Comics

OMFG Of The Day: Check Out This Awesome ‘Wire Hangers’ Cover Art!

Published

13 years ago

November 23, 2010

For those of you who missed out on the greatness that was Alan Robert’s “WIRE HANGERS” earlier this Fall from IDW Publishing you will get a chance at retribution as the “LIFE OF AGONY” bassist’s fully original mini-series has been collected into graphic novel form with some AWESOME new cover artwork. Below you can check out a high res look at the slip cover and inside you can get all the details on the book. Read on for the skinny!

Here’s What The Official Press Release Has To Say…

“In 2010, Life of Agony bassist/Spoiler NYC front man, Alan Robert, joined forces with IDW Publishing to release his horror/conspiracy graphic novel Wire Hangers. The collected series (issues 1-4) was created, written and illustrated by Robert. The book is IN STORES NOW. Horror fans should be excited about the cover (designed by Sam Shearon), which features slasher fan-favorite, Nick Principe (Laid to Rest’s Chrome Skull) in full make-up as Wire Hangers anti-hero, Cypra. Hollywood’s master creature designer, Robert Hall and his Almost Human SFX studio provided the Cypra costume design. Robert Hall’s work has appeared in such popular films as Devil, Paranormal Activity 2 and The Crazies. The graphic novel also features an introduction written by legendary comic artist, Michael J. Zeck (The Punisher Limited Series) as well as an in-depth, exclusive interview with Wire Hangers creator, Alan Robert, by A Comic Book Orange’s Casey McKinnon.

Robert is no stranger to comics. He studied cartooning under Walter Simonson (The Mighty Thor) at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he attended on scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Best known for being the primary songwriter behind Life of Agony’s critically acclaimed River Runs Red concept album, Robert is also an accomplished artist. His illustrations and designs have appeared on merchandise, ad campaigns and Web sites for multi-platinum rock acts such as 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown.

In Wire Hangers, a series of abductions plagues New York City and no one is safe. When Anna Davis, a feisty young reporter, goes undercover to try and snag the big exclusive, she stumbles upon clues that give us a glimpse into what could be the most disturbing government conspiracy of our time. Pill-popping detectives, corrupt secret agents and a mysterious, disfigured homeless man are all inter-connected in this horrific tale of revenge and redemption.

Robert states, “I’ve wanted to tell this story for as long as I can remember. I came up with the Wire Hangers concept a few years back, when Life of Agony was on the road supporting Ozzy Osbourne. It has haunted me ever since. Whenever we were touring or in the recording studio, I would find myself sketching out characters on the back of lyric sheets and leaving voicemail messages for myself with scene dialogue. By the time I presented the idea to IDW earlier this year, the story was completely fleshed out. Visually, it’s dark and gritty with tons of textures and atmosphere. The artwork really sets a tone for the series and plays an equal part in telling the story.

“I really can’t express how excited I am to finally see this idea come to life. I’ve been a huge comic book fan since I was just a kid and I went to art college in the hopes of becoming a penciler one day. During my graduation year, my band LOA landed a record contract with Roadrunner Records to record our debut album, River Runs Red. Once it came out, I found myself touring full-time and focusing on my music career. So, for me, all these years later – to finally create my own original comic series is a dream come true and releasing it through IDW is icing on the cake. IDW has published some of my favorite comics, like 30 Days of Night and Welcome to Hoxford. It’s a real honor to have Wire Hangers appear alongside those titles.”

“Wire Hangers is going to hold its own up against the IDW titles that Alan has long admired,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Publisher/Editor-in-Chief. “When he brought me the story, both his storytelling sense and artistic skills were fully formed and ready to roll on a comic series. In much the same way Alan went from playing bass for one band to fronting another, his talents will be front and center on his comic, too.”

LIFE OF AGONY bassist Alan Robert releases his Wire Hangers graphic novel (IDW Publishing) today (Wednesday, November 17) to fine bookstores everywhere. Horror fans should enjoy the cover which depicts main character, Cypra, performed by horror/slasher star Nick Principe (Laid to Rest, Hatchet 2).

Cypra’s special makeup effects were created by Hollywood’s master creature designer Robert Hall and his studio Almost Human (“The Crazies”, “Devil”, “Paranormal Activity 2”). The graphic novel consists of issues 1-4, written and illustrated by Robert, which were released earlier this year through award-winning publisher IDW Publishing (30 Days of Night, GI Joe, Transformers). The book includes an introduction written by legendary comic artist Michael J. Zeck, most famous for drawing The Punisher comic series, an exclusive interview with Alan Robert by “A Comicbook Orange” host Casey McKinnon and a cover designed by Sam Shearon.

“WIRE HANGERS” The The Graphic Novel Is Available NOW From IDW Publishing! (MSRP-$19.99)

Related Topics:Alan Roberts IDW Publishing Life of Agony Wire Hangers

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.