Beckett Publications has acquired the license for fan magazines and comics based on the third Terminator movie, T3:  Rise of the Machines, a major summer release (see 'Best in Shows -- 2003').  The fan magazines will be targeted toward the mass market and the comics toward pop culture stores. 

 

The first Beckett T3 release will be the first issue of the three-shot, bi-monthly fan magazine, in May.  The magazines will be about 100 pages for $9.95, in a format similar to Beckett's Beckett Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector or Best of DBZ Collector.  Each issue will carry 20-30 preview comic pages to whet interest for the comics.  They will be distributed widely in similar channels to Beckett's collector magazines (see 'Beckett Ships 800,000 Yu-Gi-Oh! Collector #4'), in addition to being available through pop culture stores. 

 

Comic releases will start monthly in June with the first issue of a two-shot monthly prequel, Terminator 3:  Before the Rise.  The first issue will be an oversize $6.95 perfect-bound book; subsequent issues will be $5.95 perfect-bound comics.  It will be written by Ivan Brandon, from a story idea by Jeff Amano, with art by Goran Parlov and Salgood Sam, and colors by Paul Mounts and Matthew Hollingsworth. 

 

The second set of comic issues will be a two-shot movie adaptation, Eyes of the Rise, which will tell the movie story from the point of view of the T-X, the new Terminator introduced in the film.  The story adaptation will be by Miles Gunter, pencils by Mike Hawthorne, inks by Rick Remender, and colors by Matt Hollingsworth. 

 

Two of the covers for these first four Terminator comics will be by Simon Bisley and two by Hajime Soriyama, ensuring strong commercial quality.  Monthly Terminator comics are planned after these first two four issues. 

 

Asked whether Beckett plans more licensed comics, COO Jeff Amano replied, 'We're pursuing some properties, but it's really a matter of the right kind of property for us that is not only intriguing and fun, but something that can be marketed and distributed to the mass market as well as the direct market.'