Tag Archives: jonny handler

From Graphic Novel to the Tabletop, The Winds of Numa Sera Enters its Final Day of Kickstarter Campaign

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Last month, the creators of the critically acclaimed Dark Horse graphic novel Winds of Numa Sera launched a new tabletop game based on its lore, and the audience responded immediately, with the campaign doubling its initial goal in the first 30 minutes and over 1300 backers to date. The innovative and expansive saga of Winds of Numa Sera again pairs co-writers Morgan Rosenblum and Jonny Handler with top game developers for an unmatched cross-platform storytelling experience!

Adapted and including the stunning art of Eduard Petrovich, Filipe Andrade, Eduardo Mello, Alessio Moroni, and Valentina Taddeo, this new tabletop game brings the lush visual world of the graphic novel to both gamers and comic book fans, promising an immersive new chapter for all, with each a standalone storytelling experience to be enjoyed together or separately!

Back the Winds of Numa Sera Kickstarter campaign today for exclusive add-ons, unlock all stretch goals and other rewards that will not be available anywhere else, including a special collectors edition with chess quality miniatures, dual layered game boards, and other premium details! The campaign closes TOMORROW at 11:59pm EST, so don’t delay!

In Ethera, You Either Rule or Be Ruled

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From creators and writers Morgan Rosenblum and Jonny Handler, and artists Eduard Petrovich, Filipe Andrade, Eduardo Mello, Alessio Moroni, and Valentina Taddeo, and lettered by Ismail Nihad comes Winds of Numa Sera, a grand fantasy epic in a blockbuster setting!

In the land of Ethera, you either rule or be ruled . . . The Empire of Numa Sera holds sovereignty over the continent. But following the untimely death of their ambitious Emperor, his adolescent daughter Lelia has inherited the throne. With the young girl in power, the “One True Kingdom” now finds itself vulnerable as other nations seek to overcome its supremacy. Within this kingdom, four individuals will fight to make their own fate. Or fall prey to someone else’s. We follow Lelia, the child Empress with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Kelesandra, the Baron’s daughter who seeks a life which is forbidden to her. Krill, a stable boy framed for murder. And Sjorsja, a warrior who seeks to change the ways of his people. Will they be prepared for the chances that will come and seize opportunity? Or will they bend to fear? In this world, there is no inbetween. You either reign. Or hail.

Winds of Numa Sera TPB will be in bookstores June 7, 2022 and in comic shops June 8, 2022. It is available for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop and bookstore. Winds of Numa Sera will retail for $24.99.

Winds of Numa Sera

Heavy Metal Teams with Herø Projects for Graphic Novels and Screen Adaptations

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Heavy Metal has announced that it is teaming up with acclaimed comics and animation company Herø Projects to publish a slate of sci-fi graphic novels and to develop Herø’s original IP for screen adaptations to be produced through Heavy Metal Studio. 

Herø Projects’ “Ønyx” lineup of sci-fi graphic novels will be published through Heavy Metal and distributed by Simon and Schuster in 2022-2023. The titles featured in the lineup are post-apocalyptic space opera Stable, dystopian thriller The Red, historical sci-fi Dogma Resistance, action-adventure The Awakening, and decopunk crime noir Remnant.

All five of the “Onyx” line of books being announced were created by Matthew Medney, Morgan Rosenblum, Jonny Handler, and Pete “Voodoo Bownz” Russo, and written by Medney and Rosenblum. Notable artists featured in the series of OGNs include Francesco Pisa, Jon Lam, Giuseppe Peppe, Santa Fung, Andrea Adiletto, Fabrizio Ugolini, and many more.

Stable will be on sale in winter of 2022, followed by Remnant coming out summer of 2022, both of which are collaborations with Tomato Farm Agency, then The Awakening in fall of 2022, Dogma Resistance in winter of 2023, and The Red in spring of 2023.

Along with the slate of graphic novels hitting shelves soon, Heavy Metal’s President and Head of Studio Tommy Coriale is in the process of developing screen adaptations of Herø Projects’ graphic novel collection, based on the original IP. Heavy Metal plans to produce the television and film projects with additional partners. Stable and The Red are the first two of the titles being developed, with the others in the pipeline.

Heavy Metal and Floyd Mayweather Team for Undefeated

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Heavy Metal has announced a new Floyd Mayweather comic that will be co-produced with Herø Projects. Undefeated, a 22-page one-shot comic, highlights the life and success of Floyd Mayweather, the iconic American boxer, winner of fifteen major world championships, and Olympic medalist.

Undefeated is written by Matthew Medney and Morgan Rosenblum, who co-created the comic with Voodoo Bownz and Jonny Handler, with illustrations by Rodrigo Lorenzo.

Undefeated will be exclusively available this fall to anyone who buys one of the 11,000+ Floyd Mayweather NFTs from floydNFT.com. Each Floyd NFT feeds 15 people and grants access to “Floyd’s world.”

