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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?! 08/16/19 @ 9:35 pm EST
The Vampirella #1 exclusive cover by Billy Tucci is now funded on Indiegogo! Dynamite thanks all the supporters! You still have time to join the party! CLICK HERE!
Fans of Vampirella and Shi showed up and blasted away the goal in less than 24 hours! This ensures that everyone will get their limited edition covers and prints. In fact, they will be shipped out to backers within 10 days of the campaign ending!
Billy Tucci created his first cover for Vampirella back in 1995, just a year after the first issue of his independent title Shi released. Over the years, he's made more contributions to the Vampirella tapestry, through crossovers with Shi and as recently as beautiful variant covers for Joseph Michael Linsner's Vampirella: Roses for the Dead. For Vampi's 50th anniversary, Tucci knew he had to do something special. Shi is also celebrating her 25th anniversary, so it was natural for the two to appear together again on an original cover!
The exclusive Vampirella/Shi anniversary cover is available in multiple editions. Starting with the "standard" cover in full glorious color by Wes Hartman. Also available are "virgin covers," dressed "black and white," "black and white virgin," and even a premium "pure line art" edition! There are also bundles with all covers included, or signatures from Tucci himself! Also available separately or as an add-on is a high quality lithograph print of this historic crossover cover!
DON'T MISS YOUR CHANCE! LIMITED TIME, LIMITED QUANITY - ONLY ON INDIEGOGO!    
08/14/19 @ 11:23 pm EST
Dynamite announces a special creator exclusive cover for Vampirella #1 by Billy Tucci on Indiegogo! Celebrating the dual celebration of Vampi's 50th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of Tucci's Shi!
Live on Indiegogo right now (CLICK HERE!)! The Daughter of Drakulon and Billy Tucci's Shi share a beautiful cover being offered only on Indiegogo for a limited time. This critically acclaimed and explosive debut of the new ongoing series by Christopher Priest and Ergun Gunduz has already sold a Dynamite 130,000 units both through the Direct Market and outside it with retailer and creator exclusives like this one!
"I've had the honor to be associated with Vampirella many times since I first broke into comics 25 years ago," said Billy Tucci. "This cover not only celebrates Vampirella's 50th anniversary, but also the 25th anniversary of my own creation, Shi."
Multiple options are available for those with differing budgets and tastes as well as the ultimate Vampi/Shi collectors out there, but all copies have already been printed and made available to fans in extremely limited quantities on a first-come-first-serve basis. At the base is the original cover by Billy Tucci, with logos and full gorgeous colors by Wes Hartman. Variations include a logo-less "virgin" cover, dressed "black and white," "black and white virgin" and even a premium "Pure Line Art" edition reproducing Tucci's flawless original pencil art. Only 300 copies of this cover have been produced! Fans can also get a combo pack with the four base covers, a pack with all four signed or the signed line art cover.
   
