Sunday, December 28, 2008

January 09 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the January 2009 PREVIEWS catalog!


Super Human Resources 2 - “This might be the funniest comic book Man has ever produced." - Jeff Marsick, Newsarama-Best Shots. Tim must track down missing purchase orders from the dark, mysterious Wombat. Manboto 3.4 woos Sarah in payroll…poorly. And Zombor has a flesh-starved zombie rampage. Apparently, he doesn't handle surprise birthday parties particularly well.





The Wind Raider 3 - In a dangerous and unforgiving world Overload Dagon prepares an evil force that will alter the wasteland forever. The only chance of stopping him is young Joshua, who is given the gift of life after death…and the power over the wind that dominates the land. But getting his mysterious mentor, Tristan, the Wind Raider, to train him as a Ki Warrior will prove to be a challenge. Tristan’s sole purpose in living is to reconcile his haunted past with an act of revenge.


Super Human Resources 2 (of 4) JAN09 3975
Wind Raider 3 (of 3) cover A - JAN09 3976
Wind Raider 3 (of 3) cover B - JAN09 3977
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Friday, December 12, 2008

Black Coat/Athena Voltaire One-Shot Preview Pages!

You've seen how the cover came about, now let's take a look at the guts of the book—some of 'em anyway...

Here's how the Athena Voltaire story kicks off.

The book is available for preorder now! Cover price of $2 and available with your choice of cover:

Black Coat cover: DEC083747
Athena Voltaire cover:
DEC083748

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Evolution of a Cover, part 3


The next step in the project—Jason Millet adds his brilliant colors to the piece!

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Evolution of a Cover, part 2


Updating the pencils that I posted the yesterday, here are the inks from the Athena Voltaire/Black Coat Special.

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Monday, December 8, 2008

Evolution of a Cover, part 1

It all started with the idea of doing a flip book.

Last Summer, I had been pestering Head Apes Brent Erwin and David Hedgecock about the Athena Voltaire relaunch and wanted to do an entry-level book; something inexpensive to remind longtime readers that AV wasn't gone, and to introduce the book to new readers.

It turns out that Black Coat mastermind Ben Lichius was thinking similar thoughts for everyone's favorite Revolutionary War super-spy.

While tearing down the Ape display at Comic-Con, David offhandedly remarked "You and Ben should do some kind of flip book crossover." And that was pretty much it.

In researching the concept further, we learned that Diamond would only include one cover in the catalog. So much for the idea of a flipbook, right? Since the book is an introduction to both universes, and since we're producing it at a loss, we opted to rethink our cover strategy. After all, how well does it serve both series if only one of them gets a picture in the Previews catalog?

The solution we went with was the multiple covers making up one larger image. Shown here are a concept sketch by Ben and a penciled version of that sketch by me.

More tomorrow...

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Sunday, December 7, 2008

December 08 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the December 2008 PREVIEWS catalog!


The Athena Voltaire and Black Coat Special - Two Pulptastic Heroes. Two Complete Stories. Two Centuries. Two Dollars.
Find out what a Revolutionary-era Crusader and 1930's Aviatrix have in common, besides their status as two of Ape's most exciting heroes. An adventure spanning two centuries: from the Black Coat facing down a pirate attack to Athena Voltaire encountering the horrifying consequences of the treasure they sought. The two variant covers by Eisner-award nominee Steve Bryant combine to form a poster image. A crossover 150 years in the making!





Sista Samurai 2 - Sista Samurai is set up for stealing the Golden Dragon and becomes Tokyo’s public enemy number one!  Meanwhile, the mysterious JADE MASK has made his move against the other Yakuza organizations. How can a fashion super-model have it so bad?  It all happens here!





Super Human Resources 1 - If you ever had a job, Super Human Resources is FUNNY. If you ever liked superheroes, Super Human Resources is VERY FUNNY." Joe Kelly (Spider-Man, JLA, Deadpool.) Tim joins the HR department of the world's greatest super team. Hope he survives the experience!! Because, um, he might not. Just saying.





The Wind Raider 2 - A deadly destiny collides with the mythological past in a windswept world dominated by evil. Catch the exciting action as the Ki Warrior, Tristan, tries to extract revenge from the Overlord Dagon. And witness the death…and rebirth of Joshua as he becomes the next…Wind Raider! Gabe Hardman, Hollywood story board artist for such theatrical franchises as “Spiderman” and “The X-men,” has created a visual masterpiece of SF-Fantasy. Remember – when you control the Wind…you control the future.


