Robert Kirkman's Blog, page 14

NYCC 2018 Skybound Merchandise Debuts!

New York Comic Con is just around the corner and to celebrate, we’re ready to show you all the awesome new toys and goodies we’re bringing with us to the big apple. In addition to our usual bevy of t-shirts, comics, toys, pins and more, this year, we’re bringing you the debut of The Princess in action figure form, a variant for MURDER FALCON, and some of our brand new Skybound Games releases!

So, stop by and stock up at main Skybound booth, #1444 (we’re with Image Comics) and at the Skybound Games booth #2018.

Check out all the new stuff below and we’ll see you in New York!

Princess Action Figure (Color) & (Black and White Bloody) – $25 each

Joining Skybound’s exclusive line up of limited The Walking Dead action figures is the vibrant, child-at-heart Juanita Sanchez! With her self-proclaimed nickname, “Princess”, she comes equipped with her trusty machine gun and knife.

 

MURDER FALCON #1 – Variant $10

THE ELECTRIC STATE T-Shirt – $25

Celebrate the release of THE ELECTRIC STATE with this brand new t-shirt!

THE ELECTRIC STATE – $35

Be among the first to get your hands on Simon Stålenhag’s THE ELECTRIC STATE available from Skybound Books! Simon will also be signing copies so make sure to check out our signing schedule for more info.

SLIME RANCHER & THE LONG DARK Physical Editions – $30

For the first time at the Skybound main booth and the Skybound Games booth we’ll have physical copies of two of our newest video games available. Pick up SLIME RANCHER and THE LONG DARK for PS4 or XBox at our booths at NYCC!

 

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New York Comic Con 2018 Portfolio Review Information

ATTENTION pencilers, inkers and/or colorists: looking to dive into the crazy wonderful world of comics? Are you fast and reliable? Do you love telling the best stories with the best writers? Do you want to work with the very cool guys and gals at Skybound? Are you attending New York Comic Con this October? If you answered “YES” to most of these questions, then you should submit your portfolio to us at NYCC!

We’ll be accepting open art submissions from aspiring comic artists, with an editor on-hand to review and critique select portfolios. This is your chance to get some one-on-one time with one of the fastest growing companies in comics! Do you think you have what it takes? Then you absolutely do not want to miss this opportunity!

Looking to submit? Here’s the info:

01. Bring your portfolio to the Skybound NYCC Booth #1444 (we’re there with IMAGE COMICS) at any time from Thursday, October 4th through noon on Saturday, October 6th and drop it off with a booth volunteer.

02. When you drop off your portfolio, please make sure it contains your full name, cell phone number and e-mail address (this is really important).

03. If we think you might have the right stuff, we will reach out to set up a review time on Friday, Saturday or Saturday.

04. Please make sure to only include photocopies of art in any submitted portfolios. Unfortunately, we cannot be responsible for any lost or misplaced artwork.

05. While we welcome all artists to submit, portfolio reviews will be primarily focused on interior sequential pages (pencils, inks and colors).

06. And as much as we’d love to review every single portfolio, we unfortunately must restrict the number of portfolios we review each day to a limited amount.

See you in New York!

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Crude #6 Cover Before and After

Hey there, Insiders! It’s that time of the week again – time to dive into the creative process behind some of your favorite Skybound books. This week, we’re checking out the final issue of our series CRUDE! Take a look at the before and after the cover to CRUDE #6 from artist Garry Brown and colorist Lee Louridge!

STORY: STEVE ORLANDO

ART/COVER: GARRY BROWN & LEE LOUGHRIDGE

SEPTEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

END OF ARC

Piotr has fought his way across Blackstone to revenge his son’s death. Now he faces off against the biggest bastard of them all, and only one will walk away.

