Austen + Olliffe re-team for ‘The Tormented’

The horror miniseries will launch on Comixology Originals next week.

Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe have reunited for another new series from Comixology Originals — The Tormented, a new five-issue digital comics series that will debut next week. They’re joined by colorist Lee Loughridge, letterer Jodi Wynne and editor Greg Lockard.

Austen, Olliffe and Loughridge previously worked together on Edgeworld, a science fiction series released by Comixology. This new series brings together horror and reality TV.

“Ryan Auster, our protagonist in The Tormented, sees ghosts, but kept it from his ghost-hunting family because he feared his family more than the ghosts, and because he’s been hiding it his whole life. Now in his 20s, he still hasn’t quite learned how to deal with the unexpected spirits, demons and otherworldly creatures that are constantly invading his life,” said Austen. “This series has been an absolute trip to create with Pat, and I hope readers have as much fun reading the story as we’ve had making it.”

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Gary Phillips’ ‘Cold Hard Cash’ debuts on Comixology

The crime fiction writer brings his prose character Martha Chainey to comics.

Crime writer/novelist Gary Phillips is no stranger to comics, having written titles like Angeltown, High Rollers and The Rinse, among others. But today he brings one of his prose characters, Martha Chainey from High Hand and Shooter’s Point, to the comics page in the Comixology Originals title Cold Hard Cash.

Phillips has teamed up with artist Adriana Melo, colorist John Kalisz, letterer Tom Napolitano and editor Greg Lockard on the five-issue series, which had a surprise launch today on the digital comics platform.

“I’m thrilled to bring my tough as nails protagonist Martha Chainey to the pages of a comic,” Phillips said. “Seeing her navigate the gritty streets of L.A. and the high-end tech world in this fast-paced crime thriller illustrated by Adriana is surreal, and I hope people dig it.”

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Comixology Originals announces ‘Trick Pony’ by Greg Lockard + Anna David

The new graphic novel will arrive on the platform on Feb. 28.

While we ponder the fate of Comixology amidst all the layoffs and what that means for all those digital comics we’ve “acquired” from them, I guess there’s some solace in the fact that there are still new releases and announcements coming from their original comics line, Comixology Originals. That has to be a good sign, he says, as he realizes contracts were likely signed months in advance and maybe they just haven’t had time to sunset that program yet. Hey, don’t ruin my Sunday, okay?

Until Amazon is willing to share more (or not; their PR email seems to be a black hole) let’s focus on what we do know — that GLAAD award-nominated writer Greg Lockard has teamed up with artist Anna David and letterer Lucas Gattoni for a brand new western graphic novel, Trick Pony, which will arrive on the site on Feb. 28. It’s about a gay rodeo star named Jimmy.

“Trick Pony is a project that has been germinating in my head and heart for over a decade,” Lockard said. “It’s a love letter to all my favorite Western stories but through a distinctly modern lens. Jimmy’s adventure is about self-fulfillment on the path to making your dreams come true… and accepting that some shadows are going to follow you for life.”

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Smash Pages Q&A: Alex Segura

The author and co-president of Archie Comics talks about his latest project, ‘The Black Ghost’ from comiXology.

Alex Segura has had a busy year. During the day he’s busy as the co-president of Archie Comics, where he’s editing books, including the company’s flagship title, Archie. This year he also published a new novel, Miami Midnight, which he claims will be the last book in his Pete Fernandez series for the time being.

This week comiXology starts to serialize The Black Ghost, a creator-owned miniseries that Segura co-wrote with Monica Gallagher. The comic tells the story of Lara Dominguez, a reporter trying to uncover a masked vigilante in the city, and plays with the intersections of crime fiction, pulp fiction and superheroes in interesting ways.

The first issue is out this week, and I asked Segura a few questions about the comic, crime fiction and collaboration.

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