Marvel appears to be going for an exclusive announcement (almost) every day this week (they skipped Tuesday!). Monday saw the resigning of Mark Bagley. Wednesday saw long time DC artist Tom Grummett sign a contract with Marvel. Wednesday brings news of artist Olivier Coipel signing an exclusive with the "House of Ideas." The full press release follows:

Official Press Release

If being named by Marvel Comics a "Young Gun" artist wasn't enough for Olivier Coipel, he's also just inked an exclusive contract with the comics publishing giant.

Coipel first gained notice on DC's Legion of Super-Heroes titles but lately he's been seen on some high-profile Marvel titles, including Avengers and Uncanny X-Men, and has enjoyed working with hot writers the likes of Geoff Johns and Chuck Austen. He and five other rising star artists were recently been given the spotlight as "Young Guns" and had their art previewed in a special Marvel publication, The Young Guns Sketchbook. The event was conceived to promote a group of artists that Marvel felt were the cream of the crop and destined for greatness in the industry.

"I can't say enough about Olivier's art and I'm amazed at how much he's grown artistically in a relatively short time," said Joe Quesada, Marvel Editor-in-Chief. "He's able to give all his characters this incredible individuality and life and that's not always easy to do within the bounds of comic art. The Young Guns tag is meant to highlight young artists who have the talent and vision and deserve the exposure to the fans. Olivier's the epitome of that type of artist and we want him to feel as welcome as possible at Marvel."

Coipel is understandably thrilled about his new lease at the House of Ideas. "I feel great, it shows me that Marvel put their trust in me! That helps to be more confident. I feel more and more comfortable with the Marvel Universe and I really wanted to get the opportunity to work on other characters, to explore a bit deeper this universe."

When asked about his current and future Marvel projects, he responded coyly, "For now House of M! It will take me a while before starting to think about something else!"

Please keep your eye on Marvel.com for updates on Olivier Coipel's next exciting projects.

With a library of over 5,000 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, comic book publishing and toys (Toy Biz). Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD/home video, video games and television based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division which continues to expand its leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.