October 18, 2002, Runnemede, NJ - It's always brightest before the darkness falls. In this case, The Darkness Prelude from Dynamic Forces and Top Cow is set to shine the way for Darkness #1 from Top Cow.

"When Dynamic Forces president Nick Barrucci approached us about creating an exclusive lead-in story to the new Darkness #1, it seemed like a good idea," said Matt Hawkins, President of Top Cow Productions, Inc. "When he told me he had Jae Lee already signed up to do the art and Paul Jenkins on board to write, how could I refuse? Jae and Paul are gods in their respective craft and putting them together as a precursor to one of our biggest books of the year works out perfectly for us."

The Darkness Prelude (Volume 2) begins the process of reintroducing mobster Jackie Estacado to the world of graphic literature. But this time, thanks to the writing of Paul Jenkins and the talented penciling of Jae Lee, Estacado glows with renewed vigor and energy in this limited edition story that needed to be told.

Paul Jenkins states "The Darkness is about atmosphere: there is a character in every shadow, and this is what I have tried to portray in this script. I need say nothing more about Jae and Jose than that they drew every single character I asked for."

"This is a great chance to work with Paul on a totally different type of character. I feel like I'm creating some of my best work between this and the Captain America story I'm working on right now, so I am really happy to be doing this!" Jae Lee!

Jae Lee and Paul Jenkins, the team responsible for the Eisner award winning series the Inhumans, have turned the Darkness into a truly frightening creation in this Prelude. Jackie Estacado is now a haunted man: gone are the superheroesque accouterments and the goblin retinue. This is an anti-hero reminiscent of the long-gone Hellshock, with a dark side more reminiscent of Joel Peter Witkin than of J. R. R. Tolkien. Definitely not for the faint at heart!

"This year, both Jae and I were nominated for the Eisner awards for our efforts in Fantastic Four 1234, and nine pages from it were exhibited in the Museum of American Illustration in New York City. It is an honor, as well as a pleasure to collaborate with him again and help bring to life his vision of this very different Darkness." Jose Villarrubia

"I have the highest regards for Marc Silvestri and the creators of Top Cow and I think that the team of Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee is one of the most brilliant contemporary teams of our time. Their Inhumans series is just brilliant. When Jae mentioned he had a little downtime in between Captain America scripts, he jumped on the chance to work with Paul," added Barrucci. "It is some of Jae's most fantastic work, the script by Paul is just brilliant - I would have expected no less from him -- and this is a story fans will really love."

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Dynamic Forces is teaming up with Top Cow productions to bring you stories by Mark Millar, Bill Sienkiewicz, John Cassaday, Peter Milligan, Geoff Johns and Mark Texeira! Stay tuned for more information!

The Darkness Prelude Dynamic Forces and Top Cow exclusive comic is scheduled to ship in November -- in time to accompany the release of Darkness #1.

This exclusive story has two covers and each cover is limited to 5,000 copies IN THE WORLD! Each copy comes with a certificate with authenticity.
Also available is a signed version and a Re-Marked by Jae Lee!
And for the ultra-collectors there is the CGC Graded Edition!
For more information, please visit the Dynamic Forces web site at www.dynamicforces.com.