Dynamite proudly announces Legenderry: A Steampunk
Adventure, a seven-issue monthly crossover event featuring classic characters
of comics and film as reimagined by bestselling writer Bill Willingham
(Fables). Featuring interior artwork by
Sergio Fernandez Davila, Legenderry launches in January featuring covers by
celebrated steampunk artist Joe Benitez (Lady Mechanika).
"This is a story where I get to have my cake and eat
it too," says Bill Willingham.
"I get to work with some of my favorite characters from comic
books, prose, and film, but also get to create brand new versions of each one
of them. That way, I don't have to make
a single one of them fit in with all of the past continuity of those
characters. I get the best of both
situations. Plus, I built an entire new
world in which to place those characters.
World-building is one of the best parts of adventure storytelling. Legenderry is the name of the world, and it
is in fact a world peopled with some of the greatest legends of adventure
fiction. This is my first-ever foray
into the Steampunk genre, so that's another new adventure I get to go on as a
writer."
Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure is, as Bill Willingham
describes it, "a world in which the great heroes of our stories live in
the flesh." The story begins in a
massive Victorian-style metropolis, a city protected by Vampirella, the Green
Hornet, and Kato. After a scarlet-clad
woman of mystery rushes into a bar pursued by assassins, the resulting chaos
spreads to other reimagined landscapes ripped from classic comic books,
literature, and television, including the wild jungles of The Phantom, Flash
Gordon's futuristic haven of Landing, aerial combat alongside Captain Victory,
and more. The action eventually leads to
the Monstrous Lands, an unruly territory both lawless and sinister.
An event series four years in the making, Legenderry
proves the old adage that "good things come to those who wait." Willingham mined the rich Dynamite Universe
for the perfect characters to populate the vast, reimagined landscape of
Legenderry. In recent months, Willingham
has personally overseen the visual development of the series, courtesy of
designs by artist Johnny D., whose artwork has graced numerous Dynamite covers
and most recently, the complete Vampirella Strikes comic book series. "It was an honor to take some truly timeless
characters and make them fit into the steampunk world," says Johnny
D. "They all have a great unique
base to go off, so it has been a lot of fun working on the designs. I've worked with many of these characters
before and look forward to the series."
The cast of Legenderry characters changes each issue, as
Willingham and Davila steer the action from one dazzling location to the
next. Featured characters include Steve
Austin of The Six Million Dollar Man, the classic pulp duo of Green Hornet and
Kato, legendary masked adventurer Zorro, the Dynamite mainstay Vampirella, the
beloved superheroes Silver Star and Captain Victory created by Jack Kirby,
Flash Gordon and The Phantom from King Features Syndicate, and finally, the
swords-and-sorcery icon Red Sonja.
Bill Willingham has been writing, and occasionally
drawing, "funnybooks" for close to thirty years, and authors prose
fiction as well. He is best known for
creating the following comic book series: Elementals, Ironwood, Coventry,
Pantheon, Proposition Player, Shadowpact, and -- perhaps most notably -- the
bestselling and long-running DC/Vertigo series, Fables and Fairest.
"I've personally known Bill Willingham for over
three decades, and regard him as one of the most talented, hardworking, and
innovative creators in our industry," says Nick Barrucci, CEO and
Publisher of Dynamite. "I've been
talking with him since 2009 about projects, but between his busy schedule and
the explosive success of Fables and Fairest, we both wanted to wait until we could
give the project the full attention it deserves. And Bill wouldn't want to give anything less
than 100% of his attention! As time
progressed, our many discussions have led to a groundbreaking event, something
that will shake up how people view our incredible library of characters. Bill wanted to work in a world without the
constraints of continuity, where he could paint broad strokes on a fresh
canvas. When the imagination and
aesthetics of Steampunk science-fiction became our focus, well -- the ideas just
began to flow from his mind onto the page.
It's my pleasure, both personal and professional, to welcome Bill
Willingham to the Dynamite fold, and to welcome everyone with an adventurous
spirit to the whimsical world of Legenderry."
Joseph Rybandt, Senior Editor of Dynamite, says, "As
a longtime fan of Bill's work, it was such a surprise that Nick Barrucci, our
CEO and Publisher, had been able to work out a deal to not only create this
character crossover, but to include some of our biggest and best company-owned
and licensed characters. This is THE
kick-off event for comics in 2014. Be
there!"
Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure will be solicited in
Diamond Comic Distributors' November Previews catalog, the premiere source of
merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release
beginning in January 2014. Comic book
fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Legenderry with their local comic book
shop or hobby specialty store.
Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure will also be available for individual
customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, iVerse, and
Dark Horse Digital.
