Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing. Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.
If you’re a fan of comics, you know the name Howard Chaykin. The legendary creator of American Flagg!. The man who first brought Star Wars to comics. He has worked for every publisher in the comic book business, on every major character. He’s best known for his creator owned work over the years. Chaykin now takes destiny into his hands with his first ever crowdfunding campaign forJohn Benteen’s FARGO: Hell On Wheels!
The campaign is for a 96+ page prestige format hardcover graphic novel adaptation of one of Chaykin’s favorite characters from the highwater era of paperback adventure heroes of the sixties and seventies. Chaykin writes and draws the entire book, along with the extraordinary colorist Yen Nitro and of course his longtime letterer/designer, Ken Bruzenak.
Neal Fargo has been perfectly described as ” Conan meets The Wild Bunch.” In Hell on Wheels, Fargo is hired to protect a small railroad under relentless attack from a corrupt and ruthless competitor with money to burn, and hired guns to do the burning.
Fargo is a man ready for any challenge, and for this hardboiled soldier of fortune, payback is fair game. Packed with fist fighting brawls, gunplay, women and whiskey from running start to stunning finish, Hell on Wheels is the perfect example of why Fargo is a timeless character in the timeless world of adventure fiction, and perfect for the modern graphic novel.
Supporters of the campaign are in for massive treats, as there are art contributions to the book by a murderer’s row of artists, including Gary Frank, Butch Guice, Eduardo Risso, Denys Cowan, Mahmud Asrar, and more with a cover by Dave Johnson. They also have the chance to be drawn into the comic and have their likeness be mercilessly slaughtered on page, in the way only Howard Chaykin can deliver a massacre!
Backer Beware: Crowdfunding projects are not guaranteed to be delivered and/or delivered when promised. We always recommend to do your research before backing. Disclosure: Graphic Policy’s founder Brett is a member of the Zoop team.
If you’re a fan of comics, you know the name Howard Chaykin. The legendary creator of American Flagg!. The man who first brought Star Wars to comics. He has worked for every publisher in the comic book business, on every major character. He’s best known for his creator owned work over the years. Chaykin now takes destiny into his hands with his first ever crowdfunding campaign forJohn Benteen’s FARGO: Hell On Wheels!
The campaign is for a 96+ page prestige format hardcover graphic novel adaptation of one of Chaykin’s favorite characters from the highwater era of paperback adventure heroes of the sixties and seventies. Chaykin writes and draws the entire book, along with the extraordinary colorist Yen Nitro and of course his longtime letterer/designer, Ken Bruzenak.
Neal Fargo has been perfectly described as ” Conan meets The Wild Bunch.” In Hell on Wheels, Fargo is hired to protect a small railroad under relentless attack from a corrupt and ruthless competitor with money to burn, and hired guns to do the burning.
Fargo is a man ready for any challenge, and for this hardboiled soldier of fortune, payback is fair game. Packed with fist fighting brawls, gunplay, women and whiskey from running start to stunning finish, Hell on Wheels is the perfect example of why Fargo is a timeless character in the timeless world of adventure fiction, and perfect for the modern graphic novel.
Supporters of the campaign are in for massive treats, as there are art contributions to the book by a murderer’s row of artists, including Gary Frank, Butch Guice, Eduardo Risso, Denys Cowan, Mahmud Asrar, and more with a cover by Dave Johnson. They also have the chance to be drawn into the comic and have their likeness be mercilessly slaughtered on page, in the way only Howard Chaykin can deliver a massacre!
Announced at San Diego Comic-Con, Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures have revealed the long-awaited return of The Savage Sword of Conan in 2024 – with all-new gritty and gruesome tales from the world of Conan the Barbarian; presented in its original black-and-white, magazine-sized format.
Originally published in 1974, The Savage Sword of Conan featured Robert E. Howard’s iconic Conan the Barbarian untethered from the bounds of the restrictive Comics Code Authority. A darker and more mature title than the flagship Conan the Barbarian comics, The Savage Sword of Conan delved into more gritty and bloody storylines and art, quickly becoming a cult classic publication. The Savage Sword of Conan featured writing and art from legendary creators such as Roy Thomas, Neal Adams, Barry Windsor-Smith, John Buscema, Walter Simonson and much more.
Launching in comic shops in 2024 during the 50 year anniversary celebration, the brand-new The Savage Sword of Conan magazine will be written and drawn in its original black-and-white style by a murderers row of writers and artists including John Arcudi, Frank Tieri, Patch Zircher, Howard Chaykin, Rafael Kayanan, Cary Nord, Rebeca Puebla, Dan Panosian, Richard Pace, Gerardo Zaffino, and many more!
Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics new Savage Sword of Conan joins the new ongoing Conan the Barbarian comic series written by Jim Zub, with art by Roberto De La Torre, as well as the continuing archival publishing of Conan the Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus and theSavage Sword of Conan: The Original Comics Omnibus. Fans can look out for Volume 9 of the original Savage Sword of Conan series this November.
Also announced at SDCC were the launch sales numbers for Conan the Barbarian Comic #1which goes on sale August 2 in comic shops everywhere. Confirmed sales of the initial print exceeded 80,000 making Conan #1, the largest selling issue in Titan Comics’ history. With a second printing planned and third printing probable, final sales for this debut issue are expected to exceed 100,000 copies.
Earlier this week, Marvel announced a new collaboration with Hasbro that would result in new collections of Rom the Spaceknight’s beloved comic book adventures. Marvel has revealed that another popular toy-originating comic book series will receive the same treatment: The Micronauts!
From out of the Microverse, it’s the Omnibus you thought could never happen! The subatomic superstars headlined a long-running series packed with rich world-building, fascinating mythology and big-scale, sci-fi excellence! With the series set in the main Marvel Comics universe, the Micronauts joined forces with the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and dared to go up against the likes of Doctor Doom, Arcade, and other iconic Marvel super villains. Like ROM, these exemplary comic book classics were written by industry legend Bill Mantlo and will be reprinted for the first time ever in Micronauts: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus, on sale April 2024. In anticipation for this long-awaited collection, fans can also pick up a facsimile edition of the Micronauts’ comic book debut, 1979’s Micronauts #1, this September!
Micronauts: The Original Marvel Years Omnibsu Vol. 1 will collect The Micronauts (1979) #1-29 & Annual (1979) #1-2 and material from Micronauts Special Edition (1983) #1-5. Helmed by writer Bill Mantlo, the Micronauts brought together the subatomic heroes of Homeworld and the Marvel Universe. Mantlo’s rich character mythology and groundbreaking artwork by Michael Golden made the series an instant classic. In Micronauts, Commander Rann, Princess Mari, Biotron, Acroyear and Bug traverse the universe aboard the microship Endeavor as they struggle to free Homeworld from the tyrannical Baron Karza. Their exploits also bring them to Earth where our micro-sized heroes encounter big-time heroes and villains including the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Universe and Man-Thing. This Omnibus edition presents a stunning restoration, complete with letters pages and a host of bonus material, including house ads, original artwork and more.
Micronauts #1 Fascimile Edition boldly re-presents Micronauts (1979) #1, one of the all-time great Marvel comic books, in its original form, ads and all! They came from inner space! Explorer Arcturus Rann! Freedom-fighting princess Marionette! The armored warrior Acroyear! Fun-loving thief Bug! The robots Microton and Biotron! They are the greatest heroes of the Microverse! But after 1,000 years in suspended animation, Rann has returned to a Homeworld vastly changed from the one he knew — and Mari’s family was killed in the coup d’état that saw Baron Karza rise to power. Now, together with their allies, they begin their epic quest to free Homeworld from the tyrannical Karza’s iron grip in the first chapter of an acclaimed comic-book space opera from the legendary creative pairing of Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden!
Check out the covers now, including a wide variety of Direct Market Exclusive Variant Covers from industry legends!
The 24th annual Baltimore Comic-Con will take place at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center on September 8-10, 2023. The Baltimore Comic-Con is announcing creators that worked at one of the early indie publishers in the industry, First Comics, to include Howard Chaykin, Mike Grell, Marc Hempel, Steve Rude, Joe Staton, and Mark Wheatley. Get your tickets online now!
Howard Victor Chaykin is a longtime veteran of the comic book business. As a cartoonist — both writing and drawing — he has been a major influence on the direction of comics, referred to frequently as one of the principal architects of the modern comic book. His signature creation, American Flagg!, introduced a new level of narrative complexity, depth of character, and point of view in its text, not to mention a previously unseen level of design and craft to the visual nature of an all-too-frequently staid and timid medium. Chaykin continues to produce work that pushes the envelope of concept, context, and content in comics…in last year’s The Divided States of Hysteria for example, a comic book which, thanks to social media, enraged an entire new generation of the willfully ignorant who might have had a better case if they’d actually read the damned book. Chaykin’s new series, Hey Kids! Comics!, is a fictionalized history of the comic book business, a love letter written with just a frisson of acid in the ink, to the field he’s loved and called home for over four decades.
