This is pretty cool news. It’s unusual to see comics being adapted into audio plays, with the one medium being so visual, and the other being entirely auditory. Keep an eye out for this!

From the press release:

TITANIUM RAIN COMES TO AUDIO

The AudioComics Company to adapt Glitchwerk Studios property as a full-cast radio drama

To be alive is to be at odds with the world. Man against nature. Man against man. The instinct to survive is what has made us who we are.

The AudioComics Company is excited to announce that they will be adapting Glitchwerk Studios’ graphic novel series Titanium Rain as one of their next full-cast audio theatre productions, with the first book in the trilogy recording this fall for a winter 2012 release, with parts two and three to be recorded later that year. The work will be adapted for audio by co-creators Josh Finney and Kat Rocha, and directed by AudioComics Company Co-Producer William Dufris.

Currently published by Archaia Entertainment, Titanium Rain is a sci-fi war epic set in the year 2031 where a civil war in China has escalated into a global conflict that has decimated entire nations and millions of innocent lives. And for many, like US Air Force pilot Alec Killian, survival in this new age means that man and machine must exist as one. In the spirit of films such as Ghost in the Shell and Blackhawk Down, Titanium Rain follows Killian’s journey through mankind’s worst, only to discover its best.

“Titanium Rain is the antithesis of the post-apocalyptic ‘trend’ we’re seeing today in film, on television, in comic books. That’s part of the reason why it’s such an appealing audio project, the idea that we can rise above our mistakes rather than be dragged down by them is one worth exploring,” says director William Dufris, who also directed The AudioComics Company’s premiere production, Starstruck. “Also, it’s a great character-driven book. Actors are always looking for roles they can really sink their teeth into, and TR is chock full of great character studies.”

Co-creator Josh Finney: “From Titanium Rain‘s initial conception I had always wanted to hear the story translated into an audio production, going so far to actually commission a full-blown soundtrack by musician Jonathan Sharp (New Mind, Bio-Tek). Now with the AudioComics Company onboard this dream is finally shaping into a reality. Stay tuned. This is going to be amazing.”

The first volume of Titanium Rain has been a consistent best seller, both in the US and abroad. The title was also the center of a controversy when the first volume was delayed when Chinese printing companies refused to print the book due to Titanium Rain‘s so-called “politically sensitive” content, leading to Archaia Entertainment’s decision to manufacture their books elsewhere.

In addition to adapting the work, both Finney and Rocha will attend the voice-over recording sessions for Part One of the audio trilogy, and will have a hand in casting the project as well. The completed piece will be available on compact disc and pay-per-Mp3 downloads; Jonathan Sharp’s soundtrack for Titanium Rain will also be available as a separate Mp3 download, to be released concurrently with Part One of the TR audio production.

Glitchwerk Studios is the combined talents of husband and wife team Josh Finney and Kat Rocha. Glitchwerk specializes in science-fiction/fantasy art, concept art, and graphic design. Their style features a fusion of 3D modeling, digital painting, and traditional art techniques. In addition to their original comic book properties Utopiates, Titanium Rain, LD30, and the forthcoming World War Kaiju, Glitchwerk’s art has been featured in the acclaimed UK magazine Interzone, on several CD album covers, in numerous collectable card and online games, and on television (Star Trek: Enterprise). Titanium Rain is one of the few graphic novels on the comics landscape created entirely by a married couple.

The AudioComics Company, under the guidance of producers Lance Roger Axt, William Dufris, and Elaine Lee, provides superior audio entertainment with its professional full-cast audio theatre productions of both licensed properties and original works from the world of comic books, graphic novels, and related media, accessible in today’s market with today’s sound. The AudioComics team is working to establish relationships with top name comic book companies, sci-fi writers, sponsors and the entertainment industry in Hollywood and New York, and to give these audio theatre pieces worldwide exposure. Their debut production of the original play script of Elaine Lee and Michael Kaluta’s Starstruck has received critical acclaim from comics and audio professionals alike.

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