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Bad news in regards to the Madame Frankenstein trade paperback, originally due in stores this week. We have been informed that some kind of problem at the docks has delayed the shipment from the printer, and so the books won't be in stores now until March 18.
Our apologies for this most unexpected development. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at some of the design elements and sketches from the book.
For more details on the series, visit the Image Comics page, or join us on Facebook.
Current Soundtrack: Belle & Sebastian, Girls In Peacetime Want to Dance Deluxe Bonus Tracks
Happy Valentine's Day from Ares & Aphrodite!
Yes, we know that the actual high holy day is not until this weekend, but this is also to celebrate the digital finale of the first volume over on Comixology. Have you read it yet?
Megan Levens and I are excited to have this book out in the world at last.
Here's something to listen to while you read. Gigi quotes this song in an earlier chapter, in a way that is as much a threat as a promise. :)
Current Soundtrack: Karen O, Live from Crush Palace
The digital edition of Ares & Aphrodite wraps up this Tuesday. You can get that and previous chapters from Comixology.
Needless to say, this gallery previewing that sixth installment has spoilers. If you've not been reading, scroll through at your own peril.
I was surprised with a first-look advance copy of the actual printed comic this week. It came out gorgeous! Hilary Thompson at Oni Press really did a marvelous job bringing it together. And I think Megan's colors look even better on paper.
And remember, when this bad boy comes out in April, it has a bonus story, process material, and an afterword not available in the serialization.
Current Soundtrack: Cornershop, Hold On It's Easy
...but today is the day in Ares & Aphrodite when we find out who wins the bet, Will or Gigi. Is this particular knot about to get tied?
It's the penultimate chapter. You're going to know how this whole little romance turns out next week, just in time for Valentine's!
Download Ares & Aphrodite #5 now.
Scroll through the preview below.
The printed book is out in April. Order it now.
Current Soundtrack: The Charlatans, Modern Nature
The fourth digital chapter of Ares & Aphrodite: Love Wars takes us into the final act. Get “The Morning After the Night Before” on Comixology now.
Two issues to go, still plenty of time to catch up. Scroll trough the preview of #4 for more.
This chapter also has a self-deprecating two-panel exchange that never fails to crack me up.
And don’t forget to preorder the print edition coming in April.
Current Soundtrack: Taylor Swift, 1989
Megan Levens and I were on the Weird Girls video cast with Danni Danger discussing all of our books.
Current Soundtrack: Jungle, Jungle
You can now grab Ares & Aphrodite chapter 3 from Comixology. Preview gallery below.
Thought, technically, it's chapters 5 and 6, since the digital versions have two chapters each. With their own special titles, even.
Major Spoilers has been giving the book a lot of great coverage, including:
Don't forget to tell you favorite retailer to order you the print edition in April. Details here.
Megan's first issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 10 also goes on sale tomorrow from Dark Horse Comics. You can see a full preview at Comic Book Resources, ut here is a quick tease.
Current Soundtrack: The Thrills, So Much for the City
Chapter 2 of Ares & Aphrodite hit Comixology today.
The book is written by me, with art by Megan Levens, and lettering by Crank.
Published by Oni Press.
If you dig romantic comedies with a little bit of mystery, then this is the book for you. Published weekly through Valentine's Day digitally, with a print version in April.
Scroll through the gallery below for a preview.
Current Soundtrack: Mark Ronson, Uptown Special
Ares & Aphrodite debuted today on Comixology. You can get the first installment and sign up for a subscription right here.
The full print version is going to follow in April. Diamond has details. It has some extra features, including a small sketchbook section, an afterword by Sequential Crush's Jacque Nodell, and the "Two Wheels, Two Feet" short story that Megan Levens and I did for Double Feature a couple of years ago.
Here is a short preview. Click on the image to scroll through.
