PHOTO BY PAT LOIKA 2012 C2eE2

Amber Love 17-APR-2012 Over the weekend at C2E2, the big announcement was that Steve Bryant’s ATHENA VOLTAIRE will be published by Dark Horse’s imprint called Sequential Pulp.

Steve Bryant is one of the original ATHENA creators and has worked to become the sole holder of the rights. He is a past nominee of the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Eisner Award and an active member of the team blog, ComicTwart which visually tackles pulp characters each week. The relaunch includes things like reprinting material as a full omnibus and new material. Fans anticipate two new graphic novels and an illustrated prose anthology.

This is my selfish moment: I’m part of the team behind the prose anthology and we’ve been working on it for over a year. Our editor Chris Murrin has a huge task of managing the whole book. It’s a dream come true for me to be involved with this character. I weakly cosplayed as Athena at Summit City con in 2010. I used all store bought items because she does wear normal aviatrix clothing rather than spandex; but I wasn’t too happy with how I looked. It was all about spending a couple of minutes at the booth getting to catch up with her creator Steve Bryant. My attachment to Steve is that I liked him before being a fan of his. Meeting at smaller conventions and getting introduced to people casually rather than as a fan feels different. I don’t feel like I have to fawn all over comics to have a conversation. So whenever there’s a smaller show like CGS/WildPig or Summit City, I highly recommend foregoing an epic convention.

The relaunch of ATHENA VOLTAIRE is made possible after a successful Kickstarter campaign. I’ll be interviewing  Steve soon to discuss what impact the move to  Sequential Pulp/Dark Horse means to contributors of the crowdfunding and of course talking about the process as much as time allows. He’s a great resource for information since he’s had experience with everything from the art to publishing to promoting to legal.

Press Release: ATHENA VOLTAIRE FLIES TO SEQUENTIAL PULP ON A DARK HORSE

Globetrotting aviatrix Athena Voltaire battles Nazis, occult science, and mythical creatures against the backdrop of the pulp era. And now she’s coming in for a landing with Sequential Pulp Comics.

Co-publishers Sequential Pulp Comics and Dark Horse Comics are pleased to announce their publishing plans for writer/artist Steve Bryant’s 1930s heroine.

“Steve and I share a common love for all things pulp and for telling great stories. His character, Athena Voltaire, could not be a better fit for our line of graphic novels,” said Sequential Pulp president Michael Hudson. “These stories will have a beginning, a middle, and a true end to them, giving the reader a complete and fulfilling experience. The art and the writing are masterful. I can’t wait to see how Steve and his team develop this wonderful property as we move ahead.”

“I can’t think of a better home for Athena Voltaire than the Sequential Pulp imprint. Their commitment to adapting genre classics and creating new pulp icons is second to none,” said Bryant. “To be published through Dark Horse is the cherry on top. Hellboy, B.P.R.D., Buffy, Battlepug—they put out some of the best comics on the stands today. I’m flattered and humbled to see my book added to such a prestigious line!”

Athena Voltaire launched as a part of the Modern Tales family of webcomics in 2002 and was nominated for a Best Digital Comic Eisner Award in 2005. The feature was also included in St. Martin’s The Year’s Best Graphic Novels, Comics and Manga (2004 edition).

In addition to covering representational rights, the exclusive print and digital publishing agreement calls for an Omnibus edition containing remastered versions of the previously published Athena Voltaire material followed by new adventures, including two graphic novels and an illustrated prose anthology.

With titles scheduled into 2015 and beyond, Athena Voltaire is sure to continue to please her existing fan base as well as those who will be coming aboard through this relaunch. Anyone who enjoys pulp, classic adventure stories, classic and modern comics will fall in love with this heroine who is unlike any other in comics today.

About Dark Horse Comics:
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S., and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.

About Sequential Pulp Comics:

Sequential Pulp is a new imprint and production house whose focus is on publishing graphic novels based on classic to neo pulp of all genres. Its books will include both licensed and creator-owned material.

About Steve Bryant:
Steve Bryant began his comics career with the launch of Athena Voltaire as a webcomic, eventually earning him an Eisner Award nomination in 2005, and a nomination for the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award in 2007. Bryant has contributed artwork to publications from Image, IDW, and Ape Entertainment, as well. Outside of comics, Steve has produced illustrations for everything from clip art and greeting cards to theme park design and roleplaying games.

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