The Groundbreaking DC Comics Artist Will Be Honored All Weekend Long With Retrospective Panels And VIP Signings

Congers, NY (April 23, 2008) - Superstar artist J.G. Jones has been a guiding creative force at DC Comics for years and is now being named the Guest of Honor for the upcoming Wizard World Philadelphia comic convention. His wide breadth of work and iconic depictions of the company's legendary characters has redefined the visual style of the DC Universe.

Jones took on the task of producing 52 covers in as many weeks for the highly successful 52 maxi-series. The series had lasting repercussions for the DCU and spawned numerous spin-offs, including Booster Gold and Countdown. The covers for 52 showed Jones' wide range of artistic ability, from classically structured layouts of gorgeously rendered heroes to edgier compositions paying homage to vintage movie posters and the use of magazine formatting. Jones' next project, the epic Final Crisis, promises to be an even bigger event than 52. Re-teaming with acclaimed writer Grant Morrison, Jones will illustrate the greatest battle in DC history. The tale will span seven issues and has been called the "Lord of the Rings" of the DCU by its creators. The pair previously collaborated on Marvel Boy for the Marvel Knights line of comics.

"It's incredibly flattering and unexpected to be named Guest of Honor," Jones said while illustrating the pages of the upcoming Final Crisis. "I'm incredibly thankful!"

With the first issue of Final Crisis shipping on May 28, two days before Wizard World Philadelphia, the show will be the perfect venue to discuss the project which Jones will do in depth with a thorough Director's Commentary on Final Crisis #1 with sneak peeks at upcoming issues.

Jones gained acclaim and respect through his work on Mark Millar's supervillain opus, Wanted, now a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie, set in a world where heroes are the stuff of fairy tales and villains rule all. He has also produced memorable covers for Wonder Woman, Black Widow, Wildcats, Avengers, Superboy and Y: The Last Man.

"With Final Crisis guaranteed to be one of the major events of 2008, J.G. Jones is positioned as one of the top talents in the comics industry and Wizard is thrilled to have him as Guest of Honor at Wizard World Philadelphia," said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. "Combined with the upcoming 'Wanted' movie based on the Mark Millar-J.G. Jones comic, 2008 is really shaping up as a defining year for J.G."

Wizard World, the largest family-friendly comics and pop culture convention in the central U.S., returns to Philadelphia May 30 to June 1 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. For a complete list of events, registration forms, guests, panels, ticket prices, and times, please visit www.wizardworld.com.

About Wizard

Wizard Entertainment is the industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market that publishes Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture, ToyFare: The Toy Magazine and Anime Insider, as well as Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment and Special Operations. Wizard's publications have a monthly national readership of more than two million and are currently sold in 25 countries and five languages. Wizard World, the convention division of Wizard Entertainment, is a four city tour that brings the best in comics, film, television, anime and collectibles to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Texas. WizardUniverse.com is the online for all of Wizard's publications and its content spans the full range of Wizard's pop culture subject manner. For the latest news of interest to readers of all Wizard publications, Wizard Universe can be found online at www.wizarduniverse.com.