Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Fell), who recently moved from Perth, Australia, to San Diego, Calif., has signed an exclusive contract with San Diego-based IDW Publishing.

The agreement won’t affect his work with Warren Ellis on Fell, from Image Comics.

Templesmith’s deal with IDW calls for him to create art books and new series, such as The Art of Wormwood and Welcome to Hoxford, both of which debut in August.

“I’m incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to continuously work at IDW over the years now and basically have them be the launch pad for anything I’ve ever wanted to do in comics,” Templesmith said in the press release, “so I just saw this as a natural progression and a great chance to be more involved from the ground floor up. Also, the cubicle walls in the office are high enough that people still won’t be able to see that I rarely wear any pants while I work.”

The full release appears after the break:

Ben Templesmith signs exclusive contract with IDW

The award-winning artist/co-creator of 30 Days of Night will create new comic book series and art books for IDW

San Diego, CA (April 4, 2008)—Artist Ben Templesmith, whose professional comic book debut, 30 Days of Night was made into a major motion picture in 2007, has signed an exclusive contract with IDW Publishing. The artist, whose work has been nominated for multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards, won a 2007 pike TV Scream Award for his work on 30 Days of Night with writer/co-creator Steve Niles.

Templesmith recently relocated to San Diego from his native Perth Australia, and will create new series for IDW as well as continue to produce miniseries based on his acclaimed series, Wormwood Gentleman Corpse and work with Warren Ellis on Fell.

In August, Templesmith will debut his latest series, Welcome to Hoxford, and, as with Wormwood and his Singularity 7 series, will handle all writing and art duties himself.

Welcome to Hoxford is a horrific new series that features an unique and terrifying take on werewolves. In the debut issue, Raymond Delgado is the newest inmate at the Hoxford Correctional Facility and Mental Institution. He’s has no hope of release, parole, rehabilitation, or decent conversation. On a good day, he’ll tell you he’s Zeus and only bite your arm off—literally. On a bad day, you won’t have time to scream to the prison guard for help. But Dr Jessica Ainley, his doctor for five years, wants to help Ray and can’t understand why the newly privatized, corporately-run prison won’t give her access to her patients. And why are people always transferred into Hoxford, but no records show anyone ever transferring back out.

Templesmith will also release The Art of Wormwood in August, the third such art book he has produced.

About joining IDW exclusively and his plans for the future, Templesmith said “I’m incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to continuously work at IDW over the years now and basically have them be the launch pad for anything I’ve ever wanted to do in comics, so I just saw this as a natural progression and a great chance to be more involved from the ground floor up. Also, the cubicle walls in the office are high enough that people still won’t be able to see that I rarely wear any pants while I work.”

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