Graphic Novel Archives | Otaku No Culture

Celebrate 50 Years with Kolchak: The Night Stalker with an all-new Graphic Novel!

In 2022, Moonstone Books will celebrate this pop culture milestone with a Kickstarter campaign for Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Annivesary Graphic Nove

Kolchak-preCover-Worley-PROOF On Tuesday, January 11, 1972, Kolchak: The Night Stalker terrified and delighted audiences on ABC. The TV movie — written by horror legend Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and based on an unpublished novel by Jeff Rice — was the highest-rated TV movie in U.S. history. It subsequently spawned both a second TV movie, The Night Strangler, and a cult TV series that ran for just one season, but inspired a generation of storytellers, notably including X-Files creator Chris Carter.

In 2022, Moonstone Books will celebrate this pop culture milestone with a Kickstarter campaign for Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary Graphic Novel, edited by James Aquilone (Classic Monsters Unleashed).

Continue reading “Celebrate 50 Years with Kolchak: The Night Stalker with an all-new Graphic Novel!”

Want to Kickstart Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel?

Partnering with Rocketship Entertainment, the limited-edition Kickstarter releases of Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel feature four distinct covers.

Dune_Cover_Bill Sienkiewicz _LoRes_Cision.jpg Legendary Comics, in cooperation with Herbert Properties, LLC, announced today the official movie graphic novel based on Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ Dune, the critically acclaimed film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal bestselling book from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Both the graphic novel and the film, currently in theaters worldwide, tell the epic hero’s journey of Paul Atreides (played by Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet). Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel, adapted by writer Lilah Sturges (Legendary Comics’ The Science of Ghost, Lumberjanes) with art by Drew Johnson (Legendary Comics’ Godzilla: Aftershock and Godzilla Dominion) and colors by digital painter Zid (Legendary Comics’ Kingdom Kong) and colorist Niezam, features beautiful artwork that brings the cinematic vision of Dune to the world of sequential art.

Limited editions of the graphic novel are now available for pre-order today exclusively on Kickstarter, with the book trade edition to follow. Both editions are set to be released in February of 2022, and fans can now pre-order all editions on the kickstarter page.

Partnering with Rocketship Entertainment, the limited-edition Kickstarter releases of Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel feature four distinct covers. Comic legend Bill Sienkiewicz, who created the original Dune comic for Marvel in 1984, returns to the Dune universe to contribute the cover for the graphic novel. Three additional variant covers from Drew Johnson and Zid, U.K. illustrator and comic artist John Ridgway (2000 AD, Hellblazer, Doctor Who), and comic legend Tim Sale (Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman: For all Seasons) will also be available. Exclusive merchandise and collectibles will also be offered through Kickstarter.

Continue reading “Want to Kickstart Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel?”

How to Satisfy a Halloween Craving with Graphic Novels

Halloween 2021 can still be about staying at home with a good book to read because of the pandemic, or going out and wearing a ghoulish face mask up since it’s appropriate to. After a year of being told by health boards about what to do and not to, I’m sure a revolt will happen. Events are taking place with restrictions in mind. All of that is fine and dandy, and for those who just want to be safe, I have the following book recommendations. The links provided go to Amazon USA, to which I’m an affiliate with, for those interested in purchasing.

Snow, Grass, Apples
Dark Horse Comics

This graphic novel adaptation of Snow White retells the tale from the point of view of the stepmother. It’s an eerie gothic style take which then steps into the realm of high romanticism. We are introduced to her as though she’s the heroine, rather than the wicked witch. She fell in love with the king, and he in turn took her in to be one of his many lovers. When we finally meet the daughter–who has vampyric tastes–the tale takes on a unique look at the tale most readers should be familiar with.

What makes this tale horrific is in how it ties to the seasons. The events take on various feelings of melancholy, cheer and rebirth. Colleen Doran’s art is exceptional in this piece as it plays with the motifs. The pictures’ mosaic-like quality looks like it should belong in the Sistine Chapel!

