Broken Frontier

Coming in February 2010 is a new Marvel comic called Tales of the Dragon Guard #1. The series is written by Ange, is adapated by Paul Benjamin, with art and covers by Alberto Varanda. Here is the solliciation:

No one knows why dragons have appeared in this word of heroes, but their very presence is re-shaping reality. Their influence destroys everything, transforming men and beasts into monsters: a curse known as the Veill. Only virgin women are free of this curse and can get close enough to these terrors to kill them.

And so, the Order of the Dragon Knights was created.

Trained from childhood, they fight against all odds, including a world that refuses to accept them as women of power, the very same society they swore to protect. They fight to the death, because if they don't, their entire world is doomed.

BF wanted to know more about this series ans asked writer Paul Benjamin if he was inclined to spread around some inside information, and luckily he was!

BROKEN FRONTIER: Paul, can you tell us a bit more about Tales of the Dragon Guard?

PAUL BENJAMIN: I can, but only a little bit, mainly because I haven’t read it yet... For those wondering why I’m credited as a writer on a book I’ve never even read, here’s the deal. Tales of the Dragon Guard was originally released by French publisher Soleil. Marvel is bringing this lavishly illustrated series to the U.S. and it’s my job to polish (aka “localize”) the French to English translation so that it feels like the book was originally written by a native English speaker with all the idioms and nuances intact. I’ve done this for several other Marvel/Soleil series as well.

Though I’m still waiting for the final translation, I’ve read enough to tell you that I’m very excited to get started! Tales of the Dragon Guard is a fantasy epic in which dragons don’t just run around breathing fire on villages, they spread a devastating disease across the lands near their lairs. Lucky for humanity (and for the reader) virgin women are immune to the disease. This series is about an order of beautiful, virgin, warrior women who fight dragons to save humanity. Frank Frazetta, eat your heart out!

BF: How did Tales of the Dragon Guard come about for you and Marvel?

PB: Years ago I was the Managing Editor of Humanoids Publishing where I localized many French to English graphic novels. When Marvel started up their partnership with Soleil, world-famous jet-setter super-spy (and Marvel talent scout) C.B. Cebulski gave me a call and asked me if I wanted to localize two series: Universal War One and Scourge of the Gods. I jumped at the chance to work on two gorgeously illustrated, exciting sci-fi series the likes of which I’d never seen in American comics.

I worked closely with Marvel editor Cory Levine on both series and when those finished up he brought me on board for Tales of the Dragon Guard. I love the fantasy genre and play tons of Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft and Dragon Age: Origins every week so getting a chance to work on a fantasy series was a big win for me.

BF: Who is the original writer for the series?

PB: The writer for the entire series is “Ange” which is French for “Angel.” No, it’s not written by the vampire with a soul from Joss Whedon’s Buffyverse. Actually, Ange is a writing team. Like a rock band forming a single identity (or maybe it’s more like Voltron), Anne Guéro and Gerard Guéro married their storytelling powers for the greater good of humankind. They’re married in real life as well. Ange have written a ton of cool French graphic novels and prose novels with titles I don’t know how to pronounce. 

Okay, for those who want to know more about Ange I did a little research between paragraphs, complete with translations. Bet you didn’t even notice the delay. They’ve created over fifteen series across many genres, including youth (The Invisible School), urban-fantasy (Paradise Lost), sci-fi (Kookaburra Universe), adventure (Belladone)… and in a completely different genre they created the hugely successful Blondes (over a million copies sold, written under the pseudonym Gaby). Their novel series include Alien World, Wings and The Eye of the Gods.

BF: How long will the first story arc be or will it be a miniseries?

PB: The series is 9 volumes in total, which will be split into three 3-issue mini series, much like Marvel did with other Soleil titles like Ythaq: The Forsaken World, Universal War One and Scourge of the Gods. The first volume of Tales of the Dragon Guard comes out in February 2010. From what I hear each volume is a standalone story which will make Tales of the Dragon Guard a fantastic buy since readers can start anywhere in the series then go back and buy earlier volumes if they’re intrigued.

BF:  Who is the artist? The covers look just smashing!

PB: The albums are illustrated by a variety of Europe’s greatest and most-respected artistic talents. While many Marvel readers may not recognize them, they are household names in France and much of the rest of the EU. Alberto Varanda, Phil Briones, Sylvain Guinebaud, Christian Paty, Laurent Sieurac, Thierry Démarez, Fabrice Meddour and Francisco Ruizgé have all worked on the series. I believe the covers and interiors for issue #1 were done by Varanda. 

This is exciting to me because Varanda also illustrated a series called Bloodline that I read over and over again several years ago when I worked in Hollywood film development trying to get the project going as a movie. He’s a fantastic illustrator and it’s exciting to be working “together” again. And he really knows how to draw gorgeous virgin warrior women with broadswords...

BF:  And we at BF know some fans who just love looking at...uhmmm...those dragons you mentioned somewhere.

Check out the solicitation for this French SOLEIL title in the February Diamond Previews and be sure to let us know how you liked it!