New York * August 7, 1997 - Entitled "The Cryptic Writings of Megadeth" Chaos! Comics recently announced the release of a quarterly series of comic books which will adapt the lyrics from each Megadeth album starting with "Killing is My Business...And Business is Good." An adaptation that has never been done before in the comics industry, this visual fusion of the band's powerful lyrics and graphic storytelling will begin shipping in August.

A multi-platinum, hard rock act with 8 albums to their credit, Megadeth is currently exploding worldwide with their latest release "Cryptic Writings" (Capitol) which just blasted onto the Billboard Top 200 at #10. Hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as "a gripping, high-voltage album" and "surely their most musically powerful" by Guitar, "Cryptic Writings" is quickly gathering unanimous critical acclaim and sales to match.

Lead singer and guitarist, Dave Mustaine, sees the connection between their music, his lyrics and comics as a natural one. "There's a lot of songs that are very visual and vice versa," he explains. "Also part of what Megadeth has been about is going into areas that most people are too intimidated to even touch. Truth is stranger than fiction and comic/horror fiction has an affinity for touching on subjects that are borderline taboo. We try to write and sing about things that most people want to talk about but just don't know how to. The comic books will bring the material to life in yet another way."

Bringing Megadeth's musical vision to the world of comics is Chaos! which has become known as an innovator in its industry. Nominated by Diamond Comics as New Publisher of the Year, winner of several coveted printing awards, and home to famed Lady Death and Evil Ernie, Chaos' growing reputation as a top quality comic book publisher has put their releases at the top of every collector's list.

Chaos Comics! Founder (and writer) Brian Pulido believes in the power of comics and music as a form of mass communication. "Horror Fiction in comic books have attained mainstream appeal much in the same way as Stephen King novels have, and we couldn't have asked for a better partner than Megadeth," he says. "Our mission is to capture the passion of Mustaine's lyrics and adapt them visually to create an equally powerful message."

The first issue of the Comic Book series is comprised of three stories all titled after songs from the Megadeth's first Capitol release "Killing is My Business...And Business Is Good."

1. "Skull Beneath the Skin"
written by Brian Pulido and illustrated by Justiano.
2. "Rattlehead"
written by Mike Flippin & Roy Young, illustrated by Robert E Brown.
3. "Looking Down the Cross"
written by Mike Flippin & Roy Young, illustrated by David Brewer and John Livesay

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