Wadé is an original artistic creation, a fantasy thriller immersed in a comic book universe. A “French Touch” work that could well redefine the genre.

Since 31st January 2013, more than 220 unedited pages have been available online for free, so that as many people as possible can discover this fantasy thriller. More than 15,000 readers have been able to read the first three volumes of the adventures of Wadé on an exclusive basis, through the operation of a commercial partnership, initially launched in the South of Paris. Since this initial period, the public’s undoubted appetite has been steady. The official launch, via a complete digital device, gives access to a version that is longer, richer and darker than the original, and also available in English.The comic strip opens the doors to an intense and hectic universe, to which the novel, currently being written, adds an even greater epic dimension. Extracts can be discovered very soon.

A website totally dedicated to the superhero offers unedited documents enabling the story and its characters to be explored more deeply, as well as offering the making of Wadé. In addition to the richness of the published content, teaser videos with original sound tracks are also available. To announce the launch of this first experiment in 100% free digital publishing, some exclusive content is also published on the Facebook official page dedicated to Wadé’s universe (facebook.com/Wadécomics), which is already connecting almost 22,000 fans, more than 7,000 of whom are in the USA and 5,000 in France.

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A 100% FRENCH TOUCH COMIC BOOKA MIXED RACE SUPERHERO LANDS IN PARISTHE GAMBLE OF THE FREE DIGITAL EDITION

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SUMMARY

1/ A COMIC BOOK MADE IN FRANCE 2/ THE VISION AND THE AMBITION3/ THE DIGITAL DEVICE4/ THE CREATOR AND THE ILLUSTRATOR

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A COMIC BOOK MADE IN FRANCE

THE PITCH

I t’s 1917 and in the French trenches of the Marne, held under intense bombardment by German artillery, a young Senegalese infantryman of Franco-Cameroon origin thinks his last days have come. But it is not death that comes looking for him…

In present day Paris, the body of a young missing soldier surfaces in the Seine. I t is indeed Wadé. He is alive but completely transformed. He carries with him a terrible secret…

The story of Wadé cleverly mixes the fundamentals of comic books, the history of the twentieth century and the majestic setting of the “City of Lights”, using Paris as a character in its own right. Simultaneously an actor in a fantasy thriller, prisoner of a tragic destiny and hero of a planetary tragedy with epic overtones, whilst toying with the classic dynamics of conspiracy theories, superhero Wadé leads us from colonial Africa to the time of the First World War up to modern day Paris, and then from the bowels of the earth to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

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THE VISION AND THE AMBITION

At a time when more than 5,000 comic books are published each year in France on the traditional circuit, in an era when only the iconic heroes of DC Comics, Marvel or Darkhorse throw the box-office into a panic at each of their cinematic adaptations, all sustained by colossal marketing budgets, the chances of a new comic book universe emerging seemed poor. So it is a crazy gamble taken by Pueblo, a creation agency launching into publishing 2.0.

The origins: William Lafarge, creative director of the Pueblo (www.pueblo.fr) agency and author, thought up and developed the story of Wadé, based on an original premise, making plausible the existence amongst us today of humans endowed with supernatural powers. An ancient secret is partially revealed, only to fall inopportunely into the hands of an organisation with evil designs. Then the birth of Wadé occurs at the end of the 19th Century in Africa.

What is his role? What is his destiny? The good and the bad, supervillains and benevolent heroes are linked to simple mortals, lost in the heart of the bizarre. These are the actors in a planetary conflict with potentially catastrophic consequences for humanity. Within the context of a narrative with epic overtones and of a veritable odyssey more complex than would at first appear, Wadé offers his readers the opportunity to discover his secret through a comic strip in comic book format, drawn by Thibault Guevel, a young and talented illustrator and director at the Pueblo Creation agency.

Alongside these first 200 pages, an Internet site and blog allow in-depth discovery of the characters and their adventures. The Facebook page offers exclusive fan-art or posters while waiting for the follow-up to the comic book. A novel currently being written will develop this epic narrative over a period much vaster than that of the comic books. Written in tandem by William Lafarge and Nicolas Gouzy, author and novelist, it will be unveiled over the next few months, with extracts being offered as a preview during the second quarter of 2013.

