Welcome to the 5TH DIMENSION!

For a couple of weeks now, I've been teasing on my Facebook page about a big announcement I've been planning on making. I intended to pull up the curtain on Friday but, because of deadlines and work commitments, didn't have the time to do it right.

So without further ado, here we go.

I'm very excited to announce that I'm a majority partner in a new publishing company, a little entity we decided to call 5th DIMENSION COMICS.

The key word in that sentence being "partner." While the bulk of the initial day to day operations/decisions fall to me, this new venture wouldn't exist without the trust and enthusiasm of a few old friends. So let me introduce them to you:

Comic book readers will remember the name DEV MADAN as the co-creator/penciller of the fondly remembered DC Comics series YOUNG HEROES IN LOVE. He's very busy these days running the entire video game industry from his secret headquarters in Seattle but he's agreed to lend his digital expertise to the company and his creative mojo to a super-secret project he's currently slaving away on. And where Dev goes, can the Young Heroes be far behind?

Personal friends will know well the names of my other two partners in this enterprise: STEVE DOBIEJKO and JOE (certified f'n awesome) PODVARNEY.

Facebook friends in particular know Steve as the ruthless bastard who cuts me to shreds with his wit and sarcasm every time I update my status. In reality, while he is every bit as ruthless, witty, and sarcastic as we're led to believe, he's also a shrewd business man and an original thinker who is lending his insight and acumen to the company.

Joe is our man of mystery. He's a lover, as the ladies will certainly attest. Rumor has it he spent some time in the underground pitfighting circuit and I once heard he killed a dog. Or maybe I once told someone Joe killed a man. Hard to say.

Joe also sports an impressive business acumen and has agreed to lend his reservoir of intelligence to our enterprise. It's not an overstatement to say that, literally, this company wouldn't exist without Steve, Joe, and Dev. While I'm mouthing off up front, they're the behind-the-scenes trio that have made the whole thing happen.

So...what about the company itself?

5th Dimension will be producing original, full-color graphic novels for the comic book and book store market. It's not our only objective but it's our primary purpose.

Our publishing plan is still taking shape but I can say we're going to roll out smart and, beginning in the February PREVIEWS, will have product listed for the rest of the calendar year. Graphic novels, lithographs, instructional DVD's and more beginning with the collected (and completely remastered) edition of ARMOR X by myself and Andy Smith.

I'll be talking a lot about ARMOR X between now and February. No need to spill the details right now but, suffice to say, if you read the original series, you've never read this ARMOR X before.

Initially, our content will also be available for digital download through Graphic.ly and we've got some surprises in store for what you're going to find when you enter 5th Dimension: Digital.

For now, I'm blowing the spider-webs off my blog and this will be the place where I'll be touching base to update everyone on what we're up to. Once the official website is up, I'll shift the party over there but if you'd be so kind0 please check back often for the latest goings on.

And most importantly, I want to hear from you! If you're an established comic book creator who wants to put together an original graphic novel, hit me up. If you're a new talent looking to break into the business, let's talk. If you run a comics news website and want to help spread the word, I'm ready to chat. If you own a comic book store, lets have some words about possible incentives to order and promote 5th Dimension product.

I'm easy to find at keithchampagne@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you!