Broken Frontier

One, two Freddy's coming for you... and so are Jason and Leatherface in three all new New Line House of Horror mini-series from Avatar Press.

In the wake of the mayhem that has left the three initial Specials sold out just about everywhere, New Line's agents of destruction are back - bigger, badder, and better than ever in Friday the 13th: Bloodbath by Brian Pulido and Mike Wolfer, Nightmare on Elm Street: Paranoid by Pulido and Juan Jose Ryp, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind by Pulido and Daniel HDR.  The madness begins anew in September from Avatar Press.

"We've had more response from both fans and retailers about the Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre comics than just about anything we've ever put out," says Avatar Press editor in chief William A. Christensen.  "Fans have been emailing since before the initial Specials came out wondering when Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface would be getting some mini-series.  Retailers have been telling me that the books have been phenomenally well received in their stores and have sold through fast.  And we have sold out of all versions through Diamond despite planning for significant reorders.  So we're giving our readers what they want in September with these three new mini-series, and we're getting the word out to fans of these films to be sure to let their local retailers know now that they're going to want these books."

"Support from the films' fanbases for the initial Specials has been incredible so far," agrees Friday the 13th artist Mike Wolfer. "So I'm sure that they'll be thrilled with what we have planned in the greatly expanded format of the three-issue series. With Friday The 13th, the reaction is that we've perfectly captured Jason Voorhees. We can feel his fury, his strength and his pathos. And the gore that surrounds him. Oh, yes... The gore."

"It's really all about giving the readers what they want and expect, while surprising them with something they've never seen before. In Friday the 13th: Bloodbath, we'll be taking a familiar trip back to Crystal Lake with a new collection of unruly teens. It's the classic story format that fans have asked for since the announcement of the series, but there's a nasty, unexpected twist to the 'Teens At Camp' framework and a climax that we've waited years to see."

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind artist Daniel HDR also has a feel for what fans expect from one of the best-known horror icons around. "I know the Texas Chainsaw Massacre mythos very well," he says. "I saw the first version in the theater when I was a kid, when I first discovered horror movies. When I saw New Line's new version, I was pleased because it has the same claustrophobic atmosphere that the original had as well as a hard new edge."

"With all the classic mythos and horror elements in it, we have many opportunities to give the readers what they want in terms of both visuals and storytelling. This project is the perfect marriage of my two biggest passions-comics and movies!"

Faithfully bringing the look and feel of his project from movies to comics has been one of Nightmare on Elm Street: Paranoid artist Juan Jose Ryp's priorities as well. "When I was working on the first Special, I needed to refer back to the movies many times, to remember specific details about the character and the atmosphere of the films," Ryp recalls. "But this time working on Freddy, his world and his infinite wickedness and  black humor is easier and that allows me to add new levels of detail to the environment."

"Working with Brian Pulido is a pleasure," Ryp continues. I think Pulido knows his reader incredibly well. He knows how to maintain tension, he knows how to make them laugh, he knows how to make sure they are horrified!"

As he did with the initial Specials, Pulido is writing all three of these new mini-series.  It's a task for which he is particuarly well suited, and as his longtime fans can imagine-one for which he has a ravenous appetite.  "For Friday the 13th: Bloodbath, I came up with a bunch of unique kills that fans will dig," Pulido explains. "In a classic Friday the 13th set up, a group of horny teens come to a run down camp site neighboring Crystal Lake to rehabilitate it.  Unknown to them, they've been handpicked by a clandestine organization as bait to lure Jason. When the Teens give into lust, Jason comes calling."

"I'm channeling Freddy's spirit on Nightmare on Elm Street: Paranoid. I've always loved Freddy, but in this series, he really outdoes himself. It makes me proud to know him. When a truckload of Hypnocil meant to suppress the teen's dreams is destroyed by Freddy, all hell breaks loose, and our heroine Claire's friends start to die one by one. I called this series Paranoid because it's inspired in part by the classic horror flick Invasion of The Body Snatchers.

"The characters of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind are just wrong - but in the way you love it. The hallmark of every good Texas Chainsaw story is a painful torture scene, and I feel it is my duty to deliver. The Jefferson Girl's Choir is traveling across the state for a revival meeting and stops at the Hewitt family General store.  They enter a horrifying world of madness and depravity that they are utterly unprepared for.

"William told me to let the bodies hit the floor," Pulido concludes about all three titles. "I complied. I think we're looking at 40-50 murders if you add up all the series."

Friday the 13th: Bloodbath by Brian Pulido and Mike Wolfer, Nightmare on Elm Street: Paranoid by Pulido and Juan Jose Ryp, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Grind by Pulido and Daniel HDR are all full color, three issue mini-series beginning in September from Avatar Press.