The Line Between History and Fantasy Blurs in this Goth-Rock Tale

Comic-Con - San Diego, CA (July 2005) � TOKYOPOP, America's number one graphic novel publisher and Leader of the Manga Revolution, trumpets the debut of A Midnight Opera. Star in the making, artist Hanzo Steinbach delivers an expansive tale of the ancient undead and shadowy religious conspiracies. Fans of Interview with a Vampire, Demon Ororon and heavy metal rock will certainly include A Midnight Opera among their favorite manga.

For nearly a millennium, undead creatures have survived in Europe by quietly infiltrating society. Some among the undead feel that, in the midst of human complacency, now is the time to strike against the mortals. Of course, a mysterious religious order also feels that now is the time to strike against evil, hoping to wipe out the undead once and for all with little regard for the cost to human life. The power to stave off this ultimate, destructive conflict between evil and righteousness rests with two wise and powerful undead brothers. But the only problem is they haven't spoken to each other in a hundred and fifty years.

"Hanzo is an incredible talent!" exclaims Luis Reyes, TOKYOPOP senior editor. "Here's a self-taught, highly disciplined artist who has entwined his love for manga and his love for music in a chilling story."

Creator Hanzo Steinbach is a Syrian-born artist of German heritage who has grown up around the world. His life abroad and subsequent understanding of many cultures has informed Hanzo's sensibilities. He also has a wide appreciation of music, old and new, classical and popular. He has a particular affinity for heavy metal.

A Midnight Opera will be available at bookstores everywhere in November 2005.

About TOKYOPOP®
As the largest English-language publisher of manga in the world, TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand. TOKYOPOP's innovative product extensions include its pioneering Cine-Manga® book format, which features colorful flavors of pop culture's hottest films, television shows and music videos. The company has expanded its property reach beyond publishing�TOKYOPOP's television series have been broadcast in the United States on Cartoon Network, Showtime and G4Media, and are released on DVD, with consumer products available at all major retail outlets. The company's global reach has recently expanded to Europe, with new offices in the UK and Germany, in addition to its Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With nearly 28 million books in print, TOKYOPOP's award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties features more than 200,000 pages of manga compiled over nearly 1,000 manga volumes. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.