Graphic Novel Archives | Otaku No Culture

Ancient Explorers: The Lost City of Peru and The Man Behind the Legend Quest

Ancient Explorers: The Lost City of Peru is novel – comic book hybrid about two best friends on the quest for adventure!

People who attended SDCC a few weekends ago had plenty to look at. Whether that’d be comic books or the latest news on movies, there’s even something for the jungle explorer! Ancient Explorers: The Lost City of Peru is novel – comic book hybrid about two best friends on the quest for adventure! Together with two archaeologists, they discover an ancient map and a compass that’ll point them to more than adventure, but also self-discovery.

It’s now available across various platforms to read, and we at otakunoculture.com got a chance to talk to the author:

Could you please introduce yourself to readers unfamiliar with your work?

My name is Omar Mora. I am a writer, producer and actor from Puerto Rico who lives in Los Angeles. I have written two independent feature films; 30 Days with my brother and Inside the Circle. Both available on VOD. I have written a series of comics called The Unearthians. You can find my work at MorasProductions.com

What made you decide to create a hybrid written work with graphic novel elements? (and was it difficult to decide what parts of the narrative should be illustrated rather than described?)

When Covid came, so did the economy. Producing a comic is expensive, so the finances weren’t quite right. So we decided to do it as a hybrid. And to be honest it was the best decision. Because the design of the book along with the comic pages looks great and gives a special touch to the story. I am very happy with the final results.

It was not difficult to choose which pages were going to be comics. I usually chose pages that introduced a character, a very important aspect of the story, or fantasy elements that I knew would look amazing as art. I also wanted to choose pages that would help create intrigue in the story and create that suspense necessary for the reader to be engaged.

Continue reading “Ancient Explorers: The Lost City of Peru and The Man Behind the Legend Quest”

Blondie’s Musical Archives is Coming in One Big Z2 Package!

Blondie Against the Odds Graphic Novel and Album Release News is GOLD!

Blondie Against The Odds

In the mid-70s, singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein were more than pioneers. Not only did they pioneer the new wave genre, but also broke the mold for what the New York sound was about. The band Blondie was more than a punk rock band too. From their self-titled debut album, “In the Flesh” got heads turning, and all it took were two more albums before they became mainstream with the disco-infused “Heart of Glass.”

I fell in love with their music somewhere in between, and back then, all I had were regular magazines to get any information about who they were. We didn’t have the Internet back then. Because they were relatively young, and as their fame grew, so did my passion to collect all their albums.

Coinciding with the upcoming launch of the Blondie: Against The Odds graphic novel–which features a short biography, and stories based on their music–this fall, Z2 Comics and Blondie will include the 124-track archival box set Against the Odds 1974 – 1982 too! It’s a curated collection, remastered from original analog tapes on vinyl and I can’t be any more excited. Now if only they can visit Victoria, BC and perform here! Realistically, it’d have to be in Vancouver, BC; I’ll be fine with that too.

The album will be out on August 26, 2022, but if you’re patient, buying the version with the graphic novel will make the experience all the more worthwhile.

Blondie

From the Z2 Press Release:

The package features 52 bonus tracks across four albums—Plaza Sound, Parallel Beats, Coca Cola, and Home Sounds—and comes with a 128-page hardcover book inside a foil-wrapped slipcase.

The package definitively captures the iconic band’s inception and rise, as Blondie merged disco, rock, and beyond in the punk cradle of New York City’s Lower East Side. Limited to 100 copies, the Blondie 1974-1982: Against The Odds 4-LP box set will be released in platinum editions of the Blondie: Against The Odds graphic novel anthology.

Continue reading “Blondie’s Musical Archives is Coming in One Big Z2 Package!”

Dark Horse Comics to Publish “Navigator” by Award Winning FX Master John Bruno

John Bruno—the visual effects mastermind behind Avatar and Terminator 2–has an epic science fiction graphic novel, Navigator, coming soon.

Pre-order Navigator on Amazon USA

From Academy Award-winner and Director John Bruno—the visual effects mastermind behind Avatar, Terminator 2, and original Poltergeist movie—comes his first graphic novel, Navigator! This idea is based on an original tale he made with Steve Burg and Ron Thornton.

