Robert Kirkman's Blog, page 67

Skybound WonderCon Panel Announced

WonderCon 2016 is almost here! We’re proud to announce exciting details about our Skybound panel and who you can expect to see:

Title: Skybound Entertainment Presents Creating Content in the Digital Age

Date/Time/Location: Friday, March 25th at 2:30pm-3:30pm in room 515B (LA Convention Center)

Description: Join industry professionals from companies such as Jurassic Party, The Collective, Skybound, Supergravity, and more as they discuss the ever-changing landscape of creating entertainment content in the digital age. Projects produced by this group include YouTube Red’s “Scare PewDiePie”, “The Chosen”, and Samsung’s narrative VR series “Gone”. Panelists:

John Carle – Studio71, Vice President, Network Talent

Nicki Cortese – Producer/Co-Owner, Jurassic Party

Marc Hustvedt – Producer/Founder and CEO, SUPERGRAVITY Pictures

Gabriela Revilla Lugo – Producer/Owner, Revek Entertainment

Rachel Skidmore – Director of Media Development, Skybound Entertainment Moderator: Mike Cruz – Director of Digital Programming, Skybound Entertainment

During the panel, industry leaders will discuss how to effectively engage audiences in an increasing digital age, while retaining creative and artistic integrity.

See you there!

June 2016 Books Announced! Solicits!

It’s that time of the month! We’ve submitted our June books (no advanced solicits for July) for retailers to check out/order and that means we’re sharing them with you too!

BIRTHRIGHT #16

STORY: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON

ART/COVER: ANDREI BRESSAN & ADRIANO LUCAS

JUNE 8

32 PAGES | FULL COLOR | TEEN+

$2.99

A lost member of the Rhodes family returns… but can they recover from the damage already done?

INVINCIBLE #129

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: CORY WALKER & NATHAN FAIRBAIRN

COVER: RYAN OTTLEY & JEAN-FRANCOIS BEAULIEU

JUNE 15

24 PAGES | FULL COLOR | TEEN+

$2.99

Cory Walker’s EPIC stint as artist continues! Thragg is making moves, conquering more worlds as he rebuilds the Viltrum Empire. Meanwhile, Mark, Eve and Terra take a trip to Earth to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

MANIFEST DESTINY #20

STORY: CHRIS DINGESS

ART/COVER: MATTHEW ROBERTS, TONY AKINS, & OWEN GIENI

JUNE 15

32 PAGES | FULL COLOR | TEEN+

$2.99

“SASQUATCH” Part 2 of 6

Many have claimed to have seen the Sasquatch… now join the men who made first contact!

THIEF OF THIEVES #32

STORY: ANDY DIGGLE

ART/COVER: SHAWN MARTINBROUGH & ADRIANO LUCAS

JUNE 22

32 PAGES | FULL COLOR | MATURE

$2.99

NEW STORY ARC

Conrad has been the undisputed thief of thieves throughout the world… until now. But who are his rivals? And does he have what it takes to outfox them in his most thrilling heist yet?

THE WALKING DEAD #155

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: CHARLIE ADLARD, STEFANO GAUDIANO, & CLIFF RATHBURN

COVER: CHARLIE ADLARD & DAVE STEWART

JUNE 1

32 PAGES | BLACK & WHITE | MATURE

$2.99

“Tip of the Spear”

Scion A/V Interview with Robert Kirkman

In the latest episode of Scion A/V’s All Purpose Show, hosted by Prince Paul and DJ PForREAL, Robert Kirkman talks about the start of Skybound, ghouls, and how to get in touch with him. Check it all out right here:

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!

Outcast Gets Premiere Date & Second Season

Today at SXSW we were finally able to tell the public the premiere date for OUTCAST! Speaking at our panel, Robert Kirkman revealed that Outcast will premiere the first episode of the ten-episode season on Cinemax FRIDAY, JUNE 3RD. Not only that, but the show has been picked up for a SECOND SEASON!

Here are some excerpts from the official press release:

“OUTCAST has been a passion project of mine for many years,” said Kirkman. “Seeing it come together has been a huge thrill for me. What we’ve been able to achieve on CINEMAX, with its unprecedented creative freedom, frankly, almost scares ME at times.”

Based on the Skybound/Image comic title by creator Robert Kirkman and artist Paul Azaceta, OUTCAST follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by demonic possession all his life. Now, with the help of the Reverend Anderson, a preacher with personal demons of his own, Kyle embarks on a journey to find answers and regain the normal life he lost. But what Kyle discovers could change his fate — and the fate of the world — forever.

Patrick Fugit (“Gone Girl”) stars as Barnes, a man searching for answers, and for redemption, who sequesters himself from those he loves for fear of causing greater hurt.

