Click the images to see previews of the new comics that Archaia has hitting the shelves on Wednesday, February 2.
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Archaia Comics New Releases For February 2
Posted 2/1/11 11:00 am EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Previews
We Talk With The Creators Of Archaia's OGN 'An Elegy For Amelia Johnson'
Posted 1/28/11 12:13 pm EST by Charles Webb in Archaia, Comic Books, Interviews
In March, Archaia will release its first OGN for 2011 with the road trip drama about love, life, and loss, An Elegy For Amelia Johnson. In the pages of this black and white work by writer Andrew Rostan and artists Dave Valeza, and Kate Kasenow, two type A professionals--filmmaker Henry and writer/journalist Jillian--are tasked by their dying friend Amelia with making a video document of her life by talking to her friends, family, and acquaintances as her time draws to a close. In their travels, the prickly duo come to discover different sides to one of their closest friends while also gaining a better understanding of themselves.
In reading the book, its core appears to be about the unexamined life--both the life you're living and the lives of the people you're close to. The two leads are, according to Mr. Mr. Veleza, the type who define themselves according to the achievements in their professional lives while their personal lives falter around them. Jillian has just walked away from another relationship, while Henry is in a rut, putting together artful, but impersonal films. The two characters are in direct contrast to Amelia, a free-spirited poet and painter with a pile of unfinished projects and seemingly no regret.
"[T]he book is about when all those building blocks come tumbling down and [Henry and Jillian] have to face the foundation on which they built everything—what’s at their rawest core, I guess," explains Mr. Veleza. Mr. Rostan adds that when we're younger, we feel like we can conquer the world, and that "there are limitless possibilities out there." But for Amelia and Henry, the conflict--before even being sent on this tremendous favor for Amelia--comes from realizing that they're unable to shape the world in the ways that they expected, and they're not entirely sure they're the people they set out to be.
Archaia Comics New Releases For January 26
Posted 1/26/11 1:40 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Previews
Click the images for previews of new releases for Wednesday, January 26 from Archaia Comics.
Archaia Comics New Releases For January 19
Posted 1/20/11 11:00 am EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Previews
Click the covers for previews of these great titles hitting January 19 from Archaia Comics!
Coyotes and Werewolves on the Border. Swifty Lang Talks 'Feeding Ground'
Posted 1/19/11 10:25 am EST by Charles Webb in Archaia, Comic Books, Interviews
Feeding Ground #3 will be on shelves January 19.
According to writer Swifty Lang, the genesis of his border crossing turned werewolf horror comic, Feeding Ground were the real life harrowing tales of the men, women, and children who daily attempt to cross over into the United States from both the documentary of his friend Thomas Peyton, 3 Men From 3 Valleys as well as Luis Alberta Urea's book, The Devil's Highway, and certainly the frequent newspaper headlines about the issue. The concept was also born, obviously enough, from conversations about werewolves. Not only was Lang interested in moving the classic monster away from the old tropes and limitations of silver and full moons, but he was interested in the metaphorical aspects of the creatures.
The idea of transformation, the most integral part of the monster, struck me as something not only corollary but integral to the crosser’s journey of seeking out a new life... How does one survive and what is their reason to continue?
The story involves a coyote and family man--Diego Busqueda--who encounters one of these monsters out along the Arizona-Mexico border and the treacherous crossing he attempts with his family to escape threats both supernatural and criminal. Lang says that he feels Diego's story--the non-supernatural elements, at least--represent an American story, in that he and his collaborators on the series are "are attempting to tap into what is universal about sacrificing one’s identity to make a better life for their family."
Written by Lang, and co-created along with series designer and layout artist Chris Mangun, and illustrator Michael Lapinski, the series was born through the crucible of collaboration, with the trio "duking out the beats," according to Lang. "We literally have ‘kill cards’ in which we shoot down each others' ideas; there is a pretty intense vetting process." Read More...
10 Tips For Surviving A Zombie Apocalypse - At Least According To Comics
Posted 1/7/11 5:12 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Dark Horse, DC Comics, Dynamite, IDW, Image Comics, Marvel
By Alex Zalben
We all know it’s coming: sooner or later, the dead will walk the Earth, chomping on the brains of the living like there’s no tomorrow. AND THERE WILL BE NO TOMORROW. Cough. Anyway, luckily for all of us, we’ve had hundreds of comic books doing pretty much nothing except prepare us for the rise of our undead overlords. So here’s ten handy tips you should remember when you start to see your neighbor shambling down the street, looking a little worse for the wear.
