Starting Monday, July 28, mobile phone users, web surfers can enjoy Stephen King's latest work in a ground-breaking series of 25 original video episodes.
The series of video episodes were created through a unique partnership between Scribner and Simon & Schuster Digital, Marvel Entertainment, and CBS Mobile, and is believed to be the first comic-style book adaptation specifically developed and published for viewing on multiple small screen platforms.
Starting today, viewers can go to
www.NisHere.com or
www.simonsays.com to see a preview of the episodes, which will also be unveiled at Comic-Con International in San Diego today at a panel event featuring the creators of this pioneering venture.
The episodes are based on King's original and previously unpublished story "N.", the tale of a psychiatrist who becomes the victim of the same mysterious and deadly obsession as his patient, and which will be included in his forthcoming collection of short stories Just After Sunset (Scribner, November 11, 2008) and published as a comic book miniseries by Marvel launching in 2009.
Featuring sophisticated production values, the episodes were drawn by award-winning comic book artist Alex Maleev, whose work has appeared on NBC's "Heroes" and colored by famed comic book colorist José Villarrubia, best known for his collaborations with Alan Moore. They were adapted by Marc Guggenheim, co-creator of the ABC-TV series "Eli Stone" with creative oversight from Stephen King. The episodes are presented in a highly designed "pan and scan" format, complete with comic book style graphics, an original score, sound effects, and a full cast of voiceovers that includes Emmy and Golden Globe award nominee actor Ben Shenkman.
Stephen King commented: "I'm always interested in new delivery systems for stories, and always curious about how those systems work with the old story-telling verities. This one, it seems to me, works extraordinarily well."
Beginning Monday, July 28 and running through Friday, August 29 the video episodes (each running approximately two minutes), will be released in serial fashion on consecutive weekdays for five weeks, at no additional charge to mobile users, through the largest mobile carriers. As an added bonus for consumers, the episodes will also be available on the web through the CBS Audience
Network, capable of reaching 92% of the U.S.-based online audience, and at
www.NisHere.com. Visitors to
www.NisHere.com will also be able to embed the player and videos on blogs and social networking sites, and to pre-order the book.
"The series of "N." mobile episodes is a groundbreaking moment in visual storytelling, multimedia entertainment, and content development," said Ruwan Jayatilleke, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development-Acquisitions, Marvel Entertainment, Inc. "The synergy between Marvel, Scribner, and CBS in bringing this venture in entertainment to fruition has been phenomenal. So it's only fitting that such collaboration could occur only under the auspices and creative inspiration of Stephen King and his infectious storytelling."
San Diego Comic-Con attendees can learn more at the following panel:
WHAT: Marvel To the Nth Degree
WHEN: Friday, 7/25/08, 3:30pm – 4:30pm PT
WHERE: Room 6A, San Diego Comic Con
Marvel unveils a covert project—an unprecedented way to experience a new work by Stephen King. Featuring Joe Quesada (Marvel Editor-in-Chief), Ruwan Jayatilleke (SVP Marvel Strategic Development) and others. The game is about to be changed. Read the original announcement
here.
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