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The Making Of A Monster: Rafael Albuquerque Reveals The Process Behind Covering ‘American Vampire’

Published

14 years ago

on

Ever wonder what it takes to bring the cover of a comic book to life? It isn’t easy, and often times an illustrator can find him/herself pulling their hair out over the cover to the book than the actual contents. It is hard to come up with something eye-catching that is going to pull new readers in month in and month out, but for the folks over at Vertigo and their ubber hit, “AMERICAN VAMPIRE”, things seem to come easy. The covers are always great, and thanks to their official blog you can make the jump to check out the process

“We really loved the floor detail, the juxtaposition of candy and blood is just sickly weird. And the Eruo fam was cool, but we liked that sexy couple in the back, Bernard and Lucia, and since they figure prominently in this issue we wanted to bring them to the front.

So Rafael did another sketch.”

“He brought our Euro-vamp lovers to the front (sort of echoes a certain, popular, tween vamp movie, no?) and included another idea for the top part. That’s Skinner relieving himself on the Mayor’s doorstep, shadows of two cops surrounding him. We thought that was a little much. Even for a Vertigo cover. Back to the candy and the blood and the floor. But we were still missing a final detail…

Rafael went back to the candy and blood, kept Bernard and Lucia front and center, then just added that last, final detail—the cigarette holder—the quintessential accessory for all those Jazz Age girls—even vampires.”

“Now we have blood, candy, and a sexy vampire couple clearly set in the ‘20’s. Perfect. All you have to do now is read the issue and find out what it all means!”

The FULL Write Up Can Be Found Over At Vertigo’s Blog

WRITTEN BY: SCOTT SNYDER and STEPHEN KING
ILLUSTRATIONS AND COVERS BY: RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
VARIANT COVER BY: ANDY KUBERT

“The era of the American vampire officially begins as Pearl Jones declares war on the powerful coven of vampires that ended her life, and Skinner Sweet declares war on, well, everyone! Scores will be settled in blood in this installment, the third of five over-sized issues featuring stories by author Scott Snyder and the master of horror himself, Stephen King. Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.”

“AMERICAN VAMPIRE” Issue #3 Is Available NOW From Vertigo Comics! (MSRP-$3.99)

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

Published

2 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

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.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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