoom Suits story, artwork and multimedia appeal, MetalFX agreed to supply the specialty inks necessary to bring the alien suit to life throughout the comic.
MetalFX® Technology is a Metallic Color System that allows millions of metallic colors to be achieved by adding MetalFX® base silver ink to the usual CMYK mix.
First Pass is Proprietary Metal Ink.
Translucent RGBs Follow
The Result is Millions of Metallic Colors.
Zoom suit is being manufactured at Datachrome (Canada) utilizing the latest Staccato screening process. Staccato utilizes more than double the dots per line (340 vs. the more conventional 150 dpl) used by most printers.
Conventional Printing Staccato Printing
The Staccato process reflects light more efficiently and increases the color available in mid-tones. The result is sharper detail in images, text, reverses and line work
and more consistent color through the press run.
On the packaging side, Zoom Suit features a heavy card stock cover. The interior is printed on 50lb. glossy paper. The cost burdens of the better paper, special ink and production costs that nearly double the average offering did not deter Taddeo from the concept of super premium comic at the normal $2.95 comic price.
The covers and interior art teams read like a “Who’s Who” of comic legends and up and coming rock stars. Bob Layton, Gene Colan, Bart Sears, Jim Starlin, Bill Tucci, Billy Dallas Patton and Keron Grant.
“On the Marvel comics of yesterday they used the term POP ART to describe the look that the artists were able to achieve. We combined today’s superstar artists with tomorrows print and computer technology to create POP art for the new Millennium”.
The project also garnered a tremendous amount of media attention by Taddeo’s unique marketing strategy, “I wanted to create a waiting audience for the book. The best way to market to a comic shop owner is to get his customers asking for your products.”
Consumer marketing included multiple screenings of Zoom Suit in 20 states, free trading card offers, free limited edition comic offers and the development of a fan powered street team – “Team Zoom Suit”. TZS is a fan club based initiative with over 2,000 members in 10 countries that spread the Zoom Suit word to fans and retailers about the upcoming comic release. Over the eight month marketing campaign over 50 individual press releases were picked up by newspapers, television stations, radio and online news sources.
Although the focus was the consumer, comic shop owners were not left out. Retailers have received over 300,000 promotional trading cards, three direct mail pieces and 10,000 oversize double sided Zoom Suit Posters. Additionally, Taddeo and Zoom Suit interior artists are anxious to visit comic shops for signings and to meet and greet fans of Zoom Suit.
Zoom Suit is solicited in the February edition of PREVIEWS for items shipping in April 2006. For additional information please visit www.superverse.com
