Comics
Marvel Moves George A Romero’s “Empire of the Dead” Into Act Two!
As I sit here having the Day of the Dead soundtrack wash over me I can’t help but reflect back on the profound impact George A Romero has had on me. His movies were foundational to my love of horror, and he really captured an entire generation of people with his social commentary hidden within flesh eating undead maniacs. His work is quite something to behold, and now his partnership with Marvel has the master of the undead penning a new series “Empire of the Dead: Act Two #1”
That’s right. “Empire of the Dead” has already concluded a whole amazing act that is already available at your local comic store. A review of the first volume will be coming from yours truly within the next few days, along with an interview with George himself, but for now, feast your eyes on an early preview of issue one of the second act. It looks to be a delicious blend of vampirism, zombies, and social commentary. Those of you pained by The Strain need not look any further for the vampire fix you so badly crave.
We’re partnering with Marvel to make sure you get every bit of this comic before everyone else. So stay tuned, this is going to be awesome.
From Marvel:
This September, Zombie Godfather George Romero’s undead epic begins anew in EMPIRE OF THE DEAD: ACT TWO #1! Written by the horror master himself along with acclaimed artist Dalibor Talajic, prepare for an undead onslaught as zombies and vampires wage war on the walled in streets of New York City! Undead forces are laying waste to the last surviving humans of New York City – but now outside forces seek entry to the once safe haven. An invading militia seeks to take over the Big Apple. The current residents both alive and dead might have something to say about that!
“They all want what they want, whether it’s right or wrong,” says George Romero of the warring factions in an interview with Marvel.com “So I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of blinking. There’s too much at stake for anyone to give up. Power. Greed. Co-existence. Survival. It’s going to be a fight to the finish.”
“Act Two opens just a short time after the conclusion of Act One, but in that time all of our major players are advancing their interests,” editor Bill Rosemann explained to Marvel.com. “Zombie wrangler Paul Barnum has added fresh performers to his Circus Maximus, the zombies fighting there may be much more capable than even he imagined, Mayor Chandrake continues his seduction of medical scientist Penny Jones, Penny uncovers chilling discoveries about the dual threat to Manhattan’s civilians, the Mayor’s nephew Billy is making his own play for power, and the militia that we saw on the last page of our last issue make a huge discovery that will have everyone watching the skies.
What’s worse, the roaming flesh-eaters seem to be growing smarter each day! The ruling class of blood-sucking vampires can barely keep their grip on power as they struggle to battle back the hordes of zombies. As the Southern army begins to pillage the greatest city in the world one thing remains clear – when the zombies, vampires and humans go to war, we all lose. Don’t miss the brand new jumping on point as horror master George Romero continues his zombie epic when EMPIRE OF THE DEAD: ACT TWO #1 hits comic shops this September!
GEORGE ROMERO EMPIRE OF THE DEAD: ACT TWO 1 (JUL140677)
Written by GEORGE ROMERO
Art by DALIBOR TALAJIC
Cover by ALEXANDER LOZANO
Variant Cover by MIKE MCKONE (JUL140678)
FOC – 8/18/14, On-Sale – 9/10/14
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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