I'd like to start by saying that I love comic books, I've loved comic books since middle school and I'll always love comics till' the day I die. I was introduced to comics through a friend of mine back in my middle school years. I remember clearly cutting class and walking downtown to play the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game. On one occasion, my good friend Francisco J. Rivera asked me to accompany him because he wanted to check this little "mom & pop shop" called Tropically. In that little "store" you could find playing cards, candy, mugs and some small magazines that my friend referred to as comic books. I've knew Spider-Man, Thor, Hulk and Iron Man from the Saturday morning cartoons, but I had no idea that they first appeared in this comic books. Being an artist myself and having drawn superheroes for years without even knowing what a comic book was, was very excited; as you might imagine. The first comics I bought were some Marvel Comics, mostly Wolverine, Milestone Comics' Blood Syndicate and quite a few DC Comics' Batman issues. I remember vividly making my first comic book "lay-away" and walking to that store every day to add a dollar on my debt.
Now you might be wondering why I'm giving you my history with comics and there's a Dynamite Comics logo at the beginning of the Blog post, well... this is why. People say that you never get as excited about comics as that first time you opened your first one, and I thought that was true; until I discovered Dynamite Entertainment. Now I want to clarify that I don't work for Dynamite (although I'd love to pencil one of their books), I don't know anyone working there and they don't sponsor me in any way, shape or form; I just love their comics. I haven't been as excited about a comic as I was over Dynamite's Kirby: Genesis.
Now you might be wondering why I'm giving you my history with comics and there's a Dynamite Comics logo at the beginning of the Blog post, well... this is why. People say that you never get as excited about comics as that first time you opened your first one, and I thought that was true; until I discovered Dynamite Entertainment. Now I want to clarify that I don't work for Dynamite (although I'd love to pencil one of their books), I don't know anyone working there and they don't sponsor me in any way, shape or form; I just love their comics. I haven't been as excited about a comic as I was over Dynamite's Kirby: Genesis.
Tauted as "The Kirby Event of the new millennium, brought to you by the best-selling and award-winning creators of MARVELS!"
Here's a quick synopsis:
The Pioneer 10 space probe carried a message to the stars. Now an answer's on the way -- but not one we expected! When it arrives, the lives of three ordinary people -- and the entire world -- will be changed forever. Featuring Captain Victory, Silver Star and more of Jack Kirby's greatest concepts, including characters never before seen in comics form! Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY) and Alex Ross (KINGDOM COME) team up for their first full collaboration since 1994, with finished art (from Alex's layouts) by Jack Herbert (BLACK TERROR). Don't miss this tantalizing prelude to KIRBY: GENESIS -- a bold, explosive adventure debuting a universe of wild Kirby creations! This is the beginning.
This is THE Genesis!
When I read that synopsis, being one of Jack "King" Kirby's fans, I almost had a heart attack! I felt like I was a 12 year old again, faking being asleep so my mom can go to bed and I can sneak into the living room and open my presents on Christmas Eve. Dynamite Entertainment had done something I thought wasn't possible, they made me feel as excited about a comic book as I was when I first held one in my hands. This would be the first of many more to come and the beginning of a comic book publisher replacing the void that Marvel Comics left in me because of their treatment of Jack Kirby, Gary Friedrich and many other golden age creators and also, their lack of respect or integrity towards their customers. Thank you Dynamite Entertainmet!
Here's a quick synopsis:
The Pioneer 10 space probe carried a message to the stars. Now an answer's on the way -- but not one we expected! When it arrives, the lives of three ordinary people -- and the entire world -- will be changed forever. Featuring Captain Victory, Silver Star and more of Jack Kirby's greatest concepts, including characters never before seen in comics form! Kurt Busiek (ASTRO CITY) and Alex Ross (KINGDOM COME) team up for their first full collaboration since 1994, with finished art (from Alex's layouts) by Jack Herbert (BLACK TERROR). Don't miss this tantalizing prelude to KIRBY: GENESIS -- a bold, explosive adventure debuting a universe of wild Kirby creations! This is the beginning.
This is THE Genesis!
When I read that synopsis, being one of Jack "King" Kirby's fans, I almost had a heart attack! I felt like I was a 12 year old again, faking being asleep so my mom can go to bed and I can sneak into the living room and open my presents on Christmas Eve. Dynamite Entertainment had done something I thought wasn't possible, they made me feel as excited about a comic book as I was when I first held one in my hands. This would be the first of many more to come and the beginning of a comic book publisher replacing the void that Marvel Comics left in me because of their treatment of Jack Kirby, Gary Friedrich and many other golden age creators and also, their lack of respect or integrity towards their customers. Thank you Dynamite Entertainmet!
My second Dynamite book after Kirby: Genesis was The Shadow. Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of man? The Shadow knows! The Shadow returned to comic shops written by a man born to write him- Garth Ennis. But comics is a visual medium and as such, when you have such a prolific writer and such an iconic character, you need an artist who'll bring the writer's vision to life. Enter Aaron Campbell. His work on this book is a "pulptastic!" Featuring covers by Alex Ross, Howard Chaykin, Jae Lee and John Cassady, this book definitely jumps out at you from the stands.
