RALPH SNART ADVENTURES becomes a Web Comic!
All new Ralph Snart comics material on the Internet

Detroit, MI, October 6, 2003 - Beginning in November, fan-favorite Ralph Snart Adventures will return as a monthly comic book published on the Internet. After a 10-year hiatus, Marc Hansen will once again write and illustrate the life story of a beer-guzzling lunatic.

New monthly installments of the series are accessible online for only paid subscribers, who can view 12 issues for $9.95 annually. Payment is easy and secure using Ebay's Internet payment service called PayPal at http://www.ralphsnart.com. The only necessary system requirement is a Macromedia Flash 6x capable web browser.

"Publishing online gives me something that print cannot offer," said Hansen. "That's a one-on-one relationship with Ralph Snart fans."

"The Web provides a method of delivering serial stories quicker and more effectively than print," added Tony C. Caputo, President of NOW Comics, who publishes trade paperbacks of Ralph Snart comics. "We're producing material that will no doubt compliment the other."

The saga of Ralph Snart will continue right where the last issue left off which was published back in November, 1993. "The last Ralph Snart mini-series ended so abruptly, and I didn't want to start the story all over again," said Hansen. "I thought it would be interesting to pick up the story where it left off after exactly ten years."

NOW Comics had purchased the rights to Ralph Snart back in 1992, and after a couple of short- lived mini-series, Hansen moved on to other things. When NOW Entertainment Corporation's ceased operations in 1994, the rights for Snart went to Tony Caputo and there it stayed in limbo.

"It was kind of a coincidence in the making," said Hansen. "Tony [Caputo] was getting back in the business, and I had a desire to maybe start creating again, with the constant urgings from fans stirring the mix."

"After ten years, I just fi red off an email to Caputo and asked who owned the rights to Ralph. I didn't know! I'd given up on comics and really hadn't drawn anything since my last issue of Weird Melvin back in 1995."

After an exchange of a few emails, Hansen regained the rights to his creation. "Marc Hansen owns the rights to Ralph Snart Adventures," said Caputo. "It's his creation, his genius. That's NOW Comics 3.0."

Two weeks later, the http://www.ralphsnart.com website was launched, featuring previews of old Snart issues, games and a Ralph Snart Flash cartoon (in progress). Later in October will see the release of the 432-page Ralph Snart Adventures trade paperback published by NOW Comics 3.0, and in February 2004, a limited-edition signed and numbered hardcover version, with the first 150 copies including an original Marc Hansen Ralph Snart sketch! Also shipping in 2004 will be two Weird Melvin trade paperbacks and another Ralph Snart Adventures giant-sized trade paperback edition. (see website for more information).

"Things are very busy now, but this is a very exciting time expanding the Ralph Snart website, and getting back to the old task of creating comics," said Hansen. "I'm hoping that all the horde of old fans, randomly searching the Internet for Ralph Snart will get a kick out of it, and new fans will discover and enjoy it, too."