Tag Archives: nathan gooden

Vault’s Deathstalker #1 sells out and heads back to print

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After extremely high demand, Vault Comics’ Deathstalker #1 has sold out at the distributor level. A second printing is being rushed back to press and will hit store shelves alongside Deathstalker #2 on May 29th, 2024. The second printing will feature a new colorway of the immensely popular Nathan Gooden cover for issue #1.  

Presented by rock legend Slash, and published in partnership with, Shout! Studios and Raven Banner Entertainment, Vault’s Deathsalker comic series is an adaptation of the beloved cult classic sword-and-sorcery movie franchise, Deathstalker. The comic is based on a story by writer, director, and legendary creature effects artist Steven Kostanski, and reunites the team from Vault’s hit weird western series, West of Sundown, writer Tim Seeley, artist Jim Terry, and colorist Kurt Michael Russell.

Deathstalker issue #1 hits store shelves on April 24th, 2024. The debut issue features a line of variant covers from an incredible lineup of artists including the legendary original Deathstalker movie poster artist Boris Vallejo, Barbaric co-creator Nathan Gooden, series artist Jim Terry, Conor Boyle, Patrick Gañas, Angela Wu, and more.

The cult-classic warrior-hero Deathstalker bursts into the comics scene from an all-star lineup of creators including Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and writer-director-creature-FX-wizard Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void)!

Deathstalker finds himself once again caught between forces larger than himself-a virgin worshiping cult, a sorcerer hell-bent on saving the world through mad science, and the pissed-off army of the Abraxeon kingdom…not to mention his ex-lover, Princess Evie. Monsters, magic, and mayhem abound…can’t a guy just swing his sword anymore?

Deathstalker #1 second printing

It’s Barbaric vs. Deathstalker this July from Vault

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Vault has announced a Barbaric vs. Deathstalker one-shot is coming to comic book stores everywhere on July 24th, 2024. Co-written by Michael Moreci and Tim Seeley, drawn by Nathan Gooden, colored by Fabi Marques, and lettered by Jim Campbell, the epic overlength issue features two of the most iconic sword and sorcery heroes locked in epic battle! Cursed barbarian versus warrior king! Axe versus sword! Owen versus Deathstalker! When an evil wizard summons the two most reluctant heroes of all time, they’ll have to square off. But a clash of steel alone may not decide the final victor. 

Barbaric Vs. Deathstalker will feature a gorgeous set of variant covers from Barbaric artist and co-creator Nathan Gooden, and Deathstalker artist Jim Terry. 

Overlength one-shot featuring two of the most iconic sword and sorcery heroes locked in epic battle! Cursed barbarian versus warrior king! Axe versus sword! Owen versus Deathstalker! When an evil wizard summons the two most reluctant heroes of all time, they’ll have to square off. But a clash of steel alone may not decide the final victor.

Barbaric vs. Deathstalker

Vault makes Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 FREE for retailers

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Vault has announced they are expanding their industry-changing Free-to-Retailers program,  and will make Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 completely free to retailers. 

In 2023, Vault founded the innovative Free-to-Retailers program, offering retailers first issues at no cost.  The first two titles launched under this program were Christopher Yost and Val Rodrigues’ Unnatural Order #1, and Zack Kaplan and Fabiana Mascolo’s Beyond Real #1. Collectively, these two issues received over a quarter million copies ordered.

Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 is a true jumping on point for new readers, requiring no previous knowledge of the series in order to read, making it a perfect issue for Vault’s free-to-retailers program, enabling retailers to hook in new readers to one of the most beloved and best-selling independent comic series of the past decade.   

The standard cover of Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 will be offered to retailers in free bundles of 25 copies. The issue will retain its $4.99 SRP, and retailers will be free to sell, discount, or freely distribute copies to their customers as they see fit.  In addition to the standard cover, Vault will offer net-priced, open order premium variants from a murderers row of hit artists like Corin Howell, Adam Cahoon, Ed Luce, and Patrick Gañas. Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 will also feature a stunning Berserk manga homage variant by Angela Wu, which is sure to be a hit among manga readers.   

Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 will hit store shelves on April 10th, 2024. The Full synopsis can be read below: 

A new era of Barbaric begins!

