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06/25/16 @ 4:44 am EST
Dynamite has sent us a new Writer 2 Writer interview, this time Frank Barbiere, writer of Dejah Thoris #5, talks with writer David Avallone about Twilight Zone: The Shadow #3, both in stores now. Cover is by Francesco Francavilla with interiors by Dave Acosta.  FRANK BARBIERE: It’s always interesting when two different worlds collide in a comic. What do you feel are a few of the most important concepts/themes of The Shadow and The Twilight Zone that you were hoping to infuse into this book?DAVID AVALLONE: The Twilight Zone and The Shadow have certain elements in common. I thought about that a lot when I was working on the book. Both are encountered by ordinary human beings at points of crisis in their lives, and judge them by how the react to their circumstances. Whereas The Twilight Zone is completely abstract, The Shadow is very present and personal… but both mete out a kind of justice. The big challenge here was that it’s the Shadow being “judged” inside the Twilight Zone. And how does a guy with his powers and his responsibilities and his mission take to being toyed with by a seemingly omnipotent power, and judged? In issue #4, I finally answer that question. Stay tuned. FB: You have a lot of fun with a surreal sequence in the book involving a writer becoming part of his work. What was your inspiration for this specific part of the story?DA: It is notoriously difficult to dramatize writing, as an action. Ultimately it’s a guy staring off into space, and then typing for a few minutes, and then staring off into space for a while. But what’s happening in his head while he’s staring off into space? That’s where the drama is. And because I have the trappings of sci-fi/fantasy/horror to play with, I can make the internal psychodrama real: the writer inhabits his own memories, fantasies and nightmares.On a beat-by-beat level, Art getting sucked into his typewriter was inspired to some degree by David Cronenberg’s Naked Lunch film. Lots of anthropomorphized typewriters in that one. Kent Allard on the blank page, menaced by shifting characters, lost… that was actually inspired by a Daffy Duck cartoon: “Duck Amuck”. And the giant typebars smashing down to spell the word “Justice” was inspired by Franz Kafka’s short story “In The Penal Colony”…. which, like our story here, is about degrees of punishment, mercy and justice.  FB: You open the book with some great captions. How do you feel about the caption works in tandem with the comic art page? Do you try to subvert the art with the text, or really treat it as a companion?DA: Thanks! I actually try to eschew captions as much as I can: sort of like using voice over or title cards in movies, it seems like a short cut to me, or an admission that I couldn’t get an idea across with dialogue or visuals. I like to do as little hand-holding of the audience as humanly possible, and let them “get it” without me coming out and explaining too much.There are plenty of genius comics writers – I’m thinking of Alan Moore, for example – who can write thick paragraphs of prose captions that add tremendously to the book. For me, comics are a visual medium, and in the stories I’ve written so far, I have wanted to stick to images and dialogue as much as possible.But. This is The Twilight Zone. And as a big fan of the original show, one of the highlights was always Rod Serling’s introductions and final summations. They were always beautiful and poetic and thoughtful. Since The Twilight Zone – as a franchise – is pretty much just an abstract idea, I felt like the one concrete connection I could make to the series was to open and close each issue with my best approximation of Serling’s style and “voice”. If I weren’t writing these, and just reading them like any other fan, I would want that. FB: Do you feel this is leaning towards a more Shadow story or a Twilight Zone story? Do you feel any predominant elements rising to the surface? DA: As above, the Twilight Zone is more of a format than a franchise: a person encounters an uncanny circumstance and their character is revealed in their reaction to it. If possible, with a twist ending. The attempt here was to make the Shadow that character, who encounters the uncanny. The trick is that he’s a pretty uncanny guy himself. Ultimately I asked myself, “What story would Rod Serling or Richard Matheson want to tell about the Shadow? What lesson can Kent Allard learn about himself, and does that change him or not?” I was concerned (and still am, somewhat) that the average Shadow reader is going to expect a little more gunplay and detective work than I provide here. I’ll say this: issues #1 and #4 are more Shadow than Twilight Zone and issues #2 and #3 are more Twilight Zone than Shadow. FB: What makes the comic medium a good fit for this story? Can you talk about how you approach deciding what to show on the page vs. text?DA: I think I answered the second question back in my answer to number three, because I am – ironically – long-winded on the subject of not-being-long-winded-in-comic-books. As to the first, I think you could tell variations of this story in other formats, but when I’m plotting out a comic book issue or miniseries I give a lot of thought to the pacing, and that’s where it gets tailored to the medium. This series in particular is designed to be episodic: The Shadow jumps into three different perspectives, with one issue devoted to each new perspective, ending in a cliffhanger revealing the next incoming change. Then in issue #4 we find out how that experience affected him.If it was a single half hour Twilight Zone episode, it would probably have forced me to pick one of the perspective changes and run with that. In a novel, I’d have had a lot more time to explore the individual perspectives. In comic books, I find page 22 or 20 comes pretty fast and I’m always trying to get as much story in there as possible. I hope that pays off for the reader.
