Jeff Lemire and Mike Deodato Jr. are teaming up for a new urban fantasy series that brings a barbarian into the modern age — and of course, chaos ensues. Berserker Unbound will debut in August.
“As soon as I had a chance to work with Mike Deodato on Thanos at Marvel I knew it would be the start of a beautiful partnership,” Lemire said. “We immediately started talking about the potential of teaming up for a creator-owned series. Mike is an incredible artist and, with Berserker Unbound, I tried to model a story to all of his many strengths. Berserker Unbound is many things. It has magic, action, and blood, but it also has heart. And it’s not at all what it first appears to be. We’re both very excited to be working together at Dark Horse, with Frank Martin and Steve Wands, to build the worlds of both Berserker and the world of Cobb, his unexpected companion.”
Here’s how Dark Horse describes the four-issue series: “Berserker Unbound kicks off with a merciless, sword-wielding warrior thrown through a wormhole to a modern day metropolis. Our hero quickly realizes that he must protect this new world from an evil wizard who will stop at nothing to send him and this new world to hell.”
“I really wanted to draw a barbarian story and Jeff turned this dream of mine into a reality with this deeply emotional story of friendship seen through multiple dimensions,” Deodato Jr. said. “I am not exaggerating when I say this book has the most epic battles I’ve ever drawn! Berserker Unbound is a turning point in my career.”
Deodato Jr. has been working for Marvel for more than two decades now, and he posted on Tumblr about his decision to leave his “home.”
“When I was a boy I dreamt to one day become a Marvel artist. I grew up reading Avengers, Captain America, Spider-Man and, since my father was already an artist in Brazil, I decided I would do the same, but drawing the heroes that made my childhood so great. I succeeded,” he wrote. “And I’ve been living my dream with those characters for 24 years! I’ve loved every second of it. Now I’m 56 and I have a new dream: to be a creator-owned artist. I wanna dedicate my full time to create my own books and characters.”
Deodato Jr. said he will be working for Marvel through June, with Savage Avengers — which also features a certain barbarian in the modern age — being one of his last projects for them.