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This Week’s Comics: Crude #6, Evolution #10 & Stellar #4

Hey all you Skybound fans! We’ve got another fantastic week of comic releases coming your way so let’s get into it!! This Wednesday sees the release of CRUDE #6, EVOLUTION #10 & STELLAR #4 all in stores this Wednesday for your reading pleasure. We’ve got previews of all three issues below so give those a glance and then go pick up your copies this Wednesday. Have a great week everyone!

CRUDE #6

STORY: STEVE ORLANDO

ART/COVER: GARRY BROWN & LEE LOUGHRIDGE

SEPTEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

END OF ARC

Piotr has fought his way across Blackstone to revenge his son’s death. Now he faces off against the biggest bastard of them all, and only one will walk away.

 

EVOLUTION #10

STORY: JAMES ASMUS, JOE KEATINGE & CHRIS SEBELA

ART/COVER: JOE INFURNARI & JORDAN BOYD

SEPTEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

Hannah witnesses the birth of a surprising new creature while Abe leaves a present for the authorities.

  

STELLAR #4

STORY: JOSEPH KEATINGE

ART/COVER: BRET BLEVINS

SEPTEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

A new world unbroken by science! A new mission for Stellar that will turn her life upside down!

 




 

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December 2018 Books Announced! Solicits!

2018 hasn’t quite come to a close yet, but we’re ready to show off our final comic solicits of the year. This is a big one folks! Our December 2018 books and comic solicits are here for your viewing pleasure. We’ve got the start of the just announced HARDCORE, we’ve got the return of OUTCAST, the END of THIEF OF THIEVES and much, much more! Take a peek below and let us know what you’re most excited for in the comments!

HARDCORE #1

STORY: ANDY DIGGLE

ART: ALESSANDRO VITTI & ADRIANO LUCAS

COVER: DAN PANOSIAN

DECEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

From the creative minds of Robert Kirkman & Marc Silvestri!

Imagine being able to take over the body of anyone on Earth in order to track down a rogue nuke or assassinate a dictator. Sound crazy? Not for Agent Drake and the Hardcore Program. They can turn anyone—your neighbor, your co-worker, your spouse—into a human drone to get to targets normal soldiers can’t.

Drake is the best soldier Hardcore has to offer… until he’s stranded in a body with only 72 hours to discover who’s hijacked the Program. But who can you trust when your enemy can change their appearance as easy as someone changes a shirt?

Andy Diggle (THIEF OF THIEVES, Losers) and Alessandro Vitti (Secret Warriors) present a new Skybound Original that shows you how to save the world without getting your hands dirty.

BIRTHRIGHT #34

STORY: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

ART/COVER A: ANDREI BRESSAN & ADRIANO LUCAS

COVER B (HERO INITIATIVE VARIANT): ANDREI BRESSAN & ADRIANO LUCAS

DECEMBER 12

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

Brother vs. brother! Might vs. magic!

GASOLINA #13

STORY: SEAN MACKIEWICZ

ART: NIKO WALTER & MAT LOPES

DECEMBER 5

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

NEW ARC

Amalia Rojas has faced monsters all her life. How did a Mexican farm girl grow up to be a cold-blooded killer? Life takes strange twists…

MURDER FALCON #3

STORY/ART: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON

COLOR: MIKE SPICER

DECEMBER 12

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen | $3.99

Jake.

Murder Falcon.

Johann.

Who’s next to join the band? If they’re going to defeat the Veldar, they’re going to need someone to lay down a heavy beat.

OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI #10

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: LORENZO DE FELICI & ANNALISA LEONI

COVER: LORENZO DE FELICI

DECEMBER 12

28 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

The dangers of Oblivion are running free–but how?

OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #37

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART / COVER: PAUL AZACETA & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER

DECEMBER 26

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

NEW STORY ARC

At long last, Simon’s story is told.

OUTER DARKNESS #2

STORY: JOHN LAYMAN

ART/COVER: AFU CHAN

DECEMBER 12

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

From the co-creator of CHEW—a horrifying vision of space!