Mike Grell is a writer/artist with a uniquely cinematic style of storytelling. His creations include:
The Warlord
Starslayer
Jon Sable, Freelance
Shaman’s Tears
Bar Sinister
Maggie the Cat
These, along with successful runs on such features as Superboy and the Legion of Superheroes, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Batman, Iron Man, X-Men Forever, James Bond: Permission To Die, the Tarzan Sunday comic strip, and the internationally acclaimed, Eisner Award- Nominated Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters, have won him the comic industry’s coveted Inkpot Award For Outstanding Achievement in Comic Art. His graphic novel series Jon Sable, Freelance was adapted for TV by ABC in 1987. Grell has been voted to Wizard Magazine’s Top Ten List of Comics Writers and was recently named to Wizard World’s Hall of Legends and the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Hall of Fame. It was recently announced that, beginning in 2023, the widely acclaimed Shaman’s Tears will become an “audio movie” podcast on The Fantasy Network, produced in conjunction with Native Voices under the artistic direction of DeLanna Studi out of the Autrey Museum.
In addition to his collaboration with Neil Gaiman on the climactic story arc “The Kindly Ones” in The Sandman, artist and writer Marc Hempel is also known for his critically acclaimed work with Mark Wheatley in the titles Breathtaker, Mars, and Blood of the Innocent. His own creations Gregory and Tug & Buster have been nominated for Harvey and Eisner Awards, and his humor anthology Naked Brain was named Best Comic Book in the Baltimore City Paper’s Best of Baltimore 2003 issue. Hempel’s art has also appeared in Marvel Fanfare, Epic Illustrated, Heavy Metal, Jonny Quest, Tarzan the Warrior, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Flinch, My Faith in Frankie, The Dreaming, Lucifer, and Disney Adventures. He has created advertising art for print and television, and character design for HBO Animation. More recently, Hempel produced CD art for the Nashville band Swamp Rat, drew an episode of the online strip Munden’s Bar for ComicMix.com, illustrated a 21-page story for Michael Chabon’s The Escapist: Pulse-Pounding Thrills, and has contributed to both MAD Magazine and Nickelodeon Magazine. Marc’s latest work includes a full page comic strip for the lavish hardcover Little Nemo: Dream Another Dream, as well as art for SpongeBob Comics, the Planned Parenthood benefit book Mine!, and Short Things: Tales Inspired by “Who Goes There?” (The Thing) by John W. Campbell, Jr. He is the recipient of the Speakeasy Award and the Inkpot Award. Originally from the Chicago area, Marc currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
Steve Rude’s career began in 1981 with his and co-creator Mike Baron’s groundbreaking Nexus comic series. This space saga catapulted Rude into the field of comics, where he became highly sought after by major publishers. During his first few years in the industry, Rude’s efforts led to numerous awards, such as the 1984 Russ Manning Newcomer Award, the Kirby Award for best artist in 1986, and numerous Eisners for artistic achievement. For over two decades, Rude has drawn hundreds of comic’s greatest iconic heroes, and has galvanized the art world as a comic magazine artist and illustrator.
Currently, Steve and his company, Rude Dude Productions, are bringing the past into the future with comic strips of Nexus and the Moth.
Joe Staton has been drawing comics since he started working for Charlton Comics in 1971, where he co-created E-Man and Michael Mauser. Though the bulk of his work has been for DC Comics, at last count, Staton has worked for at least 30 publishers and 100 different editors. Among his many comics credits are Action Comics, Green Lantern, The Legion, Classics Illustrated, and various incarnations of Batman. During his time on Green Lantern, he co-created several GLs, including Kilowog, Arisia, and Salakk. He also designed GL Guy Gardner’s “bad boy” look. More recently, with his writer-wife Hilarie, he produces medical comics such as Pete Learns All About Crohn’s and Colitis and Amy Goes Gluten-Free. In 1998, he received the Eisner Award for his work on World’s Finest: The Superman-Batman Adventures. He penciled over 100 issues of the Cartoon Network’s Scooby Doo comic. He illustrated a graphic novel adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Anthem for NAL and a graphic biography of Ronald Reagan. Since 2011, working with writer Mike Curtis, Joe has been the regular artist for the long-running Dick Tracy newspaper strip (available online at www.gocomics.com/dicktracy). Dick Tracy received Harvey Awards in 2013, 2014, and 2015 for Best Syndicated Strip or Feature.