PRESS RELEASE:
Portland, OR (January 6th, 2015) – Oni Press is pleased to announce the launch of Jamie S. Rich & Megan Levens’ newest graphic novel, ARES & APHRODITE, the first chapter of which is now available at ComiXology and Madefire!
ARES & APHRODITE is the second collaboration between Levens and Rich, following 2014’s MADAME FRANKENSTEIN, and will be split up into weekly chapters, released every Tuesday for $1.99. There will be six chapters of ARES & APHRODITE in all, finishing up on February 10th—just in time for Valentine’s Day!
ARES & APHRODITE follows the exploits of divorce lawyer Will Ares and wedding planner Gigi Averelle. Under normal circumstances, they’d probably never meet, but their respective clients are getting married! Set against the beautiful and duplicitous backdrop of Hollywood, this romantic comedy is sure to satisfy even the most bitter of hearts.
Intrigued? Readers can click HERE to get Chapter 1 of ARES & APHRODITE from ComiXology, or head over to MADEFIRE.COM for the first installment!
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Current Soundtrack: Charli XCX, "Gold Coins;" Rita Ora, "Grateful"
See a longer preview at What'cha Reading.
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Frankenstein meets Pygmalion in MADAME FRANKENSTEIN by Jamie S. Rich (12 Reasons Why I Love Her, You Have Killed Me) and Megan Levens, a graphic novel set in the dying days of the Jazz Age, coming in February from Image Comics.
In 1932, Vincent Krall, an impoverished medical student, sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of the woman he loved but could not possess. But in this dark tale of obsession, Vincent finds that a man cannot master life and death, and a woman is not so easily controlled.
MADAME FRANKENSTEIN began as a drawing in artist Levens’ sketchbook. After she met Rich, the two began trading ideas, and the idea became a fully-fleshed story. Rich is known for his romantic graphic novels, but MADAME FRANKENSTEIN is far from a love story, as the creators explained in an interview with Newsarama.
“Though we certainly are hoping readers will root for Gail to get her freedom, the story is more of a tragedy,” Rich said. “There are no heroes in a traditional sense. Rather, it's a tale of several people whose lives are hopelessly entangled, and the bad things this relationship causes.”
“Vincent believes he has a chance to create a woman who is completely within his control, reprogrammed and taught to think and behave how he thinks she should,” added Levens, whose evocative art captures the emotional subtleties of her and Rich’s characters and the story’s mounting dread in striking black-and-white. “As an artist I was very conscious and deliberate about showing, through the characters' expressions and body language when they interact, that their relationship is based on her fear and his desire for control.”
A graphic novel combining the horror of classic gothic fiction with the glittering tragedy of The Great Gatsby, MADAME FRANKENSTEIN will be in comic book stores on February 25 and in bookstores on March 10. It is available now for pre-order. - See more at: http://imagecomics.com/content/view/jazz-age-glamour-and-gothic-horror-in-madame-frankenstein#sthash.lvn9Vni6.dpuf
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MADAME FRANKENSTEIN by Jamie S. Rich and Megan Levens (cover art by Joelle Jones)
ISBN 978-1-63215-197-1
Diamond Comic order code DEC140674
192 pages, paperback, black and white
$16.99
Collects MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #1-7
In comic book stores February 25, bookstores March 10
Retailers, librarians, and reviewers may request a PDF galley from Jennifer de Guzman, Director of Trade Book Sales, jenniferdeguzman@imagecomics.com
* Praise for MADAME FRANKENSTEIN *
“The heart of this tale is the complex relationship between the creator and his creation…. Looming, expressionistic shadows ramp up the horror; and all the while, Levens’ bold lines and feel for scene-setting flourishes evoke the romance comics of the ’40s, all without feeling too derivative. ...This is a re-interpretation of an old story that lives and breathes.” –Michelle White, Multiversity Comics
“Madame Frankenstein sees Rich twist the old tale into something even creepier, set against Levens’ cinematic, wide, black and white panels. For horror and sci-fi fans, Madame Frankenstein is a must read.” –Tim Midura, The Outhousers
“Madame Frankenstein is a fitting tribute to old-school Universal monster movies and Mary Shelley's classic novel. It's a comic that shows how human beings can be the real monsters, even in a world where the dead can return to life.” –James Ferguson, Horror Talk
“The craft is outstanding, with Jamie S. Rich’s dialogue revealing so much in just a few sentences, and Megan Levens’ art delineating the cast wonderfully.” –Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading
MADAME FRANKENSTEIN “breathes new life into the tale of Frankenstein’s monster.” –Sara Westrop, Geek Syndicate
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Current Soundtrack: Jessie Ware, Devotion
Comics Should Be Good have been really swell to my books lately. Their four-part write-up of Joëlle's work, their review of Lady Killer, and now their "Flippin' through Previews" column has chosen Ares & Aphrodite: Love Wars as one of their top choices from the new Diamond catalogue.