The screenplay is by John Bruno and William Wisher (Terminator 2). Illustrating this epic space adventure is Jordi Armengol who, with his atmospheric work, helps bring the cosmos to life.

An alien navigator, captured in battle on Jupiter’s fourth moon, Europa, seeks sanctuary. In return, the alien will provide his advanced technology to help defend humankind from the alien force that enslaved him and has come to destroy us. In this backdrop is a story of love and reconciliation between a young Marine officer—placed in command of Earth’s forces—his estranged wife, and Amy, the daughter he’s never met.

Continue reading “Dark Horse Comics to Publish “Navigator” by Award Winning FX Master John Bruno”

Need More Pacific Rim? It’s Ultimate Omnibus is Now Here!

Pacific Rim Omnibus Book Cover Available to purchase on Amazon USA

Further expanding the epic mythology based on Legendary Entertainment and Guillermo del Toro’s blockbuster film franchise, the comics division has launched the ultimate collection for readers to delve into! It’s a hefty book, and it also includes the recently released Blackout to get readers up to speed about the lore before season two of The Black.

For the first time ever, the Pacific Rim: Ultimate Omnibus brings together New York Times best-selling Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero (presented by Guillermo Del Toro and written by Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham) alongside Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift (written by Joshua Fialkov), Pacific Rim: Aftermath, Pacific Rim: Amara (both from Cavan Scott), and the newly released Pacific Rim: Blackout in a deluxe omnibus collection.

Continue reading “Need More Pacific Rim? It’s Ultimate Omnibus is Now Here!”

Pacific Rim’s Blackout Before Netflix’s Season Two Release

The recent release of the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Blackout is filling the gap by telling the story about the last days before Australia is evacuated.

Legendary Comics
Available to order on Amazon USA

Prior to the events of Netflix’s Pacific Rim: The Black, the recent release of the graphic novel Pacific Rim: Blackout is filling the gap by telling the story about the last days before Australia is evacuated. The Kaijus are everywhere, destroying everything on site and occupying vast swathes of desert land. We see humanity make its last stand in the cities still standing…

This 100 page work isn’t a brisk read. I had to go through it a few times and rewatch the animated series. Ultimately, it’s about the drama between Herc (one of the Jaeger pilots) and his sister, Liv–to which some parallels exist with the siblings from the animation: Taylor and Hayley. They lost their parents. Herc left the nest and never looked back. He didn’t attend his dad’s funeral, and that led to problems with the rest of the family. It’s a narrative to pay attention to instead of enjoying the spread of mecha upon alien fighting action. The presentation is reminiscent of many Toho films.

Continue reading “Pacific Rim’s Blackout Before Netflix’s Season Two Release”

From Beyond the Grave, Spiritbox’s Eternal Blue Gets a Graphic Novel!

This adaptation of the concept album tells the eerie tale of Eva, a brilliant painter on the verge of unbelievable acclaim and success.

Z2 Comics
Eternal Blue Slated for Late Spring 2022 release
Available to preorder online.

Following their formation in 2017, in Victoria, BC, the heavy metal quartet Spiritbox found a different way to haunt the charts. Although they’ve moved to Joshua Tree, California, let’s hope they’re still “Victorians” at heart. One of their singles, “Secret Garden,” may well allude to Frances Hodgson Burnett book of the same name, and suggest where a few of their tracks draw inspiration from.

But the pandemic stalled their plans for a proper debut in the tour circuit. Online, heavy metal fans took notice. This band’s debut album is getting the Z2 treatment and their debut LP, Eternal Blue will soon come out as a graphic novel. This was co-created with comic book writer Jim Krueger (Earth X, Justice) and artist Amilcar Pinna (Poppy’s Inferno, Generation X). Deluxe editions include a vinyl record and a spooky keepsake, a replica ghostbox!

This adaptation of the concept album tells the eerie tale of Eva, a painter on the verge of unbelievable acclaim and success. But her inability to reconcile her public perception with her true self allows a Spiritbox—a device used to communicate with the dead—to transport her to an ethereal world. Here, she finds herself trapped in a realm where false shadows become real and dangerous.

Continue reading “From Beyond the Grave, Spiritbox’s Eternal Blue Gets a Graphic Novel!”