Norwalk, CT, December 7, 2005: Celebrated artists Neal Adams and Jim Steranko are the most recent personalities to be added to a stellar list of those who will be Guests of Honor at New York Comic-Con, it was announced today. In addition to these two Guests of Honor, convention officials have also announced that Basil Gogos, John Romita, Sr., Bill Sienkiewicz, Joe Simon, and J. David Spurlock will be participating in the convention in association with Vanguard Productions. New York Comic-Con is a new trade and consumer event for comics, games, anime and other related industries, and will take place in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Center, February 24th - 26th, 2006.

"Neal Adams and Jim Steranko are both renowned artists and illustrators and their presence will certainly enhance the overall convention experience for our attendees," notes Greg Topalian, Group Vice President in charge of Launch Pad for Reed Exhibitions. "I am very grateful to Neal Adams for agreeing to participate, as I am to Jim Steranko and all the other talented creators who will be here in conjunction with Vanguard Productions. It is this type of involvement by prominent members of the comic book community that will help make New York Comic-Con an attraction for all our participants."

Neal Adams is known for his highly naturalistic style of illustration. He has helped create some of the definitive modern imagery of the DC Comics characters Batman, Green Lantern and others. His use of contemporary illustration techniques and novel approach to page composition, color, covers, and subject matter breathed new life and realism into comics. A relentless lobbyist and campaigner for creators' rights, Adams spearheaded royalties, the return of original art, and he continues to address issues of reasonable compensation for comic creators as an ongoing life mission.

As an illustrator, musician, art director, magician, photographer, fire-eater, designer, escape artist, filmmaker, pop-culture lecturer, and publisher, Jim Steranko has cut a ferocious path through the entertainment arts. Steranko has worked with film directors Lucas, Spielberg and Coppola and was recently cited by Michael Chabon as an inspiration for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. He has also been cited by Wizard as one of the Top Five Most Influential Comicbook Artists of All Time. His New York Comic-Con appearance is also in support of his Spirit of America print, which benefits an Art Scholarship fund for the children of anti-American terrorism victims.

Other guests who will be making an appearance at New York Comic-Con in conjunction with Vanguard Productions include:

Basil Gogos, the world's most famous monster artists and legendary cover artist of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, movie posters and CD covers;

John Romita, Sr., an institution at Marvel Comics, who has drawn every major Marvel character including landmark runs on Daredevil, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man;

Bill Sienkiewicz, one of the greatest innovators in the history of comics, who created Stray Toasters, and has collaborated with Alan Moore, Frank Miller, and Neal Gaiman;

Joe Simon, a celebrated comic book writer and artist who created or co-created many memorable characters in the Golden Age, including Captain America, the Fighting American, The Fly, the Newsboy Legion, Boy Commandos, and Manhunter;

J. David Spurlock, publisher of Vanguard Productions, the world's leading producer of art books and biographies on illustrators and cartoonists.

Convention officials note that tickets for New York Comic-Con are now on sale on the Web site at www.nycomiccon.com.

New York Comic-Con is managed by Reed Exhibitions (RX), a division of Reed Elsevier plc. Reed Exhibitions, the world's largest organizer of business-to-business events. Each year Reed events assemble over 90,000 suppliers and over 5 million buyers from around the world. Today, Reed events are held in over 30 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia/Pacific, and are organized by 26 fully staffed offices. Reed's portfolio of events serves 49 industries in 12 key sectors.

BEA is one many Reed Elsevier properties within the Reed Global Book Publishing Network, whose trade events include the Asia International Book Fair, London International Book Fair, Salon du Livre: Paris Book Fair, Tokyo International Book Fair and BookExpo Canada, and whose Reed Business Information (RBI) properties include Publishers Weekly, Variety Magazine, Playthings, Video Business, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. As a member of the Reed Elsevier plc group, a world-leading business and information provider, Reed offers integrated market access programs covering exhibitions, trade publications, direct marketing and the Internet over a database of more than 9 million. (NYSE: RUK/ENL).