Why do people post press releases without commenting on them at all?  That seems pointless to me.  Are we not supposed to put our personal opinions on these releases?  Is that kind of the agreement?  If so….oops.

You know, Tyrese Gibson kind of kicks @$$.  2Fast2Furious wasn’t half as bad as people make it out to be.  He’s a pretty decent actor, which may be hard to tell from something like Transformers, but with his roles in Baby Boy, Waist Deep, Flight of the Phoenix, and Four Brothers.  Oh, and Death Race is just a clusterf*ck of awesome.  Can’t say I’ve heard any of his music, though.  I hear it’s good, though.

But we’re not here to talk about Tyrese the actor, or Tyrese the singer/songwriter.  We’re here to talk about Tyrese the comic writer!

From Image Comics this summer comes Mayhem, the titular character created by Tyrese, featuring art by the damn cool Tone Rodriguez.  Though the preview art doesn’t show it, I’m pretty sure the main character will probably have Tyrese’s likeness.

I’ve put the official press release after the jump (thanks to CBR) and, though it’s an odd press release (it’s a letter written by Tyrese himself), it has me excited for the project.  I respect Tyrese – he admits he’s not a diehard comic fan, but he also says that going to Comicon, and seeing the excitement of comic book fans got him interested in our beloved funnybooks, and he seems genuinely excited about the project that he’s going to put a lot of support behind it, including plugging it whenever he does appearances for Transformers 2, and a release party this Saturday in LA.  It kind of reminds me of Milo Ventimiglia, who’s not afraid to talk about his comics when he does appearances for Heroes.

So I wish Tyrese the best of luck with this – if you’re in LA, check out the release party this weekend (and write us a review!  you’ll get posted on the site next week!), and pick up Mayhem when it comes out later this year from Image comics!

Official Press Release

I hope this letter finds you well.

You will be seeing a lot of me the coming months as I reprise my role as Master Sgt. Epps in TRANFORMERS 2: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN. But come late this summer, I want you and the rest of the world to see me in a different light when you pick up the Image Comics title, MAYHEM. Outside of the movies and the music for which I’m known, I want you and everyone else to experience my exciting new venture into the world of comic books.

I believe I have created something special with MAYHEM, and I want to share it with you. Robert Kirkman, one of the partners at Image and author of the best-selling title, THE WALKING DEAD, sang praise to MAYHEM with this, “With the entertainment world at large currently bowing at the feet of comics and its ideas, it’s incredibly exciting to have a media mastermind like Tyrese Gibson turning his att ention our way. MAYHEM is a unique, engaging comic-book experience that could only come from the mind of someone who’s risen to the top of so many different fields–anxious to take another by storm. Ready or not, Tyrese Gibson is in the house–and it’s going to be MAYHEM!”

I have always been open minded to new things, and I’ve said this a few times: I’m no comic book veteran, but when I went to Comic-Con to promote Death Race, that energy out there really did something to me. I had no idea…So that’s when I decided I wanted to not only be a part of this world, but I wanna create something that I know the die hard comic book followers out there would appreciate. I know other celebrities in the past have lent their names to comic book titles, but no one has ever or will ever put the commitment to push their comic in the grass-roots level in the way I am about to with MAYHEM. I have great respect for comic book lovers. They have been extremely s upportive of me, especially due to Transformers 1 and 2 . Just like my supporters of music and film, they’re the ones who gave me energy to enter the comic book world. I embrace them all equally, because without them, I wouldn’t be here.

True comic book fans can smell b.s. a mile away, which is great and what’s needed for the comic industry; because it forces creators to put out a higher grade of product. Stories and books have to be top notch, and at the end of the day, I thank them for holding everyone to a higher standard. MAYHEM is a true passion project of mine. Right now, I am not worried about the movie, the merchandising, or other ancillary rights that will naturally follow. All I care about is making the best comic book title possible for readers to enjoy. Of course I will use all major media outlets to promote MAYHEM, from the global TRANSFORMERS 2 press tour, to the magazine interviews, to TV show appearances — but I also will be more hands on to get the word out on MAYHEM.

I want to reach out to the vendors, the shop owners, the bloggers, and the comic book fans to=2 0let them know that I am serious about bringing them the best and first-class comic book, and I believe that book is MAYHEM.

I created MAYHEM with writers Mike Le and Will Wilson, and artist Tone Rodriguez. It is a gritty, dynamic story about a Masked vigilante who dares to clean up his home city of Los Angeles by taking on, Big X, the crime lord who holds several dark secrets. MAYHEM is a modern day gunslinger who seeks refuge in the basement of a church. If you liked Garth Ennis’ run on THE PUNISHER, and Frank Miller’s run on DAREDEVIL, then you will love MAYHEM. You will be talking about MAYHEM long after you closed those pages. And that’s my promise to you.

I am celebrating the unveiling of MAYHEM this coming Saturday, April 25th, in Los Angeles. Attached is the flyer with info and a sneak peak at the cover…

Sincerely,

Tyrese Gibson