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<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Foolish mortals everywhere will have reason to host their own swinging
wakes when SLG Publishing, in partnership with Disney Publishing Worldwide,
releases the first issue of The Haunted Mansion, a comic book anthology based
on the classic Disney E-Ticket attraction. Scheduled for an October 2005
release, The Haunted Mansion will feature stories by some of SLG Publishing's
top creators including Roman Dirge (Lenore), Serena Valentino (Gloomcookie,
Nightmares & Fairy Tales), as well as from some talented newcomers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Haunted</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mansion</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> comic book will
draw from the strong visual elements of the ride for its stories and will not
be based on the feature film. "The ride's elements really lend itself to
an anthology comic book" commented SLG Publishing president and series editor
Dan Vado. "There are 999 ghosts living in the mansion, that means there is
potential for 999 different stories."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>The comic, in a series of stories that will run through the first
several issues, will create a new backstory for the Mansion and tell the
intertwining stories of The Ghost Host, Madame Leotta, and the Bride who
resides in the attic. How they all came to be in the mansion, and the mansion's
powerful attraction to spirits and ghouls, will all be revealed. "The goal
is to create a comic book that feels like a little piece of the ride living in
your bookshelf," added Vado. "The end result should be something that
will satisfy the casual reader as well as the hard core ride fans (like myself)
who have spent good chunks of their lives riding The Haunted Mansion over and
over again."<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>Vado admits that the partnership between SLG Publishing and Disney
seems like an odd fit. Known for comics like Lenore, a dark humor comic
featuring stories about a little dead girl by Roman Dirge, SLG is hoping that the
combination of the companies' creative sensibilities and Disney's vast wealth
of characters will make for, at the very minimum, some interesting comic books.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><font size=2 face="Courier New"><span style='font-size:
10.0pt'>The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Haunted</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mansion</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> will be a 32-page
black & white comic book with a cover price of $2.95. Covers will be by
Roman Dirge. The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Haunted</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Mansion</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> will be available
at better comic book stores and select book stores this October, as well as on
Amazon.com and at Hot Topic stores.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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