Worried Axe is going to find out you fell behind on a few issues? Scared to admit that despite all your friends raving about Barbaric for years, you still haven’t joined in on the fun? Rejoice! For Barbaric: Born in Blood begins the next season of Owen, Axe, and Soren’s tale. Yes, that’s right! We did it…the thing everyone says they’re doing, even when they’re lying through their teeth: a genuinely good jumping on point. How, you ask? Well, it all starts with a compelling new bad guy. 

Meet Orrick, the tortured barbarian now turned master torturer, who will take us deep into Owen’s past, revealing secrets that should have stayed buried…like Axe in a chest cavity slurping up that sweet, delicious blood. Will the cursed-to-do-good barbarian finally do some actual good? Probably not! But some much worse guys will almost certainly lose their heads. Yummy!

Vault and Buckledown Brewing partner for Barbaric Blood Red Ale

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Vault and Buckledown Brewing have released the official Barbaric beer: Barbaric Blood Red Ale. The beer is available to be ordered from the Buckledown website.

This red ale starts off with authentic Pale Ale malt for a bready backbone, complemented by the robust spiciness of rye malt. Chinook hops lend a subtle hint of pine aromatics, balancing this malty brew!

Barbaric is the best-selling Vault fantasy series co-created by writer Michael Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden. Barbaric has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and was named one of the best comics of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, Thrillest, CBR, Comics Beat, and more. The story follows Owen, a bloodthirsty barbarian and his drunk axe as they roam an untamed, mythic realm battling supernatural cultists, hungry giants, creatures of the night, and more in their quest to somehow, amidst all this chaos, do some good. A brand new Barbaric series, Barbaric: Born in Blood, is set to launche in February 2024.

Barbaric Blood Red Ale

Vault and Slash’s Deathstalker gets single issues

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Vault Comics, in partnership with Slash of Guns N’ Roses, Shout! Studios, and Raven Banner Entertainment, has announced a single issue comic book series of Deathstalker, an adaptation of the beloved cult classic sword-and-sorcery movie franchise, Deathstalker. 

Presented by rock legend Slash, and based on a story by writer, director, and legendary creature effects artist Steven Kostanski, the comic will reunite the team from Vault’s hit weird western series, West of Sundown, bestselling writer Tim Seeley, acclaimed artist Jim Terry, and legendary colorist Kurt Michael Russell. 

Deathstalker issue #1 will hit store shelves in March, 2024. The debut issue will feature a line of variant covers from an incredible lineup of artists including the legendary original Deathstalker movie poster artist Boris Vallejo, Barbaric co-creator Nathan Gooden, series artist Jim Terry, Conor Boyle, Patrick Gañas, Angela Wu, and more.

The cult-classic warrior-hero Deathstalker bursts into the comics scene from an all-star lineup of creators including Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and writer-director-creature-FX-wizard Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void)!

Deathstalker finds himself once again caught between forces larger than himself-a virgin worshiping cult, a sorcerer hell-bent on saving the world through mad science, and the pissed-off army of the Abraxeon kingdom…not to mention his ex-lover, Princess Evie. Monsters, magic, and mayhem abound…can’t a guy just swing his sword anymore?

Vault announces Barbaric: Born in Blood

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Vault has announced that a new era of Barbaric is about to begin in a brand new series, Barbaric: Born In Blood, written by Michael Moreci, drawn by Nathan Gooden, colored by Fabi Marques, lettered by Jim Campbell, and designed by Tim Daniel. 

Worried Axe is going to find out you fell behind on a few issues? Scared to admit that despite all your friends raving about Barbaric for years, you still haven’t joined in on the fun? Rejoice! For Barbaric: Born in Blood begins the next season of Owen, Axe, and Soren’s tale. Yes, that’s right! We did it…the thing everyone says they’re doing, even when they’re lying through their teeth: a genuinely good jumping on point. How, you ask? Well, it all starts with a compelling new bad guy.

Meet Orrick, the tortured barbarian now turned master torturer, who will take us deep into Owen’s past, revealing secrets that should have stayed buried…like Axe in a chest cavity slurping up that sweet, delicious blood. Will the cursed-to-do-good barbarian finally do some actual good? Probably not! But some much worse guys will almost certainly lose their heads. Yummy!

Barbaric: Born in Blood will feature a line of stellar variants from superstar artists Corin Howell, Adam Cahoon, Ed Luce, Angela Wu, and Patrick Gañas. Issue #1 will hit store shelves on February 14th, 2024.    

