Broken Frontier

Many different forms of media have been the inspiration for comic books. There have been numerous movie adaptations, countless TV tie-ins, and comics have even been created based on real people. Very few, if any, works of art have inspired comic titles.  That changes tomorrow when a legendary piece of fantasy art comes to comics.

The Death Dealer is one of Frank Frazetta’s most famous paintings. It is a classic that sticks with people after they see it. Now, the focus of the painting will be the star of a miniseries from Image.

Frazetta is no stranger to comic books, having gotten his start in the medium in 1944 at the age of 16. His creativity was evident from the way he was able to work in a variety of genres—westerns, fantasy, and even funny animals.

The artist then branched out into comic strips and then into advertising. Later, he moved onto movie posters and paperback book covers. It was through these commercial ventures that Frazetta’s legend and reputation grew. His work is so popular that even his sketches are sold for thousands of dollars. Fans of his artwork can be found everywhere from the aisles of the local comic book convention to the hallways of the mansions of Hollywood.

The painting in question has garnered fame in and of itself. The portrait of the dark horseman wielding a bloody axe appeared, as many of Frazetta’s illustrations have, as an album cover. The artwork graced the cover to Southern Rock band Molly Hatchet’s self-titled first album in 1978. It has appeared in various prints and mediums since then.

I’m sure thousands of people have stared at The Death Dealer and wondered what the true story behind the menacing rider was. They will finally get an answer tomorrow, in a comic book approved by Frazetta himself.

The six-issue series tells the tale of the Death Dealer, who first appeared 900 years ago. A war between the neighboring kingdoms of Odo and Edani has raged out of control. A black rider appeared and began slaying combatants on both sides of the conflict. It mattered not whether you were a rank rookie or the most experienced fighter in the world, the Death Dealer laid waste to them all. The only way to stop the carnage was to create a lasting peace between to the two kingdoms. When a treaty between Odo and Edani was signed, the Death Dealer disappeared.

But now, generations later, the Death Dealer has become but a legend, and war threatens the two kingdoms anew. When the inevitable conflict begins, the two sides will find out that the legend was all too frighteningly real.

The series is a labor of love for the creators, Joshua Ortega, Nat Jones and Jay Fotos. They spent hours meeting with the Frazettas and studying the piece of art in the hopes of creating a faithful adaptation. And the adaptation received a blessing from Frank himself. If the original artist gives his approval to the project, fans of the piece can be assured that the series is a respectful homage to the painting done by people who love it.

So, whether you have a poster of The Death Dealer on the wall, that Molly Hatchet album in constant rotation on your stereo, or are just a fan of dark fantasy and horror, this series is a must for you. All signs say that it is a loving and faithful tribute to the classic piece of artwork.

       

       

Also out this week:

• Loners #1

I mentioned last week that Runaways wasn’t exactly setting the sales charts on fire. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t strong enough to spawn a spin-off title. The Loners, a ragtag group of B-list former teen heroes that graced the pages of the series, are now getting their own six-issue series. We join Darkhawk, Lightspeed, Richochet, Turbo and Green Gobin (Phil Urich version) as they fight to stay retired from the hero game.

If reading about the struggles of five young heroes trying to break their addiction to crime fighting isn’t enough to get you all on board, you could entertain youself by trying to guess which John Hughes movie inspired each issues cover. Hint for issue one: “Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?”

C.B.Cebulski (W), Karl Moline (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. Six-Issue Miniseries.

• JLA Classified #37

Finally! The Kid Amazo saga at last sees print. Originally, the storyline was supposed to front its own separate miniseries. Then it was supposed to appear in the pages of this very title last year before being replaced at the last minute by the arc written by Howard Chaykin. But now, one of the most eagerly anticipated JLA arcs hits the shelves tomorrow. We hope.

The story revolves around the son of classic JLA villain, Amazo. How could Amazo, who is, you know, a robot, be able to father a son? I’m sure Peter Milligan has a trademarked weird and wacky story to tell. His work on X-Force/X-Statix and Shade: The Changing Man was a little off-kilter. I can’t wait to see what happens when he applies that writing style to the JLA. 

Peter Milligan (W), Carlos D’Anda (A), DC Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Seekers #1

Do you know what one of the coolest presents I ever got was? An MP3 player! I got one that could hold around 20,000 songs. That sounds impressive, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not as impressive as the one Jesse Williams got. His MP3 housed a time machine! He uses the device to, along with his sister Nilo and friend Brooklyn, travel through time in search of adventure.

This is the new series from Guardian Line, a company that provides titles that provide an alternative from much of the mainstream comics. Their comics feature a racially diverse group of characters, appear to be appropriate for all-ages and many of the stories are faith-based. While you might not be drawn to any of the above qualities, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an audience. I believe this shows the potential the medium has in regards to diversity and reaching different audiences, and that is a good thing.

Kevin McCarthy (W), Shawn Martinbrough (A), Guardian Line, $2.99. Ongoing Series.

• Xombie #1

The popular, online, Flash animated series arrives in comic book form. Never heard of it? Well, neither had I, but we might be in the minority. The series has spawned sequels, a role-playing game, and talk of a full-length, conventionally animated movie.

Xombie is a zombie who has somehow retained his human intelligence, much like the main character of the series, Dirge. Dirge has decided to dedicate the limited time he has before his body withers away to performing one last heroic act—protecting a normal human child named Zoe from the carnivorous legions of the undead until she can join a group of other human survivors. 

This series is written by creator James Farr and continues the adventures started on the web.

James Farr (W), Nate Lovett (A), Devil’s Due Publishing, $3.50. Six-Issue Miniseries.

• New X-Men #37

It’s strange how one book could make a person’s career. The Pride of Baghdad was notable not only for Brian K, Vaughan’s excellent writing, but also the beautiful artwork of Canadian artist Niko Henrichon. Before that book, Henrichon existed in relative obscurity. After, Marvel is using his guest appearance on the art in this issue as a main selling point, even getting top billing over regular series penciller Paco Medina.  Good for him.

The issue acts as a prelude for “The Quest for Magik” arc that is set to begin next issue and could mark the return of Illyana Rasputin to the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, Henrichon will not be sticking around for that arc (it’s being done by Skottie Young), but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy the heck out of his contributions to this issue.

Craig Kyle & Chris Yost (W), Niko Henrichon & Paco Medina (A), Marvel Comics, $2.99. Ongoing Series.  

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William Gatevackes is a professional writer living in Mamaroneck, NY with his wife Jennifer. He also writes periodic comic reviews for PopMatters and writes title descriptions for Human Computing’s Comicbase collection management software.