Fantasy Book Critic: News Roundup: Frazetta, Solaris Books, Wild Cards + Heath Ledger (RIP)

Not too much going on today. First off, check out Newsarama HERE for a preview of a new Frank Frazetta-inspired comic book project called “Dark Kingdom”, which is written by Mark Kidwell (’68, Bump) and illustrated by Tim Vigil (Faust, Gothic Nights). The book is due in stores April 2, 2008 and the solicitation reads as follows:

“The Frazetta tradition of epic dark fantasy continues as the masterpiece “Dark Kingdom” roars to life from canvas to the comics page. From amid the clash of steel and decks stained red comes legendary sea raider Red Morden, battling his way through an ocean of horror to save the family he holds dear. For love and vengeance, he will face his greatest fears, both real and imagined as he stands alone against a kingdom of darkness.”

In other news, critically acclaimed author James Lovegrove has been signed to write a new epic science fiction novel called “The Age of Ra” for Solaris Books:

“In The Age of Ra, the ancient Egyptian gods have defeated all the other pantheons and claimed dominion over the Earth. The world is divided into warring factions, each under the aegis of a different deity. Lt. David Westwynter, a British soldier, stumbles into Freegypt, the only place on the planet to have remained independent of the gods’ influence. There, he encounters the followers of a humanist leader known as the Lightbringer, who has vowed to rid mankind of the shackles of divine oppression. David and the Lightbringer have a personal connection. And there is far more to this freedom fighter than it seems, even as he drags the world towards one final, apocalyptic battle…”

"The Age of Ra” is a powerful science fiction novel exploring themes of freedom, oppression, war and love, and a desperate fight for control of the Earth. Solaris will publish the title in 2009 in both the UK and the US. For more information, read the full press release HERE.

Moving on, remember my post HERE about the upcoming Dabel Brothers comic book series “The Hard Call” which is set in George R. R. Martin’s Wild Cards universe. Well, you can find the official press release for that HERE.

Lastly, Newsarama reports HERE that actor Heath Ledger has died today! To be honest, I’m pretty shocked. I really liked Ledger as an actor, especially in films like “The Patriot”, “A Knight’s Tale”, “Casanova” and “Lords of Dogtown”, and I was really looking forward to his turn as the Joker. Obviously I’ll still watch “The Dark Knight”, but I’ll definitely look at the film differently now, kind of like the way I look at “The Crow”, which sort of immortalizes deceased actor Brandon Lee. Anyways, the scary thing about Heath’s passing is that I’m only a year older than he was. It’s makes you really think…

8:20 PM |

Posted by Robert |

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6 comments:

SQT said...: The Heath Ledger thing shocked the heck out of me. I know exactly what you mean when you compare watching "The Dark Knight" to "The Crow." It's so surreal to watch a performance by someone who has already died.; January 23, 2008 at 1:31 AM
Anonymous said...: What I'd like to know is when Image will finally bring out the Death Dealer collection. It was on sale for Amazon first, and now it's not anymore.; January 23, 2008 at 7:29 AM
Carl V. Anderson said...: I was saying something similar to my wife last night regarding Ledger. A Knight's Tale is one of my favorite movies to pop in every so often just to watch again and I will certainly look at it, and his upcoming turn as the Joker, much differently. It is a tragedy, not so much because he was a celebrity, but because it is a young life wasted...thrown away with so much living yet to do.; January 23, 2008 at 8:15 AM
Anonymous said...: I always associate that Frazetta art with the cover of Karl Edward Wagners, "Dark Crusade", which is where I first saw it. Do you know if "Dark Kingdom" is a Kane story?; January 23, 2008 at 8:28 AM
Robert said...: David, as far as I know, the book is a one-shot standalone story starring a Viking-like character called Red Morden, but the book is set in the same universe as Death Dealer.

Calibander, the sixth and final issue of "Death Dealer" is just hitting shelves this week, so it will probably be a little while before the series is collected into a single volume...

Carl/Theresa, it was definitely a tragedy, and while he may not have been an A-list celebrity yet, I think "The Dark Knight" would have gotten him closer.

One rumor I've heard is that "The Dark Knight" was supposed to end on a cliffhanger with the Joker returning in the next film so it will be interesting to see if that was true, and if so, how the director/producers handle it...; January 23, 2008 at 9:04 AM
Anonymous said...: Calibandar, the Death Dealer hardcover collection will be out in April.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12759; January 25, 2008 at 5:43 AM