Captain Rigg is prepared to test his new ship and crew by flying them straight into the heart of demon-infested space. One small problem: he didn’t brief them beforehand…

OUTPOST ZERO #5

STORY: SEAN KELLEY MCKEEVER

ART/COVER: ALEXANDRE TENGFENKI & JEAN-FRANCOIS BEAULIEU

DECEMBER 19

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

NEW ARC

Lyss is never going to be able to explore the Frost or have a truly important job… that’s just how it is in the Outpost. But as Planning Team attempts to save everyone from the ice threatening to crush them all, Lyss has an unexpected opportunity to prove her worth.

REDNECK #18

STORY: DONNY CATES

ART/COVER: LISANDRO ESTHERREN & DEE CUNNIFFE

DECEMBER 26

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

END OF ARC

Everyone dies. No one is safe.

THIEF OF THIEVES #43

STORY: BRETT LEWIS

ART/COVER: SHAWN MARTINBROUGH & ADRIANO LUCAS

DECEMBER 5

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $3.99

SERIES FINALE

For the past six years, Conrad Paulson has done the impossible. Now, can the man who was once the greatest thief in the world pull off one final heist—and walk away scot free?

THE WALKING DEAD #186

 

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: CHARLIE ADLARD, STEFANO GAUDIANO & CLIFF RATHBURN

COVER: CHARLIE ADLARD & DAVE STEWART

15TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT: BILL SIENKIEWICZ

DECEMBER 5

32 PAGES | Black & White | Mature | $3.99

“The powder keg.”

Once done, it cannot be undone.

EVOLUTION VOL. 2 TPB

STORY: JAMES ASMUS, JOE KEATINGE & CHRIS SEBELA

ART/COVER: JOE INFURNARI & JORDAN BOYD

DECEMBER 19

128 PAGES | Full Color | Mature | $16.99

Faced with the fact that humanity’s time—as we know it—is over, Abe crosses a line and becomes less human himself. Meanwhile, Hannah follows a trail of monsters to a secret facility in Italy, and Claire is caught up in a conspiracy that could endanger her girlfriend.

Collects EVOLUTION #7-12.

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Announcing Our Newest Comic: HARDCORE!

“What would you do if you could be anyone?” That’s the central question at the heart of HARDCORE from Andy Diggle and Alessandro Vitti. Based on an idea by Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri, HARDCORE is the story of a government agency that has the power to forcefully take over the body of anyone on Earth in order to accomplish their missions. But what does their best agent do when he’s trapped in a body and becomes the target of a hostile takeover of that very agency? In the vein of high concept sci-fi action stories such as GHOST IN THE SHELL and the MATRIX, HARDCORE is the type of story I love to experience. The idea of being able to step into anyone’s shoes (literally) and carry out your mission is such a simple, primal story that it’s hard to imagine anyone that this story wouldn’t speak to. Everyone has fantasized about it at some point. Now crank that fantasy up to 11 and watch it go.

And special mention needs to be made of the creative team on this book. Andy Diggle is firing on all cylinders here. Under a lot of other writers, this story could’ve easily gotten out of hand, but Andy has managed to write one of the tightest and most action-packed stories I’ve ever read. It’s like he was born to write this story. And the art! Alessandro Vitti, Adriano Lucas, and Thomas Mauer are creating one of the best action stories ever seen on each and every page. It’s like Michael Bay and John McTiernan and John Woo all got together and created the most badass action film they could in comic form. This book is that special type of action book that only comes along every so often. Don’t make the mistake of missing out on it!

Jon Moisan

Editor

 

 

HARDCORE

Writer: Andy Diggle

Artist: Alessandro Vitti

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Thomas Mauer

Synopsis:

Imagine being able take over the body of anyone on Earth to accomplish whatever you want. Clandestine hits where the victim is the weapon. Sound crazy? For Drake and the Hardcore program, it’s a reality. But what happens when the tech falls into the wrong hands? When a former agent forcibly takes over the program with Drake inside, it’ll take everything he’s got just to survive. Too bad it’s not his body he’s trying to keep alive. From the superstar team of ANDY DIGGLE (THIEF OF THIEVES) and ALESSANDRO VITTI (Iceman) comes a story of body hijacking gone wrong.