Philip Glenister (“Life on Mars”) stars as Reverend Anderson, a West Virginia evangelist who believes he is a soldier in God’s holy war against the forces of evil on Earth. An inveterate drinker and gambler, he doesn’t believe God intends people to sweat the small stuff.

Gabriel Bateman (“Stalker”) stars as Joshua Austin, an eight-year-old who lives across town from Kyle. To his family’s dismay, he appears to be in the clutches of demonic possession, but there’s something very different about this possession and its connection to Kyle Barnes.

Catch up on the comics by grabbing Volumes 1 and 2 in our Skybound shop!

Live Taping of GET GONE at SXSW

We’re very happy to announce that Skybound and our partners at Samsung will be hosting a forum for our VR series GONE at SXSW this Sunday, March 13th! Open to the public, the live discussion GET GONE will be taping at Samsung Studio (333 E 2nd St) from 4-6 pm. GET GONE, hosted by Clark Wolfe, will feature recaps of the first three episodes along with discussion from Skybound’s very own David Alpert, director and writer JT Petty, actress Mia Riverton, and possibly YOU!

GONE is a groundbreaking, interactive VR series created for the Samsung Gear VR by Skybound, Wevr, and Samsung. If you’re in Austin, you’ll have the opportunity to try out Samsung Gear VR and experience the series for yourself all weekend long at Samsung Studio at SXSW.

MORE DETAILS!

Out This Week: The Walking Dead #152! Thief of Thieves Vol 5!

Out this week we have THE WALKING DEAD #152 and THIEF OF THIEVES Vol 5! Time to get caught up on the excellent Thief of Thieves!

THE WALKING DEAD #152

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART: CHARLIE ADLARD, STEFANO GAUDIANO & CLIFF RATHBURN

COVER: CHARLIE ADLARD & DAVE STEWART

MARCH 2

32 PAGES | Black & White | Mature

$2.99

United in Fear.

THIEF OF THIEVES Vol. 5

STORY: ANDY DIGGLE

ART/COVER: SHAWN MARTINBROUGH & ADRIANO LUCAS

MARCH 2

128 PAGES | Full Color | Mature

$14.99

There’s a new thief of thieves in town—and they’re using the Redmond name to pull heists. Will stealing Conrad’s legacy be enough to pull the master thief out of retirement?

Collects THIEF OF THIEVES #26-31.

We’re Partnering with Viki to Produce FIVE YEAR!

We are VERY proud and excited to announce today that we’ve partnered with global TV site Viki to produce “Five Year,” a brand new series based on an original story by our very own Robert Kirkman. The pre-apocalyptic series, about a family living under the threat of a deadly meteor headed toward Earth, will be filmed as a Korean drama.




“This has been a story I have wanted to tell for quite some time, but David [Alpert] and I wanted to make sure it found a proper home where it could grow and breathe creatively. Looking at what Viki has done in not only the dramatic series space, but transforming the way viewers consume and translate media, we knew immediately ‘Five Year’ had found its home,” said Robert Kirkman, CEO and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment and creator of “Five Year.”




The series will debut its first 16-episode season on Korean broadcast television and worldwide on Viki. The series will take place over the course of five years with five seasons anticipated. Filming will begin later this year.




“As devoted fans of Korean cinema, television, and culture, we’re thrilled to be launching what we hope is the first of many collaborations with the Korean entertainment industry. “Five Year”, which tells the story of one family dealing with the impending apocalypse, is the perfect property to launch our partnership. It highlights the intense interpersonal moments that Korean dramas capture so well, and sets them against the epic backdrop for which Skybound has become known,” said president and co-founder of Skybound Entertainment David Alpert.




“In many ways, Viki and Skybound represent the future of global entertainment, particularly with Hollywood-Asia collaborations and VOD platforms like Viki leading distribution and fan-building,” said Tammy H. Nam, CEO of Viki. “We’re thrilled to be working with the creators and executive producers of one of the most popular TV series of all time. The fact that David and Robert wanted to make ‘Five Year’ as a K-drama is a testament to the massive global popularity and quality of Asian programming.”




“Five Year” is the second original series produced by Viki. “Dramaworld,” a 10-episode miniseries set in Los Angeles and Korea with a multinational cast and crew, will debut spring 2016 on Viki.com. “Dramaworld” is a co-production with China’s Jetavana Entertainment, EnterMedia Contents, and Third Culture Content.




To check out all the global content available on Viki, please visit Viki.com.

About Viki

Viki is a global TV site with TV shows, movies and other premium content, translated into more than 200 languages by a community of avid fans. With tens of millions of viewers each month and over 1 billion words translated, Viki uniquely brings global prime-time entertainment to new audiences and unlocks new markets and revenue opportunities for content owners. Viki is a subsidiary of Japanese Internet services company Rakuten with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.

