MattBrady
11-07-2002, 05:04 PM
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/cover1_with_logo.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/cover1_with_logo_t.jpg" width="150" height="231" border="0" alt="Sammy: Tourist Trap no. 1 cover" align="right"></a>Image Comics is offering a new series for readers who find crime noir too often a little too dark for their tastes, a light-hearted, four-issue miniseries entitled Sammy: Tourist Trap which the publishers calls, “the perfect alternative”..
Making its debut in February 2003, Sammy: Tourist Trap tells the unlikely tale of one of the world's best cat burglars -- who also happens to be one of the unluckiest people alive. According to Image, “His only saving grace is his ‘sidekick’, Lucky, an oddly over-protective black cat who appears to have turned Sammy's misfortunes around...sort of. Barely two weeks out of jail, Sammy breaks his parole to take a gig in sunny Acapulco. The heist was a success, and he got away squeaky-clean. All that was left was to get paid, but with Sammy it’s never quite that simple. Especially when the job was for one Jesus Vega, an Aztec artifact aficionado known to welshing on his deals. Sammy and Lucky rendezvous with Maria, Jesus' sister, to collect their money, but it turns out the alluring Ms. Vega has other plans.”
Created, written and drawn by newcomer Azad, Sammy: Tourist Trap follows in the footsteps of another recent Image project, Hawaiian Dick, by offering a “somewhat different take on traditional crime comics, this time adding offbeat humor and urban mythology into the mix.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/jail.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/jail_t.jpg" width="150" height="181" border="0" alt="Sammy in jail" align="left"></a>"Tourist Trap came from my love of crime stories and especially of urban legends," Azad explained. "I have, for as long as I can remember, been fascinated by those 'strange but true' stories everyone's heard through the grapevine (The couple at Lovers Point that was murdered by a man with a hook hand, the abandoned dog who walks 2000 miles across the country and finds its way back home, alligators in the sewers, etc.). I wanted to take the spirit of that kind of stories and try to craft something fun, strange and totally plausible all at the same time."
The publisher said as unique as Azad's take on the crime genre is, he's also somewhat of a rarity himself. A regular on the imagecomics.com message boards, Azad is the first site regular to actually break into comics after submitting a proposal to Image.
"What we saw in Sammy: Tourist Trap was a good solid story, excellent storytelling and draftsmanship - all the ingredients I look for in new talent," said Image VP and Publisher Jim Valentino. "This is the kind of comic I enjoy reading on a personal level, and I can't wait to see what happens next."
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/Press_release_sammy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/Press_release_sammy_t.jpg" width="150" height="266" border="0" alt="Sammy & Lucky" align="right"></a>"I'm excited to be publishing Sammy with Image Comics," Azad added. "Image has been the home of some of my favorite creator-owned comics, and it's a thrill to know Sammy will be keeping such good company."
Sammy: Tourist Trap will be introduced to comics readers on November 18th via a six-page prologue that will only be available online. A week later, Image will also be offering a five-page preview of Sammy #1 at <a href="http://www.imagecomics.com." target="_blank">www.imagecomics.com.</a>
"We really began focusing on these five-page online previews because of creators like Azad," noted Image Director of Marketing Eric Stephenson. "There's so much new material being offered every month and for creators seeking to build an audience for their work, it's vitally important to give readers as much advance information about new titles as possible."
Making its debut in February 2003, Sammy: Tourist Trap tells the unlikely tale of one of the world's best cat burglars -- who also happens to be one of the unluckiest people alive. According to Image, “His only saving grace is his ‘sidekick’, Lucky, an oddly over-protective black cat who appears to have turned Sammy's misfortunes around...sort of. Barely two weeks out of jail, Sammy breaks his parole to take a gig in sunny Acapulco. The heist was a success, and he got away squeaky-clean. All that was left was to get paid, but with Sammy it’s never quite that simple. Especially when the job was for one Jesus Vega, an Aztec artifact aficionado known to welshing on his deals. Sammy and Lucky rendezvous with Maria, Jesus' sister, to collect their money, but it turns out the alluring Ms. Vega has other plans.”
Created, written and drawn by newcomer Azad, Sammy: Tourist Trap follows in the footsteps of another recent Image project, Hawaiian Dick, by offering a “somewhat different take on traditional crime comics, this time adding offbeat humor and urban mythology into the mix.”
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/jail.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/jail_t.jpg" width="150" height="181" border="0" alt="Sammy in jail" align="left"></a>"Tourist Trap came from my love of crime stories and especially of urban legends," Azad explained. "I have, for as long as I can remember, been fascinated by those 'strange but true' stories everyone's heard through the grapevine (The couple at Lovers Point that was murdered by a man with a hook hand, the abandoned dog who walks 2000 miles across the country and finds its way back home, alligators in the sewers, etc.). I wanted to take the spirit of that kind of stories and try to craft something fun, strange and totally plausible all at the same time."
The publisher said as unique as Azad's take on the crime genre is, he's also somewhat of a rarity himself. A regular on the imagecomics.com message boards, Azad is the first site regular to actually break into comics after submitting a proposal to Image.
"What we saw in Sammy: Tourist Trap was a good solid story, excellent storytelling and draftsmanship - all the ingredients I look for in new talent," said Image VP and Publisher Jim Valentino. "This is the kind of comic I enjoy reading on a personal level, and I can't wait to see what happens next."
<a href="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/Press_release_sammy.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://classic.newsarama.com/Image/Press_release_sammy_t.jpg" width="150" height="266" border="0" alt="Sammy & Lucky" align="right"></a>"I'm excited to be publishing Sammy with Image Comics," Azad added. "Image has been the home of some of my favorite creator-owned comics, and it's a thrill to know Sammy will be keeping such good company."
Sammy: Tourist Trap will be introduced to comics readers on November 18th via a six-page prologue that will only be available online. A week later, Image will also be offering a five-page preview of Sammy #1 at <a href="http://www.imagecomics.com." target="_blank">www.imagecomics.com.</a>
"We really began focusing on these five-page online previews because of creators like Azad," noted Image Director of Marketing Eric Stephenson. "There's so much new material being offered every month and for creators seeking to build an audience for their work, it's vitally important to give readers as much advance information about new titles as possible."