Press Release: The Spider

Tag: spider

The Spider 7 Review

Dec. 21 Comic Books, Reviews no comments

The story begins with the murder of Stanley Kirkpatrick, the Police Commissioner and the Spider’s best friend. Or so everyone believes. He is actually drugged into a coma state. The grief of the moment, however, causes the Spider and Nita Kirkpatrick to make a mistake, one that may cost them dearly down the line. The Spider spends the rest of the story looking for the killer. The story ends with the Spider and Nita discussing what they did. Nita is willing to talk about it, but the Spider decides to push her away.

What works is the length of the story. It tells a complicated and fairly dense story in 22 pages. The writer knows enough to keep the story moving and to not dwell on events too long. I am a new reader to this series and I’m impressed enough to go back and pick up the first 6 issues at some point. Although there are hints of a larger storyline that may need going back and learning it, it did not get in the way of the story itself.

The biggest strength is also the story’s weakness. The story feels like it’s set in a depression era universe. The cars are period, so are the clothing and the attitudes of the people. No one pulls out a cell phone and calls anyone. If they talk to one another, it is mostly in person and over a rotary phone. However, there are plenty of anachronisms in the story that kind of detract from the experience. I might be wrong, but I’m certain that women at the time did not wear pants, did not jog, or order pizza over the phone. They were minor events, but they did detract from the experience somewhat.

About the only complaint I have with the storyline might be with the prior knowledge of the reader. If the reader is not familiar with the Pulp genre, they might think the character is Batman, or based on him. This is not entirely true. The Spider, Batman, Shadow, and other heroes of the time have similar aspects. A lot of them are independently wealthy, are club and bar goers, are friends with powerful people, and use deception to cover their vigilantism. It is just a common occurrence from characters at the time.

Final Verdict: Positive.

The story is very solid. It is a single issue story, but there are hints of a grander storyline the characters have with regrets and express remorse for their actions. The situation is very pulp inspired.

Tags: Depression Era, Dynamite Entertainment, Joseph Furguson, Pulp style, Shadow, spider

10 Movie Monsters That’ll Haunt Your Nightmares – Part II

Oct. 31 Movies 1 comment

A few days ago, we posted Part I of this series about the creepy monster villains you’ve seen in movies. Part II classifies entire groups of monsters who are so pernicious, they’ve appeared in movies and other media for decades.

Most of entries 6-10 feature bad guys who popped up in scary bedtime stories and tales centuries before you were even born. It’s evil on a whole new level.

6. Spiders, Ants, and Bugs, Oh My!

Let’s face it, insects are pretty scary. You know it, I know it, and so do filmmakers. That’s why dozens upon dozens of scary movies have featured armies of killer insects, giant insects, or some kind of human-insect hybrids who munch on humans like candy. The Mist, Arachnophobia, The Fly, Eight-Legged Freaks, Ticks… the list is endless. They keep making these movies for a reason: some of the scariest things out there already exist in nature, which makes them the perfect stars for a horror flick.

7. Vampires

Don’t let recent stories fool you. Vampires are gangsta, even if they appear to have lost some monster cred in the past few years. You see them all sparkly, pretty, and lovey-dovey in those Twilight movies, and they’re super dreamy in Vampire Diaries and True Blood, aren’t they? But watch out. You cross those mofos and they’ll mess you up. Vampires would already be scary because of their superpowers and thirst for your blood (and flesh, depending on the story), but they’re even scarier because they might want to hump you too. I mean, c’mon, what’s more terrifying, a monster, or a monster who’s also your ex? Talk about head games. YIKES!

8. Werewolves

An angry wolf is not to be played with, especially if he or she is as big as you are and possibly as smart too. A werewolf is one of those monsters who’ll kill you pretty painfully, guaranteed. Maybe Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers will stab you or cut your head off or something, which would be relatively quick, but a werewolf will eat you alive, which is a special kind of suffering. You’ll actually like, see it taking you apart, and it won’t be pretty. Those things are hairy too, so it would likely be smelly as well. Ick, and… oh yeah, SCARY!