Final retail cutoff order: November 26, 2018

In-stores: December 12, 2018

Read the full press release at ImageComics.com

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FOC for September 17th

Hey there, retailers! This week’s FOC is BIRTHRIGHT #32, MUDER FALCON #1, OBLIVION SONG #8 & OUTPOST ZERO #4! Order up so you’re not caught without these books. Log in to your retailer account to see more info on these new titles and have a great week!

#RETAILER_START#

BIRTHRIGHT #32 [AUG180207]

STORY: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

ART/COVER: ANDREI BRESSAN & ADRIANO LUAS

OCTOBER 10

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

As the search for Brennan and Kallista begins, Mikey still has much to atone for. Can he become Earth’s greatest protector, or have his actions already doomed his brother?

MURDER FALCON #1 [AUG180044] [Heavy Metal Variant: JUL189235]

 

STORY/ART: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON

COLOR: MIKE SPICER

OCTOBER 10

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen | $3.99

It’s time to SHRED!!! From Daniel Warren Johnson—creator of the Eisner-nominated EXTREMITY—comes MURDER FALCON!!!

The world is under attack by monsters, and Jake’s life is falling apart: no band, no girl, no future…until he meets MURDER FALCON. He was sent from The Heavy to destroy all evil, but he can’t do it without Jake shredding up a storm. Now, with every chord Jake plays on his guitar, the power of metal fuels Murder Falcon into all-out kungfu fury on those that seek to conquer Earth!

OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI #8 [AUG180259]

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: LORENZO DE FELICI & ANNALISA LEONI

COVER: LORENZO DE FELICI

OCTOBER 10

28 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

Nathan Cole is reminded, once and for all, that actions have consequences.

OUTPOST ZERO #4 [AUG180260]

STORY: SEAN KELLEY MCKEEVER

ART/COVER: ALEXANDRE TEFENKGI & JEAN-FRANCOIS BEAULIEU

OCTOBER 10

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen | $3.99

END OF ARC

With one friend dead, Alea confronts Sam about what really happened out there on the Frost … and the fallout will shake the Outpost’s very foundation. #RETAILER_END#

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Murder Falcon Heavy Metal Variants Coming Soon!

Who here is ready to ROCK with our new title from Daniel Warren Johnson, MURDER FALCON?! Well, you should be because it’s going to be friggin’ legendary! This coming Monday is final order cut off for comic shops so we wanted to let you know that, along with the already amazing main cover, we’ve got variants coming your way! Each issue of the head-banging action series will feature a “Heavy Metal” variant cover that pays tribute to a different classic heavy metal album cover. The first cover is by Daniel Warren Johnson and is an homage to Judas Priest’s PAINKILLER album! We’ve got a bunch of brutally talented artists lined up for the MURDER FALCON Heavy Metal variants for upcoming issues so you won’t want to miss a single one!

You can read the full press release from Image here and take a look at the variant for issue one below! MURDER FALCON #1 will be in store Wednesday, October 10th so make sure to get those orders in for both covers TODAY!

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Announcing: Skybound Stories – A Mobile Narrative Platform

As if we haven’t given you enough awesome Skybound Games announcements lately, we’ve got another one coming your way today! We’re super excited to announce that we’ll be partnering with the European entertainment company Sky to bring you a brand new mobile narrative platform, SKYBOUND STORIES. This is a whole new way for us to explore the Skybound worlds you love through branching narratives that YOU control. We’re developing all of this in house—with writers and artists working right here at Skybound HQ – so we’ll have so we will have full creative control and the ability to bring the best content possible to your mobile device. Below, you can check out the press release for this new venture, and keep it here on Skybound for news, announcements and more as we have more information to share. For now, let us know in the comments what Skybound properties (or beyond!) you wanna see in this new format!

