
Thurs
2nd Oct
2008
Creators deliver life-changing themed comics to mobile.

Lancaster, England, 2 October 2008: ROK Comics, a subsidiary of the ROK Entertainment Group Inc. (OTCBB: ROKE), the global mobile entertainment company, is pleased to announce that the winner of its 2008 ROK and A Hard Place Comics Competition, run in association with the Birmingham International Comic Show, is British comics artist Ian Stacey.
Ian’s entry, titled 'Noah and A Hard Place' was a stand out winner for the BICS team and wins him a Nokia 95 mobile worth almost £500.
You can view Ian’s entry here: http://www.rokcomics.com/full_player.php?comicid=7602527298
The BICS judges also spoke highly of John Maybury’s 'SpaceBabe' entry and Ian’s other shortlisted entry, 'Crossroads and A Hard Place'.
View all the winners at www.rokcomics.com/bics_competition2008
Working in partnership with BICS (www.thecomicsshow.co.uk), ROK Comics threw down the challenge to creators to create a comic revealing a life changing moment.
'The Noah strips works on every level,' felt James Broxton, who judged the winners from a high quality shortlist along with indie comics distributor Shane Chebsey, owner of Smallzone Comics, and also a BICS organiser. 'It’s a nice job, and Ian is a deserved winner.'
'It’s fantastic news,' said Ian on learning of his win, 'Thank you very much and thanks also for finding my work a new home.'
Freelance cartoonist and illustrator Ian had already won high acclaim for his ongoing strip Wet Paint before taking the plunge and bringing it to ROK Comics for web and mobile distribution. 'There’s some very funny material that made me laugh out loud,' says Monty Python team member Terry Jones, while top comic creator Alan Grant has described Ian as 'an exceptionally funny cartoonist.
'He aims at just about every target under the sun, from genetic modification to Batman, and hits the mark in every case.'
Ian recently began offering a collection of many of his Wet Paint cartoons for sale via his web site (www.ianstacey.net), with all proceeds going to the Big Issue Foundation.
'When we first discussed the idea of a competition to tie in with BICS we were determined to stretch comic creators from the get go,' says ROK Comics Managing Editor John Freeman. 'The cartoonists rose to the challenge, with some great entries.'
'We wanted comics with someone telling the story of a difficult choice they've had to make in their life,' said Shane. 'It certainly made a change from superheroes.'
"We at BICS love the way that ROK Comics is so accessible to both creators and readers,' Shane adds, 'and feel that working together we can help to bring the wonderful medium of comics to a wider readership. Mobile phones are now the most widely used method of communication in the world, so it seems the perfect way to present new comics to more people than ever before".
ROK Comics delivers the means for both comic publishers and creators to reach a worldwide audience by delivering comics to mobile phones, either by WAP subscription of Pay Per Download via Multi Media Messaging (MMS).
Creators publishing professionally via ROK Comics will receive up to 50% of the available revenue on every sale, with full access to sales statistics, viewings and more.
The Birmingham International Comic Show takes place Saturday – Sunday 4 -5 October 2008 at the ThinkTank, Birmingham.
Ends.
Visit the International Comic Show web site at: www.thecomicsshow.co.uk
Visit Ian Stacey’s web site at: www.ianstacey.net
For further information contact John Freeman: john.freeman@rokmedialtd.com
Notes to Editors
ABOUT ROK COMICS
• ROK Comics on Mobile (www.rokcomics.com) is a mobile comics publishing solution enabling comics' creators and publishers to syndicate their works to mobile phone users worldwide. The service opens up huge worldwide commercial opportunities for all comic creators, artists, writers and publishers. The ROK Comics Creator Tool is also offered as a standalone ‘sticky’ content feature for a variety of companies and was utilised last year by UK TV network ITV to promote I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here (for more information contact louise.goddard@rokmedialtd.com)
With access to hundred of millions of handsets through existing Mobile Network Operator Agreements, ROK Comics can deliver digital comics straight to mobile handsets and collect revenue for doing so.
ROK Comics is a new opportunity for publishers and creators to reach a worldwide audience who will be able to download the comics via Pay Per Download or subscription via Multi Media Messaging (MMS) and WAP. Creators publishing professionally via ROK Comics will receive up to 50% of the available revenue on every sale, with full access to sales statistics, viewings and more.
In addition to several licensed comics that are being offered via ROK Comics, publishers can also create Free Samples of strips that can be viewed online and on mobile to promote their print editions, and let fans know about them by e-mail, and also provide an "Embed" of a strip, which can be posted on web sites, blog or company site.
Publishing partners include King Features, Egmont, the Mirror and Express national UK newspapers and comics publisher Markosia.
• ROK Comics, managed by ROK Media Ltd, is part of ROK Entertainment Group, founded in 2004, a global mobile entertainment group. With approximately 200 staff worldwide, ROK has filed more than 40 international patents for its suite of innovative mobile technologies.
With three billion mobile handsets in use worldwide, the mobile entertainment industry is a multi-billion dollar business.
ROK TV enables the streaming of live and on-demand TV to mobile phones over mass-market 2.5G, as well as over 3G and Wi-Fi.ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM INTERNTIONAL COMIC SHOW
Building on the world-renowned success of past years, the prestigious Birmingham International Comic Show is Britain’s premiere comics event, held in the city’s stunning thinktank media centre. Organisers expect around 4000 fans to be pouring through the doors over the weekend of 4th and 5th October thanks to the stellar guest list of comics artists, who include the legendary Michael Golden, Hellboy artist Duncan Fegredo, Thor artist Olivier Coipel, V For Vendetta co creator David Lloyd and Watchmen co creator Dave Gibbons, who will be hosting a presentation on his new Watchmen companion book "Watching The Watchmen". Fans will also celebrate 20 years of Tank Girl, as Creator Alan Martin and current artist Rufus Dayglo host an anniversary presentation and exclusive signing on the Sunday.
Other guests include award winners like Sean Phillips (Criminal, Marvel Zombies), Mark Buckingham, (Fables) Charlie Adlard (Walking Dead, X-Files) and Declan Shalvey. (Hero Killers, Frankenstien)
In addition to the guests over 100 exhibitors representing the best in comics Retail, Indy Publishing, Kids Comics, Web Comics, Manga and related merchandise will be in attendance.
Forward-Looking Statement
The information contained in this new release, other than historical information, consists of forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these statements. Forward-looking statements regarding the timing of developing, testing and releasing existing and new products, of marketing and selling them, of deriving revenues and profits from them, as well as the effects of those revenues and profits on the Group's margins and financial position, are uncertain because many of the factors affecting the timing of those items are beyond the Group's control.