Tag Archives: maria santaolalla

Source Point Press plans to break your heart in Monstrous: Heartbreak and Blood Loss

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Gothic steampunk series Monstrous returns with a brand new miniseries, Monstrous: Heartbreak and Blood Loss, a swashbuckling ghost story with hidden secrets, bloodthirsty pirates, a cave filled with treasure, and a whole host of things that will leave you haunted. Heartbreak and Blood Loss #1 is available for pre-order now and will be in shops Wednesday, May 26.

Written by Greg Wright, each issue of Heartbreak and Blood Loss features an original story, each with its own artists including: Maria Santaolalla, Gary and Josh Sobek, Alexander Mortarion, and Rachel Young. Heartbreak and Blood Loss #1 is elegantly illustrated by Young.

How would you handle being haunted? A lonely lighthouse keeper learns she’s living right above a ghost pirate protecting cursed treasure. At first they struggle to figure out who will give up the territory first, but they quickly learn that they have a lot in common, including some enemies determined to destroy them both.

Monstrous is the longest-running series at Source Point Press, but readers don’t need to start at the beginning to enjoy each volume.

Heartbreak and Blood Loss has something for Monstrous fans new and old, including appearances from brand new characters alongside fan favorites like Hans, the human brain put into a steam-powered robot body by Dr. Frankenstein.

Read Mad Cave’s Hellfighter Quin #1 for FREE

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Hellfighter Quin is one of the latest releases from comic publisher Mad Cave Studios. Released in March 2020, the series is written by Jay Sandlin, with art by Atagun, color by Maria Santaolalla, and lettering by Justin Birch.

Quinlan Jones, AKA the Hellfighter, thought he’d hung up his mask for good. That all changed when Harlem’s own vigilante is forced into a tournament controlled by hidden clans to gain control over the Azure Sun; a mystical stone that provides abilities to those who come into contact with it. Here, Quin will fight for his life in a series of brutal contests against assassins, cyborgs, and other beings of unimaginable power. Alliances are formed and bones will be broken, but no matter what happens, only one may claim the Azure Sun!

You can read the first issue below and support the company by getting your own copy!

Purchase: Mad Cave Studios – Amazon – Kindle – comiXology

Hellfighter-Quin-1-Free-Issue-Mad-Cave-Stidios

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Read RV9 #1 from Mad Cave Studios for Free!

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Former assassin Velveteen is on the run from the Order of the 9, the organization that took her from her family and forced her into a life where all she knows is secrecy, violence, and death. Now, she’s bringing the fight to them.

RV9 is a five issue series from writer Ben Goldsmith, penciler Travis Mercer, inker Miguel Angel Zapata, colorist Maria Santaolalla, and letterer Justin Birch, and published by Mad Cave Studios.

You can find all five issues at comic shops now and the trade collecting all five issues is currently scheduled to be released May 20.

You can buy the series below and read the entire first issue for free!

Amazon Comics: #1, #2 Kindle: #1, #2, #3, #4
comiXology
TFAW
Zeus Comics

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Mad Cave Studios Announces RV9

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Writer Ben Goldsmith (The Seance Room) and artist Travis Mercer explore the futuristic streets of Italy in the year 2055 with, RV9. This fast-paced spy thriller bleeds with intrigue as colorist María Santaolalla (Unholy Grail, Brothers Dracul) and letterer Justin Birch (Knights of the Golden Sun, Road of Bones) round out the creative team.

RV9 follows former assassin, Velveteen, who is on the run from the Order of the 9, the organization that took her from her family and forced her into a life of secrecy, violence, and death. Now, after years of running, she is bringing the fight to them. With help from an American hacker, Jasper, and a rookie officer with an attitude, Inspector Pazzi, Velveteen will use everything she was taught by the Order of the 9 against them.

The 5-issue mini-series is set to launch this November! Make sure to pre-order your copy at your LCS!

RV9

The Brothers Dracul #1 Gets a Second Printing

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AfterShock Comics has announced that The Brothers Dracul #1 from Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak has sold out and gone to a second printing.