Jamie S. Rich is a sucker for romances, so on page 358 we find Ares & Aphrodite, a new graphic novel by him and Megan Levens from Oni. Like a lot of romantic comedies, it sounds painful on the surface – there’s a bet between an attractive divorce lawyer and a cute wedding planner (no points for guessing which is the male and which is the female) and there’s a wedding to plan, confound it! Yes, it sounds fluffy, but Rich really good at writing romances, and Levens is a pretty good artist, so I’m checking this out. (15 April)
Current Soundtrack: The Colbert Report (December 1, 2014 episode)
We have a final cover for Ares and Aphrodite: Love Wars, my romance graphic novel with Megan Levens.
The comic, which Megan is finishing the coloring on right now, will start being serialized on Comixology in January, and then Oni Press will publish the book edition in April.
Here is the marketing copy:
Will Ares, a successful divorce lawyer, find himself working alongside Gigi Averelle, a wedding planner, when their respective clients - movie producer Evans Beatty and Hollywood starlet Carrie Cartwright - plan to marry. As Beatty's ex-wives come out of the woodwork to cause mayhem, Gigi and Will make a bet - Gigi agrees to go on a date with Will if Evans and Carrie really do go through with the wedding. Should they break up, however, Will must reveal, in a full-page newspaper ad, how many marriages he's ruined. Is Will a fool for love, or is this the start of a beautiful relationship?
Current Soundtrack: Jim Bob, A Humpty Dumpty Thing
Image Comics released their solicitation info for February, including the lowdown on the Madame Frankenstein trade paperback.
MADAME FRANKENSTEIN TP
STORY: JAMIE S. RICH
ART: MEGAN LEVENS
COVER: JOËLLE JONES & NICK FILARDI
FEBRUARY 10 / 192 PAGES / BW / T+ / $16.99
In 1932, Vincent Krall sets out to create his perfect woman by reanimating the corpse of the love of his life. He’ll soon discover, however, that man was never meant to peer beyond the veil between life and death, and a woman is not as easily controlled as he believes. The collected MADAME FRANKENSTEIN contains all the covers by Helheim artist JOËLLE JONES and an exclusive gallery section showcasing MEGAN LEVENS’ development process.
Collects MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #1-7
Current Soundtrack: The New Basement Tapes, Lost on the River
So, what a fulfilling seven months that was. Madame Frankenstein ended this week, and so far, the response has been really good, despite our fears that our fully embracing the more horrific elements of the story might send people running. As one reader tweeted, it is a horror book, after all.
A particularly thoughtful piece at Major Spoilers really digs into the themes, the storytelling, and the art, summing up this way:
Madame Frankenstein #7 is the perfect ending to a delightfully unique comic series out of Image. It deserves to be read in full and the creative team deserves to have their work celebrated by all comic fans.
Unleash the Fanboy also really got into the more gruesome aspects of the outcome.
