PRESS RELEASE:
For immediate release: August 1, 2010
LEGENDARY MARVEL CREATOR ADDS HIS SUPPORT TO EAGLE INITIATIVE
BARRY Renshaw and Cassandra Conroy are delighted to announce that Stan Lee –
the celebrated co-creator of such enduring Marvel characters as Spider-Man,
the Fantastic Four, the Hulk and the X-Men – has agreed to become patron of
the Eagle Initiative.
Agreeing to give his backing to the innovative worldwide talent search, Lee
said, 'Way back in 1976 mine was the first name enrolled on the Eagle Awards
Roll of Honour and I'm thrilled, lo these many years later, to be invited to
be a patron of this pioneering initiative which stems from such prestigious
and long-running prizes.
"Breaking into comic books has never been easy and I think it's great that
Barry and Cassandra are devoting their energies to helping newcomers from
around the world get their foot on – and up – the ladder," added the
venerated writer. "I'm delighted to add my name to the Eagle Initiative and
wish every contestant all the best, both with their entries and their
subsequent careers. Who knows, this ambitious project might lead to the
discovery of a 21st century Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko... or Stan Lee!"
Responding to the celebrated Marvel creator's comments, Renshaw – who is
spearheading the project – said, "Having an industry legend like Stan Lee
not only support the Initiative but agree to be its patron is both
incredibly exciting and humbling at the same time. I certainly never
expected to receive the amount of interest and support from industry
professionals that we have done over just a few short months, and everyone
behind the scenes at the Initiative is absolutely dedicated to making sure
we live up to their faith in the endeavour."
Now heading up the Eagle Awards, Cassandra Conroy added, "The Marvel
Universe had just had its 30th birthday when I came into this world but my
dad familarised me with those classic early stories throughout my formative
years. It is, therefore, a great honour to have Stan Lee not only support us
on the Initiative but also be so enthusiastic about what Barry is doing. I'm
sure his involvement will catapult the Initiative and the Eagle Awards
themselves into the wider public spotlight."
Eagle Awards founder Mike Conroy is serving as a consultant and publicist to
the Initiative. He commented, "Things just keep getting better for Barry and
Cassandra. The industry has been behind them from the start but to get
backing from the living legend that is Stan Lee just turns things up to 11!"
For further details on the Initiative, a full list of judges and complete
submission guidelines, go to http://www.eaglesinitiative.com/. For press
enquiries, contact Mike Conroy: eagleawards@btconnect.com. For further
details on the Eagle Awards, contact Cassandra Conroy:
eagleawards@gmail.com.
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ABOUT THE EAGLES INITIATIVE:
Launched in May 2010, the Eagles Initiative provides a unique platform from
which the next generation of writers and artists can promote their
storytelling ability in an increasingly competitive market. The brainchild
of Barry Renshaw, the Initiative is an unprecedented global talent search,
entrants will be asked to submit an original self-contained illustrated
story. The winner will be awarded a £1,000 cash prize; the runner up will
win £500 with the third place submission being given £250. All three stories
are to be included in the Initiative Anthology, which will be released as a
print publication and in multiple languages across the digital media.
ABOUT THE EAGLE AWARDS:
Introduced in 1976, the Eagles are the comics industry's longest established
awards. Unique in that they reflect the people's choice, they are awarded by
fans who vote for their favourite in each category of the awards. They are
named after the fondly remembered 1950's British comic anthology Eagle, and
were originated by two British fans, Mike Conroy and Richard Burton. The
awards proved to be successful, with American publishers announcing their
victories with pride. They have relaunched in 2010 with a new look, a new
mandate and a new vision for the future.
ABOUT STAN LEE:
Stan Lee is the man whose co-created superheroes such as Spider-Man, the
X-Men, Iron Man and many others have been monster movie hits and helped make
Marvel Comics the dominant force in the comicbook industry.
Without question, Stan 'the Man' Lee has exerted more influence over
comicbooks than anyone in history. The numbers are staggering – more than 2
billion Marvel Comics have been published in 75 countries and in 25
languages. In Europe alone, Stan Lee's name appears on over 35 million
comics annually.
He supervised such diverse animated series as X-Men, Spider-Man and The
Hulk. To date, Stan's characters have populated over 24 separate television
series, all of which continue in syndication around the world.
Additionally, many of Stan's other creations, such as the Hulk, the
Fantastic Four and Daredevil have been major motion pictures with no end in
sight for the sequels, while Doct or Strange, the Mighty Thor, Avengers and
Silver Surfer, plus many others, are in development for motion pictures even
as you read these words.
Stan Lee's admirers are not limited to the younger generation – his avowed
fans include Presidents (Ronald Reagan once said he started every day
reading Spider-Man comics and George Bush, in presenting Stan a Medal of the
Arts, praised him for encouraging and assisting "millions of young people to
broaden their own imaginations") and even his competitors ("Most of my
generation of writers learned our craft from or through Stan Lee. He's an
incredible part of the business," said Paul Levitz of DC Comics).
Now, as he enters the 21st Century, Stan Lee is broadening his horizons.
Stan is currently developing entirely new franchise for film and television
with his own company POW! Entertainment while still proudly cherishing the
title of Chairman Emeritus of Marvel.
ABOUT BARRY RENSHAW:
Barry Renshaw has been an active creator in the UK independent comics
industry for over a decade, as publisher of his own Engine Comics imprint,
the award winning Redeye Magazine, and the popular How to Self Publish - A
Rough Guide, as well as running or appearing at various workshops, seminars
and panels over the years. He was asked to join the Eagle Awards committee
in 2009 to help reinvent the brand, and saw an opportunity for the Awards to
play a more progressive and proactive role in the comics industry. The
Initiative is the first part of that expanded role.
ABOUT CASSANDRA CONROY:
Cassandra Conroy has been a regular presence on the UK convention scene for
several years. In 2008 her father Mike Conroy handed over the running of the
Eagle Awards to Cassandra, who was then just 16-years old. She has worked on
Eaglemoss's Classic Marvel Figurine Collection and DC Comics Super Hero
Collection.
ABOUT MIKE CONROY:
Formerly editor of Comics International, Europe's trade paper, veteran
comics journalist and historian Mike Conroy is the founder of the Eagle
Awards. Established in 1976, they are one of the comics industry's earliest
established and most coveted international prizes. Sought after to talk
about comics and movies on TV and radio, Mike has written extensively on
those subjects for various publishers and magazines. He is the author of 500
Great Comic Book Action Heroes its sequel 500 Comic Book Villains and War
Stories: A Graphic History as well as a major contributor to Comix: The
Underground Revolution. His former position on CI followed his 10-year reign
as the magazine's news editor. For over 12 years, his monthly Frame to Frame
– the comics industry's longest-running column discussing the interaction
between movies and comics – had been a feature in CI, which he had been
associated with since the magazine's very beginnings in 1991. Contact him
at: demigod@btconnect.com.
Attachments:
Press release – LEGENDARY MARVEL CREATOR ADDS HIS SUPPORT TO EAGLE
INITIATIVE as Word.doc
Stan Lee photo as JPEG
Eagle Awards logo as PSD
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