Continue reading “How to Satisfy a Halloween Craving with Graphic Novels”

Malika Warrior Queen Slashes Her Way into Bookstores Today!

Not everyone will know YouNeek Studio’s teaser trailer to bring her story into the animated front. It has the feel of Black Panther’s world being further expanded upon.

Dark Horse Comics
Available Now

Volume One available to purchase on Amazon USA and Volume two (Dec 22, 2021) available to pre-order.

Malika Warrior Queen has a Dark Horse behind it to help captivate a new generation of readers about African history and mythology. This work really can’t be read in one night, but in what I could finish, I was amazed and educated at the same time. While the main protagonist is a Xena-like character, if I had to make comparisons, the real inspiration is with Queen Anima of Zazzau, a real warrior queen who lived in the 15th century.

Not everyone will know YouNeek Studio‘s teaser trailer to bring her story into the animated front. It has the feel of Black Panther’s world being further expanded upon. After all, Africa is vast, with many tribal nations covering the jungle and desert expanse. The wars they have amongst one another and within the family say it all. I can only imagine Frank Miller did a lot of research into the outlying regions to get a feel of how terrifying, dramatic, mystic and warlike this world was before deciding that a tale of the Persian Empire is easier. Writer Roye Okupe crafted a tale that’s nicely broken up into units, and I’m not finished with this saga to say how it all cumulates. The fact this this reprint is also venturing off into the future suggests fantastic things when considering the fate of this new ruler. Continue reading “Malika Warrior Queen Slashes Her Way into Bookstores Today!”

Saving the Child in Nie Jun’s Seekers of the Aweto

Jun’s skillful technique with the pen, brush and watercolours makes the pages leap out like a DreamWorks film.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Lerner Books
Available to Purchase on Amazon USA

“The Hunt is On” for Nie Jun’s Seekers of the Aweto. This herb heals any ailment a human has. Rumours say it also grants immortality, but only one out of many has that celestial ability. This plant grows on the heads of a chadolo, multi-coloured earth elementals and to remove it can incurs the wrath of Buddha. Locals believe they contain the soul of the soil that makes up the land, and they will do everything they can to save them.

Xinyue is a seeker of this plant since it’s his family’s business, but he’s something of a bard. He can play the drums and insects will swarm to him to do his bidding. They help him find an Aweto, but when he sees its alive and as cute as The Child in The Mandalorian, he can’t kill it, and nor can he see it get harmed. The adventure he has with it is as wild as the said Star Wars television show and the Asian flavour lays in how exotic this locale is.

When considering this young lad makes a promise to protect it, to dishonour this land deity can mean bad things for his afterlife. His elder brother Qiliu doesn’t care; The family trade is to locate and sell it to the highest bidder. Volume one sets up the conflict still to come–it’s him and the plant, or him and his brother. The matriarch believes he’ll do what’s right, and it’s no surprise she passes on in this tale. Nobody can dictate what he can do.

Continue reading “Saving the Child in Nie Jun’s Seekers of the Aweto”

In Search for that MPLS Sound…

After reading this graphic novel, however, I have to revisit Purple Rain. Both works examine how tough it is to become respected in the music industry. The fictional characters introduced in this book felt very real.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Life Drawn Publishing
Available to order on Amazon USA

Spoiler Alert

Some graphic novels can benefit from having that MPLS Sound if pressing those cheap plastic vinyl records is possible. This book could have been brought up a notch had it included a soundtrack too, as an insert or digital code, so readers can benefit from listening to the music that defined that Minneapolis style.

In this book’s case by Joseph P. Illidge & Hannibal Tabu, it’s about why Starchild aka Theresa Booker became a musician. she fell in love with the music that not only Jimi Hendrix made famous but also Prince. It’s also an indirect look at who the musician Prince is and what he represents. Not everyone knows his origin story, and Theresa’s tale is supposed to represent his struggles as a musician. After reading this illustrated work, however, I have to revisit Purple Rain. Both works examine how tough it is to become respected in the music industry. The fictional characters introduced in this book felt very real.

Continue reading “In Search for that MPLS Sound…”