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All Hail The ‘Blood Queen’!

Published

10 years ago

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Dynamite just announced a new dark fantasy ongoing series, “Blood Queen”, which is slated for a June release. The series comes at you from writer Troy Brownfield and artist Fritz Casas and follows a young woman with magical powers who is hired to save a princess. It is apparently inspired by the true story of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, and combines elements of fairytale with the Renaissance era. Although it sounds steeped in generic fantasy tropes, there are definitely intriguing aspect to “Blood Queen”. The covers are taking a page out of the “Vampirella” tradition with plenty of cleavage and a less scantily-clad red suit. Check out all the information below as well as some preview art.


From the press release:

March 5, 2014, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite Entertainment proudly announces the upcoming June release of Blood Queen #1, the first issue of an ongoing dark fantasy comic book series by the creative team of writer Troy Brownfield and artist Fritz Casas. To commemorate the launch, Dynamite has commissioned artists Jay Anacleto, Ale Garza, and Sergio Fernandez Davila to provide the series’ captivating cover artwork.

“I’m really excited to be working on Blood Queen for Dynamite,” says Troy Brownfield, perhaps best known for his fantasy work on Grimm Fairy Tales. “I’ve always liked books that pull together different genres and manage to work on a few levels, and that’s definitely something that we’re doing here. We’ve got the horror element, the fantasy element, and we have medieval drama and all that entails. That means knights, witches, monsters, warring kingdoms, star-crossed lovers, betrayal, and loads of secrets. Or, as I like to call it: a great time.”

Set against the fairytale backdrop of knights and magic, Blood Queen begins with the heartbreaking plight of a royal child, teetering between life and death. Summoned to save the princess, a young woman of untold power begins a journey that will uncover secrets, reveal forbidden desires, and stoke the fires of war. Inspired by the notorious true story of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Blood Queen imagines the Renaissance era as a colorful nightmare of mayhem, lust, and sorcery.

“In terms of characters, one of the central issues is the idea, ‘How are the evil queens of fairy tales made?'” says Brownfield. “It’s less a deconstruction like Wicked and more of a look at what could make a fundamentally good person go bad. Then again, that’s not to say that it’s always going to be the person that you expect, and it’s not going to happen in the ways that you think you’ll see coming. We want to deliver twists, turns and shocks. We’ll also deal with questions of power: who has it, who earns it, who takes it, and why.”

Writer Troy Brownfield has a lengthy history as a comic book writer, journalist, and college professor. He began working in comics on the journalism side, founding ShotgunReviews.com and notably contributing to Newsarama, The Pulse, Newtype USA magazine, and more. He was Associate Editor for Fangoria Comics and The Scream Factory. In addition to creating the webcomics Sparkshooter (with art by Sarah Vaughn) and Solo Acoustic at Sparkshooter.com, Troy has written for the likes of DC Comics, Dynamite, and Zenescope, where he was the regular writer on Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends from 2012-2013. Blood Queen is his first ongoing series for Dynamite.

Fritz Casas, the artist of Blood Queen, has contributed extensively to the Dynamite line in recent years, depicting dynamic, gorgeous female characters in such titles as Miss Fury, Red Sonja: Berserker, Kirby: Genesis – Dragonsbane, and Queen Sonja. “Fritz Casas is doing amazing work,” says Brownfield. “It looks incredible.”
“Troy’s writing is fresh and brings a great take on the character.” States Dynamite Publisher Nick Barrucci. “Troy’s first project for us was a Buck Rogers Annual he wrote years ago, which was nominated for an Eagle Award. I can’t say express how pleased I am that we are finally able to work on a new project together. Fans will be amazed by Blood Queen.”

Cover artwork for Blood Queen will be provided by Jay Anacleto (Warlord of Mars, Red Sonja) and Ale Garza (Deadpool, Teen Titans), while Sergio Fernandez Davila (Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure) has created a Retailer Exclusive Variant image that can be tailored to promote individual comic shops.

Blood Queen #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ March Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in June 2014. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Blood Queen with their local comic book retailers. Blood Queen will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

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Comics

‘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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