WITH DEAL WITH ARCHIE COMICS

NEW YORK, NY-DC Comics, the publisher of Batman, Superman, Scooby Doo, Looney Tunes, The Teen Titans and other classic kids’ comic book titles, announced today that Archie, Jughead and, Betty & Veronica will join its advertising network of kids comics. With this deal, DC Comics will introduce its new kids network to advertisers beginning with the January, 2005 on-sale issues and will move to the top position in the youth print media market, making it one of the most powerful media vehicle reaching kids today. With a monthly rate base of 1.3 Million and an audience of over 5.6 million 6-11 year old boys & girls, according to Simmons Kids Research, DC's new kids network will move to the top spot, ahead of magazines like Nickelodeon Magazine, National Geographic for Kids and Disney Adventures.       

"We're thrilled to welcome Archie's comic titles to our already very popular network of kids comics and give print buyers and marketers the ability to shop at one place to reach the nation's largest audience of loyal kid comic book fans who read, re-read and collect their comics every month," said David McKillips, DC Comics' Vice President of Advertising and Custom Publishing.  "With such loyalty combined with limited advertising inventory, massive distribution and a unique vehicle where every page is read over and over, our kids network is now one of the most powerful and efficient outlets for marketers to reach kids today." 

For years, advertising in comics has been popular for many of the nation's largest ad buyers.  Typical advertisers in DC's youth-targeted comics include video games, movies, packaged goods, gum, candy and, of course, toys.  The projected open rate for a full-page advertisement in DC Comics' 2005 Kids Group will be $36,478 with a CPM of $28.06; almost half that of its magazine competitors. 

“It was an easy decision for us to partner with DC Comics,” said Michael I. Silberkleit, Chairman and Publisher at Archie. “DC is the comic book category leader in selling advertising and promotions and we're pleased to combine our massive distribution and Archie's popular comics with DC's great line-up of kids’ comic books and sales expertise.”               

DC Comics will expand its advertising sales force, adding Newco Media (Archie's current Midwest and West Coast rep firm) to represent its sales efforts in the Midwest and maintain its current agreement with The Berman Group to cover the West Coast.               

DC Comics will also add the responsibilities of representing the library of Archie Comics' characters and stories when selling its custom publishing services.  Another expanding area for DC Comics has been its growth in sales and the number of projects produced within its custom publishing division.  Custom comics have been created for companies ranging from, most naturally, video gaming and toy companies to others outside the industry like pharmaceutical and energy companies and sports franchises.  

“Custom comics have become more popular than ever for both sponsors and readers,” adds McKillips.  “For sponsors, the benefit of a custom comic is that it can be created to appeal to any age, race, or gender, where readers will buy into a entertaining marketing message without ever knowing that they are on the receiving end of a sales message; for the readers, custom comics offer an opportunity for fans to see their favorite characters in entertaining storylines usually outside of their normal plotlines, thus giving the comics a unique reading experience and fans another comic collectable. Combining Archie's cast of characters and story-telling abilities with DC's already impressive line-up of SuperHero and Cartoon-inspired properties; now, there's virtually no story we can't create for a custom publishing customer.”

“DC Comics has really done a great job in developing and selling custom comics and special publications to a vast array of clients;” said Silberkleit. “We're confident that the marriage of Archie's characters and storylines with DC's custom comic sales capabilities will prove to be a winning combination for many clients interested in developing a custom publishing program.”