Valley Village, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/3/2005 -- Zen Intergalactic Ninja has been around since 1987, as the title character of his own independent comic-book, the star of two videogames and a line of action figures.

In his comic, Zen has come close to being sliced open on the operating table by rabid U.S. government alien hunters, but he’s always avoided the knife.

Now his creators have had the blue-skinned E.T. undergo surgery of a different kind:
plastic surgery, to make him more attractive to the Hollywood community.

For the past 18 years, Zen has only had one facial feature: a pair of large, almond-shaped eyes. But now he also has a nose and a mouth.

“Zen wakes up to find he’s sprouted some new orifices,” says writer/creator Steve Stern, “and anyone can witness the transformation for free by visiting www.ssscomics.com. It’s all logically explained—in comic-book terms, naturally.”

Artist Dan Cote, who created Zen’s look, said there were two reasons for the makeover. "The fans really wanted it, and so did actors who over the years have been interested in portraying Zen on the screen. They felt he needed to look more human."

Zen’s new incarnation has already attracted attention in Tinseltown. The E.T. is already in development for film and television by a major agency that packages comic-book properties for film and television.
“With all the plastic surgery going on here in LA," Stern added, "it was easy to give Zen a makeover."

About Zen Comics Publishing, Inc.
Zen Comics Publishing, Inc. is the publisher of comic-books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks relating to the character Zen Intergalactic Ninja, as well as the licensor of Zen products. Established in 1987 by Zen co-creators, writer Steve Stern and artist Dan Cote, Zen Comics Publishing has published or licensed over 100 comic-books and graphic novels featuring Zen, as well as the trade paperback 'Alien Hero,' a collection of novellas and short stories relating to the character. Among the companies which Zen Comics Publishing has licensed the property to are Konami, Just Toys, Archie Comics and the Mead company.

For more information on the company please visit our official website at www.zenintergalacticninja.com