September 23^rd, 2005 (12:52pm) - Backbone Entertainment and Image Comics announced today the forthcoming publication of the Death, Jr. trade paperback. The paperback will include all three previously released and critically-acclaimed issues of Death, Jr. Comic legend Mike Mignola (Hellboy) has signed on to draw the cover of the trade.

"I picked up Death, Jr. for my daughter. I thought the character was very cute, and that, combined with the whole death and monsters thing would go over well with her," says Mignola. "I was right. She loved it. So how could I say no to doing the cover for the trade paperback? I couldn’t."

Featuring the art of Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Gloomcookie) and the writing of Gary Whitta (Reaper) Death, Jr. tells the story of the son of the grim reaper and his band of misfit friends. Part of the appeal of the book is the quirky cast of friends: Pandora, a little goth girl, Smith & Weston, conjoined twins, Stigmartha, a girl who bleeds when she gets nervous, and The Seep, an armless, legless, foreign exchange student in a jar.

"Image Comics is proud to be associated with the Death, Jr. franchise," says Image PR and Marketing Coordinator Jim Demonakos. "The comic itself is funny, clever and inventive - Ted Naifeh’s art is expressive and clean, while Gary Whitta’s script is sharp and appeals both to a younger and an older audience, a rare feat. We look forward to doing more Death, Jr. comics in the future!

In addition to the comic series, the first issue of which completely sold out of its first printing, Death, Jr. is also an exclusive title for the PSP. T-shirts developed by Ripple Junction are already available in stores, and action figures developed by Gentle Giant are scheduled to ship by the end of the month.

"We’re thrilled with the success of the Death, Jr. franchise," says Mike Mika, studio head of Backbone’s Emeryville office. "The comic has been extremely successful, and now that Mike Mignola has drawn the cover of the trade, we couldn’t be happier."

The Death, Jr. trade is solicited in the September issue of Diamond PREVIEWS magazine and will hit shelves in November.