Cat Officially Out of Bag

Villard Acquires Rights to Fialkov’s and Tuazon’s Elk’s Run

New York, NY – June 5, 2006 – Villard, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, announced today that it will be publishing Elk’s Run by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon. The graphic novel will collect the complete eight-issue comic book series, and will give readers their first opportunity to finally read the story all the way through to its explosive conclusion.

Elk’s Run has been nominated for an astounding seven Harvey awards (Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Limited Series, Best Letterer, Best Cover Artist, Best New Talent, Best Single Issue). The acclaimed comics series has had an interesting publishing history. Originally self-published by Fialkov’s Hoarse and Buggy, Elk’s Run moved to Speakeasy only to have the fledgling company go bankrupt in late 2005, leaving the story unfinished and its fans anxiously awaiting its exciting conclusion.

In an era filled with threat levels and faceless enemies, the people of Elk’s Ridge have created their own slice of heaven–serene. Serene, safe, and completely cut off from the rest of the world. When the evils of the outside world start to invade, the townspeople will do anything that it takes to keep their existence intact… even murder. Forced to decide between a life of isolation and fear, or the unknown outside world, the teenagers of the town must face their parents and their own worst nightmares in a game of cat and mouse that can only end one way.

The story was hailed by Variety as “creepy and fun in a good way” and given a grade of A- by the paper. Entertainment Weekly gave Elk’s Run a solid A and commended the series for its “tactile sense of dread.”

“This has been one the most unexpected adventures in publishing I could possibly imagine. I never dreamed that one day we would end up with such a wonderful company and incredible people like the folks at Villard…” said Fialkov. “Our devoted fans and their undying support have really kept us going.”

“I’ve had my eye on Elk’s Run since last summer,” said acquiring editor Dallas Middaugh. “There’s a reason reviewers and comics professionals have been so excited about it. I’m very, very happy to be able to publish the complete series at last, and to give it the presentation it deserves.”

About the Writer

Harvey Award Nominee for Best New Talent and Best Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov is the creator of the hit indie anthology Western Tales of Terror, as well as the internet cult hit Poorly Drawn Animals. His comic work has appeared in books for Boom Studios, IDW Publishing, and all across the internet. He was raised in Pittsburgh, and currently enjoys a writer’s life in Los Angeles.

About the Artist

Harvey Award Nominee for Best Artist Noel Tuazon was born in the Philippines, but has lived most of his life in Toronto, Ontario. His work has appeared in several anthologies (including Taboo Especial, Cerebus Bi-Weekly, Dennis Eichorn’s Real Stuff, Drawing the Line 1 & 2, Frecklebean Comics, Adventure Classics, Fleshrot 2 & it’s Halloween Special,) plus a handful of mini-series (Arianne by Rafael Nieves, Redchapel by Caleb Monroe, and Johnny Repeat by Jason and Elizabeth James). He most recently illustrated the children’s book Sunny Bear’s Rainy Day by Caryn A. Tate.

About the Publisher

Villard Books, named after the Stanford White brownstone mansion on Madison Avenue that was the home of Random House for twenty years, was founded in 1983. It publishes a general nonfiction and fiction list that has positioned itself on the leading edge of popular culture. Among the bestselling authors it has published are Jon Krakauer, Eve Ensler, Governor Jesse Ventura and Peter Greenberg, the “Travel Detective.” It is also known for its titles in the areas of humor, personal narrative, and new-voice fiction, including the books of Laurie Notaro and Jon Katz. Visit the Villard website at www.villard.com