1. Acceptance
It’s a zombie apocalypse, so GET OVER IT. Stop pretending you’ve never seen a zombie movie, or whining, and saying that it’s the real world, and zombies don’t exist, like in Archaia’s Awakening. The town of Park Falls refusing to accept they have a zombie problem for nearly a year, just because it usually is something straight out of fiction. Yeah, right, just like aliens, guys. Jeez.
2. Stay Calm and British
Once you’ve accepted the fact that they’re zombies, it might help if you’re the World’s Greatest Detective. No, not Batman. Sherlock Holmes, who battled hordes of the evil undead, as well as his archenemy Moriarity in Wildstorm’s Victorian Undead. All the while, he kept his cool and smarts around him. So keep a stiff upper lip, and you might live to see another day, old chap. Read More...
Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #1 Preview
Posted 12/14/10 12:46 pm EST by Eddie Wright in Archaia, Comic Books, Fantasy
The latest series in David Peterson's popular Mouse Guard books, The Black Axe is a prequel to both Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 and Winter 1152. The Black Axe is set in the year 1115 and tells the tale of the mouse who first wielded the powerful weapon known as The Black Axe.
"I'm writing it a little differently than I've written some of the others," Peterson said at the 2010 Baltimore Comic Con. "Because this is kind of a personal story, it's being narrated in dialogue boxes, almost journal style." He added, "I thought this story needed something kind of different, since it is a prequel, show this is a different kind of story than the normal Mouse Guard stories." Read More...
Archaia Comics New Releases For December 2
Posted 12/2/10 2:45 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Previews
Check out what's hitting the shelves from Archaia today, December 2! Click the covers for free previews!
Free Comic Book Day 2011 Titles Announced
Posted 12/2/10 9:30 am EST by Valerie Gallaher in Announcements, Archaia, Boom Studios, Comic Books, Dark Horse, DC Comics, IDW, Image Comics, Marvel, Star Wars
Imagine walking into your local comic shop and coming out with a free stack of brand-new comics! The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) committee makes this a reality every year -- and they have just announced their Gold sponsors and comic book titles for FCBD 2011, which is scheduled for May 7th. The Gold sponsors are:
Ape Entertainment: Kung-Fu Panda and Richie Rich Flip-Book
Read More...
Mouse Guard: Legends Of The Guard Sells Out!
Posted 11/23/10 3:31 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books
Press Release
Fresh on the heels of news that one of its publications, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, sold out of its initial run of 10,000 copies at the distributor level in just 24 hours, Archaia is proud to announce that the MOUSE GUARD: LEGENDS OF THE GUARD VOL. 1 collected edition hardcover has sold out of its initial run of 15,000 copies within the first two days of its availability!
The latest MOUSE GUARD hardcover has charmed critics and readers alike with its eclectic mix of storytelling and art styles, all set in David Petersen’s wonderful world of mice with swords. A second printing is being rushed and will arrive in stores in time for the holidays.
“Archaia and I put a lot of thought into how we would want to make and present a MOUSE GUARD anthology,” said Petersen. “After seeing the contributors execute their stories so well and seeing the final book layout and design, I am very happy the public agreed with our choices and rallied behind this book enough to have us sell out of a first printing so quickly! It gets me very excited for what we will have in store with LEGENDS OF THE GUARD VOL. 2.” Read More...
Return of The Dapper Men Sell Out at Distro Level In 24 Hours
Posted 11/18/10 5:30 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books
We recently told you about Archaia's Return of the Dapper Men and chatted with the book's artist Janet Lee at the 2010 New York Comic Con. And now look at that! The book went ahead and sold out in record time!
Check out the official press release from Archaia:
Hailed in the press and by reviewers everywhere as an “instant classic” and the perfect gift for any reader this holiday season, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN has sold out its initial run of 10,000 copies at the distributor level within the first 24 hours of being on sale.