The Athena Voltaire and Black Coat Special cover A - DEC08 3747
The Athena Voltaire and Black Coat Special cover B - DEC08 3748
Sista Samurai 2 (of 3) - DEC08 3749
Super Human Resources 1 (of 4) cover A - DEC08 3752
Super Human Resources 1 (of 4) cover B - DEC08 3753
Wind Raider 2 (of 3) cover A - DEC08 3750
Wind Raider 2 (of 3) cover B - DEC08 3751
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Sunday, November 30, 2008

November 08 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the November 2008 PREVIEWS catalog!



Scarlet Veronica #4 - Monsters, Demons, Zombies, oh my! Hell has been ripped open and Raimiesville is the epicentre. Veronica and her friends must fight through the hordes of zombies, only to face the true source of evil… RA. Can Veronica save Raimiesville, and the world from this apocalyptic end?!





Sista Samurai #11 - She’s smart, beautiful, deadly…and SUPER BAD! Who is this super-model by day and ninja by night that has become the scourge of the Japanese underworld?





The Wind Raider #1 - In a post-apocalyptic wasteland a heroic loner emerges to battle the evil that has spread across a windswept world dominated by swift land sailors and marauding desert pirates. Michael David (Director of “Shoot em’ up”) calls “The Wind Raider” “sweeping science fiction…part Road Warrior, part Star Wars, part Moebius.”


Scarlet Veronica 4 (of 4) - NOV08 3762
Sista Samurai 1 - NOV08 3763 cover A - NOV08 3764 cover B
The Wind Raider 1 - NOV08 3765 cover A - NOV08 3766 cover B
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Sunday, November 2, 2008

Welcome to Super Human Resources





















Update! Check out our new trailer here.

We have a new comic coming out from the very awesome Ape Entertainment. It's called Super Human Resources. It's about a temp joining the HR department of the world's greatest super team. 

Anywho, head our over to our site and give a looksie to our preview pages in "Office Orientation." Love to know what you think.

And check out our review at Newsarama here. "This might be the funniest comic book Man has ever produced." Not bad for our first time out.

Most of all,  remember to tell your favorite comic book store to order Super Human Resources in the Dec Previews. And you will know awesomeness.  Thanks for your support!

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Wednesday, October 1, 2008

October 08 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the October 2008 PREVIEWS catalog!


Heresy #4 - Baker’s uneasy alliance with the Centuris is shattered by unthinkable betrayal, but even in it’s hour of triumph, mankind’s legendary enemy falls prey to a traitorous heart. Finally, it is up to the policeman and one who long ago surrendered his humanity, to decide the ultimate fate of the Bloodless.





Scarlet Veronica #3 - When they say high school is HELL, they aren't kidding! Zombies ATTACK Romero High and Veronica gets to bash some flesh chuckers, but when a blood thirsty BEHEMOTH uses her arm like a chew toy- Veronica takes a class in horror 101!





Subculture The TPB - At long last, the critically-acclaimed mini-series is collected! Join Jason, Arthur, Noel, and the entire Kingdom Comix gang through life, romance, and innumerable layers of geekdom! This book is packed with extras, including easter egg explanations, new pinups, and the first 24 strips of SubCulture’s continuation as a twice-weekly webcomic!





The Wind Raider - When you control the wind, you control the future! In a post-apocalyptic wasteland a heroic loner emerges to battle the evil that has expanded across a barren, windswept world dominated by swift land sailors and marauding desert pirates. With art by Spiderman 3 storyboard artist Gabe Hardman, this specially-priced preview issue paves the way for the upcoming Wind Raider mini-series and movie!


Heresy 4 (of 4) - OCT08 3820
Scarlet Veronica 3 (of 4) - OCT08 3821
Subculture TPB - OCT08 3822
The Wind Raider - OCT08 3823
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Saturday, August 30, 2008

September 08 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the September 2008 PREVIEWS catalog!


The Goblin Chronicles Volume 1 TPB - An all-ages fantasy adventure in the vein of Shrek meets The Lord of the Rings. Magic, monsters, and mayhem lead four young heroes on a quest to stop the evil Dark Queen. Collects the entire miniseries, two prequel stories, and cover gallery featuring Jack Lawrence, Tim Seeley and Joe Suitor.





