LOS ANGELES, CA 5/22/2018 — Top Cow Productions Inc. is pleased to announce the winners and runners-up of the 2018 Talent Hunt. The contest inspires countless artists and writers from all over the globe to put their best foot forward and give everything they’ve got for a chance to become paid professionals. This last competition was no exception.

Top Cow writer and talent hunt judge, Ryan Cady, is responsible for a majority of the legwork. “The Talent Hunt works, and I’m grateful for the part I can play in building up each new generation of artists and writers,” Cady said. “These creators deserve a chance to boost their careers and show off their talent, and in an industry that can otherwise seem pretty intimidating, Top Cow provides that chance.”

“Helping the next round of talent get exposure in the industry is very gratifying,” Top Cow President and COO Matt Hawkins said. “There are so many people working in the industry that got their start at Top Cow that it makes me very proud. We’ll continue to offer newcomers an opportunity that’s very hard to come by.”

“The submissions keep getting better, and the bar keeps getting set higher and higher,” Top Cow Founder Marc Silvestri said. “I’m excited to see how our fans will respond to the new blood.”

Here are the winners and runners-up:

ARTISTS:

Winner: Cecilia Lo Valvo

Cecilia Lo Valvo is an Italian freelance comic book artist with a huge passion for comics and all kinds of visual media. Her hobbies include building model kits and hunting for spiders to keep as pets.

Runner-up: Jesse Elliot

Jesse Elliot is a comic book artist and geek culture enthusiast from New Orleans.

WRITERS:

Winner: Levi Fleming

Levi Fleming lives in Minnesota and has never told a lie.

Runner-up: Stephanie Phillips

Stephanie Phillips has worked as a writer with Ominous Press while pursuing a Ph.D. in rhetoric and writing at the University of South Florida.

Expect to see comics by the Top Cow Talent Hunt 2017 alumni in the September and October PREVIEW Worlds solicitations.

Top Cow Productions, Inc. (https://topcow.com/), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company, was founded in December of 1992 by artist Marc Silvestri, who also co-founded Image Comics earlier that same year. Top Cow currently publishes its line of comic books in 21 languages in over 55 different countries. The TNT TV series Witchblade, the Japanese anime Witchblade and the two The Darkness video games for XBOX 360 and PS3 are all based on Top Cow properties.  The company has also successfully licensed and merchandised its franchises into toys, statues, clothing, lithographs, puppets, posters, magnets, shot glasses, lighters, lunch pails, wall scrolls, mouse pads, die-cast cars, calendars, Christmas ornaments, Halloween masks, trading cards, standees, video games, and roleplaying games.

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