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10/15/16 @ 6:03 pm EST
A Writer’s Commentary: Scott Lobdell talks Army of Darkness/Xena: Forever … and a Day #1, on sale now from Dynamite. Cover by Reilly Brown and interiors by Elliot Fernandez.  PAGE ONEI figured it was important to start the story at Xena’s lowest point ever. Her final battle, a dying Gabrielle in her arms… in part because it is so dramatic, but also because she is about to summon Ash Williams for help.And let’s be honest – if you are going to summon Ash Williams for help, things have to be pretty darn rock bottom! (I kid, Ash! I kid because I love!)One of the fun things about coming so late to the Xena/Gabrielle party is there is no need for “nudge, nudge/wink,wink” allusions to their relationship. I get to call her “life partner”, unambiguously. PAGE TWO AND THREEYep. Things are bad.Now, honestly, I would have preferred to use this two-page spread to establish that this village Xena was protecting has been devastated by these advancing hordes of Deadites – but the artist went in a different direction.In this version, there is no indication of a village at all… and as a result there is no sense of place, a sense of a risk that is greater than a risk to, say, Xena and Gabrielle.Also, while the coloring is gorgeous (this is the first time I’m seeing it) I have to say it adds to the “problem of place.” Rather than a village under siege with Xena as its last defender, this scene makes it seem like the battle it taking place in the pits of Hell itself.  But that’s the thing about writing, I’ll be able to adjust later in the series to make things clearer. (Or, honestly, who knows – I may be forced to abandon the idea of an overwhelmed village entirely for this scene to make sense in the larger context of the series. That is one of the strengths of being fluid… you can go with the flow.) PAGE FOUR AND FIVEStill no context.Again, I’m reading this for the first time. In black and white, it was easier to imagine background colors that would have made this feel like, say, it was outside, at night… on Earth. Our minds might have filled in the idea that this was an actual place under siege. But there’s that red again.Hmm… will definitely have to adjust my thinking re: village moving forward.On panels three and four: To me this is the great joy of writing Xena. Sure, you have drama, you have gods and monsters and epic battles… but more importantly you have the character and comedy that exists between Xena and Gabrielle. I love these two – and more importantly I love them together. PAGE SIXAnd here all my frustration with the artist over a sense of place dissolves away – because he really sells the back room of the S-Mart. With this single panel, we learn so much about Ash at a glance:We see his “world” is clearly much different than Xena’s world. This feels like a place where any of us might have worked over the years – the worn down mirror, the graffiti, those damned Employee edicts posted everywhere. (“Wait! I gotta wash my hands?! Thank god that sign is there!”)I also love how happy Ash is here: he is master of his domain, employee of the year again. He doesn’t see the graffiti or the worn mirror – he’s only concerned with that smiling visage of male confidence beaming back at him!  PAGE SEVENWell, we get some shelves here for a sense of place – I am grateful for that!(One of the things that always bother me in a comic is when we see a SIGN or a COMPUTER MONITOR that should have something written or projected on it and there is nothing there. [“Look at those security cameras! They show all those people sneaking over the fence!” Um, no. They don’t. They’re blank screens. We can see they are blank!”] Like, if we were watching a television show or a movie and someone walked down an aisle and there was a big blank sign there we would scratch our heads and wonder who puts up signs with no writing or images on them? I’ll have to be more aware of this in future issues when I get the lettering pages back.)There is Amber making an appearance! My muse! Eagle-eyed readers will recognize her from her cameo in IDW’s Galaxy Quest comic! Uh oh – I hope I won’t get sued now!