Founders Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti Will Discuss The Influential Imprint's Past And Future At Wizard World Philly May 30-June 1

Congers, NY (May 9, 2008) - It's been a decade since four Marvel icons became Marvel Knights and changed the landscape of the Marvel Universe, allowing uncompromising reality and edgy re-imaginings to have a prominent place in the company. Those four iconic titles, Daredevil, Punisher, Black Panther and The Inhumans, rocked the world of comics and received both fan and critical praise. Now you can join two of the architects of this comic book revolution, Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada and writer/artist Jimmy Palmiotti for a candid look at Marvel Knights.

• Marvel's long-running Daredevil title was re-launched with superstar film writer/director Kevin Smith working with Marvel Knights founders Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti. The back-to-basics approach reestablished Daredevil as a powerhouse character to be both respected by comic fans and feared by criminals everywhere. Kevin Smith's involvement attracted enormous publicity, leading many high-profile Hollywood names like Joss Whedon to the paneled page. Following the initial run, writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev enjoyed a lengthy stint that earned them multiple Eisner Awards.

• Under the Marvel Knights imprint, The Punisher was allowed to be as unapologetically gritty as creative teams wanted. The initial miniseries by Christopher Golden successfully removed any of the Punisher's soft edges. The following miniseries and ongoing series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon has returned the Punisher to a previously unheard level of fame and respect, with the creative team producing some of the best Punisher stories of all time.

• Few comics have been as critically lauded as Christopher Priest's dramatic Black Panther. Priest's stories sparked an interest in the character that has led to attention from Hollywood and raised the Panther's role in the Marvel Universe itself.

• The Inhumans went from being underused supporting characters in Fantastic Four to starring in their own Eisner Award-winning miniseries. Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's Inhumans rounded out the initial line of Marvel Knights series and gave the classic Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creations the attention they deserved.

The events in Marvel Knights comics have gone on to have a wider impact in the rest of the Marvel Universe. Peter David's Madrox limited series spawned the current hit series X-Factor and both Grant Morrison's Marvel Boy and Paul Jenkins' Sentry regularly appear in the Avengers line of comics, both promising to play a big role in the mega-event Secret Invasion!

Currently, the Marvel Knights imprint is home to the series Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas written by "Iron Man" director Jon Favreau and illustrated by artistic visionary Adi Granov. The critically acclaimed Logan miniseries by Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso is also the result of Marvel Knight's continued contribution of gritty, character-based stories.

Come join Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada and writer/artist Jimmy Palmiotti as they dissect 10 of the grittiest years in Marvel Comics history. You can purchase your tickets for Wizard World Philadelphia at 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 and WizardWorld.com are the online outlets 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.