By
The Editor
January 23, 2004 - 10:14
SAVAGE DRAGON #115 GREW SOME
April issue expands to 100 pages
No one can ever claim SAVAGE DRAGON and Image co-founder Erik Larsen is lazy. Not content with writing, penciling and inking over 100 issues of SAVAGE DRAGON, Larsen has made something of a habit of doing giant-sized issues over the years, and now his latest king-size offering, the 80-page SAVAGE DRAGON #115, is being expanded to 100 pages.
"This one got away from me," Larsen explained. "When it came to wrapping up the current Vicious Circle saga, a 22-page lead feature simply didn't allow me enough room to tell the story the way I wanted."
Written, penciled and inked by Larsen, with color by Bill Crabtree and a Freak Force story by Larsen, artist Mark Englert and colorist Dash Martin, SAVAGE DRAGON #115 was originally solicited as an 80-page issue that concluded the 'Vicious Circle Rising' arc. Because of other special features in the book, though, the lead feature was only allotted the standard 22 pages.
"Leave it to me to run out of room in an 80-page comic book," Larsen laughed. "But there were so many changes. So many events and deaths that having the story confined to 22 pages was just too limiting. I needed the room to pull off the epic conclusion the story demanded."
The story itself is the conclusion to the "Vicious Circle Rising" arc beginning in SAVAGE DRAGON #113. As the new head of the Vicious Circle takes control, Dragon brings all his allies, past and present, together for one final battle in an attempt to put an end to the nefarious Vicious Circle once and for all. Larsen promises some major changes as a result of the clash: "The death toll is high, the body count impressive."
SAVAGE DRAGON #115 also features an all-new, epic length Freak Force adventure, reuniting the characters from the mid-'90s SAVAGE DRAGON spin-off, but with a surprise twist. The issue also includes the seventh installment of the ten-part Mighty Man serial "The Never-Ending War Against Evil," along with Erik Larsen's six-page contribution to the CBLDF fund-raiser, More Fund Comics, seen here in color for the first time.
SAVAGE DRAGON #115, a 100-page perfect bound comic with a cover price of $7.95, is available for order now in the November issue of Previews and will go on sale in April.
Last week, Diamond Comic Distributors, DC Comics' sales agent for direct sales, released its final statistics for direct sales in 2003, with DC leading in multiple categories thanks to the strong success of projects including BATMAN, the relaunch of TEEN TITANS, and many others.
The numbers show DC's continued growth, led by the solidifying of both its core and new titles and the power of its reorder policies.
DC had the Number One title of the year with BATMAN #619, along with 7 of the Top 10 titles on the Diamond chart and 12 of the Top 25. This is up from 7 in the Top 25 in 2002.
"We're pleased with our 2003 showing," says Paul Levitz, DC's President & Publisher, "with a solid mix of winners in periodical and book formats, ranging across our imprints."
Leading the pack was the success of "Hush" by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee & Scott Williams, with its explosive conclusion in BATMAN #619 at the top of Diamond's "Top 100 Comics" chart for 2003, a first for a regular issue of the title. The series, which reached the #1 sales spot for 8 months of the team's 12-issue run, led DC's surge with 11 places on the chart.
Other titles in the Top 25 sellers of 2003 included:
* AVENGERS/JLA #2 by Kurt Busiek and George Pérez
* BATMAN #611-618 by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee & Scott Williams
* SUPERMAN/BATMAN #1-2 by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness
The debut issue of TEEN TITANS, by Geoff Johns and Mike McKone, was in the #32 slot for the Top 100, also showing that DC's sales potential goes beyond its "franchise" characters.
