PULP COMICS SUPERSTAR FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
WRITES AND DRAWS WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT: THE CORPSE-MAKERS

New Series Launches in January 2017

October 4, 2016, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite Entertainment announces that writer-artist Francesco Francavilla (Black Beetle) will tackle Will Eisner's legendary masked crimefighter this January in the all-new comic book series, The Spirit: The Corpse-Makers!

Following Matt Wagner's initial twelve-issue run (released as a collection, entitled Will Eisner's The Spirit Returns, this month), Francesco Francavilla takes the reins for an all-new series early next year! Francavilla, known primarily for his incredible covers and interior artwork, will handle writing and artistic duties on a new series which is sure to please lovers of crime comics, pulp fiction, and -- of course -- longtime fans of Eisner's most well-known creation!

A series of unexpected disappearances and deaths hit Central City. Initially these cases seem purely unrelated: no apparent connection between the victims makes it easy for the police to just file them as runaways or natural deaths. But when someone close to Ebony White disappears, The Spirit is on the case!

"I couldn't be more honored and humbled to have been asked to do a story with one of the icons of the comic universe," says Francesco Francavilla. "I'm not going to lie -- tackling one of Maestro Will Eisner's most famous creations and following in the steps of my dearest friends Darwyn Cooke and Matt Wagner is not gonna be an easy task, but I'll make sure my love for the character, for those legendary creators, and for the medium will show. And I hope readers will be along with me on this new ride. Thanks again to the Eisner Estate and Dynamite Comics for inviting me to Central City; I think I'm gonna like living here for a bit!"

"We have been very fortunate to have Francesco lend his talent to such stunning cover art on multiple titles over the years," says Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci. "He is a true master of the pulp style in every sense, and to have him tackle The Spirit? That is something every comic book fan will want to see!"

"Francesco Francavilla is part of Dynamite's very DNA," says Joseph Rybandt, Executive Editor. "From his first interior work with us back on Zorro, to the multitude of covers he's done for us over the years - each better than the last - he is one of our go-to artists and he always makes time for us in his increasingly busy schedule. To have him not only write, but draw (and do covers!) The Spirit for five issues? A glorious proposition!"

The Spirit: The Corpse-Makers #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors' August 2016 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of The Spirit with their local comic book retailers. The Spirit: The Corpse-Makers will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

About Dynamite Entertainment:
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more.  Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent.  Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors.  In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011.  The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

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