Sky and Skybound Entertainment Team Up for Mobile Narrative Gaming Venture

Sky and Skybound Entertainment have joined forces to create Skybound Stories, a new joint venture that will use new and existing IP to create mobile narrative gaming experiences for users worldwide.

The move by Sky, Europe’s leading entertainment company, and Skybound Entertainment, known for producing The Walking Dead, will give consumers more opportunities to connect with their favourite content.

Narrative gaming, a fast-growing segment of the gaming sector, works across multiple platforms and allows for much richer, immersive storytelling. Skybound Stories will seek episodic and character-driven narratives where the player becomes the protagonist, making choices that matter to the storyline.

Skybound Stories will create new IP for standalone games while seeking to exploit IP from Sky’s forthcoming original productions across Europe. Sky’s recent original productions include smash-hits like Britannia, Babylon Berlin and Gomorrah, Italy’s number one TV show.

John Jelley, VP of Business Development at Sky, said: “As gaming continues to broaden in appeal with a higher quality of IP, the boundaries between games and video are gradually disappearing. This joint venture will help us find innovative new ways for customers to experience the shows they love – in a natively interactive format on any smartphone.”

Dan Murray, President of Skybound Interactive, commented: “A constant goal at Skybound is to deliver new and existing fans with the best content possible. Our deal with Sky allows us to dive deeper into already cherished worlds in a creative way, inviting players to become a part of the story.”

About Sky

Sky is Europe’s leading entertainment company, serving 23 million customers across seven countries – UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company has annual revenues of £12.9 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with an annual programming spend of £7 billion.

From exclusive partnerships with HBO, Showtime and Warner Bros. to Sky Original Productions, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that’s through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky’s contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky’s best in class customer service.

Sky’s success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world’s most recognised rankings of business’s environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded right across the group.

Three new major commitments have been launched for Sky’s corporate campaign Sky Ocean Rescue; the reduction of our own single-use plastics by 2020; an investment fund of £25 million over five years in technology solutions; and support of marine protected areas across our markets.

Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

About Skybound

Founded in 2010, Skybound Entertainment is a multiplatform entertainment company managed by partners Robert Kirkman, David Alpert and Jon Goldman. Skybound houses projects ranging from television, film, emerging platforms, comics, interactive gaming, live events, and more. In 2016, the company expanded to Vancouver with the opening of their Skybound North office, working to expand Skybound’s footprint into the animation and children’s space with top Canadian talent. In 2018, Skybound opened GammaRay, a video-content brand focused on pop culture, and expanded Skybound Games into a venture focused on publishing independently developed games.

Skybound Entertainment is responsible for television hits including The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Outcast, Robert Kirkman’s Secret History of Comics, and currently holds a first-look television deal with Amazon Studios. On the film side, Skybound has a first-look deal with Universal. Robert Kirkman’s second-longest running comic series Invincible will be developed for film at Universal and as an animated series for Amazon.

The interactive gaming slate includes partnerships with Telltale, Starbreeze, Skydance, Scopely, and more. Skybound is currently publishing comic book titles The Walking Dead, Oblivion Song, Die!Die!Die!, Outcast, Redneck, Gasolina, Crude, and more.

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Birthright #31 Cover Before and After

Hey there, Insiders! It’s that time of the week again – time to dive into the creative process behind some of your favorite Skybound books. This week, we’re going behind the veil on BIRTHRIGHT #31! Take a look at the before and after for this new cover from artist Andrei Bressan and colorist Adriano Lucas!

STORY: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

ART/COVER: ANDREI BRESSAN & ADRIANO LUAS

SEPTEMBER 12

32 PAGES | Full Color | Teen+ | $3.99

NEW STORY ARC

Who is Mastema: the rebellious daughter of God King Lore, or Earth’s savior? The answer will surprise you!

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