DC's ongoing commitment to the expansion of the graphic novel is reflected in the sheer number of titles included in Diamond's "Top 100 Graphic Novels" chart, including projects from the DC Universe, WildStorm and VERTIGO. Included in the chart's Top 10 are:
* JLA: LIBERTY & JUSTICE SC by Paul Dini and Alex Ross, which reached the #1 spot on the chart
* ABC's THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN Book One TP by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
* Neil Gaiman's New York Times best-seller THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS HC, from VERTIGO, with art by an international roster of illustrators and a cover by Dave McKean
* DEATH: AT DEATH'S DOOR SC by Jill Thompson, from VERTIGO
* Y: THE LAST MAN: UNMANNED TP by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra and José Marzan, Jr. and a cover by J.G. Jones, from VERTIGO
* BATMAN: HUSH Volume 1 HC, by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee & Scott Williams
DC placed a total of 37 titles in the Top 100 Graphic Novels in 2003. Among these were many perpetual sellers that maintained their strong sales positions in 2003, along with new titles showing early signs of become evergreen sellers.
DC led in total reorders by more than 10 points. Continuing availability of key projects and a steady backlist program added to the publisher's momentum and were the core of its long-term growth. DC maintains the industry ' s largest and most diverse backlist to support retailers and provide steady fuel for consumer demand.
"2003 was a great year for DC in terms of sales, due to a terrific creative year," says Bob Wayne, DC's VP - Sales & Marketing. "Our editorial teams' work with top talent plus our proven ability to keep strong selling items available is DC's recipe for success for our core market."
Further tying in to BATMAN: HUSH, the Jim Lee-designed BATMAN STATUE, sculpted by Tim Bruckner, led the "Top 25 Toys" chart. Other DC Direct items on the chart were:
* SILVER AGE BATMAN & ROBIN DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET
* KINGDOM COME ACTION FIGURES Assortment for both Series 1 and 2
* JUSTICE LEAGUE ACTION FIGURES Assortment
* SILVER AGE BATGIRL & JOKER DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET
* BIRDS OF PREY DELUXE ACTION FIGURE SET
* JUSTICE LEAGUE ANIMATED: AQUAMAN MAQUETTE
* GREEN LANTERN: HAL JORDAN STATUE
* SUPER FRIENDS!: BATMAN MAQUETTE
Adds Wayne, "With all we've got on tap for 2004, I'm confident it will be a great year not only for DC but also for specialty retailers and, most important, for their customers."
Yes, and Frankenstein Mobster has a winner!
Ho-ho-hold it.... Aren't the holidays over? Not if you ask Mark Wheatley, creator of Image Comics' FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER. He's giving away pages of original comic book art from the hit Image series!
The "Frankenstein Santa" art giveaway - as detailed in FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER #1 - has its first winner: Drew Edwards of Dallas, Texas.
Through Image Comics and the Frankenstein Santa giveaway, Wheatley randomly selected five copies of that issue which were then stickered with a large Frankenstein Santa label that gives instructions on how to redeem the comic book for Wheatley's original art.
"Drew is a longtime fan of horror comics (he even created and publishes his owns Halloweenman comics.) He won page 25 from issue #1. That special page features the first transformation of Janus Moore, Police Detective, into Janus Moore Werecat," Wheatley said.
"And I love it! My lady and I are going frame shopping later today so I can put it up in my office! Thanks again for this wonderful contest and your wonderful comic book! I'm hoping to find a frame big enough to show off the original image and the printed version," Edwards said of his prize.
Since Edwards picked up his winning copy at Keith's Comics, Keith Colvin, the store's owner, added to Drew's winning experience by giving him FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER #1 as well as the rest of his day's selections at no charge.
"Drew is a good customer, and it was just cool to see how excited he was," Colvin said.
Keith's Comics has three locations in Texas, and it was at their Mockingbird Lane store in Dallas where Drew picked up his lucky copy.
"I think retailers like Keith are the real heroes of the comic industry, and they deserve my thanks for helping to make FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER a success," Wheatley said, "so I did a special illustration for Keith's Comics to show my thanks and appreciation."
"There are four more copies out there," Wheatley said. "And the corresponding art is ready to go to the next lucky winner. Unlike reality TV, you don't have to work for Donald Trump, get voted off the island, or even eat bugs. But you do have to support your local retailer and buy a copy to get a chance."
FRANKENSTEIN MOBSTER #2 is available for order now in the December issue of Previews and will go on sale February 4
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