Tag Archives: red circle comics

Red Circle Comics is now Dark Circle Comics

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dark circle comicsToday, Archie Comics announced plans to relaunch its superhero imprint with a new name: Dark Circle Comics. The name change signals a new direction for the superhero titles, which will feature a more cinematic, literary and mature approach to the characters told in accessible stories that will appeal to new and longtime fans.

Previously known as Red Circle Comics, the new imprint will announce a slate of titles in advance of Comic Con International: San Diego later this month.

Archie Comics Publisher/Co-CEO Jon Goldwater said in a release:

When we brought Alex onboard to oversee our superhero imprint, we knew we needed to be bold and decisive with how these books were presented, in every way. They couldn’t just be more of the same. This is a fresh start and a new direction for these iconic characters. It all boils down to story – tales that feature compelling characters by some of the best talent in comics. Alex – with the help of myself, our President Mike Pellerito, CCO Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Editor Paul Kaminski – has carefully curated a line of comics that will hopefully be seen as the definitive interpretations of these characters for a long time. We couldn’t be more excited.

Dark Circle Comics Editor Alex Segura added:

These will be creator-driven books telling new, genre bending stories with some of the best characters in comics. They’ll be more akin to cable television shows like Boardwalk Empire, True Detective and Orange is the New Black. Unique voices telling stories about flawed characters from a range of genres, including crime, superhero adventure and off-the-wall action. These are definitely not all-ages comics – they’ll compete with the best Image, DC and Marvel have to offer. They won’t be bogged down by continuity while still carrying on the legacy of these heroes. Fans are in for a treat.

Archie has had massive success with a more “mature” take on their properties. Their mature horror comic Afterlife With Archie has received praise from both critics and fans. They are following that up with a mature take on Sabrina.

Preview: The Fox: Freak Magnet

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THE FOX: FREAK MAGNET

Script: Mark Waid, J.M. DeMatteis
Plot/Art: Dean Haspiel, Allen Passalaqua, Mike Cavallaro, Terry Austin, John Workman
Cover: Dean Haspiel
978-1-936975-93-8
$14.99/$16.99 CAN
6 5/8 x 10 3/16”
Trade Paperback
144 pp, Full Color
Direct Market On-sale: 7/2

It’s the critically acclaimed debut of the high-flying FOX! Emmy Award-winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel (BILLY DOGMA, HBO’S BORED TO DEATH) and Eisner Award-winning writer Mark Waid (DAREDEVIL, THRILLBENT) bring the legendary, pulp-style hero The Fox to life in FREAK MAGNET! When photojournalist Paul Patton, Jr. donned a superhero costume, he thought it would be a quick way to make some news–now the strange and unusual just can’t help but be drawn to the freak-magnetism of the fabulous fighting Fox! Then, go back in time for an all-new story featuring the world’s first patriotic superhero, THE SHIELD from acclaimed writer J.M. DeMatteis (ABADAZAD, JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Mike Cavallaro (PARADE WITH FIREWORKS, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SAVIOR 28). What connection does the Shield’s top-secret mission in the Arctic have to do with the Fox’s diamond-studded adventure? And what ultra-powerful villains have arrived to wreak havoc?? Read on, dear reader–The Fox and the Shield have their work cut out for them! The Fox: Freak Magnet collects the five-part comic book series of the same name.

TheFox_FreakMagnet-0

Preview: The Fox #5

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The Fox #5

Plot/Script: J.M. DeMatteis
Art: Dean Haspiel, Allen Passalaqua, and John Workman
Cover: Dean Haspiel
FOX FIVE Variant Cover 1: Dean Haspiel
FOX FIVE Variant Cover 2: Howard Chaykin
FOX FIVE Variant Cover 3: Mike Norton
FOX FIVE Variant Cover 4: Mike Cavallaro
FOX FIVE Variant Cover 5: Alex Toth Throwback
On Sale at Specialty Comic Shops Date: 3/12
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US.

The fantastically-foxy finale IS HERE in Freak Magnet Part 5: “Future’s End”!