Heresy #3 - Beyond any human justice, Besilov is hunted by his own kind and swears vengeance on the blood traitors who would put him back in chains. Investigating the most lethal case of his career and dangerously distracted by his cousin's disappearance, Baker searches for answers, not knowing it's already too late.





Scarlet Veronica #2 - For Veronica, DEATH was just the beginning. Now she faces an army of the undead, including a ghastly grim reaper, a sadistic St. Nick, and a GIANT freakin' zombie with road rage! This Christmas put SCARLET VERONICA on your naughty list.





Sista Samurai #0- Keiko Bernard is the world’s premiere supermodel, one of the beautiful people. But she also has a dark side… Taken in by a secret society of notorious ninjas and trained to be one of their own she now yearns for revenge upon those who destroyed her family and ripped away the only chance of happiness she ever had. Little does the world know that Keiko, the super-model and sinner, is also the crime fighting scourge of the Japanese underworld known as…SISTA SAMURAI.


The Goblin Chronicles Volume 1 TPB - SEP08 3716
Heresy #3 (of 4) - SEP08 3717
Scarlet Veronica #2 (of 4) - SEP08 3718
Sista Samurai #0 - SEP08 3719
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

August 08 Previews

New Ape Entertainment product is now available for order in the August 2008 PREVIEWS catalog!
This month we get you, our loyal readers, ready for that fun-filled, costume parading, ghoul-filled day we all know and love- Halloween!


First up: Attack of the Monstrology! The new anthology from some of the industry's most amazing new talent! AOTM is our love-letter to all those B-Monster movies you loved watching back in the day and a perfect way to get you into the holiday spirit!




Next, the creep factor climbs for our cop, Matt Baker, as the grisly murder cases he's trying to solve take a strange and unexpected turn in- Heresy #2!




Then, sit down and strap in for the action-packed thrill ride of the Halloween season! Horror has a new hero and her name is Scarlet Veronica! (Make sure you ask your local comic shoppe how to get the SV #1 alternate cover by Sullengrey artist- Drew Rausch!)




Finally, Ape Entertainment celebrates the first season of the incredibly successful TEDDY SCARES graphic novels with the season ending collector's box set! 4 sets in all, each includes a beautiful slipcase and the all new Teddy Scares Volume 5 finale!




Attack of the Monstrology! - AUG08 3731
Heresy #2 (of 4) - AUG08 3732
Scarlet Veronica #1 (of 4) - AUG08 3733
Teddy Scares Box Set A - AUG08 3735
-Regular edition set.
Teddy Scares Box Set B - AUG08 3736
-Alternate edition set (alternate covers of the first 4 issues never offered before!).
Teddy Scares Box Set C - AUG08 3737
-Just the slipcase and volume 5 set!
Teddy Scares Box Set D - AUG08 3738
-Mini-figure set, includes a mini-bear!
Give your local comic shoppe these handy order codes to make their lives easy!

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Ape Booth at Wizard Chicago, June 27–29

We'll be at this year's Wizard World Chicago, June 26-29 so be sure to stop by our booth -- number 1041 -- where we will debut the new Black Coat One Shot and also Femme Noir #1! In addition to that we'll have plenty other Ape Entertainment offerings along with other cool Ape swag!

Here is the list of Ape creators attending this year’s Wizard World Chicago:

David Hedgecock Co-Publisher |General Partner
Brent E. Erwin Co-Publisher | General Partner
Kevin Freeman Editor-in-Chief, creator/writer of Subculture
Stan Yan artist/creator of Subculture
Jason Moody creator of Scarlet Veronica
Gavin Schmidt artist on a "Super Secret" Ape Project
Chris Studabaker creator Fablewood Anthology
Matt Anderson creator White Picket Fences
Eric Hutchens creator White Picket Fences
Brian Mead artist White Picket Fences
Ken Marcus creator/writer Super Human Resources
Justin Bleep creator/artist Super Human Resources
Jerzy Drozd creator/artist Rise Kraken
Steve Bryant creator Athena Voltaire

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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Ape Booth At Heroes Con This Weekend

The summer convention season continues as this weekend is Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. It's both the closest con to my house (it's about a two hour drive for me) and arguably my favorite con of the year. Why? Lots of reasons. For one thing, it's a very friendly con--Sheldon and his crew take very good care of the guests and exhibitors.

Second, it's an accessible show. That means that it's not overly crowded. Anyone who has been to San Diego knows exactly what I mean--it's so crowded there that you can't move on occasion, much less meet guests, go to panels, or heaven forbid, go through the dollar boxes on the floor. Heroes Con doesn't have that problem. The number of people, and the space available for those people, is just about perfect.