Vault unveils its 2024 creator lineup

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While the specific projects haven’t been revealed (other than Slash’s which features Tim Seeley, Jim Terry, and  Steven Kostanski and Pete Wentz’s which features Hannah Klein, artist Lisa Sterle), Vault has shown off the creators who we can expect to see on the shelves from the publishing in 2024.

The full list includes:

Alex Schlitz
Amalas Rosa
Ben McCool
Brenden Fletcher
Cavan Scott
Cassio Ribeiro
Christopher Cantwell
Cody Ziglar
Collin Kelly
Corin Howell
Dailen Ogden
Dani
Daniel Kraus

David DB Andry
Eliot Rahal
Gio Sposito
Greg Pak
Hannah Klein
Jackson Lanzing
Jim Terry
John Bivens
John Jennings
Lisa Sterle
Michael Moreci
Nathan Gooden
Nicholas Eames

Paul Cornell
Pete Wentz
Peter Milligan
Peter Wartman
Phil Collen
Pius Bak
Rich Douek
Slash
Steven Kostanski
Tim Daniel
Tim Seeley
Zander Cannon

SDCC 2023: Vault returns with exclusives, signings, and panels

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Unnatural Order #1 SDCC exclusive

Vault Comics first debuted at Comic Con International, and this year will return in their first appearance since 2019, with a full slate of programming and signings; including a special early exclusive debut of Unnatural Order, the highly anticipated series from Christopher Yost, co-creator of X-23, writer of hundreds of X-Men issues and films and shows like Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian, and artist Val Rodrigues. 

THURSDAY:

The festivities kick off on Thursday with a special cross-publisher panel presented by the publisher in partnership with friends from around the industry.

Vault Comics Presents: Stranger Than (Science) Fiction- Outer Worlds and Other Voices in Comics
Thursday, 7/20/23, 10:15AM – 11:15AM, Room: 6DE 

When independent upstart publisher Vault Comics arrived on the scene in 2017, the mission was simple: to publish the BEST in science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics. Since that time, the company has established new voices in the genre as well as worked with some of the most well known names in fiction, graphic or otherwise. To celebrate the company’s now firmly established place in the industry, Vault creators and friends share the stage to discuss how these creators are pushing the genre to the furthest reaches of the universe and back again.  Join Rodney Barnes (Monarch), Christopher Yost (Unnatural Order), Zack Kaplan (Mindset) and more.

Following that, Yost will be joined by Vault co-founder and Barbaric co-creator Nathan Gooden to sign a special exclusive edition cover of Unnatural Order #1, drawn by Gooden.

Limited to 100 copies, this special edition of Unnatural Order will only be available for pickup at We Can Heroes, booth 1901 at San Diego Comic-Con! Pre-Order now so you don’t miss your chance at this exclusive, limited edition early release! With your preorder you are guaranteed a spot at the signings with Chris and Nathan!

Signing: Unnatural Order SDCC Exclusive cover w/Christopher Yost and Nathan Gooden @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 12PM – 1PM  

The schedule continues throughout the weekend as below!

FRIDAY:

Crack Open the Vault: The Best in Creator-Owned Comics Unlocked
Friday, 7/21/23, 11:00AM – 12:00PM, Room: 25ABC

Vault Comics has risen to the title of the best in genre-based sequential storytelling with multiple award winning series from comics’ top creators over the course of their six year history, including critical darlings, fan favorites, and sales record breaking series. Vault makes their triumphant return to Comic Con International this year to premier their latest series Unnatural Order from X-23 co-creator Christopher Yost. Vault invites attendees to join Yost, alongside Christopher Cantwell (The Blue Flame, Iron Man, Doctor Doom), Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Dark One, Captain America, WifWulf), Corin Howell (Queen of Swords, Shadow Service), and Zack Kaplan (Mindset), as the publisher offers a sneak peek at their fall lineup of the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror and more! Moderated by Vault’s own Daniel Crary, host of the company’s weekly WhatNot stream and Director of Community Engagement and Events.