"The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this of the Atlantic," says writer Garth Ennis. "It makes a kind of bloody, bullet riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later."
"The Shadow is an awesome character in an awesome time," adds artist Aaron Campbell. "I mean what's not to like? You have the old school mystique of eastern mysticism wrapped up with a badass gunslinger!"
It's important to note that I've never bought a pulp comic or magazine before The Shadow, so I was coming in without know what to expect; and was blown away!
"The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven't gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this of the Atlantic," says writer Garth Ennis. "It makes a kind of bloody, bullet riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later."
"The Shadow is an awesome character in an awesome time," adds artist Aaron Campbell. "I mean what's not to like? You have the old school mystique of eastern mysticism wrapped up with a badass gunslinger!"
It's important to note that I've never bought a pulp comic or magazine before The Shadow, so I was coming in without know what to expect; and was blown away!
After The Shadow came another first for me; The Lone Ranger! When I was a kid, I used to watch The Lone Ranger on the TV at my grandma's house and loved him! That was a much simpler time and he was a great role model for a young boy like me. I have a fond memory of my father coming by on my birthday and giving me a paper bag. In it was a Masters of The Universe's Skeletor action figure and a Lone Ranger action figure, and it came with his white stallion Silver. I absolutely loved that toy, so much so that almost 20 years later I remember exactly how it looked.
Even with as much affection as I had for the character, I never bought a comic based on him; until Dynamite launched The Lone Ranger #1. This comic marks another milestone in the history between Dynamite Entertainment and me; my first "western" comic book!
The book was written by Ande Parks with art by Esteve Pols, who worked on Dynamite's The Lone Ranger: The Death of Zorro miniseries; which i intend to get soon enough. The title begins with a six-part story called 'Hard Country', which sees the Lone Ranger - aka John Reid - and Tonto struggling out into the lawless Wild West.
"The Lone Ranger #1 begins our 'Hard Country' arc with a heart-breaking tale of loss that holds a mirror up to John Reid's past," said Parks.
I'm not much of a "westerns" reader but The Lone Ranger made me a convert and I intend to follow him and his loyal partner Tonto on all his future adventures. I just bought The Lone Ranger: Snake of Iron #1 and I can't wait to devour it!
Even with as much affection as I had for the character, I never bought a comic based on him; until Dynamite launched The Lone Ranger #1. This comic marks another milestone in the history between Dynamite Entertainment and me; my first "western" comic book!
The book was written by Ande Parks with art by Esteve Pols, who worked on Dynamite's The Lone Ranger: The Death of Zorro miniseries; which i intend to get soon enough. The title begins with a six-part story called 'Hard Country', which sees the Lone Ranger - aka John Reid - and Tonto struggling out into the lawless Wild West.
"The Lone Ranger #1 begins our 'Hard Country' arc with a heart-breaking tale of loss that holds a mirror up to John Reid's past," said Parks.
I'm not much of a "westerns" reader but The Lone Ranger made me a convert and I intend to follow him and his loyal partner Tonto on all his future adventures. I just bought The Lone Ranger: Snake of Iron #1 and I can't wait to devour it!
After I read The Shadow I've looking for new "Pulp" characters and /or books and who came to the rescue, well Dynamyte Entertainment of course! They came to my rescue in the form of The Spider! I have to say, when you first look at this character there's a sense of cool that immediately draws you in. The visuals on this book are breathtaking and the storytelling is sharp as a razor! The Spider, one of the greatest pulp characters of all time is now re-launched into the 21st century!
"Part of what makes The Spider so cool was the sheer scope of destruction caused by his villains," says writer David Liss. "The Spider's enemies thought nothing of demolishing city blocks, killing thousands, turning countless innocents into mindless slaves. Faced with crime this insane, The Spider had turned into a force of equal ferocity, destruction and ruthlessness. He's the most badass, and take-no-prisoners of the pulp heroes because he has to be, and it's been absolutely awesome transferring that kind of sentiment from the 1930's to contemporary times. Some things have been updated, but he's still the kind of vigilante that makes the bad guys wet their pants."
"Part of what makes The Spider so cool was the sheer scope of destruction caused by his villains," says writer David Liss. "The Spider's enemies thought nothing of demolishing city blocks, killing thousands, turning countless innocents into mindless slaves. Faced with crime this insane, The Spider had turned into a force of equal ferocity, destruction and ruthlessness. He's the most badass, and take-no-prisoners of the pulp heroes because he has to be, and it's been absolutely awesome transferring that kind of sentiment from the 1930's to contemporary times. Some things have been updated, but he's still the kind of vigilante that makes the bad guys wet their pants."
Now, after what you've read and what I've experienced with this awesome company, I wasn't expecting them to give me that same feeling of discovering comics for the first time, it's impossible right? WRONG!!! Just when I thought Dynamite Entertainment had reached their peak in terms of me loving the company and pledging allegiance to their books, they come with something so epic, so incredibly awesome it can only be described with one word; MASKS!!!
