Dark Horse and Sequential Pulp Comics Announce The Halloween Legion Graphic Novel

By The Woman In Black
April 17th, 2013

With the tagline "Evil Beware – The World’s Weirdest Heroes Are Here!" comes the first word on joint Dark Horse Comics/Sequential Pulp Comics project The Halloween Legion. Read on for the details.
From the Press Release:
Dark Horse Comics and Sequential Pulp Comics proudly announce THE HALLOWEEN LEGION™, a new graphic novel written by Martin Powell (Mars Attacks Popeye), illustrated by Thomas Boatwright and Diana Leto.
The sleepy rural town of Woodland is protected by a mysterious group of extraordinary guardians. They come from a place of eternal October, where orange, gold, and crimson leaves follow you in the autumn breeze.
THE HALLOWEEN LEGION characters - The Skeleton, The Witch, The Ghost, The Devil, and Autumn the Black Cat - are the creations of writer Martin Powell and illustrator Diana Leto, who share a passion for All Hallows' Eve.
“I had the notion for The Halloween Legion, a team made up from Halloween archetypes, when I was still in high school, but it’s taken this long for me to know who they really are,” Powell explains. “Diana has added considerably to their visual and personal charm. She instinctively knows the World’s Weirdest Heroes as well as I do, and they are very real to us. The art by Thomas Boatwright captures the HL’s whimsical nature without diluting the darkness lurking within our little group of weirdos. At last, they are ready to be born into comics and graphic novels – and now every day will be Halloween!”
Also included in the full-length graphic novel is Martin Powell’s autobiographical “Once Upon a Halloween,” illustrated by Diana Leto. The eerie tale is, according to Powell, his very own origin story.
"This is such a wonderful project to work on,” adds co-creator Leto. “The story really brings back some magical childhood memories of Halloween, and the message that Martin's ‘weird’ characters deliver is an important one for children and adults."
Sequential Pulp Comics is a graphic novel imprint distributed by Dark Horse Comics, specializing in works of classic and new pulp literature. Producer Michael Hudson says, “Martin and Diana’s characters have depth and soul. I fell in love with them from day one. The stories are pure pulp fun that will hook everyone.”
No firm release date has been announced other than "soon" so keep it here for more as it comes.

                      

                        SEQUENTIAL PULP COMICS

                 ANNOUNCE NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL

              BASED ON EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

        JUNGLE TALES OF TARZAN

                             Tarzan cover art © Daren Bader        

Sequential Pulp Comics, a graphic novel imprint distributed by Dark Horse Comics, specializing in works of classic and pulp literature is proud to announce a new graphic novel based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic novel, Jungle Tales of Tarzan.

The one hundred and forty four page graphic novel will be authorized by ERB, Inc. through Sequential Pulp’s distribution arrangement with Dark Horse Comics. The book will be designed as an anthology collecting the twelve loosely connected short stories written by Edgar Rice Burroughs chronicling the life of his most famous character, Tarzan of the Apes. All the events of the original work take place within chapter eleven of Tarzan of the Apes between Tarzan’s avenging of his ape foster mother’s death and his becoming the leader of his ape tribe. The original stories ran in Blue Book magazine from September 1916 through August 1917 prior to the book’s publication in 1919.

Writer Martin Powell will helm the graphic novel. Powell is well known for his work as the author of hundreds of science fiction, mystery, and horror stories. He has worked in the comic book industry since 1986, writing for Marvel, DC, Malibu, Caliber, Moonstone, and Disney, among others, and has been nominated for the coveted Eisner Award. He is also a respected and award winning author of children’s books, and frequently contributes prose for many short story anthologies. He resides in Saint Paul, MN.

Along with Powell, Sequential Pulp is bringing a veritable who’s who of exciting illustration talent.  With an amazing cover and specialty art by Daren Bader to exciting story art by Pablo Marcos, Terry Beatty, Will Meugniot, Nik Poliwko, Antonio Romero Olmedo, Mark Wheatley, Diana Leto, Steven E. Gordon, Lowell Isaac, Tom Floyd and Jamie Chase. Each story has been matched up with an artist whose passion and love for Burroughs’ Tarzan and specifically for the story selected will go a long way towards making this one highly anticipated book in the Tarzan canon.

Each story will run twelve pages in length and the book will be in full color. Sequential Pulp is planning a standard trade paperback and a very limited signature deluxe signed edition. 

About Sequential Pulp Comics:

Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material.

About Dark Horse:
Founded in1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Michael Hudson

artist@reelarstudios.com

ATHENA VOLTAIRE FLIES TO SEQUENTIAL PULP ON A DARK HORSE

Globetrotting aviatrix Athena Voltaire battles Nazis, occult science, and mythical creatures against the backdrop of the pulp era. And now she’s coming in for a landing with Sequential Pulp Comics.

Co-publishers Sequential Pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics are pleased to announce their publishing plans for writer/artist Steve Bryant’s 1930s heroine.

“Steve and I share a common love for all things pulp and for telling great stories. His character, Athena Voltaire, could not be a better fit for our line of graphic novels,” said Sequential Pulp president Michael Hudson. “These stories will have a beginning, a middle, and a true end to them, giving the reader a complete and fulfilling experience. The art and the writing are masterful. I can’t wait to see how Steve and his team develop this wonderful property as we move ahead.”

"I can't think of a better home for Athena Voltaire than the Sequential Pulp imprint. Their commitment to adapting genre classics and creating new pulp icons is second to none," said Bryant. "To be published through Dark Horse is the cherry on top. Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Buffy, Battlepug—they put out some of the best comics on the stands today. I’m flattered and humbled to see my book added to such a prestigious line!"

