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Myths And Legends Come To Life In ‘Umbral’

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11 years ago

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Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten’s pair up to launch an all new apocalyptic dark fantasy series in November with Image Comics. “Umbral” will follow a young rogue who breaks into a palace to steal some nice gems. While in the palace, the thief witnesses the assassination of the king and queen, as well as the strange shadowy culprits. “Umrbal” sounds like it fits in with the trend of evoking Grimm’s fairytales, mixing darkness with innocence. We’ll be seeing a lot more books like this in 2014, I’d sell my soul on it. Check out all the details below.

Official Press Release:

In UMBRAL, the young thief Rascal breaks into the royal palace using a rare eclipse as cover for the theft of a priceless gem. During the heist, Rascal witnesses the death of the King and Queen, the first step in the invasion of the world by the Umbral, mythical shadow creatures… and no one knows it’s happening.

A work that has been years in the making, writer Antony Johnston (Daredevil: Season One, Wasteland) and artist Christopher Mitten (Batman: Arkham Unhinged, Wasteland) unleash their latest series on the world in November.

“Chris and I spent the last couple of years batting around the idea of creating something new together, and UMBRAL is the result,” says writer Antony Johnston. “We’re both big fans of weird, dark fantasy, as you might expect… but we also love epic adventure, and building amazing fantasy worlds. That’s the combination we’re aiming for with UMBRAL. I mean, there’s a map in the first issue, for heaven’s sake.”

UMBRAL is the latest collaboration between the creative team of Johnston and Mitten, who co-created the post-apocalyptic and impressively expansive series Wasteland. Mitten praised their collaborative relationship, saying, “Together we did around thirty issues of Wasteland, and before that, three issues of Greg Rucka’s Queen & Country, so there’s a fair stack of history there.” He also praised his relationship with Johnston. “Having the chance to work with Antony again is fantastic, and I don’t think I could be happier about it. He’s got this tremendous imagination and the talent/skill combo to bring it to the page feeling fully formed.”

Johnston and Mitten have released a teaser for the series in advance of its release on the official Tumblr for UMBRAL. Curious fans should follow the official Twitter, as well.

Announced at the Image Expo earlier this year, UMBRAL #1 arrives in stores on November 13 and is currently available to pre-order from the September issue of Previews (Diamond Code SEP130478).

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Comics

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

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5 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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