July 11th, 2012, Runnemede, NJ – The Shadow, Green Hornet, Kato, Zorro, The Spider, Miss Fury, The Black Bat and MORE are all featured in Masks, the Dynamite Entertainment cross-over featuring the top pulp heroes of all time. Written by Chris Roberson, the ENTIRE FIRST ISSUE IS PAINTED BY ALEX ROSS! This is his first full interior work since Justice at DC Comics!!! Masks is hitting comic book stores everywhere this November, also featuring covers by Alex Ross, Sean Phillips, Howard Chaykin and Jae Lee!
In Masks #1, it’s 1938, and the Justice Party has swept into office in New York State. But the newly-elected officials are in the control of powerful criminals, who quickly corrupt the law to their own advantage. When a fascist police state is instituted, the only ones who stand in defense of the innocent are masked vigilantes like the Shadow, the Green Hornet, Kato, and the Spider. When the law is unjust, justice must be an outlaw…
“For years now, Dynamite Entertainment and I have desired to unite all of the varied pulp characters they’ve been publishing into one big crossover event,” says legendary comic book creator Alex Ross. “When the Green Hornet and Kato paved the way for a successful relaunch of the original masked duo characters, we knew that the grand prize of revivals should then be the ultimate original, the Shadow. Now, to be able for the first time in history to have these legends meet, along with fellow mysterymen; The Spider, Zorro, Black Bat, and others, makes this project a unique accomplishment. I always thought that illustrating the first hero archetypes like The Shadow would be a milestone in my career. I’m thrilled to touch upon the legends that began the very concept of the superhero in Masks with a crossover that is literally the longest overdue.”
“Masks is the comic I’ve wanted to write since I first discovered the pulp heroes in the 1970s,” says writer Chris Roberson. “Just working with these characters is already a dream come true, but having the first issue painted by Alex Ross makes it that much more amazing!”
“When we were exploring writers, I emailed Chris and we spent a couple of emails back and forth and in that short span, he laid out a basic framework that was pitch-perfect for what we were looking for,” adds Dynamite Editor Joe Rybandt. “Alex had initially laid out a character list and high concept, but Chris added the flesh to the bones and we’ve got something really cool coming together here.”
“Alex is so incredibly excited about Masks, and realizes that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to draw so many classic and iconic characters in one series,” exclaims Dynamite President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. “Alex promptly jumped head-first when presented with the idea to paint the interiors of the entire first issue, which will bring the most amount of attention to the series possible”
Now, to end this I'd like to say just two words to Dynamite Entertainment, two words that come from the bottom of my heart; THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for making me fall in love with comics like I did so many years ago, thank you for striving to give your readers quality stories and for hiring top talent to work on your books. It'd be an honor to be a part of your team one day.
Best;
Manuel A. Carmona
In Masks #1, it’s 1938, and the Justice Party has swept into office in New York State. But the newly-elected officials are in the control of powerful criminals, who quickly corrupt the law to their own advantage. When a fascist police state is instituted, the only ones who stand in defense of the innocent are masked vigilantes like the Shadow, the Green Hornet, Kato, and the Spider. When the law is unjust, justice must be an outlaw…
“For years now, Dynamite Entertainment and I have desired to unite all of the varied pulp characters they’ve been publishing into one big crossover event,” says legendary comic book creator Alex Ross. “When the Green Hornet and Kato paved the way for a successful relaunch of the original masked duo characters, we knew that the grand prize of revivals should then be the ultimate original, the Shadow. Now, to be able for the first time in history to have these legends meet, along with fellow mysterymen; The Spider, Zorro, Black Bat, and others, makes this project a unique accomplishment. I always thought that illustrating the first hero archetypes like The Shadow would be a milestone in my career. I’m thrilled to touch upon the legends that began the very concept of the superhero in Masks with a crossover that is literally the longest overdue.”
“Masks is the comic I’ve wanted to write since I first discovered the pulp heroes in the 1970s,” says writer Chris Roberson. “Just working with these characters is already a dream come true, but having the first issue painted by Alex Ross makes it that much more amazing!”
“When we were exploring writers, I emailed Chris and we spent a couple of emails back and forth and in that short span, he laid out a basic framework that was pitch-perfect for what we were looking for,” adds Dynamite Editor Joe Rybandt. “Alex had initially laid out a character list and high concept, but Chris added the flesh to the bones and we’ve got something really cool coming together here.”
“Alex is so incredibly excited about Masks, and realizes that it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to draw so many classic and iconic characters in one series,” exclaims Dynamite President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. “Alex promptly jumped head-first when presented with the idea to paint the interiors of the entire first issue, which will bring the most amount of attention to the series possible”
Now, to end this I'd like to say just two words to Dynamite Entertainment, two words that come from the bottom of my heart; THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for making me fall in love with comics like I did so many years ago, thank you for striving to give your readers quality stories and for hiring top talent to work on your books. It'd be an honor to be a part of your team one day.
Best;
Manuel A. Carmona
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