Athena Voltaire launched as a part of the Modern Tales family of webcomics in 2002 and was nominated for a Best Digital Comic Eisner Award in 2005. The feature was also included in St. Martin's The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics and Manga (2004 edition).

In addition to covering representational rights, the exclusive print and digital publishing agreement calls for an Omnibus edition containing remastered versions of the previously published Athena Voltaire material followed by new adventures, including two graphic novels and an illustrated prose anthology.

With titles scheduled into 2015 and beyond, Athena Voltaire is sure to continue to please her existing fan base as well as those who will be coming aboard through this relaunch. Anyone who enjoys pulp, classic adventure stories, classic and modern comics will fall in love with this heroine who is unlike any other in comics today.

About Dark Horse Comics:

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.

About Sequential Pulp Comics:

Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material.

About Steve Bryant:

Steve Bryant began his comics career with the launch of Athena Voltaire as a webcomic, eventually earning him an Eisner Award nomination in 2005, and a nomination for the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award in 2007.  Bryant has contributed artwork to publications from Image, IDW, and Ape Entertainment, as well. Outside of comics, Steve has produced illustrations for everything from clip art and greeting cards to theme park design and roleplaying games.  

Sequential Pulp Comics' A Quatermain Adventure Press Release

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Michael Hudson

artist@reelarstudios.com

The FIRST Action-Adventure Hero Returns in a new series of Quatermain Adventures from Sequential Pulp Comics

Allan Quatermain may not be as well known as Tarzan or Indiana Jones, but he adventured his way through lost civilizations long before those two characters’ adventures had been put into writing.

Quatermain first appeared in Sir H. Rider Haggard's 1886 novel, King Solomon's Mines, and he set the standard for generations of adventure heroes. Haggard's second most famous character, the iconic Ayesha followed a year later in the rousing "lost civilization" yarn, She. Both Quatermain and Ayesha proved to be so popular that Haggard wrote one of the earliest versions of a "crossover" with Allan and She. Both characters have proven to be remarkably durable over the decades in both print and film and continue to thrill audiences today.

With a resurgence in pulps and classic adventure at an all time high, Sequential Pulp’s Michael Hudson felt a graphic novel series built around the adventures of Allan Quatermain was due and thus was born the first two books A Quatermain Adventure: King Solomon’s Mines and A Quatermain Adventure: She.  Michael Hudson says, "Our version of King Solomon's Mines is the first in a series of wild  adventures that take Quatermain and his companions all over the world...and even beneath it. The second graphic novel in the series is an adaptation of She, which blends elements from both the original novel and She and Allan.  I’m thrilled to have two creators well versed in adventure comic storytelling in  Mark Ellis and Pablo Marcos on King Solomon’s Mines. The work that has been coming in is stunning!”

When offered scripting reins on the project, veteran action-adventure novelist Mark (James Axler) Ellis saw it as an opportunity to "re-imagine" Quatermain and his milieu.  Ellis says,  "Quatermain is not just the template for all modern adventure heroes, but for the 'Englishman who went native' character archetype.  I thought it would be interesting to examine that a bit in our series.  So Pablo and I decided to present Allan as younger man, more dynamic, with a touch of the savage about him. And that extends to sexy female characters such as Princess Ignosa in King Solomon's Mines."

Quatermain remains popular with movie studios. Such actors as Stewart Granger, Richard Chamberlain and  Sir Sean Connery have portrayed him.  Recently Sonar Entertainment announced a 10 episode TV series entitled Quatermain, expected to go into production on location in Africa later this year. Sequential Pulp’s King Solomon’s Mines will solicit mid 2013 followed by She.

About Dark Horse Comics:

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.

About Sequential Pulp Comics:

Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material.

Mark Ellis:

The author of 50 novels and the creator of the best-selling Outlanders SF novel series, Ellis is no stranger to action-adventure. He has written what is generally considered the best comics version of Doc Savage, as well series based on popular TV shows such as The Wild, Wild West and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. He has also created comic/graphic properties such as Death Hawk, HP Lovecraft’s The Miskatonic Project, Star Rangers, and The Justice Machine.

Pablo Marcos:

Pablo Marcos has worked in comics and commercial illustration for decades. A native Peruvian, Marcos is one of Peru’s leading cartoonists.  His first U.S. work was in Warren Publishing’s Creepy #39 in 1971. Marcos has been associated with Batman, Dracula, Conan the Barbarian and his signature character, the Zombie for Marvel’s black-and-white horror comics magazine Tales of the Zombie (1973–1975).  He has also illustrated many young adult adaptations of classic novels including King Solomon’s Mines for Great Illustrated Classics and Baronet Publishing.

Thomas Boatwright Illustrates SILVER JOHN Desrick of Yandro

Desrick of Yandro: "Oh, there's other creatures, too. Scarce animals, like the Toiler." "The Toiler?" he said. "It's the hugest flying thing there is, I gu...

THE MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN RETURNS in a really cool little video

Artist Nik Poliwko put this 45 second promo video together to promote THE MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN RETURNS, a graphic novel by Martin Powell as illustrated by Poliwko. The clip is so much fun. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do.

 

BLACK AMAZON OF MARS COLOR PAGE

A stunning page from artist Reno Maniquis for Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse Comics' BLACK AMAZON OF MARS as adapted by Mark Ellis. Man, this was a tough call as Reno did the page in full color as well as this red tint version which we opted to go with. Enjoy!

 
And just for the heck of it here is the full color version.  Tough choice, huh? 
 

And just for the heck of it here is the full color version.