(In my defense, that Amber was making out with Tim Allen! This Amber is about to make out with Bruce Campbell. So, really, it has to be two different Ambers who just share the same name! Lawsuit avoided!)There’s that red background again – which (to me) feels too much like the red from the previous scene. If I saw this coloring before now I probably would have asked for an adjustment here. PAGE EIGHTLove this page. Everything about it. Elliot Fernandez really knocked it out of the park here – and the coloring is gorgeous!While I probably could have gotten away without any reference to “enchanted summoning through time and space” because it is right there in the art… I didn’t mind punching it a little with dialogue because of what Ash reveals about himself in the dialogue.I love the fact that he’s pretty damned nonchalant about it – it has happened so many times already that he’s able to contrast the severity of this summoning against other times.It is that “Okay. This happened” attitude of Ash’s that I love. He takes the most outrageous things that happen to him in stride, but then gets so annoyed by some of the little things as we’ll see in an a bit.  PAGE NINESee? He doesn’t like being poinked!Time and space travel? Piece of cake.But do not poink him — a man has to have his limits! PAGE TEN AND ELEVENThe character work on this two-page spread is pretty awesome.(This is the same village that we saw was obliterated in the first scene – so that we got a sense here that we are only days away from the devastation about to befall these people, but… Okay, okay! I’ll let it go!)A man can only take so much poinking! PAGE TWELVE AND THIRTEENAnd here it is! The moment we’ve been waiting for: Xena and Ash on the same page, in the same place and time!I love how he is so excited to see her… even as she has no idea who the hell he is! (Ah, the fun of time travel stories!)I love how she easily dispatches him. (Yes, he’s one resourceful guy – but he’s not a warrior woman, and he hasn’t been fighting his entire life like Xena. He might be able to get a punch in here or there, sure, but he’s not about to defeat Xena. C’mon!)That said, I also love that Xena is content to hold him at bay with her sword and not run him through. She’s the best!  PAGE FOURTEEN AND FIFTEENAgain, Elliot really shines here on this two-page splash.The fury, the surprise, the determination… the fight to the draw that can leave the fans of both characters convinced their favorite would have won if the battle might go on a moment longer! PAGE SIXTEENWho else but Gabrielle can get the two of them to focus with a single word?!I love that seeing her in a state is enough to focus both Ash and Xena in a heartbeat – nothing is more important to either one of them in this moment.I also love being able to write the last panel on this page, where we see that Gabrielle is the voice of reason between these two. (Let’s face it – both Ash and Xena can get a little immature when defending their own honor. I think it is part of their charms.) PAGE SEVENTEEN AND EIGHTEENI’ll confess something here! If I could write an entire mini-series about these three sitting around a campfire, I would!But who would read it besides me?  PAGE NINETEEN AND TWENTYThe sign-painters arrived while Ash was trapped in the past!I’m a little confused by Ash’s expression on the last panel of page nineteen. It feels like the tie gag is a reference to his previous attempt at love-making having been interrupted. (If I had noticed this expression earlier, I probably would have adjusted the dialogue to reflect his expression a little more.) Maybe that’s only distracting to me. That was fun! Did you like it?! 06/15/19 @ 7:14 am EST
Dynamite announces a deluxe all-in-one oversized hardcover volume of Gail Simone and Walter Geovani's history-making Red Sonja run.
Red Sonja by Gail Simone Omnibus reprints Red Sonja #0-18, as well as various extras. The 528-page premium hardcover tome is 8.2 by 12.2 inches and features a dust jacket. The book sports a Jenny Frison cover and reprints all of the series covers from Frison, Nicola Scott, Fiona Staples, Amanda Conner, Stephanie Buscema and more! This beautiful book deserves a place on every comic fan's shelf!
Gail Simone is a titan of the comic book industry. She played a prominent role in defining and calling attention to the "Women in Refrigerators" trope. Through a prestigious two decades career she has written such critically acclaimed titles as Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Deadpool and Secret Six. As well as original properties like Clean Room and Crosswind. With Dynamite, Gail also engineered and wrote the epic Swords of Sorrow crossover and is currently reuniting with her Sonja partner Walter Geovani on the upcoming Death-Defying 'Devil. This diverse bibliography has lead to both Eisner and GLAAD Award nominations.
In this iconic run, Simone gives the iconic fantasy heroine a fresh new attitude! A revamped origin story and supporting cast round out a nearly unanimously lauded title which ...
06/14/19 @ 1:27 pm EST
Dynamite announces that Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt will be collected in a deluxe oversized hardcover format for fans to fully appreciate and treasure the critically acclaimed limited series. 