11/26/19 @ 4:09 pm EST
Dynamite announces a new original James Bond graphic novel for release in February, incorporating contributions from a cavalcade of writers and artists to celebrate the timelessness of the character and the countless talented creators who have brought him to comics.  James Bond in "Reflections of Death" is a 128 page hardcover of nonstop thrills and intrigue. Several Dynamite Bond veterans return for this tapestry, including Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, X-Force), Andy Diggle (Daredevil, Green Arrow) and Greg Pak (Star Wars, Agents of Atlas) and the writers of the December-launching new ongoing series, Vita Ayala (Morbius, Xena) & Danny Lore (Queen of Bad Dreams). Stars of both Dynamite and comics at large Gail Simone (Deadpool, Wonder Woman) and Mark Russell (Red Sonja, The Flintstones) join the team as well. Artists enlisted for the mission include Luca Casalanguida (Hammerhead, Kill Chain, The Body), Robert Carey (James Bond 007), Jordi Perez (Xena), Dean Kotz (Warlord of Mars Attacks), Eoin Marron (Killer Groove) and Kewber Baal (KISS). All wrapped up in another beautiful noir and pulp flavored cover by Fay Dalton (Casino Royale, Vampirella).
With a framing story Ayala and Lore, over 20 total creators will collaborate to contribute stories that both stand on their own and tie into an overarching narrative. The central figure through the anthology of case files is Moneypenny. She's been kidnapped. and the mystery of her captors and their demands will only be revealed when, or if, 007 is able to complete his missions. While Moneypenny herself may have some surprises up her sleeve.
"We're incredibly fortunate to work with so many talented creators, and of course they all want to write one of the most crucial characters in modern fiction!," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "Just in time for the new ...
11/26/19 @ 4:07 pm EST
Vampirella's anniversary celebration continues with a hotly anticipated deluxe art book honoring her recent history and portrayals.  This breathtaking tome reproduces countless already and soon-to-be classic portrayals of the Daughter of Drakulon on beautiful oversized pages. Picking up right where ART OF VAMPIRELLA: THE DYNAMITE YEARS left off, this brand-new hardcover volume features hundreds of covers, including well over 40 from 2019's smash hit Vampirella #1. Plus covers from the critically acclaimed 2014 run by Nancy Collins, the Linsners' masterpiece Roses for the Dead, and much more from the Vampi archives. Superstar artists included within these pages include Artgerm, J. Scott Campbell, Lucio Parrillo, Alex Ross, Jenny Frison, Terry Dodson, Joe Jusko, and many, many more.
  
"It’s always a pleasure to see so many talented artists, such as Fay Dalton, Jenny Frison and Ben Oliver come in with their contributions every month portraying our favorite vampiress," said Cathleen Heard, Dynamite Art Director. "Many of these pieces are so impressive that we know fans will appreciate them compiled and presented in different ways to truly celebrate this anniversary. Our production and design team always strives to put together books that reflect the prestige of our characters and properties."
Vampirella debuted 50 years ago in the first issue of her self-titled magazine. Originally put out through Warren Publishing as a horror, sci-fi and fantasy anthology alongside sister titles Creepy and Eerie. Intended as a campy hostess, the heroine built up by James Warren, Forrest J. Ackerman, Trina Robbins and Frank Frazetta became a quick fan-favorite in her own right. Especially once comics legend Archie Goodwin and a young Spanish artist named Jose "Pepe" Gonzalez got their chance on ...
11/26/19 @ 4:05 pm EST
Starting in February, Dynamite is proud to announce the Eisner-nominated Mark Russell is kicking off his second full year on the She-Devil with a Sword in the flagship Red Sonja, joined once more by the masterful Bob Q and the return of Jae Lee to Dynamite!
  
  
Following 12 issues and two tie-in one-shots, Red Sonja #13 starts with Sonja the Red in a an unfamiliar position. In the beginning of this epic, she was crowned Queen of Hyrkania, pitting her in battle against Dragan the Magnificent. As the two leaders pushed and pulled on the map, one must come out victorious. This glory is short-lived, as now in a time of relative peace and still on the throne of her conquered kingdom, Sonja must deal with the impossible part... ruling. With no food, infrastructure or plan, she must make some extremely difficult choices, compromises and alliances, lest her reign come to an anticlimactic end.
