Today at New York
Comic-Con, Oni Press, the acclaimed independent publisher of
creator-owned comics, announced a veritable smorgasbord of new projects
bound for print and the web.
“I can't believe
how much amazing stuff we're announcing at this show,” exclaimed Oni
Press editor in chief James Lucas Jones. “We've got a new oversized
hardcover graphic novel from Joe Harris and Adam Pollina, a pair of new
series from writer Cullen Bunn, and a host of new projects involved in
our 2013 reenvisioning of OniPress.com.”
Kicking the panel
off, long-time collaborators Joe Harris and Adam Pollina announced
their new deluxe graphic novel WARS IN TOYLAND. Darkly inspired by the
classic story of BABES IN TOYLAND, this new book looks at the once
wondrous and beautiful Toyland after the rise of the teddy dictator,
Roxbury. After Matthew's brother and playmate, Alex, disappears, young
Matthew finds himself carried into Toyland by his own loyal toy
soldiers. Only Matthew soon learns that Alex has been here, too – and is
now being held captive by Roxbury. Leading an attack on the teddy
bear's fortress, Matthew never considers that his brother might be
beyond saving.
"Ever since I was
a kid watching LAUREL & HARDY on Thanksgiving Day, my demented
thoughts have turned to wooden soldiers making war on one another,"
commented Harris. "WARS IN TOYLAND is a story we've been looking to
tell for a long, long time. It's a dark fantasy about the things we
throw away, the things we can't let go of and growing up, in a broad
sense, even though it really sucks sometimes."
"WARS IN TOYLAND
is as close to my heart as any story I have ever drawn," added Pollina.
"As a young child I would spend hours dividing my toys into armies and
leading them in some glorious battle. This graphic novel is heavily
inspired by those childhood memories. I know I feel I'm still finding
the courage to face the challenges in my life and win the battles ahead
of me. And this book is an expression of that struggle."
Joining Harris & Pollina for the project are finisher Brent McCarthy and colorist Nolan Woodard.
"Joe and Adam
really delivered an outstanding book and the work from Brent and Nolan
just helps it shine that much more," concluded Jones. "The oversized,
landscape format really makes their work a thing to behold.
Next, Oni Press marketing mastermind Tom Shimmin threw the mic to Cullen Bunn for a pair of big reveals.
Since the very
first issue of THE SIXTH GUN, readers have clamored for more information
about General Hume’s horsemen. And now the story can be told. What
happened to the horsemen after their master died? The answers can be
found the in February debuting series THE SIXTH GUN: SONS OF THE GUN.
Written by Bunn & SIXTH GUN artist / co-creator Brian Hurtt,
illustrated by Brian Churilla (THE SECRET HISTORY OF D.B. COOPER) and
colored by Bill Crabtree, each issue features a look at a different
member of Hume's ghastly gang.
But Bunn wasn't
done there! Following SONS OF THE GUN February debut, comes HELHEIM--a
new viking horror series from Bunn, fan-favorite artist Joëlle Jones and
colorist Nick Filardi.
“Once the threshold of Helheim is crossed, not even gods can escape.”
During the age of
the Vikings, savage wild men and dark creatures beset a small
settlement. A brave war party stands as guardians of the helpless
villagers, but they are no match for the horrors rising up around them.
One of the warriors, a young hero named Rikard, will pay the ultimate
price in battle…
But his fight is far from over. Resurrected by an evil witch out for vengeance, Rikard is brought
back as a pawn in her bloody quest. But can his warrior soul ever
be contained? A gothic horror story of witchcraft, night creatures, and
the undead.
Can't wait until
March? Attendees of the panel didn't have to as Oni Press gave out
special black-and-white preview editions of the upcoming series.
Additional copies were made available for sale at the Oni Press booth.
"Working with
collaborators like Brian Hurtt, Brian Churilla, and Joëlle Jones reminds
me just how lucky I am to be working in comics and working with Oni
Press," concluded Bunn. "I'm writing stories I genuinely love and I'm
partnering with some of the best visual storytellers in the business."
"Cullen, Joëlle,
and Brians Hurtt & Churilla, not to mention Misters Crabtree &
Filardi, make my job a joy," added SIXTH GUN and HELHEIM editor Charlie
Chu. "These folks are creating some of the most engaging characters and
thrilling action in all of comics and I get a front row seat.
But possibly the biggest announcement for Oni Press was still yet to come.
The publisher
announced the January debut of a totally new OniPress.com that will
transform the website from a marketing resource for its print titles
into a full-fledged content hub with comic updates five days a week.
"We saw the
transformation of the music industry over the last decade and we see
comics experiencing a comparable metamorphosis," stated Publisher Joe
Nozemack. "We believe there's opportunities for new models to emerge
alongside the existing ones giving both established and new readers
comics that engage and entertain."
