Norwalk, CT, November 30, 2005: Noted independent filmmaker Kevin Smith will be a Guest of Honor at New York Comic-Con where he will join many other celebrated personalities who will be participating in the new trade and consumer event for comics, games, anime and other related industries. Mr. Smith is a well-known producer, writer, director and actor who has had a rapid rise in the independent film community where he has attracted widespread attention for films ranging from Clerks to Jersey Girl. He has also published screenplays of his films, written comic books, and was one of the first filmmakers to venture into cyberspace, establishing the enormously popular View Askewniverse Website (www.viewaskew.com). New York Comic-Con will take place February 24th - 26th in New York City at the Jacob K. Javits Center.

"We are delighted that Kevin Smith will be available to make an appearance at New York Comic-Con," notes Greg Topalian, Group Vice President in charge of Launch Pad for Reed Exhibitions. "He is a multi-talented personality and it is his considerable success in so many areas that makes him ideally suited for an appearance at our convention. His involvement in New York Comic-Con underscores the uniqueness of a comics convention; an event where so many people from comics, licensing, books, and filmmaking may find something in common."

In addition to Clerks (which won the Filmmaker's Trophy at Sundance) and Jersey Girl, Mr. Smith is well known for several other films, including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. He has published the screenplays to all five of his previously released films, written comic books featuring not only his own characters (the multiple-printed Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob), but also legendary mainstays of the superhero world (the award-winning Daredevil and Spider-Man and the Black Cat at Marvel Comics, and the award-winning Green Arrow at DC Comics), and written a monthly column for UK based Arena Magazine.

With his View Askew partner, Scott Mosier, he has also executive-produced four low budget, first film efforts (including Bryan Johnson's Lion's Gate release Vulgar) and one large budget, multiple Academy Award winner (Good Will Hunting).

Kevin Smith's next film, The Passions of the Clerks, will be released in 2006. In this film, Smith will revisit the zany characters ten years after first being introduced to them in Clerks.

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.