FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Carrie Thearle
Media Relations
Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
(206) 226-6500
A COMIC DEAL IS ON THE BOOKS

ACCLAIM RELEASES COMIC BOOKS BASED ON MAGIC: THE GATHERING (TM)

Renton, Wash.(February 15, 1995)--Wizards of the Coast, Inc. is pleased and excited to announce that an agreement has been reached with Acclaim Comics,Inc. to produce comic books based on the popular trading card game Magic:The Gathering(TM). The mini-series will be released under Acclaim's new line, Armada. The first issues debut next month.

"We want to expand Dominia, the multiverse that is the setting for Magic, so that players can gain a full understanding of what the world behind the game is like," says Lisa Stevens, Vice President of New Business at Wizards of the Coast. "One way the company found it can do this is through comic books." Stevens adds that people will get more information about Dominia from the comic books. "The cards are like snapshots of Dominia, while the comics tell the official stories and unravel some of the mysteries behind the game," says Stevens.

The first mini-series is called Magic: The Gathering--The Shadow Mage. Set in the pivotal fantasy world of Dominaria, it tells the tale of Jared, a young boy who is rescued from a duel and raised to avenge his father's death. Popular cards, such as various "moxes", the "Juggernaut" and the "Hurloon Minotaur", will figure into the ongoing plot.

"We [Acclaim Comics] are working closely with Wizards of the Coast to maintain the flavor of Magic in all of our mini-series," says Jeff Gomez, Acclaim editor and writer. Gomez is the author of two of the comic book mini-series. Each of the first two issues of Shadow Mage includes a different Revised Magic card. Issues three and four include token creature game enhancements.

The second comic book is Ice Age on the World of Magic: The Gathering(TM). Set to hit comic stores two months before Wizards of the Coast's Ice Age expansion deck, Armada's Ice Age promises to reveal origins and background for many of the deck's unique creatures, heroes, villains and relics. The first issue, The Twilight Kingdom, focuses on the struggle between five clans in a kingdom that's threatened by a massive glacier. "Each subsequent issue takes place in a different time during the Ice Age," says Gomez. Issues one and two of Ice Age will feature a Magic Ice Age expansion preview card. Token creature game enhancements will be found in issues three and four.

The third comic book is Fallen Empires--A Magic: The Gathering Mini-Series(TM). The comic book is based on Wizards of the Coast's Fallen Empires(TM) expansion set, which was released in November of 1994. The series will ship with a free Fallen Empires booster pack in each copy. Both issues of this mini-series feature cover art by Wizards of the Coast® artist Anson Maddocks.

Wizards of the Coast decided to expand into the comic book realm after the company saw a lot of crossover between the comic book market and Magic market. "A lot of people who play Magic also read comic books," says Stevens. "There's a logical tie-in between the two groups." As a result, Stevens expects the comic books will be well-received in both markets.

Wizards of the Coast is a young game company based in the Seattle, Washington area. Since it introduced Magic in August 1993, more than 500 million Magic cards have sold worldwide. The game has received a number of high honors, including a "Mensa Top Five Mind Games" award. In April 1994, Wizards of the Coast opened a second branch in Glasgow, Scotland. Several months later, the company expanded into a third office in Antwerp, Belgium.