Tag: Karen Berger

Warren Pleece returns to Dark Horse for ‘a dystopian eco-noir thriller’

The creator of ‘Incognegro’ will write and draw a new graphic novel for the Berger Books imprint.

Incognegro creator Warren Pleece will return with a new graphic novel next year from Berger Books, the Dark Horse imprint run by former Vertigo chief Karen Berger.

The Sunny-Luna Travelling Oracle is described as “a dystopian eco-noir thriller about power, escape, creation, and the mark we leave on the world.”

“My love of the natural world and learning about the Wood Wide Web grafted to my other permanent obsession with the long dramatic shadows cast by classic film noir, finally led me to this rip-snorting eco-thriller story with more than a touch of magic,” Pleece said.

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Chu + Lee revisit the first vampire in ‘Carmilla: The Last Vampire Hunter’

Dark Horse will publish the sequel graphic novel next July.

Dark Horse Comics has announced a sequel to Carmilla: The First Vampire, the graphic novel by Amy Chu and Soo Lee published earlier this year. Carmilla: The Last Vampire Hunter will feature lettering by Sal Cipriano and will arrive in stores next July.

Based on a 19th century queer feminist murder mystery, Carmilla: The First Vampire was a contemporary retelling set in 1990s New York Chinatown. The new OGN follows social worker-turned-vampire hunter Athena Lo to San Francisco as she investigates her family’s dark history.

“Excited to continue the story of Athena and Carmilla, this time on the West Coast, and to introduce a whole new world of pan-Asian supernatural characters to the readers,” said Chu. “I hope with the Last Vampire, Soo Lee and I help define Asian American horror as a genre.”

The trip to SF will bring new challenges and introduce a new vampire threat — with the shadow of Carmilla still hanging over Athena. The book falsl under the Berger Books banner, the imprint overseen by former Vertigo chief Karen Berger.

“I’ve fallen in love with these characters as I bring them to life on paper, and Athena has a very special place in my heart,” said Lee. “Introducing a new cast of Asian Vampires creates a twist to the genre that I hope will become a new trend for many years to come. This story has become a part of me and this sequel is one I hope resonates with many people, especially if family is an important part of you. 

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Dark Horse will wrap up ‘She Can Fly’ with a graphic novel

The third chapter of Christopher Cantwell and Martín Morazzo’s Berger Books title will arrive all at once, in October.

Christopher Cantwell, Martín Morazzo and Miroslav Mrva will soar once more with the final volume of She Can Fly in October. She Can Fly: Fight or Flight will be released as an original graphic novel through Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint, wrapping up the story of Luna — who finally gets to fly.

“Luna finally gets to fly, and we fly with her in this storytelling tour-de-force from Christopher, Martin and Mirsolav,” said Karen Berger, who oversees the Berger Books imprint. “It’s an emotional and thrilling finale that totally captured my heart.”

She Could Fly debuted as a miniseries back in 2018, and was followed by a second miniseries, She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot, in 2019. While both were released as single issues and then later collected, the third volume will be released as a single collection, much like the finales of two other Berger Books titles, Invisible Kingdom and The Seeds.

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Grayson + Adamovic conjure up the magical realism story ‘Rewild’

The new graphic novel will be published by Berger Books/Dark Horse in October.

Berger Books, the Dark Horse imprint run by Karen Berger, has announced a new magical realism graphic novel that will arrive in October — Rewild, by writer Devin Grayson, artist Yana Adamovic and letterer Sal Cipriano.

“Beautifully written and illustrated, Devin and Yana have crafted captivating characters in a timely tale where reality, myth and magic overlap,” Berger said. “This lyrical and powerful story deals with the fragility of the mind and our planet in unforgettable ways.”

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Music meets the apocalypse in Milligan + Hervas’ ‘Tomorrow’

New title due from Berger Books in February.

The deluxe edition of Enigma wasn’t the only Peter Milligan news Dark Horse revealed at the New York Comic Con — they also announced that Milligan, Jesús Hervas, and James Devlin are working together on a new miniseries titled Tomorrow for their Berger Books imprint.

“It’s so great to be working with Peter Milligan again! He’s simply one of the best, and his new thriller Tomorrow shows why he continues to be one of comics’ most original, provocative, and passionate writers,” said Berger. “Jesús Hervas’s illustrative and expressive art is perfect for this frightening tale that could very well be our future.”

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Berger Books will bring you ‘Everything’ in September

Christopher Cantrell and INJ Culbard bring megastore mayhem to Michigan in a new ongoing series.

Karen Berger’s line of comics at Dark Horse will expand in September to include, well, Everything.

“I love Everything!” said Karen Berger. “It’s like if Twin Peaks and Stranger Things had a baby and Ray Bradbury was the godfather. It’s truly one of the strangest and most surreal series I’ve ever published, while being incredibly moving and relatable.”

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‘Ruby Falls’ is a modern murder mystery with a feminist edge

Ann Nocenti, Flavia Biondi and Lee Loughridge team for a new title from Berger Books.

The Seeds writerAnn Nocenti will team with Italian artist Flavia Biondi and colorist Lee Loughridge on Ruby Falls, a new noir murder mystery title from Dark Horse’s Berger Books line.

