THE DARK COMEDY Sees The Light Of Day

PORTMANTOE PRODUCTIONS and KAEDE STUDIOS are pleased to announce the launch of THE DARK COMEDY. In the works since 2007, THE DARK COMEDY franchise makes its long-awaited debut in the comic book world with the next stage being an on-screen episodic. THE DARK COMEDY series, developed and written by Benjamin Israel (BEYBLADE: METAL MASTERS, ARTHUR, JULIUS JR.), is a Japanese manga-style comic book featuring darker themes cut with dry humour and off-beat fun. The story explores the world and motivations of the criminal underworld as four up-and-coming super-villains ally to combine forces against the local superhero.

"I was fortunate in getting some really amazing people on board for the project," creator Benjamin Israel said. "My friends and renowned voice-acting colleagues Scott McNeil and Rob Tinkler have joined to voice the main characters." Scott McNeil (DRAGON BALL Z, X-MEN: EVOLUTION, MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC) will voice Deadpan, a psychotic and surprisingly fun-loving ex-gangster, while Rob Tinkler (SAM & MAX, THE NUT JOB, BEYBLADE: METAL MASTERS) will voice The Con, a money-hungry con-man with a taste for the dramatic.

The series aims for a young adult audience hungering for the intelligent and darker edge so lacking in the genre of late. Its appeal is a quick-witted narrative that lends a less black-and-white view into the lives of the criminals we always see being struck down by hyperbolically shining heroes. The message of the series is that super-villains have lives too, and it aims to tell their story in place of the traditional hero tale. But make no mistake; the protagonists of THE DARK COMEDY are not good people, nor are they portrayed as such. They're bad and they know it.

"THE DARK COMEDY has been a long journey in the making," Israel continued. "It began as a television script and then morphed into cartoon and Internet shorts before we settled on the manga style comic book. We approached major publicity reps from Toronto to LA and in between, and there was so much interest but then we realized this is something we wanted to do ourselves - we have complete control over quality and this allows our audience to participate as well. With Kickstarter, we can bring a more organic approach to entertainment by playing with a range of mediums as we've grown accustomed to doing."

US-Canadian film/entertainment publicist Lon Haber (DOG EAT DOG, BRÜNO, ENTOURAGE, CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-TERRORIST) and an executive producer on the project, has joined the all-star team to get the project out to audiences globally.

"THE DARK COMEDY aims to fill a void in the global marketplace, helping to pave the way for commercially viable genre-driven projects with major followings, to be accessible to eager audiences all over the world," said Haber. "Between the expertise of Benjamin Israel and his celebrated team, THE DARK COMEDY incorporates these vital elements while remaining true to its artistic integrity."

THE DARK COMEDY Kickstarter campaign is unique for a comic book. In addition to backer rewards such as first issue copies and personalized online thank-you calls, the campaign also features rewards involving voice acting and voice actors, notably a full voice-acted rendition of the first issue. A handful of backers can even choose minor character creation or a unique get-together lunch with the creators and the voice actors in Toronto.

This March, you can find THE DARK COMEDY - Manga Style Comic on Kickstarter. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kaedestudios/940754345 to view the campaign and make a contribution. You can also visit http://www.thedarkcomedy.com/ for more information.

Production includes writers Benjamin Israel and Adam Priesz, artist Don Moldez, and voice actors Scott McNeil and Rob Tinkler.

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