Mark Wheatley, Overstreet Hall of Fame inductee, has been awarded the Eisner, Inkpot, Mucker, Gem, Speakeasy, Golden Lion, Robert E. Howard Foundation Outstanding Achievement and nominations for the Harvey and the Ignatz. His work has appeared in Spectrum, the Library of Congress, The Norman Rockwell Museum, and other museums. He has designed for Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, ABC’s Beauty and the Beast, and Square Roots, as well as Super Clyde, The Millers, and 2 Broke Girls on CBS. His most recent print projects include Songs of Giants, Doctor Cthulittle, Tarzan and the Dark Heart of Time, Swords Against the Moon Men, The Philip Jose Farmer Centennial Collection, Mine! and Wild Stars. Past creations include Breathtaker, Return of The Human, Ez Street, Lone Justice, Mars, Black Hood, Prince Nightmare, Hammer of The Gods, Blood of The Innocent, Frankenstein Mobster, and Skultar as well as Tarzan, Baron Munchausen, Jonny Quest, Dr. Strange, The Flash, Captain Action, Argus, The Spider, Stargate Atlantis, Torchwood, and Doctor Who.
Among Wheatley’s latest projects, Skultar, has just been announced to start in Dark Horse Presents #7. Written by M.J. Butler, Skultar is a loving (but none-too-kind) send-up of barbarian stories. The Spider: Satan’s Murder Machines collects Norvell Page’s epic crime drama in a deluxe hardcover for the first time with a cover by Wheatley, and The Mark Wheatley Gallery collects a number of the artist’s 2010 13″ x 19″ art prints in book form for the first time.
This year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Dan Abdo (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), Arthur Adams (Longshot), Sarah Andersen (Sarah’s Scribbles), Art Baltazar (Yahgz), Jeremy Bastian (Dune: House Harkonnen), Marty Baumann (Pixar artist), Carolyn Belefsky (Curls), Brian Michael Bendis (Action Comics), Jon Bogdanove (The Death of Superman), Judy Bogdanove (Steel Annual), Dan Brereton (Nocturnals), Harold Buchholz (Sweetest Beasts), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Jim Calafiore (NED, Lord of the Pit), Chris Campana (Death Dealer), Joe Carabeo (Black Magic Tales), Richard Case (Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror), Howard Chaykin (Time Squared), Jim Cheung (Young Avengers), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Katie Cook (Nothing Special), Nick Davis (Night Guardians), Deans Family (Crass Fed), Abby Denson (Uniquely Japan), Todd Dezago (The Perhapanauts), Derec Donovan (Adventures of Superman), Jan Duursema (Star Wars: The High Republic), Garth Ennis (The Boys), David Finch (Moon Knight), Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs), Chris Flick (Capes and Babes), Scott Fogg (Phileas Reid Knows We’re Not Alone), Tana Ford (LaGuardia), Trish Forstner (Stray Dogs), Franco (Fae and the Moon), John Gallagher (Max Meow), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Mike Grell (Jon Sable), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Chris Gugilotti (Teen Titans Go!), Gene Ha (Mae), Laura Lee Gulledge (Page by Paige), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Cully Hamner (Blue Beetle), Brian Haberlin (Spawn), Tony Harris (The Whistling Skull), Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool), Marc Hempel (Sandman), Greg Hildebrandt (Star Wars), Morry Hollowell (Old Man Logan), Jamal Igle (Superman), Mark Irwin (Green Lantern), Klaus Janson (Daredevil), Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), J.G. Jones (Wanted), Kata Kane (Altar Girl), Barry Kitson (Amazing Spider-Man), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), Nate Lovett (Dungeons & Dragons), Matthew Loux (Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Tom Mandrake (Spectre), Laura Martin (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons), Mariano Brothers (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Ron Marz (Green Lantern), Jason May (LEGO Club Magazine), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Adriana Melo (Action Comics), Pop Mhan (Gears of War 3), Al Milgrom (Spectacular Spider-Man), Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Morales (Thor), Trevor Mueller (Re-Possessed), Sarah Myer (Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Jason Patterson (Blue, Barry & Pancakes), David Pepose (Savage Avengers), David Petersen (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen), Brandon Peterson (Uncanny X-Men), Richard and Wendy Pini (Elfquest), Ed Piskor (Red Room: Trigger Warnings), Joe Prado (Superman), Afua Richardson (Omni), Christopher Ring (Seamus (the Famous)), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Arsia Rozegar (Shahnameh For Kids), Steve Rude (Nexus), Jim Rugg (Hulk Grand Design), Andy Runton (Owly), Alex Simmons (Archie), Louise Simonson (The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special), Walter Simonson (Thor), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), John K. Snyder III (Suicide Squad), Sozomaika (DC Power: A Celebration), Mark Sparacio (Omega Paradox), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), John Timms (Superman: Son of Kal-El), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Wade von Grawbadger (Justice League), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Scott Wegener (Atomic Robo), Joey Weiser (Ghost Hog), Mark Wheatley (Skultar), Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), John Workman (Wild Things), Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer Reborn), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes).