"We love comics
and we want to share that love with as many people as possible," added
editor in chief James Lucas Jones. "The web is the perfect tool to help
us deliver great comics to a global audience."
The new
OniPress.com will initially offer two new serials a week, along side
three additional serials pulled from the publisher's 15-years worth of
backlist material.
The first of
these new series, A BOY & A GIRL by Jamie S. Rich & Natalie
Nourigat and BUZZ by Ananth Panagariya & Tessa Stone were initially
teased at Comic-Con International in July and now Oni Press is ready to
reveal more about these exciting new graphic novels debuting on the web
in January.
Have you ever met the girl of your dreams, only to have her disappear into a crowd?
A BOY & A
GIRL explores a future where real people are rapidly being supplanted by
life-like androids, the need for that emotional connection can become
even more desperate, and Travis will go to great lengths to find out
where that amazing girl he met last night, Charley, lives, so that he
can convince her to go on a date with him.
What Travis
doesn't know yet is that it's Charley's last night in town, and she's in
a mood to really tear things up. If they're going to go on a date, it's
almost guaranteed to be one that neither of them will ever forget.
Jamie S. Rich
writer of the hit MADMAN spin-off IT GIRL from Image Comics is joined by
one of the fastest rising stars of independent comics, cartoonist
Natalie Nourigat.
"What a great
team! What a great comic!" exclaimed editor Jill Beaton. "Old Man Rich
gets to return to the romance genre he mined so brilliantly in 12
REASONS WHY I LOVE HER in a fantastic futuristic world fully realized by
the lovely Ms. Nourigat. The characters they've created for A BOY &
A GIRL will draw you in and grab your heart."
"I'm thrilled to
be joining Oni Press on yet another adventure," added Rich. "And even
more excited to be working with such an exciting talent as Natalie."
BUZZ rounds out
the brand new comics coming to OniPress.com this January. The comic
follows new high school student Webster as he finds himself thrown into
the highly competitive world of 1-on-1 spelling bees.
"As soon as
Ananth described the concept of BUZZ to me, I knew it as a comic we had
to publish," admitted James Lucas Jones. "When Tessa Stone came on board
to draw it, I knew we had something s-p-e-c-i-a-l."
Webster's vast
vocabulary throws a powerful punch as he trains for the biggest Bee of
his life and a showdown with the most feared speller the world has ever
known.
"Seeing Tessa's
work on this book week after week has been absolutely amazing,"
concluded Panagariya. "I know readers will feel the same way during
every week of our run at OniPress.com."
But it doesn't
stop there! Oni Press also revealed details about the two new series
debuting on OniPress.com when the second season debuts in April!
Wook-Jin Clark,
artist of the graphic novel THE RETURN OF KING DOUG returns to Oni Press
with a series all his own. MEGAGOGO is an American Shonen story
featuring a super sentai style team operating out of Atlanta, Georgia.
Once upon a time, they were heroes, but it’s been 10 years since the
last battle that left the city and the team in ruins. Now, they must
assemble a new lineup that can reverse the city's scorn and defeat the
kaiju monsters and amped up bigots that threaten the metropolis they
call home!
"Giant Mech
battles! Car chases! KKK robots! Wooo!" promised Clark. "Sit on your
porch swing, sip on some sweet tea, fire up your tablet or laptop and
get ready for MEGAGOGO!"
Joining Clark on
OniPress.com in April, is DOWN! SET! FIGHT! from writers Chris Sims
& Chad Bowers (AwesomeHospital.com) and artist Scott Kowalchuk
(Image Comics' THE INTREPIDS).
In DOWN SET
FIGHT, "Fearless" Chuck Fairlane was one of the fastest rising stars in
professional football, but his career came to a screeching halt when he
was expelled from game after causing the biggest team-on-team brawl in
the history of sports. Today, Chuck's a teacher and football coach at
Darius Rucker High School in Columbia, South Carolina, and is more than
content in his new life. But when costumed mascots begin attacking him
for seemingly no reason, Chuck soon discovers that even though he’s put
the past behind him, it’s not always so easy to move on.
"This
is one of the craziest comics in the history of crazy comics,"
concluded editor Charlie Chu. "This is SUPERMAN VS. MUHAMMAD ALI level
nuts. But none of the insanity or hilarity would matter if Chuck weren't
such a fully realized character. This is a story about never being able
to truly outrun your past, but always having the option to punch it
square in the face."
And with that, the most information-packed panel in the history of Oni Press came to a close, as does this press release.
Founded in 1997,
Oni Press, Inc. has become one of the comic industry’s most
well-respected independent comic publishers--Revolutionizing Comics by
focusing on character and story-driven creator-owned work in a variety
of genres and formats.
