It's been a busy weekend for dark Horse at C2E2 so far. Yesterday brought the announcement that they've acquired the Halo license and will publish a new mini-series that ties into the events of Halo 4. But they've also made announcements regarding several popular creator-owned franchises.
Hellboy fans will be happy to know that creator Mike Mignola is working on other projects in addition to the ongoing series Hellboy in Hell. Mignola is reuniting with frequent collaborator Duncan Fegredo for a new graphic novel called Hellboy: The Midnight Circus. This project flashes back to Hellboy's childhood and explores his first encounter with Hell when he runs away from home and discovers a circus full of demonic performers. This 56-page hardcover book follows a similar format as 2011's Hellboy: House of the Living Dead.
“This one owes a lot to Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (pretty much my favorite circus story of all time), but even more to Pinocchio—especially all the spooky, disturbing bits Disney left out. And the work Duncan is doing here is just flat-out amazing,” said Mignola in Dark Horse's press release. Fegredo commented, “Growing up is tough enough, even when you don’t know the weight of the world rests on the future of your yet-diminutive shoulders. Mike has woven a tale of coming of age for the young Hellboy made all the more poignant for knowing his future. Wonderful, magical, terrifying, this is epic Hellboy on a smaller stage.”
Hellboy: the Midnight Circus is scheduled to ship on October 23 at a cover price of $14.99.
Hellboy won't be ending anytime soon, but another long-running comic book saga will be. Dark Horse announced that they've acquired the publishing rights to Wendy and Richard Pini's fantasy epic Elfquest. The franchise debuted at WARP Graphics in 1978 and was also published at DC Comics from 2003-2007. Dark Horse is bringing that six year publishing hiatus to an end in order to chronicle the final Elfquest adventure, appropriately titled Elfquest: The Final Quest. Dark Horse's press release summarizes the story, saying, "For generations, the Wolfriders sought a safe haven. Now, in the Palace of the High Ones, they have found it. But with security, the elves lose the skills that made them superb survivors in a harsh world. Elfquest: The Final Quest poses dire questions: Who stays? Who goes back to the forest? And what grim price will the Wolfriders pay?"
Specific details on the scope of this new book are scarce, but Dark Horse President Mike Richards hinted that The Final Quest will be a long-form story rather than a mini-series. “I’ve known Richard from our very first year and read Elfquest from its inception. I’ve also pursued him and Wendy for nearly as long as Dark Horse has existed. Elfquest has been a lifetime project for Wendy and it is one of comics’ great epics. I am extremely proud to bring their wonderful book to Dark Horse and particularly excited to see what is in store for us over the next three years,” he said.
We do know that The Final Quest will kick off with a prologue issue this fall, and also that Dark Horse will begin reprinting older Elfquest material alongside this new book.
Dark Horse also announced a new license being added to their growing line of collectibles - Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's superhero crime drama Powers. Though the Powers comics are currently published through Marvel's Icon imprint, the creators have chosen to turn to Dark Horse for their merchandising needs. So far, the company is planning a statue of Retro Girl and a series of four-inch vinyl figures depicting main characters like detectives Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim.
“We have been very particular about merchandising Powers over the years, because I wanted to make sure it was the highest-quality merchandise we could offer,” said Bendis in Dark Horse's press release. “I am a giant fan of Dark Horse and the care they give their merchandising. I am very excited about this partnership.”
Dark Horse hasn't released any images of these collectibles yet, but promised that prototypes would be on display at SDCC in July. Both the statue and the vinyl figures are slated to ship sometime in Q4 2013.
Stay tuned to IGN all weekend for plenty more news from C2E2.
Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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