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Black Mask Studios Launches TubeComics – A New Age For Motion Comics

Published

9 years ago

on

Black Mask Studios has easily solidified themselves as the independent comics publisher to watch. With a focus that empowers transgressive themes, and cross media development its becoming clear that they aim to change the way we enjoy comics. This was even more evident last night, when they quietly launched a brand new website: Blackmask.tv 

Here you’ll find something they’ve pioneered themselves, Tubecomics. Which they call: “Tubecomics are a new way to binge out on comics without fucking up your eyes from trying to read little fonts with a flashlight under your covers. Let us display each panel of beautiful art for you while our actor & musician friends fill in the soundscape of pure awesome. Tubecomics: kinda like TV if your TV knew shit about art.”

So far Liberator, 12 Reasons to Die, Ballistic, Hack/Slash, and Five Ghosts have gotten the Tubecomics treatment. You may notice those last two are not original Black Mask properties. So you can tell Black Mask founders, Brett Gurwtiz and Matt Pizzolo are making strides with one thing in mind: Comic Book Sales!

It’s a brilliant step in the right direction for those of us looking for an avenue for the digital comics age. Often comics can be enjoyed on the computer much in the same way that they can be enjoyed in print, but with the advent of motion graphics, and easy video editing its clear that Tubecomics are the way the industry should be headed. These first few episodes arn’t perfect. They feature basic keyframing, a neat soundtrack, and pretty great voice-acting.

But, imagine the possibilites with a little motion graphics thrown in. A little more time settling into the roles and these actors could really dig into the material. Original scores could take these to the next level too, but that’s all pipedream stuff. I’m getting too excited, the point is, Black Mask is doing something no other publisher is: they are fundamentally changing the way we enjoy comics.

Here’s the first episode of Ballistic. Which I called the #1 Best Debut Issue of last year.

“Adam Egypt Mortimer and Darick Robertson’s Ballistic blew me away this year. I’ve read the debut issue too many times to count, and I learn new things with every read. This is a deep book, which has an overwhelming amount to offer. It’s also filled with razor sharp dialogue. The story is insanely original and well thought out. Robertson’s art is unparalleled in its mastery. If you missed this book, do yourself a favor and get it immediately. It’s a Cronenbergian love letter to the intellectual science fiction of the past and it’s damn near perfect.”

 

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Comics

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

Published

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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