Marvel Comics & Wizard World Reveal 'Superior Iron Man #1' Exclusive Variant Cover By Ty Templeton For Reno

New York, NY, October 17, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Marvel Comics and Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) today revealed the latest and final edition of the 2014 series of exclusive variant covers of the best Marvel titles with the unveiling of Superior Iron Man #1, drawn by noted Canadian artist Ty Templeton. VIP attendees at the inaugural Wizard World Reno Comic Con, November 21-23 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, will receive a free copy of the limited-edition book at registration.

Templeton is scheduled to be on site at the event to sign copies of Superior Iron Man #1 (autograph fees may apply). Leading professional comic grader CGC will also be on hand to accept books for grading and Signature Series.

"Ty Templeton's Iron Man is a striking, bold way to complete this popular Marvel limited edition series. These books have been a big hit all year and having such a talented artist and new Hall of Famer create the final issue is a great bonus for our VIP attendees."

John Macaluso, CEO, Wizard World

The exclusive version of Superior Iron Man #1 will be limited to 3,000 copies and provided free at registration to all Wizard World Reno Comic Con VIP attendees, including any celebrity VIP packages.

Templeton's work follows the first 15 entries in 2014: Miracleman #1 and Miracleman #2, both drawn by Eisner Award Hall of Famer Neal Adams for Portland Comic Con (Jan. 24-26) and New Orleans Comic Con (Feb. 7-9), respectively; Wolverine #1, illustrated by noted cover artist Greg Horn, for Sacramento Comic Con (March 7-9); Daredevil #1 by Michael Golden for Louisville Comic Con (March 28-30); Wolverine & The X-Men #1 by David Mack for St. Louis Comic Con (April 4-6); Hulk #1 by Mike Grell for Minneapolis Comic Con (May 2-4); John Tyler Christopher's Amazing Spider-Man #1 for Atlanta Comic Con (May 30 – June 1); Amazing Spider-Man #1.2 by J.G. Jones for Philadelphia Comic Con (June 19-22); 100th Anniversary X-Men Special #1 by Jorge Molina for San Antonio Comic Con (Aug. 1-3); Guardians of the Galaxy #17 by Alvaro Martinez for Chicago Comic Con (Aug. 21-24); Death of Wolverine #1 by Christopher for Richmond Comic Con (Sept. 12-14); God of Thunder #25 by Tom Raney for Nashville Comic Con (Sept. 26-28); and Captain America #25 by Julian Totino Tedesco for Austin Comic Con (Oct. 2-4). Carlo Barberi has also completed a variant of Death Of Wolverine: The Logan Legacy #1 for Ohio Comic Con (Oct. 31-Nov. 2), as has Grell for Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #1 for Tulsa Comic Con (Nov. 7-9).

“Superior Iron Man is going to be a thrill from page 1, panel 1,” says Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing David Gabriel. “Tony Stark is going to be put through the wringer and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Ty Templeton commemorate the first issue with this exciting variant cover!”

A newly-minted member of the Canadian Comic Book Creator Hall of Fame, Templeton has worked on such characters as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, The Simpsons, the Avengers, among many others. The Shuster Award-winning and Eisner Award-nominated writer and artist has hundreds of credits, including his own graphic novel, Bigg Time and cult favorite Stig's Inferno.

“Ty Templeton's Iron Man is a striking, bold way to complete this popular Marvel limited edition series,” says John Macaluso, Wizard World CEO. “These books have been a big hit all year and having such a talented artist and new Hall of Famer create the final issue is a great bonus for our VIP attendees.”

Be Superior! How much would you pay for perfection? Beauty? Immortality? Tony Stark knows, and he’s ready to give it to you in Superior Iron Man #1! But at a terrible price. Spinning out of Avengers & X-Men: AXIS, the old Tony Stark is back, only this time he’s SUPERIOR! More stylish, more confident, and more cunning than ever before. And he’s ready to lead you into the future! San Francisco is about to become the prototype for his new world concept. The first step? Release Extremis upon the entire city! Only Daredevil isn’t down with Stark’s new vision of the future. Does the Man Without Fear have a place in the city of tomorrow? A bold new direction for the Armored Avenger begins this November from the all-new creative team of Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Earth 2) and Yildray Cinar (Supergirl).

Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead, Boondock Saints), William Shatner (“Star Trek,” “Boston Legal”), Jewel Staite (“Firefly,” “Stargate: Atlantis”), Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness, Evil Dead), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Brian's Song), Adam West and Burt Ward (“Batman”) and WWE® Superstar Roman Reigns™ and Divas The Bella Twins™ are among the celebrities scheduled to attend Wizard World Reno Comic Con. It is the final of 16 events scheduled in the 2014 series and will also feature a variety of activities, exhibitors and special attractions.

In addition to Templeton, superstar comics creators scheduled to attend include Eisner Award Hall of Famer Neal Adams (“Batman,” “X-Men”), Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), Kevin Maguire (“Justice League,” “Batman Confidential”), Michael Golden (“Hulk,” “Star Wars”), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Ken Kelly (KISS album covers, “He-Man”), Pop Mhan (“DC Universe vs. The Masters of the Universe,” “Gears of War”), Greg Horn (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Avengers”) and many others.

For more on the 2014 Wizard Reno Comic Con, go to www.wizd.me/RenoPR.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information, visit www.marvel.com.

About Wizard World
Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD) produces Comic Cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A's, the Wizard World Film Festival, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World also produces socialcon featuring social media stars and will be launching ConTV, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM).

Wizard World Remaining 2014 Schedule
October 31-November 2 – Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
November 7-9 – Wizard World Tulsa Comic Con
November 21-23 – Wizard World Reno Comic Con

Wizard World 2015 schedule available at: wizd.me/PRSchedule2015.