(W) Mark Russell (A) Richard Pace, Leonard Kirk Cover A: Richard Pace Cover B: Howard Chaykin April 5, 2023 $4.99
Back again: The book that turned the comics industry upside-down with “quite a bit of humor…[and] a lot of heart” (The New York Times). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, tackles his biggest challenge in 2000 years: babysitting a child with super powers! Meanwhile, his roommate—the superhero called Sunstar—faces his greatest enemy, and his own guilt, in a court of law. Written and co-created by 2022 Eisner winner Mark Russell (Not All Robots, BILLIONAIRE ISLAND) with art by co-creator Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk.
Featuring cover A by Richard Pace and incentive cover B by Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!, Hey Kids! Comics!).
(W) Mark Russell (A) Richard Pace, Leonard Kirk Cover A: Richard Pace Cover B: Howard Chaykin April 5, 2023 $4.99
Back again: The book that turned the comics industry upside-down with “quite a bit of humor…[and] a lot of heart” (The New York Times). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, tackles his biggest challenge in 2000 years: babysitting a child with super powers! Meanwhile, his roommate—the superhero called Sunstar—faces his greatest enemy, and his own guilt, in a court of law. Written and co-created by 2022 Eisner winner Mark Russell (Not All Robots, BILLIONAIRE ISLAND) with art by co-creator Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk.
Featuring cover A by Richard Pace and incentive cover B by Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!, Hey Kids! Comics!).
Another comic has been snatched to be turned into a film. Too Dead To Die from Marc Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin has been grabbed by Universal.
Guggenheim will write the screenplay and executive produce the film. Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, and Guy Danella will also produce the film through 87North. Matt Reilly, executive VP of production, will oversee the project for Universal.
Too Dead To Die was released in late 2022 from Image Comics. The graphic novel was about the top super spy in the 1980s Simon Cross who discovers he has a daughter which sends him back out into the world for one last adventure.
Immigrant and minority owned publisher FairSquare Comics has announced a partnership with newly formed international studio Alien Books, bringing dozens of high profile creators and titles to the American market!
English, French, Spanish… They may sound different, but when it comes to comics, the two companies are speaking the same language: quality, variety, diversity and a true passion for sequential art.
Per the multi-year agreement, Alien Books will be added to the FairSquare Comics catalogue, distributed worldwide by Diamond Comics and Diamond Book Distributors, bringing a new color to the family: FairSquare Gold!
The Alien Books comics and graphic novels will debut in April, 2023 with an art book: The Art of Ariel Olivetti. The Argentinian maestro delivers an incredible opus displaying some of his most amazing pieces created for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse, BOOM Studios and more over his 25 year career. Discover or re-discover Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Venom, Cable, Space Ghost and many others like you’ve never seen them before, commented by Ariel Olivetti himself. The Art of Ariel Olivetti will be available, starting April 5th (Direct Market) and April 18th (everywhere else) in both Hardcover and softcover editions.
But that’s not all! On April 12th, Alien Books will present a never published before horror anthology from best-selling writer and artist Damian Connelly. Blood, Love, Ghosts and a Deadly Spell packs 4 short horrific tales and a poem from the mind of the hit series You Promised Me Darkness and Follow Me Into Darkness creator. Only available in comic book stores, Blood, Love, Ghosts and a Deadly Spell features three stunning covers from Damian Connelly himself.
That, of course, is only the beginning.
International talents such as Leandro Fernandez, Howard Chaykin, Eduardo Risso and many more, all have projects with Alien Books.
You welcomed Jesus with open arms in Second Coming. You marveled at his miraculous return in Second Coming: Only Begotten Son. Now the book that turned the comics industry upside-down is back for its third act with Second Coming: Trinity. Written and co-created by 2022 Eisner winner Mark Russell with art by co-creator Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk, Second Coming: Trinityfinds Jesus Christ, the Son of God, tackling his biggest challenge in 2000 years: babysitting a child with super powers! Meanwhile, his roommate—the superhero called Sunstar—faces his greatest enemy, and his own guilt, in a court of law. The first issue of the news series lands in stores this spring and will feature a cover by Richard Pace as well as a variant cover by Howard Chaykin.
Second Coming: Trinity will be published monthly by AHOY Comics and available in stores on April 5, 2023.