Third, it has the best charity auction in comics. Everyone, from the big names to the small ones, usually do a piece for the auction. Granted, stuff from Adam Hughes and a few others goes for ridiculous money, but many of the pieces are very affordable and very good. You'll even get a chance to see some of the people creating their charity pieces before your very eyes--it's fun to watch.


Fourth and finally, it's a very indie friendly show. Tons of small press people are there, and the crowd is very indie-appreciative. That usually makes for a profitable week for most of them.


If you're at the show, I'll be at table SP-31. Come by, say hello, and buy a few APE books!



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Friday, May 9, 2008

Steve Bryant on Radio Wayne

Wayne Cordova, of the very entertaining Radio Wayne Podcast, had me on as a guest this week. Wayne and I discussed Athena's past, present and future, as well as talking about movies, comics and my other upcoming Ape Entertainment book, Ursula Wilde. The Athena Voltaire trade paperback collection, Flight of the Falcon is Wayne's Indy Pick of the Month and he tells you how you can get it for a whopping 45% off!

For those of you unfamiliar with Wayne's show, it's an entertaining look at movies, tv, comics and general geekery, all told in a warm, conversational manner. Wayne has years of radio experience and it shows in his podcast.

Download the episode here.


Type rest of the post here

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Steve Bryant on Comic Geek Speak

I stopped in to chat with the Comic Geek Speak guys earlier this week. In addition to talking about Athena Voltaire (and the newly-solicited AV trade paperback collection of Flight of the Falcon), we went through the latest issues of Diamond Distributors' Previews. Lots of Ape-love in this episode!

As mentioned above, Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon is in the latest Previews, as is our first trade paperback, The Collected Webcomics.

Order the books with the following codes:
Flight of the Falcon: MAY083588
The Collected Webcomics:
MAY083589

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Sunday, May 4, 2008

Femme Noir #2 in PREVIEWS Now

The May Edition of Diamond Comics Distribution's PREVIEWS catalog is in stores now, and contains the solicitation for the second issue of the Femme Noir: Dark City Diaries miniseries. You can find it on page 214, along with some other great Ape Entertainment titles.

As with the first issue, #2 will feature two variant covers: the "A"cover by Joe Staton and Alfredo Lopez, Jr., and a guest cover by Matt Haley (Ghost, Birds of Prey, G.I. Spy). Each version has its own order code (see below) so you can choose in advance which version you want to get.

Here's a brief synopsis of issue #2, "Dead Man's Hand:" A husband's bad luck at cards results in a violent, twisted web of lies, blackmail, murder, and an explosive climax at sea with Port Nocturne's beautiful and deadly protector.

And here's what "Mistah Z" at Project Fanboy had to say about this issue:

This story continues the compelling crime/noir feel that was initiated with the first issue. While archetypical to the genre, I found the story to still manage to be fresh and compelling, giving some pulpy nods to its inspirations. The sub-plotting introduces and develops some "lesser" (for now, at least) characters, drives the main plot, and continues the mystery of "who is Femme Noir?" by trotting out all the possible suspects just long enough to keep you wondering. Joe Staton's art continues to be top notch and, once again, really ties the whole crime/noir vibe together. I'm looking forward to seeing how this mini-series develops.
The Diamond Item Code is MAY083591. (Staton & Lopez)
The Diamond Item Code is MAY083592. (Haley)

Remember, if you can pre-order it from your local comics shop, please do. Every pre-order helps a lot, and shows the store owner that there is interest in the book, which may lead him to order a few more copies for the shelves. Not sure where your closest comic shop is? Try the Comic Shop Locator Service or call 1-888-COMICBOOK.

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Saturday, March 22, 2008

SubCulture Now a Bi-weekly Webstrip


Ape's criticially-acclaimed slice-of-life comedy, SubCulture, winner of a 2007 Fanny Award, will continue, following it's 2007 4-issue mini-series, as a twice-weekly webstrip.

In fact, the first strips began on February 26. To date, eight new strips have been posted, following an original series of six strips done in 2007 as advertisement for the comic series.

There are plans to continue the strip indefinitely, as there are countless stories left to tell about Jason, Arthur, Noel, and the rest of the crew.

Should demand warrant it, there are plans to publish the webstrips on a regular basis, either in floppy or book form. Also, the possibility exists that production could increase, again, depending on demand.

