Märchen Dreamfaktory’s "Darkside" Goes Platinum

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 23, 2008 – Los Angeles, CA –  When Tony Mark and Gary Laib got together to talk about Darkside, they knew they had something special.  Apparently, the folks in charge of the Platinum Studio Comic Book Challenge agree.

Mark, a screenwriter and independent film director, had an idea for a dark period piece that touched on all of the film genres he loved as a kid.  The screenplay soon followed.  Darkside, a tale of crime lords, ninjas and vampires stages an epic gangland war during the days of prohibition.  A fantastic premise sidelined by its even more fantastic budget.  

Enter Gary Laib, freelance artist and illustrator.  

“Gary’s art so perfectly depicted what I had imagined Darkside to be,” says Mark.  “I knew immediately that I wanted this to be a comic book.”  With the entry period for Platinum Studio’s Comic Book Challenge merely days away, their timing could not have been more perfect.

With entries from North and South America and even as far as Spain, India and Singapore, the Comic Book Challenge has become an international affair with a grand prize being publication.  Platinum Studios receives so many entries they have to whittle down the field before presenting a final list of 50 to their celebrity judges.  Those 50 will be whittled down to 10 Semi-Finalists who, beginning August 11th, must face an Internet vote to decide their fate. Included in their final 50, Darkside.  

However, even if Tony and Gary don’t win the contest, they’re certain Darkside will be published.  So much so, they have created their own comic book company, Märchen Dreamfaktory.

The Märchen (German for a folktale or fairy story) mission statement tells it best: “Märchen Dreamfaktory is comprised of an eclectic group of artists and writers, using their wide range of knowledge and experience to produce genre-spanning graphic novels. While focused primarily on comic books, this inspired collective aspires to branch out into video games, animated series, and even feature films.”
www.marchendreamfaktory.com