Audiovisual experiments enhance this imaginative cartoon (Studio 555 Lab), with original sound tracks (Composer: Karim Lekehal/Studio Gling-Glang) and other editorial surprises.

By means of the free and bilingual release online of comic books and novel, the ambition is to create a large international community of readers and fans around this universe and the stories that enable it to be discovered.

Other authors, artists and multi-media contributors are regularly invited to feed into this universe, with their own talents and imaginations.

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THE DIGITAL DEVICE• From 31st January 2013: 220 pages for discovering Wadé and his adventures can be consulted free at http://www.Wadécomics.com• Presence on Twitter and Pinterest • An official website site • Motion Comics and documentaries (trailer, Making-of etc)

Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/wadecomics

Wadé has also quickly thrown himself into Twitter in order to share his news and interact with the comic book fan community.

Twitter :https://twitter.com/#!/wadecomics

Pinterest : http://pinterest.com/comicswade/

With the imagination and changes in Wadé’s eras and continents, the Pinterest platform is used to share photos, images and documentaries. These are organised by centre of interest: “The origin”, “Wadé’s journey”, “Secret Military Documents “, “Fan Art and Artworks”, “Wadé’s Paris”, “Volume 1”, “Volume 2”, “Sketches and drawings” and “Comic Strip”.

Youtube : • Trailer (international version)

http://youtu.be/RqoYG-HgrBM

• Making-of Wadéhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msNKulEJ_aw• Wadé Cord Recordinghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHfxm-iQhnY

An official website crowns the digital device. It brings fans new clarity on the story, characters and Wadé’s powers. Constructed like a blog, it also dedicates part of its content to Wadé’s military secrets files. Fans will be regularly fed information on this site. 6

wadecomics.com

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For the comic book, Wadé’s graphic universe must reflect the nature of a character whose behaviour is contemporary but who is also anchored in the past. Therefore, the person responsible for illustrating it had to be capable of fulfilling this requirement. This was Thibault Guével.How? Because he is gifted with double sight with regard to classical culture (art history, symphonic music, literature etc) and modern subcultures (mix of contemporary influences, such as Street Arts, popular cinema and music), as well as the worlds of role playing and video games etc or, more broadly speaking, the digital world.

After a CESS Illustration at the Institut St Luc Tournai (B) and a Masters in Graphic Art and Artistic Direction at ESAG Penninghen, he was taken on as Artistic Director at Pueblo. He thus became involved in the development of the Wadé

THE AUTHOR : WILLIAM LAFARGE

THE ILLUSTRATOR : THIBAULT GUÉVEL

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Mastering creation and enthusiasm - a profession and a vision. This summarises the adventures of Pueblo and their two founders, William Lafarge and his partner, David Ken. Techniques mastered in the service of a fertile imagination and the desire to please their friends, the public, businesses and their clients. Humanity at the heart of all experience is the hub around which this rather ordinary communication agency is built. Pueblo is the name of the place, the village itself and “pueblo” also means “people”, “inhabitants”, thus linking two meanings of the same word. If the village is global and we all live in it, how can we live in it for the best? William Lafarge and Pueblo suggest that we are happiest together. The emblematic LOL Project, but all the Factory and Co gourmet experience or the “pari chic” (a play on words: “pari”

means “gamble” but sounds like “Paris”) of One Nation Paris are their trademarks, no pun intended. William Lafarge is developing his talents here, as Artistic Director, Graphic Designer and expert in visual identity and marketing strategy but fortunately, this is not the whole story.Into all the projects in which he participates, he breathes a story, a piece of legend, a moment of humanity and a touch of happiness. Wadé is all this. A French-style comic book experience giving itself the resources of a real, multichannel editorial requirement, a giant power hunted and lost in the middle of a world that scares him. But it is his love for people that will save him, not technology.

www.pueblo.frwww.wadecomics.com

comic books. A new genre to him, he put all his experience into developing his skills during his apprenticeship of the graphic novel.

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Press Contact :Sibylle de Villeneuve

06 45 29 58 57

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