Not only is Kieron Gillen writing superheroes again... Not only is Pete Morisi's iconic Charlton hero back again... The series turns the mirror around to reflect the deconstruction of the legendary text, Watchmen. Peter Cannon of course served as the template for Alan Moore's Ozymandias, alongside the other characters inspired by Charlton Action Heroes. What if the inspirations get to respond to this modern post-Watchmen landscape of the medium?
The ambitious series by a perfectly in-synch creative team wowed fans and critics when it debuted at the beginning of 2019. Kieron Gillen, the Eisner-nominated and fan-favorite Uncanny X-Men, Darth Vader, The Wicked + Divine scribe is matched by rising artist extraordinaire Caspar Wijngaard (Limbo, Assassin's Creed), colorist Mary Safro (Drugs & Wires) and renaissance man and Eisner-nominee Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Lone Ranger, Shanghai Red) on letters. Additionally, this editions contains all the gorgeous and fun covers of the series by Kris Anka (Runaways), Kevin Wada (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil), Sean Phillips (Criminal), Christian Ward (Thor), Paulina Ganucheau (Xena) and more! All bringing 110% to this series. The next classic text? You be the judge.
This edition will collect the entire series in a high quality hardcover with pages measuring 7.2 by 11.2 inches. Readers can marvel at Wijngaard and Safro's art at this larger size. And even Ostmane-Elhaou's subtle lettering tricks, especially in the game-changing fourth issue.
Kieron sums it up in short, "This is the superhero comic I'm most proud of. It also has at least three funny jokes. This is all I've ever wanted."
The ...
06/13/19 @ 3:09 pm EST
Long overdue history in the making! Dynamite's two flagship heroines are teaming up in a new ongoing series starting in September, written by the multitalented and Eisner-winning Jordie Bellaire (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Redlands) with art by Drew Moss (Star Wars).
 The story starts in 1969, the genesis of Vampirella - timed perfectly with her 50th Anniversary now being celebrated in 2019. Vampi's new to Earth and still adapting to our world. She finds herself attracted to the supernatural and paranormal mysteries of the world. When suddenly she runs across a young Red Sonja, plucked out of time and clueless. The two women set forth on an adventure, collaborating as both detectives and warriors to find out what has happened... only for more space-time shenanigans to befall them! Do not expect any cliché misunderstanding fights, these two Women of Dynamite are working together, no holds barred. This series marks Jordie Bellaire further flexing her skills as a writer, following widespread acclaim for her smash hitBuffy The Vampire Slayer relaunch and her Eisner-nominated creator-owned series Redlands. This is on top of her prolific continuing career as a colorist on the best selling and most critically acclaimed comics in the industry, including Batman, Deadpool, Vision, Pretty Deadly and countless more. Her unparalleled skill and reputation have so far garnered two Eisner Awards.
Joining Bellaire and Moss are Rebecca Nalty (Xena Warrior Princess, GLOW) on colors and Becca Carey (Planet of the Apes) on letters. The first issue will feature a range of talented cover artists. Terry and Rachel Dodson (Wonder Woman, Mr. and Mrs. X) lead the pack. Julian Totino Tedesco (Daredevil, Captain ... 06/04/19 @ 1:35 pm EST
Vampirella is back in all her glory! Dynamite announced the heroine's triumphant return to an ongoing series to debut on her 50th Gold Anniversary in July 2019 - with a preview #0 issue for Free Comic Book Day! Written by the one and only Christopher Priest, with art by Ergün Gündüz and a legion of jaw dropping covers by Frank Cho, Alex Ross, Guillem March, Joe Jusko, Adam Hughes and more! Fans are clearly excited because initial numbers are indicating the debut will be an extraordinary success for Dynamite!
Current orders project a print run in excess of 60,000 right out the gate! Making it not only the most successful Vampirella comic of the modern era, but also one of the top books for July, with the #1 issue in stores on July 17th - the 50th Anniversary of Vampirella herself! Dynamite sincerely thanks every fan and retailer for supporting this title to an unprecedented extent.
