The Intergalactic Nemesis

This week’s Pollstar cover isn’t an homage to Comic-Con, the wildly popular pop culture conference taking place as we go to press. Despite the graphic novel design, it’s a typical cover in that it’s an image from The Intergalactic Nemesis, an emerging concert tour capturing the imagination of a rapidly growing audience.

The Intergalactic Nemesis is not your typical concert. Nor is it a traditional theatrical production. The combination staged radio-play and live-action comic book consists of three actors, recorded and live music, and screens depicting the action in animated graphic novel style and art.

Photo: Jason Neulander / The Intergalactic Nemesis

Taking place in 1933, a Pulitzer-winning reporter, her intrepid assistant and a mysterious librarian face an impending invasion of sludge monsters from the planet Zygon. Think of a mashup of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” and Marvel Comics, with live actors, music and sound effects thrown in.

Gersh’s Douglas Edley was introduced to The Intergalactic Nemesis just a few months ago and the agent immediately jumped on board, lining up a slew of performing arts centers and theatres looking for a box office hit to entrance grownups as well as kids. And unlike summertime comic-book fare in movie theatres, The Intergalactic Nemesis is no reboot.

“This is absolutely amazing and completely different,” Edley told Pollstar. “It’s an exciting show, family friendly and selling tickets. The possibilities are endless. We are having so much fun with this thing.”

Creator and producer Jason Neulander developed the show from his original comic book series and, coming from a marketing background himself, is working on individual campaigns for venues that buy the show. He’s created video trailers for the show’s website and other marketing materials for each show, as well as this week’s Pollstar cover art.

“The performing arts centers absolutely love it, but it hits every demographic and Jason’s already working on a second series of books. He’s setting it up so it can be a recurring buy for venues,” Edley said. With expectations of expanding beyond PACs and casinos, it’s a safe bet that arenas are on the horizon.

A fall tour of PACs, casinos, colleges and other “non-traditional” venues is already taking shape, to be followed by a 2012 outing. He’s pitching The Intergalactic Nemesis to festivals – including the aforementioned Comic-Con – television, and “out of the box”