Emmy Award-winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel (Billy Dogma, HBO’s Bored to Death) is joined by acclaimed writer J.M. DeMatteis (Abadazad, Justice League 3000) to conclude the “Freak Magnet” saga of the pulp-style hero The Fox! Our hero has won the day and defeated his evil adversaries, so why does he now find himself trapped 70 years in the past, side-by-side with the legendary hero of WW2 known as THE SHIELD?! And what does the Shield’s arctic battle-royale have to do with the diamond realm?! And will SOMEONE please tell The Fox, aka Paul Patton Jr., why he can’t just have the simple, freak-free life he wants?? Don’t miss the finale to end-em-all, and don’t miss out on collecting all five “FOX FIVE” Variant Covers to this issue! With art from Dean Haspiel, Howard Chaykin, Mike Cavallaro, Mike Norton and a special ALEX TOTH throwback edition!

TheFox_05-0

The Fox #1 “Sold Out!”

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Red Circle Comics is proud to announce that The Fox #1 has SOLD OUT of its 1st print run from Diamond Comics Distributors as of 10am this morning. The highly anticipated debut issue of the series is by Emmy Award winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel with words by Eisner Award winning writer Mark Waid, their first collaboration together.

The Fox follows the lead of the mega successful Afterlife With Archie, which sold out in less than 5 hours of release, continuing the publisher’s successful streak of releasing select TEEN+ comics exclusively to comic shops. A 2nd printing is in the works with details forthcoming.

In addition to the stellar creative team, Red Circle Comics has enlisted today’s top talent to contribute cover art including such A-listers as Darwyn Cooke, Fiona Staples, Paul Pope, Mike Allred, David Mack and many more yet to be revealed. This all-star event continues when issue #2 hits 12/4 where Haspiel and Waid will be joined by more top tier talent in writer J.M. DeMatteis, and the art team of Mike Cavallaro and Terry Austin on The Shield back-up.

Review: The Fox #1

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the fox #1 coverArchie Comics has been slowly bringing back the classic Red Circle characters, but none have had such a high-profile team of Dean Haspiel and Mark Waid. Seeing those two, especially Waid, immediately caught my attention and I’ve been anticipating the first issue of this new series.

The team of Haspiel and Waid in this debut issue bring the legendary, pulp-style hero The Fox to life in “Freak Magnet, Part One: The True Face of MyFace”! When photojournalist Paul Patton, Jr. donned a super hero costume, he thought it would be a quick way to make some news—now the strange and unusual just can’t help but be drawn to the freak-magnetism of the fabulous fighting FOX! While working on a puff-piece at the Red Circle Gazette, an evil truth about social media mogul Lucy Fur is discovered, bringing Paul face-to-face with a criminal kingpin! But, that’s not all, this action packed first also has a second story, “A Picture Lasts Forever” has the Fox dealing with a building that’s a bit more than it seems.

As much as I anticipated the first issue, I also wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I guess I was expecting something more like Waid’s Daredevil and you get a sense of that, with a bit more of a family friendly spin, and that’s not a bad thing at all.

The first issue is a blend when it comes to style, it’s a bit Haspiel and Waid, mixed with that family friendly style we expect from Archie. This isn’t a gritty action series, it’s much safer in content, harkening back to fun super hero comics of times past when everything wasn’t gritty and dirty, and that’s something that’s needed and missing from today’s comic market.

A team mixes up the art and it’s all solid, matching the writing. There’s lots of fun action sequences for them to match their style to the story. It’s a great combination and works really well.

Overall, there’s not much that’s groundbreaking here when it comes to story or art, but there is a lot of good, clean fun. And in today’s comic market, that is actually groundbreaking.

Story: Dean Haspiel, Mark Waid Art: Dean Haspiel, Allen Passalaqua, John Workman
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Haspiel and Waid to Team on New Red Circle Comics Series

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Eisner Award winning writer Mark Waid and Emmy winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel are teaming up to launch a brand new series – The Fox. Taking place in the Red Circle universe, this exciting creative team will deliver an innovative, action-packed superhero story starring the fabled pulp hero.

This thrilling new addition is a shake up to the Red Circle lineup. The previously solicited New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow will receive a new release date in early 2014. The critically acclaimed New Crusaders series received high praise and year-end “best of” acknowledgements, dubbed “one of the most enjoyable and surprising books on the stands” and response to The Fox will no doubt echo that sentiment.

