The rights to the comic character The Phantom have been acquired by Dynamite Entertainment. Dynamite, a company that has made a name for itself with other media tie-in properties such as Army of Darkness, The Lone Ranger and Battlestar Galactica, seeks to revitalize the character by bringing comic giant Alex Ross onboard to update the Phantom's costume. Ross, a fan favourite artist who has worked on such books as Marvels and Kingdom Come, also recently designed the new costume for Marvel Comics' Captain America.

According to Publisher's Weekly, fantasy juggernaut Terry Goodkind will be leaving longtime publisher Tor Books, for whom he recently completed his bestselling Sword of Truth series.

Goodkind seeks to move into mainstream fiction territory, but it remains to be seen if his fantasy fans will make the jump with him. His first book for Putnam, due fall 2009 and as yet untitled, will be a contemporary thriller set in an American city. The three novels will stand alone and not form part of a series.

When a small bear from Darkest Peru first arrived at Paddington Station in 1958, no one would have predicted that he would become one of the most well-loved of celebrity bears. Now, with his 50th Anniversary fast approaching, his publishers are planning a special celebration.

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ChiZine: Treatments of Light and Shade in Words, the horror magazine edited by Bram Stoker Award-winning Brett Alexander Savory, is starting up its own book imprint. ChiZine Publications will be dedicated to bringing its readers the same (as Brett puts it) "weird, subtle, surreal, disturbing dark fiction and fantasy" the magazine has been publishing for the past ten years.

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