Signing: Unnatural Order SDCC Exclusive cover w/Christopher Yost and Nathan Gooden @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 1PM – 2PM

SATURDAY:

Signing: Mindset and The Blue Flame with Zack Kaplan and Chistopher Cantwell @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 1PM – 2PM 

Vault Comics: The Horror of it All – The Golden Age of Scary Stories
Saturday, 7/22/23, 4:00PM – 5:00PM, Room: 28DE

Independent comics have never been more prominent and more diverse. Bold ideas across genres are being released every Wednesday by more publishers than perhaps any other time in the history of the medium. Vault Comics, known for some of the most celebrated science fiction and fantasy, have expanded their reach into horror under their Nightfall imprint, and to celebrate, is inviting some friends on stage to discuss what makes for the best blood in four colors. Join Knotfest’s Ryan J. Downey, alongside Tim Seeley (West of Sundown), Cavan Scott and Corin Howell (Shadow Service), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, Blacula), Storm King publisher Sandy King Carpenter, Patrick Kindlon (Leaded Gasoline), and more.

Vault Comics announces a special Double Sized Barbaric

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Vault Comics first teased art and details on a full year of its popular Barbaric franchise late last year. Dubbed the Year of the Axe, the publisher announced the first-ever spinoff series Queen of Swords, which recently broke comic shop sales records ahead of release. In addition, new arcs were announced, and a collaboration with best-selling, Gemmell Award-winning Fantasy author Nicholas Eames was teased. 

Today, Vault can reveal full details around Barbaric: Wrong Kind of Righteous, which unites the original Barbaric co-creators with Eames for a special story from the past which introduces an all-new sentient weapon, and dives into Owen and Axes past!

Barbaric: Wrong Kind of Righteous is a double-sized one-shot introducing Sir Borys the Righteous Paladin and his trusty, talking Flail, as he enlists the help of Owen, Axe, and Soren on his noble path. There will be virtuous bloodshed! There will be wailing protests! There will be two talking weapons! And there will be wyvern burgers served (for better or worse) with pickles!”

Barbaric: Wrong Kind of Righteous will be solicited in the June-dated catalogs for release this August, a full month ahead of the previously announced date to keep Barbaric readers satiated after the release of Queen of Swords!  Reserve your copy today with your favorite retailer, with two covers available from series artist Nathan Gooden and a variant to be revealed soon!

Barbaric: Wrong Kind of Righteous

Barbaric: Hell to Pay #1 continues the off the rails adventure

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Barbaric: Hell to Pay #1

Barbaric is back and headed straight to hell in an all-new arc so big and bloody, it’s getting an extra issue! Barbaric: Hell to Pay #1 kicks off a whole new chapter that has Soren and Steel crossing paths with someone else from the barbarian’s past. Who’s now carrying Axe? The off the rails adventure continues with a new mission.

Written by Michael Moreci, Barbaric: Hell to Pay #1 is not a bad place to start for new readers while it also brings together a lot of what has come in the past. Owen is somewhere… and Soren and Steel are attempting to find and rescue him. That has them dealing with rather sketchy characters that eventually leads them right into an old acquaintance of Owen’s.

Moreci keeps the familiar formula of solid action, lots of laughs, and characters you both feel a little bad for and also want to punch. They all have their quirks and none of them art particularly totally good in the hero sense. These are the characters that get out of hand when the dungeon master doesn’t have control over the game. They take things over the top with an attitude that a little violence and fighting goes a long way. Mix in some laughs and the result is a really entertaining fantasy ride that has delivered with every volume and release.

The art continues to be top notch. Nathan Gooden‘s pencils, Addison Duke‘s color, and Jim Campbell‘s lettering all come together for a comic that delivers the action visually and knows how to punch up the laughs with smart imagery. Axe particular works so well due to the exaggeration provided and the situations the axe is put in. Want to shut him up? Smash the axe into a tree. It’s a subtle joke that is pulled off due to how it’s portrayed in the panel.

Barbaric: Hell to Pay #1 continues the fantasy series with a whole new adventure and the same old attitude. If you like your fantasy tales juiced up to 11, this is a series that’s consistently for you. In a glut of extreme fantasy stories, this series has continually delivered and stood out with a great mix of action, humor, and attitude.

Story: Michael Moreci Art: Nathan Gooden
Color: Addison Duke Letterer: Jim Campbell
Story: 8.1 Art: 8.1 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

Vault Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – comiXology/Kindle

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