June 28^th, 2005 (5:28pm) - Backbone, part of Foundation 9 Entertainment, the largest independent game developer in North America, today announced their participation in Comic-Con International, the largest comic related merchandise show in the Western hemisphere. Backbone will be exhibiting at booth 5321, from July 14-17, 2005, and has a number of events scheduled to show off its hot property Death Jr. and other new original properties from the company.

"Comic-Con is a massive showcase of the hottest properties in the comic book world and Death Jr. will be prominently displayed for its growing fan base," said Mike Mika, creative director of Backbone Emeryville. "With a video game, critically acclaimed comic book series, action figures, an art book, t-shirts, and even a feature film in pre-production with Circle of Confusion, Death, Jr. has finally arrived!"

The Death Jr. videogame, developed by Backbone and published by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. exclusively for the PSP, will be playable in the booth each day. Death, Jr. merchandise will also be on sale including issues #1 and #2 of the comic book, limited edition hardcover Death, Jr. art books, and special limited edition Death Jr. t-shirts.

The creative team behind the creation of the Death Jr. comic, Ted Naifeh, artist, and Gary Whitta, writer, will also be on hand in the booth on July 16th, from 1PM-3PM signing copies of the comics. Backbone will also be distributing free Death Jr. posters and free comics featuring three new original properties from the company during the show.
Now that the videogame and comic book series are nearing completion, the creators of Death Jr. will discuss the trials and triumphs associated with bringing this original property to the masses during a dedicated panel at Comic-Con titled, "Death, Jr.: A Look Back." The panel will take place on Sunday, July 11th from 10:30-11:30AM in Room 6A, and will feature Backbone’s Mike Mika and Chris Charla discussing the videogame, and Ted Naifeh and Gary Whitta discussing the comic.

Comic-Con is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California July 14th-17th. For information on Comic-Con, click on the following link: