WONDERCON '08: THE DARK HORSE PANEL

[MattBrady]

Jeremy Atkins, head of publicity, opened the Dark Horse panel at WonderCon on Saturday afternoon which he co-hosted with Editor Shawna Gore.

Atkins began the panel discussion by asking the audience if they were reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which was met by applause. Some of the upcoming Buffy plans include Drew (Cloverfield, Buffy) Goddard writing the new arc beginning in March; the next trade shipping in June (which collects the Brian K. Vaughan arc); and a major, although unnamed Buffy and Joss Whedon bit of news coming in July, perhaps during Comic-Con International.

2008 will be a big year for Hellboy, Atkins then said, with a lot of publishing to support the upcoming movie sequel, and two new series coming at the end of the year - a three issue series set in Appalachia, and a six issue Hellboy: The Wild Hunt, which Mike Mignola was working on at the same time he was scripting the second movie with Guilermo del Toro. Speaking of the movie, Atkins said that it will completely satisfy fans for everything they want from Hellboy, as well as what they may be looking for from Pan’s Labyrinth.

In teasing the upcoming Serenity mini-series, Atkins said, “Just imagine what would happen if one of their big deals actually paid off.”

Gore then took over the presentation, and spoke about the upcoming Creepy magazine collections. “It’s known as a horror anthology, but it’s really one of the greatest art anthologies to ever be presented in any medium,” Gore said. The original material will not be shrunk to fit the collections, and Dark Horse will collect the entire 20 year run in either 13 or 14 volumes. None of the original artwork will be altered in the new collections, Gore stressed. The first volume will come out in July, and three volumes a year are planned, with Eerie due to start next year.

In connection with this, Gore said, Dark Horse will produce a new Creepy anthology which will be in comic book format. The series will be black and white, and feature well-known writers and artists from many genres.

Gore then announced that she and Dark Horse have reached an agreement with Bernie Wrightson to reprint his 1983 version of Frankenstein. The Dark Horse 25th anniversary edition of the illustrated novel will be in hardcover, Gore said.

Gore also announced that Dark Horse will collect The K Chronicles in an omnibus collection of the first four collections by Keith Knight. The collection will be 8 ½ x 11” and over 500 pages long. The collection will feature an introduction by Kyle Baker.

Atkins then said that Dark Horse will be re-publishing the first volume of The Perry Bible Fellowship with new material in a new reprint edition. The collection, Atkins said is another step in Dark Horse’s initiative to collect high quality webcomics, and will be collecting both Achewood and Wonder Mart later this year in a similar format to Perry Bible Fellowship.

Moving back to movies, Atkins said that Dark Horse will be doing new Indiana Jones comics starting in June entitled Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods, along with the film adaptation coming in May.

Dark Horse’s Star Wars Vector will continue throughout the year, Atkins said. The crossover storyline will tie all the titles together in continuity – though Atkins was mute on how it will all work out, and admitted that he was originally skeptical about the storyline being able to do it, but it does.

Moving to Conan, Atkins said that Dark Horse will continue with the character in Conan the Cimmerian #0 in June. Conan #50 in March will be double sized “with a couple of surprises,” Atkins said. Dark Horse will also be relaunching many of the other Robert E. Howard characters in the coming months, Atkins said, including Kull and Solomon Kane, both launching this summer.

Dark Horse manga will launch Gantz in June, Atkins said.

Moving to their own online comics, Atkins discussed Dark Horse Presents which appears online at MySpace.com. The “book” will continue on for another year, Atkins said. Shaman Warrior will be appearing every Friday online, chapter by chapter, until the first volume is complete.

The second series of Umbrella Academy is in the plans, Atkins said, but a launch date has not been set.

Moving back to her horror titles, Gore said that Steve Niles’ Criminal Macabre will be moving online in Dark Horse Presents with an eight page short in April, and another in May, both drawn by Kyle Hotz. A collection of Criminal Macabre: My Demon Baby will be coming this summer.

The second collection of Emily the Strange will be coming in the fall. Gore said that another “Emily” based announcement will be coming later this year – “Something which may not have to do with the comics, specifically.”

Gore announced that she’s also shepherding a new horror series entitled The Cleaners which focuses on trauma scene cleaners who are called in to clean up cases that the police don’t want people to know about…things that could not or should not have happened and border on the supernatural. Gore said she was pitched the series by Mark Wheaton and Joshua Fialkov, and fell in love with it immediately. The artist for The Cleaners is Rahsan Ekdal, a newcomer who first showed Gore his portfolio at last year’s WonderCon. “He draws like if Geof Darrow and Kevin O’Neil had a little love baby.”

Atkins then opened the floor to questions from the audience.

The first volume of Creepy should be released by Comic-Con: International. Gore clarified on the collection process, saying that the volumes will not collect the reprint stories that appeared later in the run.

Currently, there are no plans for any Dark Horse/DC crossovers. “When it makes sense, we’ll find ways to make it work, for sure,” Atkins said.

Asked about how Dark Horse will deal with Solomon Kane, given that he is shown to have some beliefs that are very not politically correct, Atkins said about the character who is something anachronistic, that Dark Horse wants to remain true to the vision of the character, but not focus on Kane’s moral values that are somewhat disagreeable.

No artist has been named for Solomon Kane, but Editor Scott Allie will write it.

Dark Horse has a one shot graphic novel for Star Wars: Unleashed which will tie into the game. The OGN is due in late summer or fall.

Asked if any more 13th Son projects are coming, Gore said that Kelley Jones has a story in mind for it, but is also working on Supernatural Freak Machine with Steve Niles, and Gore wants him to finish that before moving back to 13th Son.

No new Aliens vs. Predator projects are planned, Atkins said, but the property has a lot support in the Dark Horse offices.

[rwe1138]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

...and a major, although unnamed Buffy and Joss Whedon bit of news coming in July, perhaps during Comic-Con International.

Hmm...

[melperfect]

More Hellboy!!!!!!!

I can't get enough of the Hellboy Verse.

The recent Lobster Johnson series, every BPRD mini and the recent Darkness Calls have been the very best books on the stands for the last couple years at least.

[alrioart]

Way to go Jeremy, Dark Horse keeps putting out the kind of comics I like.
This Serenity mini-series sounds like the beginning of many great books to come.
Can't wait to see the Creepy anthology too.

Terry

[jmcl89]

I have to think at some point, Dark Horse is going to do a Buffy/Hellboy crossover. It seems like a pretty logical step.

[rwe1138]

Originally Posted by jmcl89

I have to think at some point, Dark Horse is going to do a Buffy/Hellboy crossover. It seems like a pretty logical step.

I'd love to see that, as long as the creative team was good. Although with those two properties, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

[Regicidal]

MORE Aliens and Predator and Aliens vs Predator comics!

Come on, it's been years now.

[Daring D]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

and a major, although unnamed Buffy and Joss Whedon bit of news coming in July, perhaps during Comic-Con International. .

Movie!
It will never happen would be cool

[e_galston]

Originally Posted by Daring D

Movie!
It will never happen would be cool

actually.. SMG has said she would be willing to do a movie recently as long as the story was good...

[MrToady12]

I know it's been a number of years since they published his comic, but can anyone tell me if Dark Horse still owns the rights to Tarzan? I used to love their series, miniseries back in the day - in fact I'm sure one was cancelled mid-story.

If Dark Horse doesn't own the rights, then who does? And wasn't there some rumour that Del Toro was going to make a new Tarzan movie?

Look at me... Tarzan on the brain!!

Cheers

[ascloseasme]

Originally Posted by Daring D

Movie!
It will never happen would be cool

Don't crush our dreams!

A Buffy movie would be so great.

[ShinAkuma666]

As always, Dark Horse panels and Image ones are my favorite, always a lot of diversity.

I was going to get the Perry Bible book, but now that is going into a reprint, I will wait for that one.

Cant wait to sample the Creepy books and the new ongoing one, that should be great !

I am loving the Conan book and it will be interesting to see what is done with Kull and Solomon Kane.

The Cleaners is a strong concept, hope it does well, its got me interested.

[Noir56]

Re:
In connection with this, Gore said, Dark Horse will produce a new Creepy anthology which will be in comic book format. The series will be black and white, and feature well-known writers and artists from many genres.

Gore then announced that she and Dark Horse have reached an agreement with Bernie Wrightson to reprint his 1983 version of Frankenstein. The Dark Horse 25th anniversary edition of the illustrated novel will be in hardcover, Gore said.

My reply:
New Creepy and Eerie comic books, YES!!!

Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrated novel, what? I don't think I ever saw that one.
Is that from Creepy short story called, The Muck Monster or from the only sample page seen in I-never-ever-will-sell-this book called, Bernie Wrightson: A Look Back, printed in 1979 by The Land of Enchantment or from his two famous Frankenstein portfolios?

Whichever, it would be great to see some quality back in comics of which we have been waiting for a while.

[jhotchkiss]

Really looking forward to the Indy comic. And the new Hellboy stuff, of course.

[beta-ray]

The Star Wars stuff still seems to be trickling in. Dark Times is still way behind...

[SledgeHammer]

I, too, have been loving Conan, so I look forward to the start of the next volume, and the other RE Howard Dark Horse projects.

[EMeadow]

Originally Posted by beta-ray

The Star Wars stuff still seems to be trickling in. Dark Times is still way behind...

Issue 9 came out this past week, they've only got one more issue then they're caught up.

LOL now if they get issues 11 and 12 out on time to stay up with the Vector crossover I'll be shocked!

[Marvin Lee]

13 voumes of Creepy and more of Eerie? But I own the originals! Where am I going to put them? Oh God...

Do these include the covers (with no logos)?

[Kent Horton]

Dark Horse has a one shot graphic novel for Star Wars: Unleashed which will tie into the game. The OGN is due in late summer or fall.

Huh. I thought that was scheduled for this month or March. I guess it got delayed when the game got pushed back from April to the end of July.

[MrToady12]

Originally Posted by SledgeHammer

I, too, have been loving Conan, so I look forward to the start of the next volume, and the other RE Howard Dark Horse projects.

I came on to the Dark Horse Conan late, so I decided to only pick it up in tradepaperback - and it has been really, really hard NOT to pick it up as its coming out monthly. Glad to still be picking them up - but happy I now will have the chance to pick it up monthly.

Cheers

[jedifish]

I just watched the Serenity movie again last night. I need more Firefly... stat.

[dwf]

Wow, DH has a ton of lincensed titles.

I'm loving all the Hellboy stuff available. Hellboy, BPRD, Abe Sapien, and Lobster Johnson out all at once--what a treat!

Does anyone know what is up with Dead Rider/Deadlander? Legal trouble? It's a supernatural western that had a great first issue. The second issue is supposed to be out this week!

[reillyd]

What? No Sock Monkey announcements? Shame on you Dark horse. Boooooo

[J.D. Lombardi]

The second series of Umbrella Academy is in the plans, Atkins said, but a launch date has not been set.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo! lol I love that book! Hopefully it'll at least begin sometime this year.

[ClayinCA]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

a major, although unnamed Buffy and Joss Whedon bit of news coming in July, perhaps during Comic-Con International.

I'm wondering if it might be a crossover between Dark Horse's Buffy comic and IDW's Angel comic. I'm sure such a thing is bound to happen eventually....