Undefeated

Review: The Red #1

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The Red #1

There was a time I worked in advocacy for video games fighting against censorship and fighting for policies that benefited creators and players. During that time, there was a lot of talk of censorship and video games as free speech. One of the projects I contemplated was an alternate reality game taking place in a world where video games were banned and only played in speakeasies breaking the prohibition. The Red #1 is a similar concept expanding the prohibition to anything that can elicit an emotion. It’s also a hell of a start to the series.

Taking place in a distant future, a nuclear war has ravaged humanity. A single government entity now presides over what’s left of the world and prohibits certain content that is deemed emotionally dangerous, or “red,” in an attempt to maintain order and keep society working. The Red takes us into that underground world where musicians let their talent flow flaunting the control of a totalitarian government.

Written by Morgan Rosenblum, The Red‘s story is by Matthew Medney, Voodoo Bownz, Jonny Handler, and Rosenblum. Together they’ve created a world that feels familiar and characters we can easily relate to and understand. This is a comic that’s easy to slide into and enjoy. The concept isn’t out there and the world itself familiar.

And that’s a good thing as it allowed me to easily sink into the story and focus on the characters. And it’s the characters that stand out. Though they all fill their niche, there’s something also very charming about them all. This is a story and characters that you could easily see on tv and while not yet memorable they’re also very entertaining. There’s an almost musical quality about them where their personalities are all larger than life and they all stand out in their own way. With a “small cast” when each takes the stage the spotlight is immediately on them.

The art helps the cool factor of it all with beautiful visuals that are broken up by propaganda posters from the totalitarian rulers. Jon Lam provides the art with Voodoo Bownz lettering and there’s such a great style to it all. There’s clearly a lot of thought put into how this world is depicted, especially when it comes to colors. The dreary emotionless world is bathed in browns and yellows. The underground world of free music features purples and pinks. The in-between features reds. You can almost tell where individuals are locations stand based on the color palette chosen.

The Red #1 delivers a solid start into a familiar concept and world but down with splash and style. You can almost hear the music played in scenes. I awaited each character having the spotlight shined on them with a monologue ala Chorus Line. I liked it all and was sucked in quickly. What’s presented isn’t groundbreaking but it’s all done really well. The Red #1 introduces us to a world that while dystopian, still has a cool factor that makes me want to visit.

Story: Morgan Rosenblum, Matthew Medney, Voodoo Bownz, Jonny Handler Writer: Morgan Rosenblum
Art: Jon Lam Ink: Jon Lam Color: Jon Lam Letterer: Voodoo Bownz
Story: Art: Overall: Recommendation: Buy

Heavy Metal provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Heavy Metal

Enter the Fantasy World of Winds of Numa Sera

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In 2015, graphic novelist Morgan Rosenblum burst onto the sci-fi scene with a runaway success. His comic book debut, Treadwater Volume 1, delivered complex characters fighting an unwinnable battle in a pre-apocalyptic scenario. Then, in 2017, the long-anticipated Treadwater sequel was released to even greater acclaim, topping Diamond’s ‘Indie Bestseller’ list and bringing sales to over 10,000 copies.

Now, Rosenblum is back, along with co-creator Jonny Handler, with Winds of Numa Sera, a medieval fantasy graphic novel series. The first volume in the series is currently on Kickstarter looking to raise $15,100. The campaign ends on November 23. The series features art by Eduardo Mello, color by Valentina Taddeo, lettering by Voodoo Bownz, character concept design by Andrea De Dominicis, environments/sigil/lore/logo design by Bark Bark Studio, and map design by Luigi Aime.

Winds of Numa Sera is set in an elaborate fantasy world, which features an expansive cast of multi-layered and, above-all, believable characters. As their disparate backgrounds and motivations put them on a collision course with one another, the protagonists of one story become the antagonists in another. This lends the readers deeper insight into each character as they watch their seemingly separate storylines slowly weave together into a large cohesive narrative.

It is said that truth is the first casualty of war and this holds true for the Empire of Numa Sera, whose glorious founding mythology is slowly peeled apart as the protagonists discover the truth behind the legends. The grand narrative plays out over multiple generations, in which villains become heroes, history is rewritten, the mundane becomes mythical and the truly legendary becomes mere superstition.

The tone of the novel strikes a unique balance between that of a lighthearted adventure story and a ruthlessly realistic political drama, which takes place in a world rich with fascinating lore. Confronted with violence, treachery and political intrigue, the charismatic heroes of Numa Sera do what they can to survive and succeed. As they continue on their journeys, long forgotten truths are rediscovered and ancient forces are reawakened.

Owing to the breadth of its story, the depth of its characters and the splendor of its lore, a graphic novel of this scope is necessarily an ambitious undertaking. Fortunately, the novel’s illustrators, both of whom had worked for Marvel, do it complete justice. Finally, after several years of meticulous work, Rosenblum and Handler are ready to share their newest story.

You can get a PDF copy for $20 and a hard copy for $30. Other rewards include signed editions, collectors edition, and even being able to be drawn into the comic!