9. Zombies

Speaking of painful ways to go, zombie deaths are probably right there at the top. Being eaten alive by an army of rabid ghouls pretty much sucks, doesn’t it? Or at least, it sure does seem that way in the movies. It’s hard to say exactly why, but zombies and zombie apocalypses are more popular than other kinds from monsters that are just as dangerous. I mean, zombies turn people into other zombies by scratching and biting them, which is exactly how werewolves do it, but we don’t talk about werewolf apocalypses that often, do we? Zombies are especially frightening because they’re similar to us in appearance, so it’s easy for us to have nightmares about friends and loved ones who are cannibalistic undead, and about what it would be like to join them.

10. Ghosts and Spirits

There have been dozens of movies with spooky spirits that jump into people’s bodies and turn them into crazed killers. The Shining, The Exorcist, and those Paranormal Activity films are a few. Others, like The Entity, feature spirits that wreck lives without possessing anyone at all. But beyond their menacing aspects, ghosts are creepy because they’re probably the most personal of all monsters. We all know at least one person who’s claimed to see one, and maybe you’ve claimed the same yourself. Zombies, werewolves, and vampires? You probably haven’t met many people who’ve said they’ve seen one of those, now have you? Nope, it’s ghosts that are the most relevant to our real lives, which makes them especially creepy.

Tags: ant, ants, bug, bugs, ghost, ghosts, Hilton Collins, movie monsters, spider, spiders, spirit, Spirits, vampire, vampires, werewolf, werewolves, Zombie, zombies

Pulp Heroes Team Up in Masks

Aug. 29 Comic Books, News, Press Release, Previews no comments

In the 1938 style world of Masks, the Party of Justice turns New York into a fascist police state. The vigilante known as The Spider steps out of the shadows to lead a guerrilla war against the organization. What about the other heroes operating at the time?

Masks will involve several pulp heroes active at the time. Each one will battle for justice in their own way. Expect to see The Shadow, Green Hornet and Kato, Zorro, Black Bat, Miss Fury and others involved somehow. Will they allow the Spider to lead them? Can these heroes, who normally operate on their own, get along? Can they function as a team long enough to see this mission through?

If the story feels like a pulp story to you, there’s a reason for that. Masks was inspired in part by an old Spider pulp. In it, a fascist organization took over New York and forced the hero to lead a resistance movement. It was a solo Spider story because the other heroes were owned by different companies.

Masks takes that same premise and includes other pulp character with it.

Masks 1 will be available in November. Alex Ross will paint the panels for the first issue.

Tags: Alex Ross, Dynamite, green hornet, Joseph Furguson, Kato, Shadow, spider

Preview: Spider #1

May. 01 Comic Books, Previews no comments

Spider #1

Written by David Liss

Art by Colton Worley

Letters by Simon Bowland

Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Cover to left by Alex Cross

Watch out, bad-guys! There’s a new vigilante in town. Not to be confused with Spider-Man, Spider is ex-military, current-rich guy with access to plenty of resources, as well as friends in both law-enforcement and the media. His ex, the media, her current husband, the law-enforcement.

Issue #1 of the new title from Dynamite Entertainment, Spider, introduces readers to Richard Wentworth, AKA Spider, as he uses any means necessary to battle everything from sex-traffickers to purse thieves, as well as his own demons (in particular, one in a bottle and one in a skirt). It is an interesting start, with the kind of art I do not particularly enjoy – looks a bit too CGI, too little actual drawing – but that serves the story well-enough. If you’re into vigilantes with complicated pasts, it is certainly worth checking out.

If you read it, let us know what you think!

Nerd up!