The legend of Vlad the Impaler is the stuff of nightmares. The inspiration for the most iconic of monsters—Dracula—Vlad tortured and murdered thousands of victims. But what turned him into such a depraved killer? The truth lies in his teenage years, when Vlad and his brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire. During this time, the brothers learned many things—archery, riding, the art of combat, matters of court…and how to stalk and slay vampires.

The Brothers Dracul is written by Bunn with art by Colak, color by Maria Santaolalla, lettering by Simon Bowland and two covers, one by Colak and Santaolalla and the other by Szymon Kudranski.

An Early Preview of Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak’s The Brothers Dracul #1

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The legend of Vlad the Impaler is the stuff of nightmares. The inspiration for the most iconic of monsters—Dracula—Vlad tortured and murdered thousands of victims. But what turned him into such a depraved killer? The truth lies in his teenage years, when Vlad and his brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire. During this time, the brothers learned many things—archery, riding, the art of combat, matters of court…and how to stalk and slay vampires. 

The Brothers Dracul is from writer Cullen Bunn, artist Mirko Colak, colors by Maria Santaolalla, and letterer Simon Bowland. It features two covers, one by Mirko Colak with Maria Santaolalla and another by Szymon Kudranski.

Final order cut off is this Monday with the release April 11.

AfterShock Announces The Brothers Dracul from Cullen Bunn and Mirko Colak

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AfterShock has announced a new series The Brothers Dracul from Cullen Bunn and art by Mirko Colak which hits stores in April.

It’s the same creative team as another AfterShock series, Unholy Grail, and the third series with Cullen Bunn (Unholy Grail and Dark Ark).

The legend of Vlad the Impaler is the stuff of nightmares. The inspiration for the most iconic of monsters—Dracula—Vlad tortured and murdered thousands of victims. But what turned him into such a depraved killer? The truth lies in his teenage years, when Vlad and his brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire. During this time, the brothers learned many things—archery, riding, the art of combat, matters of court…and how to stalk and slay vampires.

The Brothers Dracul is a tale of brothers and blood that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.

The series is written by Bunn, art by Colak, color by Maria Santaolalla, and lettering by Simon Bowland. The first issue features covers by Colak with Santaolalla and another by Francesco Francavilla.

Review: Unholy Grail #3

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Cullen Bunn (creator/writer) and Mirko Colak (artist) continue their Lovecraftian retelling of the King Arthur legends in Unholy Grail #3. The series so far has transformed Merlin into a demon, the Lady of the Lake into a siren-like creature, and the Holy Grail into, well, exactly what is says on the can. Issue three focuses on the relationship between Arthur and his new bride Guinevere. Almost instantaneously, the couple break their marital vows and Arthur promised his heart to the Lady of the Lake, and Guinevere offers herself up to Lancelot after he rescues her from a lair of demons.

While some of the motivations have changed, much of the story remains the same as ever, following a disappointingly predictable plot from beginning to end. Even some tropes that have been largely abandoned remain: an all-white, all straight, all attractive cast, and the sighing female who is helpless without her burly, bearded champion.

What makes Unholy Grail worth your time is the art. Fans of horror and especially demonic disemboweling will enjoy every issue of Unholy Grail so far, and #3 continues to deliver. Every time I began to think “Why am I reading another Arthur book?” the Lovecraftian horror returned and I was reminded why I picked this up in the first place. Along with colorist Maria Santaolalla, Colak makes use of color, form, and even shaking up the panel formats to bring you a bloody massacre that nearly pops off the page. Simon Bowland’s lettering adds to the art style with dramatically different speech patterns between the mortals and the demons that have joined them on Earth.

What is really going to keep me coming back for more Unholy Grail, though, is the twist on the Guinevere /Morgan La Fay dichotomy. Without spoiling too much of the book, issue #3 ends with a rather unique connection between the two—the first plot point in the series so far that has entirely diverged from the classic Arthurian legend.

Love the lettering: shows mortal versus demonic/other worldly.

Creator/Story: Cullen Bunn Art: Mirko Colak
Color: Maria Santaolalla Letters: Simon Bowland Editor: Mike Marts
Story: 7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Read

AfterShock provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review