Treehouse Animation To Release First Graphic Novel

TREEHOUSE ANIMATION, the computer animation studio responsible for the popular CARTOON NETWORK animated short, LEGO Star Wars: Revenge Of The Brick is taking a step in another direction of entertainment, comic books, with their first release titled, The Trap-Door Maker: A Prequel To The Phantom Of The Opera written & illustrated by Pete Bregman. The Trap-Door Maker will be distributed by Diamond Comic Distributors and will hit stores in December. It will be offered in Diamond's October Previews catalog.

Treehouse Animation has quickly become a fan-favorite creative shop. Since its debut on Cartoon Network in May, Revenge Of The Brick and its accompanying animated short, Clone Trooper Orchestra have circumvented the globe via the internet, garnering the attention of over 10 million viewers.

Published under the Treehouse Animation Comics label, The Trap-Door Maker tells the story of the disfigured Erik (a.k.a. the Phantom), and his experiences in Persia prior to his infamous life in Paris years later. The 1911 novel, The Phantom Of The Opera, by Gaston Leroux briefly mentions how Erik traveled the globe as a magician and sideshow attraction, eventually becoming the architect for the Shah of Persia, designing and constructing an intricate network of secret passages, traps, and escape routes throughout the royal palace. In addition to his employment as the Palace architect, Erik also took part in a number of political assassinations. However, once the ingenious palace reconstruction was completed, the Shah, fearing that Erik “knew too much,” casually ordered his execution. Obviously, Erik survived to terrorize the Paris Opera House in the years that would follow. The Trap-Door Maker fills in the gaps of this interesting-yet-unknown back story, telling the tale of Erik’s origins, actions, and eventual betrayal.

“There’s always been a natural overlap between the animation and comic book fan base, so hopefully fans will enjoy The Trap-Door Maker as much as they enjoyed Revenge Of The Brick and Clone Trooper Orchestra,” says Bregman, who worked as a Sequence Director & concept artist on Revenge Of The Brick.

Treehouse Animation is a full service studio offering creative development, design, animation, visual effects, and editorial services for commercial, alternative content, and entertainment projects. To learn more about Treehouse, please visit https://www.treehouseanimation.com.

Fans can find The Trap-Door Maker and other great products at their local comics shop, or by contacting the Comic Shop Locator Service toll free at 1-888-COMICBOOK (1-888-266-4226) or online at https://csls.diamondcomics.com.