Described as “a dazzling and unforgettably modern murder mystery with a feminist edge,” the story revolves around three generations of women and the mysterious disappearance of one of Ruby Falls’ residents during the town’s “mobster-ruled heyday.”

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‘The Girl in the Bay’ surfaces at Berger Books next year

J.M. DeMatteis and Corin Howell team up on a new comic coming from Karen Berger’s Dark Horse imprint.

The Berger Books line continues to grow, as the Dark Horse imprint announced a new title at the New York Comic Con this weekend — The Girl in the Bay by J.M. DeMatteis and Corin Howell.

This isn’t the first time the prolific DeMatteis has worked with editor Karen Berger, as Vertigo published The Last One and Mercy back in the day.

“The chance to work with Karen Berger again was too good to pass up,” said J.M. DeMatteis. “I was part of the launch of the Vertigo imprint 25 years ago, and I’m delighted to be a part of this exciting new chapter in Karen’s career. I’m equally delighted to have the amazing Corin Howell illustrating our project, The Girl in the Bay: a dark tale of mysticism, time-travel, cosmic identity theft, and murder.”

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Comics Lowdown: Judge Dredd co-creator Carlos Ezquerra passes away

Mark Waid sued, and gets a new job! Vertigo prepares for NYCC! Plus Ryan Ferrier, Jason Lutes, John McCrea and more!

Passings: Carlos Ezquerra, 2000 AD artist and co-creator of Judge Dredd, has passed away, the Guardian and the Hollywood Reporter both reported this week. The 70-year-old artist was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010, and the disease returned this year.

“It is difficult to put this into words, but we have lost someone who was the heart and soul of 2000AD. It is no exaggeration to call Carlos Ezquerra one of the greatest comic book artists of all time, and his name deserves to be uttered alongside Kirby, Ditko, Miller, Moebius and Eisner,” reads a statement issued by 2000AD. “Yet this doesn’t really do justice to someone whose work was loved by millions and has had an influence far beyond the comic book page. From Judge Dredd to Strontium Dog, from Rat Pack to Major Eazy, Carlos has left us with a legacy of stunning and distinctive work that was and always will be 2000 AD. He has been one of the pillars, producing the same dynamic, enthralling and arresting art we always loved him for. We thought we had many more adventures to come from the master, so we are devastated to discover we were wrong.”

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‘She Could Fly’ lifts off from Berger Books

Christopher Cantwell and Martín Morazzo team up for a new title from the Dark Horse Comics imprint.

Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint, from former Vertigo editor Karen Berger, will add another comic to its flight plan this summer — She Could Fly by writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Martín Morazzo.

Cantwell is the co-creator and showrunner of the AMC drama Halt and Catch Fire, while Morazzo has been the artist on such comics as Nighthawk, Elektra, Great Pacific and Ice Cream Man. Miroslav Mrva, who has worked on Ghosted and Foolkiller, will provide colors.

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Kalish, Ormes announced for Eisner Hall of Fame class of 2018

Comic-Con International announces the 2018 judge’s picks and other nominees for this year’s Eisner Hall of Fame.

Direct market pioneer Carol Kalish and black female newspaper cartoonist Jackie Ormes will be inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in July at Comic-Con International, as announced by CCI on their official blog this week.

Kalish, who worked as direct sales manager and vice president of new product development at Marvel Comics from 1981 to 1991, is credited with pioneering the comics direct market when it was in its adolescence, in part through a program in which Marvel helped pay for comic book stores to acquire cash registers. Kalish also spearheaded the expansion of the Marvel’s distribution into major bookstores such as B. Daltons and Waldenbooks. Kalish passed away in 1991 from a brain aneurysm, at the age 36.

Ormes was the first, and for a long time only, black female newspaper cartoonist. In the 1930s she wrote and drew Dixie in Harlem comics featuring Torchy Brown. After returning to her roots in journalism, she published Candy, a single-panel cartoon about a witty housemaid in 1945. Then she created Patty-Jo ’n’ Ginger, another single-panel cartoon about a pair of sisters, which ran for 11 years through 1956. Finally, from 1950 to 1954, Ormes revamped Torchy Brown into Torchy in Heartbeats, an 8-page color comic insert that included paper dolls. Ormes passed away in 1985.

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Comics Lowdown: We’re all doomed! Or not!

A writer predicts the demise of Marvel comics, but the DC honchos are bullish on their medium. Plus: Sitting down with Los Bros Hernandez.

Let’s kick things off with some doom and gloom! At the Disney theme park fan site The Kingdom Insider, Thom Pratt asks “Will Disney Stop Publishing Marvel Comic Books?” Pratt makes some good points: The Marvel universe most people are familiar with comes from the movies, not the comics; the comics themselves are not really accessible to most people, both literally (because of the uneven distribution and quality of comic shops) and figuratively (because the storylines cross over and the continuity is complex); and the profits are low relative to what a large corporation like Disney expects. Of course, this is all unvarnished speculation, with no insider knowledge, but there’s food for thought here—and as Pratt points out, Marvel is already outsourcing its digests to Archie and its young-readers Star Wars comics to IDW.

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