Broken Frontier

American audiences are in for a treat this summer as ALIAS Comics brings three popular European titles across the Atlantic and into comic book stores across America.

The first of these titles,XIII, by Jean Van Hamme and William Vance and produced by French publisher Dargaud, is a long-running series akin to Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity. It begins with a man who is discovered by an elderly couple on the shore with no memories and no identification save a small “XIII” tattoo on his collarbone. He stays with the couple until one day almost two months later when he finds that they have been murdered by two strange men. XIII manages to kill one of them, discovering in the process that he possesses powerful combat techniques, and finds a picture of himself and a young woman on the body. This propels him on a quest to discover his own identity, but the story takes many twists and turns as XIII gradually becomes more aware of who he is and what he may have done.

XIII was also recently the basis of a popular video game from Ubisoft that starred David Duchovny, Adam West, and Eve. The game was particularly notable for its unique graphic novel style, which cleverly imitated the pages of the original comics.

“We’re thrilled to be partnered with Dabel Brothers Production [DB Pro] to bring this amazing book across the Atlantic,” said Sean J. Jordan, Managing Editor for ALIAS Comics. “Fans of XIII have been petitioning publishers in the industry for years to bring this series over in its entirety. This book has earned a legendary status among those who have read it, and we’re excited to be bringing it out in a monthly format beginning this June.”

XIII will be published on a monthly basis with a new translation by Ernst Dabel and Ben Avery (THE HEDGE KNIGHT, LULLABY, THE IMAGINARIES).

The other two titles, JOHNNY CARONTE: ZOMBIE DETECTIVE & THE REVOLVER, were both drawn by Spanish comic book artist Tony Sandoval and will be published together in a single 64-page graphic novel.

“One of the best things about both of these titles is that they have a really cool visual style,” said Jordan. “JOHNNY CARONTE is done in a fun ‘Day of the Dead’ style, and it has a neat twist – all of its characters are zombies, and when they get killed (which can only be accomplished by a shot to the head), they grow skin and bleed.  THE REVOLVER is about a girl named Monica who steals a gun capable of killing demons that also happens to belong to one of Hell’s most powerful residents. But Monica has to learn to use the gun’s unique powers quickly, because a special demon has been sent to kill her and retrieve the weapon.” 

Though neither title will be published on a monthly basis, added Jordan, ALIAS will continue to bring future chapters of both stories to American readers in a similar graphic novel format.

“We all got into this business because, ultimately, we love comics,” Jordan concluded. “It’s been a joy to be able to bring some of our favorite European titles over for American readers to enjoy, and we hope these titles will succeed well enough to allow us to bring more over in the future.”

As if to illustrate this, ALIAS Comics publisher Brett Burner has devoted much of his personal time on this project, overseeing the project and the translation process to “make it really pop.” 

“I am personally very excited about the ALIAS edition of Johnny Caronte: Zombie Detective & The Revolver ,” said Burner.  “It looks great, and both stories are really fun. And of course, I’m looking forward to hearing the reader responses to this book!”

“And since we have a very vocal readership already,” Burner added with a grin, “I’m sure we’ll receive plenty of feedback when this book hits the shelf later this month.”