J.M. DeMatteis, one of the most prolific and beloved comics writers of the last several decades, will team up with an exceptional group of artists for four new comics coming from Spellbound Comics, which they’ve dubbed “The DeMultiverse.”
DeMatteis will work with Matthew Dow Smith, David Baldeon, Tom Mandrake, Shawn McManus and more on Anyman, Godsend, Wisdom and Layla in the Lands of After. Spellbound will release them as individual comics, as well as a single 100+ page trade paperback. The TPB will include an introduction by Tom DeFalco. Their Kickstarter will kick off next week.
Here’s more on the four titles:
Anyman with artist David Baldeon
In the late 1960s, ANYMAN, a hero from millions of years in the past arrives to rescue a modern world in crisis. Over five decades, Anyman becomes the inspiring symbol of all that’s good in humanity, the superhero the entire world reveres. There’s just one problem… Everything we know about him is a lie! Who is Anyman really? (Or, perhaps, the better question is: Who are THEY?) And who is the savage doppelgänger intent on destroying Anyman and his mysterious creators?
Godsend with artist Matthew Dow Smith
GODSEND begins with the sudden appearance of a celestial being who might be a force for global salvation or global destruction. Who is this being? Where did it come from? And why is insecure and unremarkable junior high school teacher Eric Small so obsessed with it? Even Eric’s not sure. Maybe the half-turtle, half-man currently standing in Eric’s living room will have answers. GODSEND is a reality-shredding story with echoes of Jack Kirby’s New Gods, Philip K. Dick, and The Matrix.
Layla in the Lands of After with artist Shawn McManus
LAYLA IN THE LANDS OF AFTER is the story of a 13-year-old girl who finds herself transported to a magical land where trees read your thoughts, rivers sing, and animals talk. But Layla soon discovers that this isn’t Oz or Wonderland. She’s dead—and this is the Afterlife. Refusing to accept her fate, and with the help of a few friends she meets along the way — both old and new — Layla is determined to return to the land of the living and the loved ones she left behind. But will the creatures lurking in the darkness let her?
Wisdom with artist Tom Mandrake
WISDOM is the tale of Gabriel Wisdom: A devoted husband and father. Middling Shakespearean actor and magician. And, in time, a murderous gunfighter and formidable sorcerer, tasked with saving the planet from a supernatural war that could consume all of humanity. But Gabriel cares less about the world and more about the wife and daughter who have been kidnapped, and corrupted, by dark forces. It’s Deadwood meets The Lord of the Rings in an epic fantasy played out against the backdrop of the Old West.
Smith is coloring and lettering his own work on Godsend, while Taylor Esposito is on board to letter the other three comics. Jan Duursema will color Mandrake’s work on Wisdom, while Arthur Hesli is coloring both Anyman and Layla.
These are some pretty amazing art teams, working with the writer of Moonshadow, Justice League International, “Kraven’s Last Hunt” and countless others. You can follow the Spellbound Twitter feed for more information, and keep an eye out on their Kickstarter page. The campaign starts Oct. 11.