In advance of its presentation later today at the ComicsPRO retailer event in Portland, DC Comics has announced exclusive deals with three creators: "Omega Men" writer Tom King, "Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death" artist Clay Mann and "Harley's Little Black Book" artist John Timms. As the press release puts it, the deals will ensure the talents "produce their comic book work solely for the DC Comics and Vertigo imprints."

"DC Entertainment is proud and thrilled to secure the services of these amazing talents," DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Jim Lee said in a statement. "Speaking personally as a fan of their impressive work, I couldn't be more thrilled to have them on board for the long haul. We've seen the incredible fan response thus far and all I can add is: hold on tight, this is just the beginning!"

King has established himself as one of the biggest rising stars in comics, between launching "Grayson" with co-writer Tim Seeley, attracting acclaim for cult-favorite series "Omega Men." At Marvel, King has received attention for the recently launched "The Vision," hailed as one of the most unique series in the "All-New, All-Different Marvel lineup. What exactly the DC-exclusive deal means for the future of "The Vision" is currently unclear.

"To me, DC is Superman. DC is Batman. DC is Wonder Woman. DC is Swamp Thing, The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, All Star Superman, The New 52 and The Court of Owls," King said in DC's press release. "DC is where the great comics get made. I'm honored and proud to be part of that tradition, and I'm going to do my best to deliver my best work ever. I can't wait for people to see what's coming."

Earlier this month, Bleeding Cool published a report that King will take over on the flagship "Batman" series from exiting writer Scott Snyder, but that has not been officially confirmed.

Mann is primarily known for his career at Marvel, illustrating books such as "X-Men: Legacy" and "Gambit." He's currently illustrating the "Poison Ivy" miniseries for DC, written by Amy Chu. Timms has also illustrated comics for Marvel and DC, including "Inhumans: Attilan Rising," released last year as part of Marvel's "Secret Wars" events.

"Clay'ss rock solid structure and keen eye for composition really made his work stand out," Lee is quoted. "And I really love John's expressive figure work and fresh, kinetic energy. Their styles are different but they both accomplish the same goal -- they simply pull the readers directly into the story, and that's exactly what we need more of."

DC's press release points out that King, Mann and Timms join current DC-exclusive talents Bryan Hitch, Peter Tomasi and Tony Daniel.