The first volume, New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes, is now available for order in Previews. In addition, this summer’s forthcoming New Crusaders: Legacy TPB features both new and iconic stories including Alex Toth‘s run on The Fox, and contributions from comic book legends Steve Ditko, Carmine Infantino, and more.

Red Circle Comics is home to Archie Comics’ super hero properties, most notably The Shield, The Comet, The New Crusaders, and The Mighty Crusaders. Consisting of super heroes who emerged during the Golden Age of comics and remain relevant today, the Red Circle stable of characters have a storied history that continues to grow denser with the highly publicized New Crusaders launch.

red-circle-fox

Red Circle Comics Announces New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow

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Red Circle Comics, the super hero imprint of comic publisher Archie Comics, is proud to launch the second arc of the New Crusaders series: Dark Tomorrow. New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes saw the revival of the Red Circle heroes and a fresh, exciting take on the classic franchise.

Beginning this May, the New Crusaders continue their triumphant return with New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow following their fiercest battle to date with the shocking conclusion to New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes. The digital first series successfully made the transition to print this summer and continues to build on its timeless legacy.

The new series will introduce some new characters to the team, and some familiar faces to the Red Circle universe will be back. Dark Tomorrow will take the characters back to high school, where they begin to juggle their super hero identities with the normal trials of high school life. The plan is for a 6-issue limited series written by Ian Flynn.

The innovative flagship title for Red Circle Comics will now offer fans day-and-date releases of the issues either in print from their local comic shop or digitally on the Red Circle App. In addition to the ongoing storyline, The Lost Crusade stories will continue to explore the histories of the original Mighty Crusaders, filling in the gaps between the classic series up to now and featuring some of today’s top creators.

New Crusaders: Dark Tomorrow #1 features the continued talents of writer Ian Flynn and artist Alitha Martinez with cover art by superstar artist Phil Jimenez and variant cover art by original New Crusaders artist Ben Bates. The comic will retail for $2.99.

The Next Stage of Red Circle

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Red Circle Comics, the super hero imprint of comic publisher Archie Comics, has announced a new direction for the digital and print release of the New Crusaders series. Earlier this year, New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes marked a return to super heroes for the publishing house that helped found the medium over 70 years ago. As the first story arc draws to a close on the New Crusaders App, and following the transition to print this past September, Red Circle Comics is once again moving forward in the digital comics frontier with a bold new digital distribution strategy for 2013 and beyond. Beginning in December, fans and new readers alike will have access to classic content, new adventure, and everything in between.

The innovative flagship title for Red Circle Comics, New Crusaders, began as a digital initiative that pushed the boundaries of the digital comics experience on a weekly basis. It has since become a full-fledged monthly printed comic and graphic novel due to fan demand for a print component. Once the series launches its second arc this spring, fans can enjoy day-and-date releases of the issues either in print from their local comic shop or digitally on the Red Circle App.

The New Crusaders are a new team of super heroes that continue the legacies of characters such as The Shield and The Comet, many of which date back to the origin of super hero comics themselves. This vibrant history is also on full display in a series of new stories titled The Lost Crusade, found in the New Crusaders App. These stories act as a tour guide to the Red Circle universe, and fills in any gaps that lead up to the events in New Crusaders. Lost Crusade stories will increase in frequency on the New Crusaders app, releasing once a month, but will also usher in a whole new slate of top creative talent. Among the key creators attached, Sergio Cariello, Howard Mackie, Scott and David Tipton will all contribute new stories and art.

Preview – New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes #3

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NEW CRUSADERS: RISE OF THE HEROES #3

Script: Ian Flynn
Art: Ben Bates, Alitha Martinez, Gary Martin, John Workman and Matt Herms
Cover & “Pep Comics” Character Variant cover: Ben Bates
Variant Cover: Sanford Greene
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: 11/7
32-page, full color comic
$2.99 US.

“Legacies” Part One: The days of being ordinary teens are over. It’s time for the young heroes to become the New Crusaders! But the over-confidence of Shield and his charges could spell doom for the fledgling team. Who remains standing at the end of the day? The Red Circle Universe’s greatest heroes begin their journey in this pulse-pounding issue!

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