Dynamite can also confirm that writer Christopher Priest will be on the title for a full year and counting. Alongside the rest of his creative team, the Eisner-nominated auteur is brewing a legendary run in the making. Balancing his trademark serious take on superhero/genre concepts with a deep respect for the character and her history.
Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO & Publisher, adds, "July is a huge month for us this year and lays the foundation for a strong rest of the year and going into 2020. For the anniversary, we went all out with Vampirella offerings to spoil fans of the character both new and old. To have Christopher Priest helming the new ongoing series as the centerpiece is a dream come true. He's more than welcome to stay on the title as long as he'd like."
"As cliched as ... 05/28/19 @ 7:12 pm EST
Just a couple days left to support the very collectible BETTIE PAGE DELUXE ULTRA-PREMIUM SKETCH CARD COLLECTION on Kickstarter! Pledge now and don't miss out on all the great rewards, including the physical or digital graphic novels...
Check out these peerless pages from the Bettie Page graphic novels! David Avallone has so far written almost every appearance of Bettie under the Dynamite umbrella. Joining his wondrous words on the art side are Colton Worley, Esau Figueroa, Bane Duncan Wade and Matt Gaudio. Plus the jaw dropping covers by Terry Dodson, Joseph Michael Linsner, Scott Chantler and more! The first volume even includes the special short story drawn by Linsner and originally published in Playboy!  
 
This Kickstarter campaign ends soon, so don't miss the chance to get these highly collectible trading cards early and with added value! Pledge now for great deals on graphic novels, statues and more! BETTIE PAGE DELUXE ULTRA-PREMIUM SKETCH CARD COLLECTION
 
05/22/19 @ 5:13 pm EST
Dynamite Entertainment announces a Kickstarter for upgraded packaging and contents for the Bettie Page Deluxe Ultra-Premium Sketch Card Collection. Adorers of Bettie's timeless beauty and sketch card fanatics can check out the campaign for great value on packs and boxes, including one-of-a-kind sketch cards and other bonuses! Famed wrestler, commentator, artist and Bettie superfan Jerry "The King" Lawler will not only be featured as an additional card premiering via Kickstarter, but will also be contributing signed and exclusive sketch cards to the set with a unique design!
The Bettie Page Sketch Cards Kickstarter is live now, visit here: BETTIE PAGE DELUXE ULTRA-PREMIUM SKETCH CARD COLLECTION
Following successful and fan-favorite comic book series, Dynamite is bringing Bettie to trading cards! Bettie’s timeless All-American sensuality and playfulness is captured expertly by top-of-the-line artists included in this set including Joseph Michael Linsner, David Williams, John Royle, Scott Chantler and more! Also included are some of the most iconic photographs of the beauty legend. Dynamite will also be bringing in the hottest sketch card artists for thousands of one-of-a-kind exclusive pieces.
The special Jerry Lawler promo card is inspired by the iconic work of 1980s painter Patrick Nagel. This uniquely designed chase card as well as signed versions will be included in a limited number of packs. Including ultra rare Gold Elite Signature Series cards! Backers on Kickstarter for one or more packs are guaranteed one of these cards!
"I've been a Bettie Page fan for a long, long time," said Jerry Lawler. "As an artist myself, I've always been a huge fan of pinup art from models and legends like Gil Elvgren and Olivia. Bettie and I are both from the beautiful state of Tennessee. There was a kind of connection. I was ... 05/17/19 @ 1:31 pm EST
Dynamite is making a giant splash in July 2019 with a new Vampirella series by top tier creators like Christopher Priest, as well as reprints and collections of highly sought after recent and classic material, and lots of special items for fans. But in addition to celebrating the 50 years of Vampi, Dynamite looks to the future of Vampirella comics with a blank comic for aspiring creators! Dynamite is offering the Vampirella Blank Comic Book. This standard length comic book sports sketch-quality blank interior pages and a cover with just logo treatment. Dynamite is embracing the extraordinary talents of their fanbase and the comics community to experiment and produce their own Vampi stories. People can take on the project solo or collaborate with friends to write, draw, ink, color and letter a full length story. Or split up the pages for an anthology in the vein of the original magazine. Another challenge would be to follow the famous 24-hour comic challenge. An artist drawing in this book could be the next José González, Amanda Conner, Mike Mayhew or Ergün Gündüz, finding themselves professionally drawing the Daughter of Drakulon someday. Or writing, in the footsteps of Archie Goodwin, Kurt Busiek, Mark Millar or Christopher Priest.
