Beginning Monday, July 28, mobile phone users and web
surfers can enjoy Stephen King's latest work in a groundbreaking series of 25
original video episodes. The series of video episodes was created through a
unique partnership between Scribner and Simon & Schuster Digital, Marvel
Entertainment, and CBS Mobile and is believed to be the first comic-style book
adaptation specifically developed and produced for viewing on today's most
popular small screen platforms.
Starting today, viewers can go to www.NisHere.com or
www.simonsays.com to see a preview of the episodes, which will also be unveiled
at Comic-Con International in San Diego
today at a panel event featuring the creators of this pioneering venture.
The series will also be available for purchase at major
online digital content retailers.
The episodes are based on King's original and previously
unpublished story "N.," the tale of a psychiatrist who becomes the
victim of the same mysterious and deadly obsession as his patient, and which
will be included in his forthcoming collection of short stories Just After
Sunset (Scribner, November 11, 2008) and published as a comic book miniseries
by Marvel, launching in 2009.
Featuring sophisticated production values, the episodes were
drawn by award-winning comic-book artist Alex Maleev, whose work has appeared
on NBC's "Heroes," and colored by famed comic-book colorist José
Villarrubia, best known for his collaborations with Alan Moore. They were
adapted by Marc Guggenheim, co-creator of the ABC-TV series "Eli
Stone" with creative oversight from Stephen King. The episodes are
presented in a highly designed "pan and scan" format, complete with
comic book-style graphics, an original score, sound effects, and a full cast of
voiceovers that includes Emmy and Golden Globe award nominee actor Ben
Shenkman.
Stephen King commented: "I'm always interested in new
delivery systems for stories and always curious about how those systems work
with the old storytelling verities. This one, it seems to me, works
extraordinarily well."
Beginning Monday, July 28, and running through Friday,
August 29, the video episodes (each running approximately two minutes), will be
released in serial fashion on consecutive weekdays for five weeks, at no
additional charge to mobile users, through the largest mobile carriers. As an
added bonus for consumers, the episodes will also be available on the web
through the CBS Audience Network, capable of reaching 92% of the U.S.-based
online audience and consisting of online partners such as TV.com, AOL,
Microsoft, Yahoo, Fancast, Joost, Bebo, Netvibes, Sling Media, and Veoh as well
as Web sites from CBS's owned television, radio, and affiliated stations, and
at www.NisHere.com. Visitors to www.NisHere.com will also be able to embed the
player and episodes on blogs and social networking sites, and to preorder the
book.
At the same time, paid download customers will be able to
purchase blocks of 5 episodes for $0.99 or buy a Season
Pass for the entire series for
$3.99.
A limited-printing collector's edition, featuring the book
and a DVD of all the video episodes, will be
made available when Just After Sunset goes on sale in November.
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