From Cryptozoic Entertainment:

In comic books, the hero must battle an out-of-this-world villain in a world of fantasy. In our world, there are real-life villains as well. To this day, artistic expression and free speech are challenged in the comic book industry. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) is a non-profit organization that comes to the aid of those artists who are threatened by censorship and other legal troubles. Supported by some of the most acclaimed creators and artists in the industry, the CBL DF has long been a champion of free speech.

This trading card set showcases some of the historic legal battles comic books have had to overcome from the Seduction of the Innocent era in the 1950s to the modern day. In addition to the base set, special hand drawn sketch cards and autograph cards by some of the top talent in the comic book world will be featured! Erik Larsen, Charlie Adlard, Rob Liefeld, Frank Quitely and Terry Moore are just a few artists who will be doing sketch cards. Plus, autographs can be found from such names as Geoff Johns, Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Gail Simone and Robert Kirkman.

Release Date: Summer 2011
Base set: 72 Cards
Inserts: Champions of Liberty chase set, Autographs, Sketch Cards
Packs: 5 cards per pack; 24 packs per box
MSRP: $3.49 pack

From Dailymetagame.com:

March 15th, 2011. At 2pm, the Cryptozoic 2011 Product schedule and presentation was held in Palace Room 2 at the Bally’s Hotel Convention Center. Cory Jones, president and CCO of Cryptozoic Entertainment, introduced himself and covered a few basics from the CZE Hobby Store Presentation that took place earlier in the morning.

But you’re here for the new products that were announced, right? Yeah. I’ll save you the small-talk and get straight to the good stuff.

Trading Cards
Here’s where things start to get new. Cryptozoic Entertainment swept through the presentation with a ton of trading card announcements, many which will feature special cards and some really sick properties. 

The Walking Dead, Smallville, Big Bang Theory, Vampire Diaries, and Fringe trading cards are all set to be released this year. 

Of course, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Liberty Trading Cards (CBLDF Liberty for short), are also due out later this year. Trading card collectors will be able to look forward to autographed cards and sketch cards to be found in the set. This project is meant for charity in order to help comic artists protect their 1st amendment rights, and a whole host of great talent will be volunteering their work to this thing.

Read the full article here.

Cryptozoic Entertainment, famous for its World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, announced today that they have secured the rights from AMC to launch “The Walking Dead” trading cards. The first release in the series covers the events of the first season and features a 72 card base set along with feature autographs and memorabilia from the popular show. The trading cards are available in retail locations coming this summer.

“Working on ‘The Walking Dead’ is very exciting for Cryptozoic! We’re huge fans of the show and we feel that it really lends itself to the trading card category,” said Scott Gaeta, COO at Cryptozoic. “‘The Walking Dead’ will receive the same premium treatment we are committed to providing to all our partners and fans.” 

“AMC is a multi-platform content company and we’re thrilled to be working with Cryptozoic as we usher in our newest platform, trading cards, celebrating the AMC original series ‘The Walking Dead,’” said Charlie Collier, president of AMC.

AMC’s “The Walking Dead” is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. The series tells the story of the months and years that follow after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. The comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive. AMC’s “The Walking Dead” attracted 3.5 million adults in the 18-49 demo making it the most watched drama series in basic cable history for the demo. The series was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Drama. 

Visit www.cryptozoic.com/tradingcards for the most up to date information on when “The Walking Dead” will invade a hobby store near you. 

About AMC
AMC reigns as the only cable network in history to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row, as well as the Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Series - Drama for three consecutive years. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade or creating acclaimed original programming, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC’s original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and entertaining non-scripted programming such as AMC News. AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like AMC Hollywood Icon and AMC Complete Collection. Available in more than 96 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters Here(SM).

About Cryptozoic Entertainment
Cryptozoic Entertainment was founded in 2010 on the core principle of fans first. The Cryptozoic staff consists of fans who are dedicated to producing the highest quality product and community experience possible. Visit www.cryptozoic.com for additional product and event information.