In addition to the comic, Dynamite and Billy Tucci have also ... 08/13/19 @ 12:13 pm EST
Dynamite Entertainment is exceptionally pleased with the success of Vampirella #1! The hard work and enthusiasm of the creative team of Christopher Priest & Ergün Gündüz, Dynamite's staff, fans and most importantly retailers, led to quite the gift for Vampi's 50th birthday bash!
Vampirella #1 landed in the top 10 for dollars and #11 in units! Diamond Comics Distributors has released their public rankings for the best-selling comic books and graphic novels for July 2019. In a competitive month with every publisher releasing heavy hitters, relaunched titles and historical milestone issues, this is a real accomplishment! Just aboveanother famous comic book character that hangs out with bats!
This healthy debut for Vampirella makes it the best selling full priced Dynamite comic book of all time! Which works perfectly with 2019 also as Dynamite's 15th anniversary of publishing. While keeping in mind that many copies of Vampirella #1 were not directly distributed through Diamond, accounting for some retailer and creator exclusives yet to be revealed. All accounting for the whopping 130,000+ print run! 
Dynamite has been blown away by the reactions from fans, critics and retailers surrounding the launch. Many fans reported that their Local Comic Shops quickly sold out of the issue or other 50th anniversary Vampirella items such as the replica edition of her first appearance. Stores across the country and even overseas were sharing photos of their life-size Vampi standees stuffed to the brim with comics and graphic novels in anticipation of New Comic Book Day. Many fans were able to chat with Priest at San Diego Comic Con and then signings at historic comic book stores Midtown Comics in New York, Fat Jack's Comicrypt in Philadelphia and Dr. No's Comics & Games in Marietta, Georgia.
While the debut was ...
07/30/19 @ 4:57 pm EST
07/29/19 @ 5:15 pm EST
07/26/19 @ 4:09 pm EST
The classic Dynamite series Queen Sonja will be recollected in a set of two paperback omnibus volumes, with the first out in October 2019.  Queen Sonja Omnibus Volume 1 reprints the first 15 issues of that series. The 396-page paperback volume allows fans new and old to collect these stories affordably and binge them in a great format. In this volume, writers Joshua Ortega (Gears of War), Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi, Warlord of Mars) and current Birth of the She-Devil scribe Luke Lieberman craft arcs depicting the unique challenges that face Sonja at this stage in her life. They're joined by all-star She-Devil with a Sword artist Mel Rubi and Jackson Herbert. As well as a cover gallery, including a dozen paintings from superstar Lucio Parrillo. Pick up this terrific tome to read these tales of a mature battle-hardened Sonja atop the throne, dealing with threats from the outside and within.
“Know also, O prince, that in the selfsame days that the Cimmerian did stalk the Hyborian Kingdoms, one of the few swords worthy to cross with his was that of Red Sonja, warrior-woman out of majestic Hyrkania. Forced to flee her homeland because she spurned the advances of a king and slew him instead, she rode west across the Turanian steppes and into the shadowed mists of legendary.” — The Nemedian Chronicles
  
Queen Sonja Omnibus Volume 1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ August 2019 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2019. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies with their local comic book retailers. It will also be ... 07/26/19 @ 4:06 pm EST
Dynamite announces a fright-filled pair of Halloween themed special one-shots starring Red Sonja and Bettie Page! In Savage Tales: A Red Sonja Halloween Special, writer Mark Russell brings in artist Jacob Edgar (James Bond: Moneypenny) to tell an extra-length spooky story. Dearbhla Kelly and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou also jump over from the regular series for this essential tale for fans of the She-Devil with a Sword. All underneath a striking cover from Erica D'Urso (Xena, Captain Marvel), drawing inspiration from the original Savage Tales #1.
This one-shot perfectly complements issue 9 of the ongoing series, out the same month. While that issue has Sonja returning to the Sorcerers of Wigur-Nomadene, Savage Tales flashes back to their first encounter. At this point, Sonja is not yet a legend, but a brute full of anger and ambition. Savage. Everyone's favorite fiery heroine tries to convince the sorcerers to bring her family and friends back to life. "I saved the darkest chapter of the Red Sonja story for this Halloween Special," said writer Mark Russell. "The main series refers to an earlier visit by Sonja to the Sorcerers of Wigur-Nomadene and this tells the story of that visit and the price she paid to try to bring her dead family back to life. Jacob’s style lends itself really well to this story of dark magic and loss and I think it will make a great entry into the canon as well as a self-contained story."
"This new Sonja series has built a world that feels lived in, covered in dirt and sand and... probably some pretty bad smells. Approaching this issue, especially given that it's a dark Halloween tale, I really want to capture that feeling but also turn up the boldness," said artist Jacob Edgar. "Really push the ... 07/25/19 @ 9:37 am EST
LAST CHANCE On the Garth Ennis/The Boys Humble Bundle! Binge The Boys Before the Show Debuts Friday! The Garth Ennis' The Boys & More Humble Bundle ends tomorrow at 2 PM EST! Jump on it and get 97% off almost 5,000 pages of quality classic comics, primarily written by the master Garth Ennis (Punisher, Preacher). For just $15 you can get every single issue of The Boys! Try and binge it all before the show premieres on Amazon's Prime Video this Friday July 26! You can also check out the $1 tier and still walk away with tons of comics! All benefiting the EveryLibrary Institute too! ENDING TOMORROW, SO CHECK IT OUT NOW! GARTH ENNIS/THE BOYS HUMBLE BUNDLE!   
  