So sit back and enjoy.

You can find the webstrip at http://www.subculturecomic.com. Be sure to vote for it as a favorite!


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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Peace in Our Time—Athena Voltaire Returns!

Ape's Aviatrix returns to the skies in 2008!

Paul Daly and I have settled our differences and have resolved to go our separate ways. The bottom line out of all of this is that Athena Voltaire will return!

Coming this Summer, we'll release the trade paperback collection of Flight of the Falcon.

Later this year, I'll be releasing the first of a series of standalone one-shots, graphic novellas, if you will. They'll be somewhere between 48 and 64 pages, perfect bound, and each one will be its own mini-trade. If you're the type who waits for the trade, you won't need to wait. If you're the bagging-and-boarding type, this is what you'll be getting, as well. I'm shooting for a $7–8 price on each volume.

Why the change? With the creator fallout between Paul and me last year, many retailers and readers alike don't know what the heck happened to our favorite aviatrix. If I produce complete done-in-one volumes, on time, I hope to earn back the consumer and retailer confidence we lost when the entire Mu-King miniseries was postponed and then eventually canceled.

The major change is that I'll be writing and drawing the adventures of our favorite aviatrix. Paul will continue to produce his webcomic, Terranauts, but will no longer be involved in Athena Voltaire. Paul's departure has resulted in a "taking his toys with him" scenario, so there will be some story modifications when the first one-shot releases. However, I can say that along with myself, editor Molly McBride and color artists Chad Fidler and Jason Millet are all happy with the tweaks to the comic and we're dying to share it with you.

Watch the skies! AV is back!

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Okay folks, I'm Christopher Mills, and I need some help. I'm trying to decide which cover layout/logo to use on the upcoming Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries comic book miniseries that I've written for Ape Entertainment.

For the past year or so, as we've steadily worked towards publication, I've been pretty well set on the layout/logo above left. I felt that it was less intrusive to the great art I was getting for the covers and looked kind of, well... classy.

But recently, various people – including my publishers! – have been pointing out that the original Femme Noir logo by Nate Piekos (above right) has a certain amount of brand value, as series artist Joe Staton and I have been using it in association with the property since it began as a webcomic back in March of 2001. That's nearly seven years! Their argument is that we have spent a lot of time building brand equity into that logo and that it would be foolish to not use it on the comic book. It's a good point.

Now, I still personally prefer the "deco" look I came up with, but I'm open-minded, and the original logo certainly "works." I guess I'd just like to get a few more opinions before I make up my mind....

So what do you think? Post your choice in the comments and help me out, okay?

Thanks!

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Pre-Order Goblin Chronicles #2!

Pre-order issue #2 today at your local comic shop (in stores March 2008).

Issue Description:
Before our heroes can confront the Dark Queen, they must consult a mysterious oracle. With the queen’s evil minions in hot pursuit, our heroes venture into a mad wizard's domain, where they must successfully solve his magical maze … or become his eternal servants! 31 pages of story and art!

There are two covers to choose from. Click image for larger view.

goblin chonicles comic book cover A
COVER A
by Fogel & Terrell
Order code: Jan08-3354

goblin chonicles comic book cover B
COVER B
by Tim Seeley (Forgotten Realms, Gi Joe, Hack Slash) order code: Jan08-3355

Thanks ... and stay green!
http://www.thegoblinchronicles.com/

Troy Dye
Co-creator/writer

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Friday, January 4, 2008

Rise, Kraken! training manual excerpt: Standard Equipment

As many of you know (and several of you are sick of hearing), I've been working on a new comic with the insanely talented Jerzy Drozd, due out from Ape late this year.

What most people don't know is that I'm trying to make it a deeper experience than just a comic, with a lot of supplemental material available on the Web to world-build and make Rise, Kraken! something a bit more immersive* than standard comics fare.

One of these things is a training manual -- something a bit broader than KRAKEN, and that can apply to new recruits to pretty much any Global Domination Organization from HYDRA to SPECTRE. At the moment, I'm working on raw content, with layout and illos (probably photographs) to come later; the whole thing will be bundled as a downloadable PDF and may be available for sale if demand warrants.

I tried posting it here, but it's disgustingly long and Blogger doesn't let you generate a "more" tag without jumping through a ridiculous number of hoops. So you can read the excerpt over here instead. Sorry about the outlink!

*this is apparently not a word. So: "something one can immerse oneself in."

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