CASPER AND THE SPECTRALSMedia Release -- Ardden Entertainment, an exciting new force in the comic book industry, announced today the creation and launch of a spellbinding new comic book series based on well-known characters Casper the Friendly Ghost®, Wendy the Good Little Witch™, and Hot Stuff™. CASPER AND THE SPECTRALS will debut in the fall of 2009, timed with the Friendly Ghost’s 60th Anniversary as the title character in his own comics.

CASPER AND THE SPECTRALS is based on a concept by veteran comic book creator and writer J.M. DeMatteis and Ardden co-founder Brendan Deneen, and will be written by Todd Dezago and illustrated by Pedro Delgado. The series will introduce updated graphic designs, brand-new new themes and storylines for each character. Dezago has worked for Marvel, DC Comics, Image, and Dark Horse Comics for more than fifteen years on such titles as Spider-Man, X-Factor, Batman, Impulse, and the Justice League of America. He is best known for his quintessential run on Sensational Spider-Man with the late Mike Wieringo, and for his series, The Perhapanauts. A comics penciler and graphic designer, Delgado’s portfolio includes the Flash Gordon 75th Anniversary anthology book (The Secret History of Mongo), character designs for Funrise ToyCorp., several animated TV productions, and the redesign of DeviantART and L.A. Kings mascots.

Ardden Entertainment is the publisher of the critically-acclaimed monthly FLASH GORDON comic book series. The company, whose business model is to produce contemporized versions of classic licenses and exciting new creator-owned titles, was formed in 2007 by former Miramax/Dimension Films executive Deneen and former Markosia EiC, Richard Emms. Joining Deneen and Emms is DeMatteis, who works as Ardden’s Editor-in-Chief.

"Ardden Entertainment is extremely excited to be working with Classic Media on CASPER AND THE SPECTRALS,” said Emms. “Todd and Pedro have done an excellent job bringing the world's most famous ghost into the 21st Century and we hope that this is the first of many adventures for us with Casper, Wendy and Hot Stuff."

In this exciting new comic book, Casper and friends fight a fearsome threat from the past! There is a city within New York City known as Spooky Town, but most humans are unable to see it. Within this city live the Spectrals, the ghosts, goblins, demons and witches of the world…including Casper, Wendy and Hot Stuff! When an ancient entity known only as the Volbragg threatens both New York and Spooky Town, Casper and his friends are forced to band together and defeat an unimaginable evil!

Casper the Friendly Ghost® 60th Anniversary

From his comic book debut in 1949 as the title character in Casper the Friendly Ghost #1, the Official Ambassador of Halloween has been making friends around the world for generations. The star of thousands of comic books (more than 100 million sold), hundreds of TV cartoon episodes and a Hollywood film produced by Steven Spielberg, Casper the Friendly Ghost has always been the ghost who would rather make friends than frighten. “Casper’s Scare School™,” a new CGI-animated TV series, debuts globally in 2009. Classic Media, owner of the Harvey Comics portfolio since 2001, is celebrating Casper’s 60th Anniversary this year with a brand-extension program including new merchandise across key categories available now and continuing to roll-out to retail for Halloween 2009. Dark Horse Comics will be reprinting the 1949 classic, CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST.

About Ardden Entertainment

Ardden Entertainment is the publisher of the critically-acclaimed monthly FLASH GORDON series. The company—whose business model is to produce contemporized versions of classic licenses and exciting new creator-owned titles—was formed in mid-2007 by former Miramax/Dimension Films executive Brendan Deneen and former Markosia Comics Editor-in-Chief, Richard Emms. Joining Deneen and Emms is veteran comic book creator and writer, J.M. DeMatteis, who works as Ardden’s Editor-in-Chief.