05/17/19 @ 1:26 pm EST
Dynamite Entertainment announces its Editorial and Sales team will embark once more on a journey to the Diamond Retailer Summit and that special covers will be available to retailers. Joseph Rybandt, Executive Editor and Patrick O'Connell, Sales Manager will be at the summit to present to and speak with retailers about all of Dynamite's exciting recent and upcoming releases and initiatives. Including discussion of the upcoming Vampirella #1 written by Christopher Priest, the crossover with Archie Comics and an upcoming series by Gail Simone! At the Dynamite booth, participating retailers will be able to receive four limited edition covers for Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica. Upcoming Vampirella ongoing artist Ergün Gündüz illustrated a cover with the four fan-favorite heroines taking a selfie together. Dressed and virgin versions of the cover will be available. In addition to high-end premium $50 virgin cover editions of the Fay Dalton and Cat Staggs variants.
"We love our retail partners in the industry. The ones attending the Diamond Seminar are taking time out of being in their stores and investing their time and money to be at the show. Dynamite is honored to be able to present our upcoming publishing schedule and all the exciting projects we have for the rest of this year, going into 2020! We want to thank them for coming by in giving away multiple items to help them recoup some of their expenses," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher.
   05/16/19 @ 2:28 pm EST
Fwoosh! What sound effect does a boomerang make? Find out this August when Dynamite releases THE DEATH-DEFYING 'DEVIL #1 by Gail Simone and Walter Geovani! The Master of Courage returns!
The nearly 80-year-old legendary superhero returns in a miniseries from Eisner-nominated writer Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Domino) and her longtime artistic collaborator Walter Geovani (Red Sonja, Clean Room). Colorist Adriano Augusto (Red Sonja/Tarzan, KISS: Blood & Stardust) and prolific letterer Simon Bowland (Red Sonja, The Boys) round out the cast.
In this yarn inspired by Rod Serling, Bronze Age horror/mystery anthologies, and modern street-level heroics, the 'Devil finds himself beaten and bloodied in the backyard of a ramshackle apartment building. The diverse cast of tenants take him in and across each issue they are explored in-depth. Each has their own unique problems, while a strange force also menaces the building as a whole. The 'Devil makes it his mission to solve all of these puzzles, even when he learns that one of his new neighbors is a traitor.
A whole legion of painterly artists are contributing covers to this blockbuster series. Riccardo Federici (Aquaman, Dark Nights Metal: Dark Knights Rising) leads the pack, Tyler Kirkham (Deathstroke, Green Lantern, Teen Titans) has some fun with a spray effect, Ben Oliver (American Carnage) turns in a playing card-inspired cover featuring the villain Deadly Dreaded Dragon, while fan-favorites Lucio Parillo (Vampirella, Red Sonja) and In-Hyuk Lee (Black Order, Spider-Geddon) strike iconic heroic poses. As a throwback for Project Superpowers fans, a special incentive "Carve Out" cover features Alex Ross's history-making depiction.
 ![]() Read More Here 05/16/19 @ 1:53 pm EST
Tick! Tick! Tick! Tock! The Jose Gonzalez Vampirella statue Kickstarter celebrating the iconic heroine's 50th Anniversary ends tonight! You have just hours left to support the campaign or increase your pledge to get even more awesome rewards! The campaign ends at 11 PM EST! Pledge Now!Thanks to all who have pledged already and continued to unlock stretch goal after stretch goal! Last night tons of new backers joined in and now every statue box will include a promo trading card depicting how the original Gonzalez/Torres masterpiece has translated to the third dimension! Don't forget all the amazing options for rewards beyond the central statue! Enamel pins, deluxe art books, graphic novels, the hardcover Vampirella archives! And any combination - message us on Kickstarter and we can arrange add-ons and special personalized reward packages! |
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