Mark Rusell details where the saga has been and where it's going, "The first year was about telling the story of Sonja leading her people against the world's most powerful emperor, as adapted into fantasy from the historical story of Queen Tomyris and Cyrus the Great. Being a huge fan of ancient history, it was an amazing opportunity to get to tell a longform and pretty freeform story adapted from the history books, which back then, were almost works of fantasy themselves."
"This next one is going to be different in that it's less about adapting stories from ancient history and more ... 11/27/19 @ 9:10 am EST
In collaboration with Dynamite, Christopher Priest is celebrating Black History Month and paying tribute to the contributions of creators of color on his Vampirella run.
As Christopher Priest's acclaimed run on Vampirella has continued on, the veteran writer and editor is constantly working closely with Dynamite brewing new ideas to engage the comic book community of fans, retailers and press. For February's VAMPIRELLA #8, Priest thought of a symbolic way to pay tribute to an underrecognized and underutilized portion of creators and fans.
“It is a significant and unique gesture on Dynamite’s part to work with me to acknowledge the contributions of African American artists in this industry with a set of covers exclusively developed by artists of color," said Priest. "Both my veteran buddies and inspiring boundary breakers creating their own unique expressions of our favorite Vampiri."
Priest and editor Matt Idelson carefully assembled a team comprised of Denys Cowan, Alitha Martinez, Mark Beachum and Afua Richardson to contribute covers inspired by a simple premise. They were asked to imagine creating the Daughter of Drakulon back in 1969 as if her appearance was inspired by African American women rather than the Bettie Page and Barbarella vein that James Warren, Forrest J. Ackerman, Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins ended up tapping into. They are also joined by returning cosplayer Mai (Maidenhellxo).
11/22/19 @ 7:33 pm EST
Wow! Kickass Wastelanders like you helped this just-launched Fallout Kickstarter to be a smashing success. The campaign was funded within barely 3 hours, which means the Hidden Vault Collectors' Box will officially be brought into the world and delivered directly to the hardcore Fallout and trading card fans.
If you don't know what we're talking about right now... get caught up and pledge now by CLICKING HERE!
Trading cards, sketch cards, custom binders and the awesome Hidden Vault Collectors' Box can all be yours! Head over to Kickstarter to support this project! 
11/21/19 @ 3:33 pm EST
February is just around the corner, and love is in the air! To celebrate the season of flirty fun, Dynamite is releasing a curated selection of themed variant covers by fan-favorite artists for fans to collect.
These special covers feature on Death to the Army of Darkness #1, Vampirella/Red Sonja #6, Red Sonja #13 and Dejah Thoris #3. Sebastián Píriz (Six Million Dollar Man) tackles the first, homaging a timeless classic with Ash taking on quite the handsy deadite bride. Ilustrator Lynne Yoshii (Gotham City Garage) has Red Sonja providing some platonic protection for her latest loved one. While Superstar Sanya Anwar (Assassin's Creed) pulls double duty with two separate picture-perfect portrayals of the Women of Dynamite, one of which checks off a bucket list item for her.
She added, "I've been a fan of Dejah since reading Edgar Rice Burroughs for the first time. Being able to work on such an iconic character is a real treat!"
"Ash is an iconic character, and the rest of the new crew are just too much fun to draw," said Píriz. "Even better, I had the opportunity to work over John Romita's layout. I love this job!"    
And hey, Dynamite bets your crush would love some comic books as gifts too!
DEATH TO THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #1, VAMPIRELLA/RED SONJA #6, DEJAH THORIS #3 and RED SONJA #13 will all be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ December 2019 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in February 2020. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic ... 11/21/19 @ 3:30 pm EST
Dynamite announces two special versions of Warren Ellis' iconic James Bond comics for release in February.
Collecting all of Ellis' espionage epic together in one oversized hardcover volume is the James Bond: The Complete Warren Ellis Omnibus. Included inside are the entire 12 issues that kicked off Bond's epic return to comic books in 2015, by one of the greatest writers of the medium and instant star South African artist Jason Masters. In addition to the critically acclaimed VARGR and Eidolon story arcs, every single cover is included, from the likes of Jock, Francesco Francavilla, Dominic Reardon, Joe Jusko, Ben Oliver, Glenn Fabry, Dan Panosian, Robert Hack and more.
For fans who have never picked up a James Bond comic and want a taste test, or veterans who'd like to revisit that joyful feeling of reading the authentic Fleming-inspired spy tales for the first time, Dynamite is also releasing a Dynamite Dollar Edition of the original first issue. Advertising within the issue will direct fans who can't get enough to check out the omnibus volume and further Bond case files, such as the current series by writers Vita Ayala, Danny Lore and artist Eric Gapstur.