Created by Jim McCann and Janet Lee and published by Archaia, this modern fairytale has been gaining buzz for months based on its breathtaking art and unique yet timeless story. Already on many Holiday Gift Guides, including Publishers Weekly and The New York Times, Archaia is rushing a second printing to meet the incredible demand and ensure that RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN will be available through booksellers everywhere during this holiday season. Read More...
A Chat With Return of the Dapper Men Artist Janet Lee
Posted 11/12/10 2:00 pm EST by Eddie Wright in Archaia, Comic Books
Who are the Dapper Men?
Here's the official synopsis from Archaia Comics:
Welcome to Anoreve, a world in between time, where children have played so long it’s almost become work, machines have worked so long they have begun to play and all the clocks have stopped at the same time. This is how this land has remained, until 314 dapper-looking gentlemen rain down from the sky and set off in different directions to start the world again. Now Ayden, the only boy to still ask questions; Zoe, the robot girl all other machines hold dear; and the Dapper Man known only as “41” must discover what happened that made time stop, understand what their true places are in this world, and learn what “tomorrow” really means. The sun is setting for the first time in memory, and once that happens, everything changes.
Trevor Roth On Days Missing: Kestus #1
Posted 11/3/10 7:00 pm EST by Eddie Wright in Archaia, Comic Books
Archaia and Roddenberry Productions have begun rolling out the second volume in their Days Missing series, Days Missing: Kestus.
Kestus continues the tale of the mysterious, Steward who has the ability to "fold" critical human memories from time, storing them in his library.
Trevor Roth, creator of Days Missing spoke with us from the floor of the 2010 New York Comic Con about the science fiction/fantasy series.
"It's about an ancient and very mystical being called The Steward and throughout all of history, The Steward has intervened and interacted with humanity," he said. "Because of his mission of secrecy and his powers has folded away any day he has been a part of such that it has been completely eradicated from our memory."
But The Steward has documented each of these memories in his library, resulting in a secret running record of the human race. "So all the days in our history that seemed like, 'this is a turning point in humanity, and this is where we jumped from this place to that place and progressed,' anything like that, he's probably been a part of, but we don't know about it."
Days Missing: Kestus is written by Phil Hester and illustrated by David Marquez with a cover by Alex Ross.
The first issue in Days Missing: Kestus is in stores now. Check out a free preview right here!
http://www.mtv.com/geek/comics/issues/?id=168
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Return Of The Dapper Men Trailer Debuts from Archaia
Posted 10/3/10 6:35 pm EST by MTV Geek in Archaia, Comic Books, Motion Comics, Press Release, Trailers
ARCHAIA MEDIA ALERT: Trailer for 'Return of the Dapper Men' original graphic novel hardcover
Imagine a land where Time itself has ceased to exist. Where children have played so long it’s almost become work, machines have worked so long they have begun to play and all the clocks have stopped at the same time. A land that’s about to change when 314 identical-looking dapper men rain down from the sky, bringing time back with them.
This is RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, part fairy tale, part steampunk, all original, the highly anticipated graphic novel that’s already being hailed as “groundbreaking” and “an instant contemporary classic.” Featuring a Foreword by Tim Gunn (“Project Runway”) and pin-ups by 12 of today’s hottest artists, RETURN OF THE DAPER MEN is listed on Publisher’s Weekly Great Graphic Novels as Gifts and GraphicNovelReporter.com’s “Essential Reading” for Fall 2010.
Now, Archaia is proud to unveil this stunning new trailer, featuring an original score, animated artwork and an exciting glimpse into the graphic novel. RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN is a visually stunning fairy tale that combines steampunk with fantasy and science fiction with Renaissance style, brought to life from the minds of award-winning playwright and comic book writer Jim McCann (HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD) and critically acclaimed visual artist Janet Lee. Together, these two have created a world where J.M. Barrie, Lewis Carroll and Maurice Sendak meet Jim Henson and Tim Burton. All sharply dressed in a pin-stripe suit and a dapper bowler hat.
A limited number of copies of RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN: ADVANCE NEW YORK COMIC CON COLLECTOR’S EDITION will be available for sale at the Archaia booth (#2031) at New York Comic Con, October 8-10 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York, and will be available wherever books are sold in November. To pre-order a copy, use ISBN code 978-1932386905.
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