   Don't miss these limited deals! Garth Ennis/The Boys Comics Bundle!
$1 Tier The Boys #1-14 The Ninjettes #1-6A Train Called Love #1-10
Just a Pilgrim #1-5
Just a Pilgrim: Garden of Eden #1-4 $8 Tier The Boys #15-47
The Boys: Herogasm #1-6
Red Team #1-7
Battlefields: Night Witches #1-3
Battlefields: Dear Billy #1-3
Battlefields: The Tankies #1-3
$15 Tier The Boys #48-72
The Boys: Highland Laddie #1-6The Boys: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker #1-6Jennifer Blood #1-36
Red Team: Double Tap, Center Mass #1-9
Battlefields (2010) #1-9
Battlefields (2012) #1-6 07/17/19 @ 7:58 pm EST
Peek Inside the Garth Ennis/The Boys Humble Bundle!!97% Off Nearly 5,000 Pages of Comics! Dynamite and Humble Bundle have teamed together to offer almost all of Garth Ennis's bibliography at the publisher in an unparalleled deal for fans! Starting as low as $1 and with a top tier of only $15, comic readers can get nearly 200 issues that would normally cost over $500! It's the perfect time to binge on The Boys, with the Amazon Prime Video show premiering next Friday, July 26! The bundle will only be available for a short time, so check it out here!
GARTH ENNIS/THE BOYS HUMBLE BUNDLE!
Dynamite presents this sneak peek into a few highlights of the Humble Bundle. But we can't show everything, as Garth's boundary-pushing mind and his artistic collaborators have cooked up a few very explicit comic books in their day. So buy the bundle to see everything uncensored! The cherry on top is that a portion of all proceeds will be contributed to the non-profit EveryLibrary Institute, which researches and educates on the importance of libraries as pillars of free speech and accessible arts and information!
THE BOYS
  
BATTLEFIELDS
  
JENNIFER BLOOD
   Don't miss these limited deals! Garth Ennis/The Boys Comics Bundle! $1 Tier The Boys #1-14
The Ninjettes #1-6A Train ... 07/17/19 @ 3:20 pm EST
Dynamite and Archie Comics announce the extension of the Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica series, doubling from 6 issues to 12! The response from fans, retailers and critics on this series has been an overwhelming hit! Who could imagine that teaming up four of the most iconic female characters in the medium would be so popular? Jokes aside, Dynamite is beyond grateful for all the positive reactions to this book and the perfect way to give back was simple - make more of what people love! The same beloved creative team, top to bottom will pick right up with issue 7 this November. Amy Chu (Poison Ivy, Green Hornet) continues her victory lap writing Red Sonja following her acclaimed run with Carlos Gomez. Plus her further exploration of Vampi and Riverdale's leading ladies. Maria Sanapo (Sheena Queen of the Jungle, Charmed) will keep contributing some of the sharpest and cleanest artwork in comic books. While colorist Vinicius Andrade and letterer Taylor Esposito keep raising the bar. Fans will also be excited for more covers from the existing cast of diverse styles. Including Fay Dalton, Robert Hack, Laura Braga, Dan Parent and Cat Staggs. "I literally just saw the sales numbers for the first issue and my jaw dropped! I've been completely bowled over by the amount of support for this series," said writer Amy Chu. "Of course I'm excited to continue with the series as long as the fans want. This is my first time working in the Archie universe, and it's been non-stop fun working with Maria. Expect even crazier antics with this next arc!"
   
Red Sonja ... |