Tags: Alex Ross, colton worley, david liss, Dynamite Entertainment, Rachel Proffitt, spider, vigilante justice, vigilantes

Press Release: The Spider

Feb. 20 Comic Books, Press Release no comments

This is a book that I have never heard about, but judging by the title it isn’t one that you will want to miss. Lets sit back and take a gander at what Dynamite entertainment has to announce!

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT PROUDLY PRESENTS…THE SPIDER!!!

IN COMIC STORES EVERYWHERE MAY 2012!

February 16th, 2011, Runnemede, NJ – The Spider, one of the greatest pulp characters of all time is now re-launched into the 21st century! Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents The Spider #1, which will hit comic book stores everywhere in May 2012! The series will be written by acclaimed writer David (Black Panther: The Man Without Fear) Liss and drawn by Colton Worley, with covers by Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Francesco Francavilla and Ron Lesser!

In The Spider #1, the world knows Richard Wentworth as a decorated war hero and the son of a wealthy industrialist – but only a few confidants know the truth. As New York City slides into violence and despair, Wentworth has transformed himself into a force of justice as The Spider! With only his wits, his technology, and his pistols to aid him, he fights a one-man man war against crime, but when a mysterious new villain threatens the city with an unspeakable horror, it may be more than even The Spider can handle. How far will a sane man go to restore order to an insane world? Find out in The Spider #1 when it ships in May!

“Part of what always made The Spider so cool was the sheer scope of destruction caused by his villains,” says The Spider 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 turn himself 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 1930s to contemporary times. Some things have been updated, but he’s still the kind of vigilante that makes the bad guys wet their pants.”

“This book has it all,” adds artist Colton Worley. ”It’s got action, pulp, noir, horror, romance…everything you could ever want in a story all in one place. And helping to create the world that David Liss has set up has been a great experience.

“Dynamite has propelled The Spider into the 21st century at breakneck speed,” says CEO and President of Argosy Communications Joel Frieman. “Please fasten your seat belts.”

“David [Liss] and Colton [Worley] are a perfect pairing for the Spider,” states Dynamite Editor Joe Rybandt. “The moment we saw Colton’s first pages from #1 we spread them around like proud new parent’s showing off pictures of our first-born, they were that amazing. All thanks to the incredible script by David of course. The time is right for a pulp revival and we’re leading the charge.”

“I have wanted to publish The Spider comics for some time now,” says Dynamite Entertainment President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. “But I wanted to make sure that the comic book had a dynamite creative team! And with the dream team of David Liss and Colton Worley, The Spider #1 will be a must read for all comic book and The Spider fans! Check out the awesome interior pages from Colton Worley for issue #1!”

The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933. He fought crime by donning a black fedora, a black cape, a trademark ring and a brace of .45 automatics to terrorize the criminal underworld, while driving in his sleek black specially outfitted Daimler.

The Spider novels were mainly written by Norvell W. Page, who filled them with danger, impending doom, fantastic villains, and great action!

Join the conversation on Twitter with #TheSpider and on Dynamite Entertainment’s twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit www.comicshoplocator.com

For art and more information, please visit:

www.dynamite.net

About Dynamite Entertainment:

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, Green Hornet, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, Game of Thrones and more!

In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and best selling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Michael Avon Oeming, Mel Rubi, Marc Guggenheim, Stephen Sadowski, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner and a host of up and coming new talent!

DYNAMITE is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s PROJECT SUPERPOWERS – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. Several of their titles have also hit The New York Times Best-Sellers list: The Boys, Vampirella Archives, Robert Jordan’s New Spring and Wheel of Time graphic novels. In 2005 Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%). The company has also been nominated for several industry awards, including the prestigious Eisner Award.

All I can say is, WOW! This almost reminds be of Spider-Man but at the same time it doesn’t at all. (OK, so I made a statement that was pretty much pointless.) As a newcomer to this series I am seriously looking forward to picking up this book. I am also pretty sure I will go back and read the previous series of The Spider.