ICP book to hit stands

Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, better known to wrestling and music fans as The Insane Clown Posse, are appearing in their own kicking comic book which hits the streets on May 19th.

Scottsdale, AZ - While their appearance may remind many of fond childhood memories, the Insane Clown Posse, one of rap's most controversial groups, is anything but a bunch of happy go-lucky clowns. Their origin and the story behind the ICP will be the focus of an Insane Clown Posse comic book series launching in May from Chaos! Comics - Where Darkness Dwells.

The comic release dovetails with the release of the band's upcoming album release "The Amazing Jeckel Brothers," (Psychopathic Records) on May 11.

Chaos!, which has become known as an innovator in its industry has been nominated by Diamond Comics as New Publisher of the Year, has won several coveted printing awards, and is home to famed Lady Death and Evil Ernie as well as the most recent series of Megadeth comics. Their growing reputation as a top quality comic book publisher has put Chaos! releases at the top of every collector's list.

The ICP series will incorporate much of the group's storyline already familiar to fans, including The Great Milenko, the Joker's Cards, the Carnival of Carnage and the Riddle Box. "These books are going to appeal to ICP fans as well as Chaos! fans, and fans of dark comics in general," Chaos! president, Brian Pulido says. "It's got all kinds of dark and twisted prophecy in it, along with violent clowns. What could be better? These guys are such an insane, dark group that we jumped at the chance to do their book. After all, Chaos! Comics is where darkness dwells, so it's like a second home for the ICP."

Stefan Kudek, ICP and Psychopathic Records spokesman agrees "We chose to go with Chaos! Comics because we felt that they had the right combination of artistic and production skills as well as the necessary edge that we would need to produce an ICP comic book. The music and everything the ICP do has a very 'in-your-face' edge to it, something that a more traditional comic company would've tried to water down. We wanted to go with the company that would allow us to fully represent ourselves exactly as we wanted."

The Insane Clown Posse, which has sold millions of CDs worldwide, has a large and growing fan base devoted to their wild antics and high-energy music. The group's popularity rose to astronomical levels last year when they forged an alliance with the World Wrestling Federation's posse of wrestlers known as "The Oddities" - a relationship which exposed them to millions of wrestling and comic book fans.

Insane Clown Posse #1 and #2 are 32-page, full color comics that will retail for $2.95. Parental advisory is suggested - explicit lyrics and violence.

Comic #1 / May 1999

The story, written by fan favorite Jesse (Smiley Anti-Holiday Special) McCann, with art by Rob (Evil Ernie) Brown will reveal how two street rappers were transformed from normal dudes into two dark clowns known as Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Where they used to pump out hot gangsta rap, these Clowns are now heralds of the coming judgment revealed to them by the mysterious Carnival Spirit. "Jesse is on board for the humor, I'll make sure there's plenty of violence," Pulido states.

Comic #2 / July 1999

Ripping the title from the fifth of the six Joker Cards that prophesies the end of the world, writer Jesse Leon McCann tells the second titanic tale of rap's most evil clowns! Wicked Clownz Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope present the world the fifth of the Dark Carnival's six Joker Cards: "The Amazing Jeckel Brothers," a chaotic duo of juggling masters who juggle the sins of mortal men! Together Jack, the sinister Jeckel, and Jake, the just Jeckel, will rip the secrets from your body and toss them around like bloody-red-rubber balls -- and there's no hiding from the Jeckels! It's wicked terror, carnage and retribution, all in the name of good, clean fun as the Wicked Clownz take us one step closer to the crumbling of time itself!