 
This globetrotting adventure takes Bond from his native Britain to Helsinki, Berlin, Los Angeles and further. Ostensibly tasked with breaking up a drug-trafficking operation, the entire scheme unravels with unexpected variables galore. Can Bond break through the political mist and accomplish his mission, let alone survive?
Warren Ellis, alongside his collaborators, is credited with nearly singlehandedly revolutionizing the mainstream American comic book through his influential and acclaimed creations of The Authority and Planetary at the turn of the century. Across comics, prose, video games ... 11/21/19 @ 3:14 pm EST
Ash Williams is back in a new series in February from Dynamite - but wait, there are more Ash Williams?!
 The "Chosen One" has had enough of that nonsense, but gets way more than he bargained for when Ashley Joanna Williams suddenly splinters into multiple differing clones. And each is packing the same over the top personality as the original! Writer Ryan Parrott (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Batman: Gates of Gotham) has concocted this comedy-horror extravaganza alongside artist Jacob Edgar (Savage Tales: Red Sonja). Their groovy crew is completed with colorist Kike J. Díaz (Sherlock Frankenstein, Ether) and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Red Sonja, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt) - who must have cloned himself to double as one of the best letterers and an Eisner-winning critic! Picking up just barely after the legendary Army of Darkness film, the big mixup is of course due to some classic bad translation of the Necronomicon. Introducing the cast... Ash is joined by the personification of his feminine side with Ashley Williams, the erratic Lil' Ash, Dash aka Doggie Ash, the cynical and morose Skeleton Ash and Chainy - Ash's now sentient chainsaw! Together they must travel through time to Ancient Egypt and prevent the Necronomicon from ever being written in the first place. Along the way, can Ash solve his split personality predicament - and how would the others feel about that? Could one of the party members be hiding something? Fans will just have to read to find out!
Writer Ryan Parrott is no stranger to "team books," as the architect of the critically acclaimed Power Rangers franchise in comics today. After spearheading the ongoing spinoff series alongside his mentor Kyle Higgins, he's leveled up to the flagship.
Parrott shared, "Ash is just such a ... 11/21/19 @ 10:35 am EST
War, war never changes. Dynamite Entertainment announces a Kickstarter extravaganza for the new Fallout® Collector’s Trading Cards series!
The campaign is live right now - CLICK HERE!
Last year, Dynamite partnered with Bethesda Softworks® to create and release the first-ever Fallout trading card series. Available across the globe in stores including Target, GameStop, GAME (UK), Amazon, Toynk Toys and comic book specialty stores, they flew off the shelves and sold out almost instantly at retail. This year, Dynamite celebrates the sequel series by offering an exclusive, limited-edition collectors box directly to the fans! Backers on Kickstarter can get the Hidden Vault Collector's Box, stuffed with all the collectibles to prosper and barter within the post-apocalypse. Each of these custom packages, numbered and limited to 600, includes a complete base set of the sold-out Series 1 Fallout Trading Cards (144 total cards) saved for this special campaign, plus 5 foil packs of Series 2 (50 more cards), and 7 exclusive S.P.E.C.I.A.L. cards created only for this package. That's a massive haul of over 200 collectible trading cards.
And there's more... All Hidden Vault Collector's Boxes additionally include two rare items. Bethesda is allowing artists outside of their company to contribute official art to the Fallout franchise through a limited number of literally one-of-a-kind sketch cards, from only the most talented artists in the field! These sketch cards are exclusive to Kickstarter. Cream of the crop artists including Andy Bohn, Norvien Basio, Miranda Gainey, Rusty Gilligan, Alex Mines, Rich Molinelli, Barry Renshaw, April Reyna, Xinjix & more!
The Hidden Vault Collectors Box is the perfect way to start your Fallout collection, but fans will have the option to increase their loot with more foil packs and boxes from ... 11/15/19 @ 5:16 pm EST
Dynamite has just a few days left to go on its mega-gigantic Humble Bundle. Add it all up, and you can get almost 350 issues and 12,000 pages of comic books & more for under $20. That's a deal! Check out all the tiers and make sure to sneak in your purchase before it ends soon! Don't miss the Dynamite 15th Anniversary Bundle <- CLICK! Your friends at Dynamite want to show you this sweet Army of Darkness story. It's written by Scott Duvall, who Ash Williams fans may remember from Army of Darkness / Bubba Ho-Tep. The art is masterfully handled by Edu Menna and Jordan Michael Johnson, with colors and letters by Salvatore Aiala and Taylor Esposito. Fitting for a Humble Bundle stuffed full of great books, Ash is on a book tour. But he has bad experiences with a certain book... Before or after you read the story, check out this interview with Scott about the story - CLICK!And probably after you finish it, check out Scott's page-by-page commentary on the issue - CLICK!      |
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