Todd McFarlane Productions announced—via an exclusive scoop at The Hollywood Reporter last week—the forthcoming comic book series Knights vs. Samurai, a captivating new series written by fan-favorite actor David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), with art by Federico Mele, and colors by Ulises Arreola. This thrilling, new ongoing series will be published by Image Comics and launch this September.

Knights vs. Samurai follows the journey of Sir Charles Ward (known as ‘The Dragon Butcher’), who is a knight grappling with self-doubt and grief while leading a legion of royal warriors on a noble mission. Celebrated for his knighthood and leadership, The Dragon Butcher embarks on a quest to a mysterious island in the Far East.

Accompanied by a diverse group of fighters—including a giant and two clerics—he seeks vengeance against the savage monsters responsible for ambushing a group of English missionaries. However, upon arrival, Sir Charles discovers a startling truth—the so-called “savage monsters” are a regiment of highly skilled warriors unlike any he has ever encountered.

“A lifetime of fascination with Japanese and English historical warrior culture led me to this incredible moment,” said Dastmalchian. “My love of Eastern and Western mythology, fantasy and horror all swirl together in this story which explores the questions I want to ask about how our society works (and what doesn’t work!). Under the guidance of the great Todd McFarlane, I have been partnered with the incredible Federico Mele who has manifested a magnificent, brutal and beautiful world of broadswords, katana, dragons, and more!”
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Iconic creator and writer Gerry Duggan (X-Men, Dead Eyes) is bringing his popular photography book Timing/Luck to comic book shops and bookstores for the first time since he launched a limited edition of the title with a successful Kickstarter campaign. Containing hundreds of photos taken over two decades in writing rooms, green rooms, awards shows, and on city streets around the world, each photo tells a story, and collectively the book tells Duggan’s. The Image Comics trade paperback collection of Duggan’s photography will hit shelves this November.

With the majority shot on Leica digital 28mm and Fuji X100 35mm, the photos of Timing/Luck capture a mash-up of dark streets, bright minds and green rooms featuring portraits and candid shots of famous comic book creators, comedians, writers, actors, musicians, and filmmakers. Some of the subjects include: Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Stan Lee, Mark Hamill, Todd McFarlane, Robert Kirkman, Eric Stephenson, Marc Silvestri, James Tynion IV, Brian Posehn, Kevin Feige, Vita Ayala, Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, Matt Fraction, Chip Zdarsky, Jeff Lemire, Tini Howard, Skottie Young, John McCrea, Jock, Leah Williams, Brian K. Vaughn, Christopher Priest, Charles Soule, G. Willow Wilson, Brian Azzarello, and Declan Shalvey, amongst many others.

“Timing/Luck is a visual autobiography of my time in Los Angeles as the worlds of comics and Hollywood began to overlap,” said Duggan. “It’s been my privilege to work with so many talented artists and travel the world in support of the work. After the successful crowdfunding effort on the limited edition, I’m proud to publish the softcover at Image Comics, my longtime home for creator-owned collaborations.”
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Michael Walsh, the Eisner Award-winning creator of The Silver Coin, as well as upcoming Skybound miniseries Universal Monsters: Frankenstein and The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned, is setting out on an epic quest with rising star artist Gustaffo Vargas (Marvel’s Voices X-Men) to create new sci-fi series Nullhunter, a neon-infused cyberpunk retelling of the Labors of Hercules set amongst the stars. This reimagining of classic Greek mythology, that interplays ’80s-inspired dystopian storytelling and art in the same vein as fan-favorites like Ronin and Blade Runner, will set sail when issue #1 hits shelves in October.

In Nullhunter, Clay is a war hero who faces unspeakable tragedy after returning home. Seeking justice, he’s forced into service for his estranged father’s powerful company, OLYMP0S. His first mission takes him to faraway N3M-3A on the trail of a hijacked shipment of war lions. In seeking exoneration, this quest of twelve near-impossible labors will lead Clay to the very edges of space as he discovers the true source of evil in the cosmos.

“When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Greco-Roman mythology. I’d spend hours pouring over old mythology books that I’d rented from the library while drawing my own versions of Hercules, Zeus, Poseidon, and all the larger-than-life gods and monsters. For a long time, I’ve wanted to take a crack at making a Hercules comic, but I could never find a unique and original way in,” said Walsh.
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