Out This Week: Outcast by Kirkman & Azaceta #16!

Out this week we have OUTCAST by KIRKMAN & AZACETA #16! Can Kyle make it on his own?

OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #16

STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN

ART/COVER: PAUL AZACETA & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER

FEBRUARY 24

32 PAGES | Full Color | Mature

$2.99

Overwhelmed. Kyle is alone facing one of his most dangerous exorcisms to date. This one won’t be pretty.

What Critics Are Saying About OXENFREE

Hey gang! OXENFREE is now live in the Windows store! What better reason to check out all the awesome things the gaming press is saying about the game?! And by the way, it’s also available on Steam for Mac/PC and XBox One! Read the reviews below and THEN GO BUY IT!

Gaming Trend:

Oxenfree is a smart, emotional adventure that feels focused and purposeful. It’s got plenty of narrative twists that lead to great “a-ha” moments, but keeps the story well-grounded in its compelling protagonists and clever gameplay moments. Oxenfree is simply well-made, endearing, and very memorable.

Forbes:

There’s no filler here, just an increasingly fascinating, emotional story steeped in the paranormal. Night School Studio’s first effort is a brilliant one. Not perfect, but absolutely worth experiencing.

GameSpot:

Oxenfree is more than a ghost story with a Freaks and Geeks-like coating. It’s a tale of coping with loss, broken relationships, and the inflexibility with which teenagers deal with sudden change, all layered under an alarming paranormal encounter. I left Oxenfree feeling hollow and strained, emotionally spent yet excited to play again and uncover more of the mystery.

IGN

Oxenfree is elegantly simple, using branching dialogue and a little something supernatural to develop three-dimensional characters and drive the coming-of-age story … it’s like walking through a stunning painting, listening to the idle chatter and revealing talks of (sometimes unnatural-sounding) teenagers.

AV Club:

…it’s very good at what it sets out to do: Hand players the reins of an engaging horror story, and give them the tools to craft one believable teenage girl’s reaction to its extraordinary events.

Washington Post:

“Oxenfree” captures a mood (an eerie night), intensifies it (people get possessed!), and then efficiently wraps things up before anything becomes tedious. This analog, supernatural story unites its characters in a web of guilt and showers them in decorative static.

CGMagazine:

Oxenfree takes the best parts of supernatural 1980′s teenage horror films and combines it with believable characters, beautiful set pieces, and a haunting VHS synth-pop soundtrack to create a masterpiece.

Game Informer:

To Oxenfree’s credit, it kept me engaged the whole way through. 
I constantly wanted to see where it was going and where my choices would lead. Night School Studio clearly wasn’t afraid to experiment and try some different and interesting things with presentation in regards to a narrative-based, choice-driven game. As much as I loved parts of the overall experience, others let me down. Even so, I enjoyed learning about these characters and seeing them grow through my actions.

Telegraph:

There’s a haunting elegance to Oxenfree that’s there because each of its constituent parts are working together to create it. The gangly art, a soundtrack that effectively jars between jaunty and creepy. There’s the odd issue with pacing, as some long treks across the island are made in silence, but across its four or so hours everything feels like its there for a reason. Just like it feels like this group of friends are there for a reason, starring in an unexpectedly brilliant supernatural adventure full of wit, charm and wisdom.

ICXM:

Everything about Oxenfree was such a joy to experience. From the pacing to the art style to the story and characters, all of it meshed together so beautifully. Nothing felt out of place. I honestly can’t think of anything that I would change, and I have no complaints about the game. It ran perfectly and I never experienced any kind of bugs. Immediately after the game ended, I just wanted to start playing it again right away. It offers a lot of replay value, and I’d be happy to spend more time with it. Oxenfree has so much personality and is so incredibly fun that everyone needs to play it.

UPDATE! Outcast Heading to SXSW 2016!

UPDATE

On Monday, March 14th, OUTCAST will make it’s world premiere at SXSW! Immediately following the 1:15pm screening at the Vimeo theater, Kumail Nanjiani (from HBO’s SILICON VALLEY) will be hosting a panel featuring Robert Kirkman (creator/exec producer/our boss), Chris Black (showrunner), Patrick Fugit (Kyle Barnes), and Adam Wingard (pilot director).

-PREVIOUSLY-

Cool news we’re announcing with Cinemax today: We’ll be heading to SXSW in March with Outcast for a panel and maaaaaaybe a screening of the pilot! Will we be seeing you in Austin?

We’ll have more details closer to SXSW so stay tuned!

Be sure to follow @OutcastCinemax for dedicated show news!

Follow @OutcastSkybound for news about the comic, show, and more!

And—last one—check out the show’s production blog from Cinemax!