Jamie S. Rich is a really great writer. The spin that has been put on the old story is very refreshing and relevant to today’s society. It makes the reader ask questions and face those consequences with the characters. It’s what comic books should be doing!
Megan Levens has a unique voice that is brought out through her art. She understands where things are suppose to go and how they are to play out. The emotions she conveys with the pictures are so inviting that you feel that your right there. It is really cool.
Coming Up Comics has been one of our most ardent supporters and weren't disappointed.
This is the hardest issue for me to review as I don’t want to give anything away about the grand finale for this amazing story that we’ve been loving. I will say that it’s a fantastic ending to the chapter of this story. As everything begins to unravel, we’re allowed to watch from a distance while horrific things happen and you’re left feeling that nothing was rushed as this story was perfectly paced and delivered to us.
More mixed over at Need to Consume, but the writer will come around and see it our way eventually. :)
The art work has reached an emotional level that does the characters and the greater narrative more justice. There is an energy to the figurative work that has been lacking in some of the previous issues. The reader can feel the pain as Gail strikes Vincent’s face and the disembodiment sequence is as graphically uncomfortable as any of the scenes in Shelley’s original novel.
We're scheduling the trade paperback for February. Issues 2-7 are in my store, though, and if you buy them all, I'll make sure you get a pdf of #1. Just sayin'.
Current Soundtrack: Antony & the Johnsons, Turning
In advance of the release of Madame Frankenstein #7 this Wednesday, November 5, here is the cover and first three pages of the final issue. Click on the image to scroll through. (via Comic Book Resources)
And check out The Mary Sue for an exclusive look at Lady Killer, including images from #1 and this cover from #2. I can't get enough of Laura Allred's colors over Joëlle Jones.
Lady Killer #1 is released on January 7.
By the by, Brides of Helheim #2 is also on sale this week, also featuring art by Joëlle Jones, with incredible colors by Nick Filardi, who colored the Madame Frankenstein covers.
Current Soundtrack: Taylor Swift, 1989
Wow, more Lady Killer fan art! This time from Megan Levens, who also took the time to do a new Madame Frankenstein piece as part of her #Inktober project.
Check 'em out! And be sure to watch for Megan's debut in the Buffyverse with January's issue of Buffy the Vampire Season Ten.
Josie from Lady Killer
Gail from Madame Frankenstein
Current Soundtrack: The Primitives, Spin-O-Rama
The video above features a few minutes of Megan Levens talking Madame Frankenstein. Issue #7 is just a week and a half away!
Also, Megan posted a sneak peek image from our Oni Press romance comic Ares & Aphrodite that's just too darn cute.
Current Soundtrack: Andrew Montgomery, Ruled by Dreams
Madame Frankenstein #6 continues to get good reviews. Unleash the Fanboy raves:
Jamie S. Rich is a great writer and really shines with this issue. You face a lot of moral questions that are brought to the surface. It is really fantastic. It, also, gives Vincent a conscience, which is something that we haven’t really seen but now we do get a chance to see that part of the character and now we do.
Megan Levens is a really great artist and gives us the emotional looks and feel for this issue. I really do think that she is someone to look out for because of her ability. Each panel is packed with great stuff and you will see that in this issue.
It is, of course, in finer comic book shops everywhere. You can also download the comic from Comixology or direct from the publisher. Both options are now DRM-free.
I love how the cover turned out. So simple, yet so evocative. Take a gander at Joëlle Jones' black-and-white line art.
Joëlle is a great collaborator and always open to suggestions for what we might be looking for. After the elaborate #4 and #5 covers, I thought something more reserved would not only be fitting, but had some idea of how to capture the mood of this issue.
These posters from the film A Kiss Before Dying came to mind.
As you can see, Joëlle took the inspiration and flipped it around. It's the moment before the violent act, and this time from the man's point of view.
The male gaze, indeed.
Here it is again, as you've likely seen it, with Nick Filardi's colors, as well as an alternate choice that he eventually discarded since the previous issue's cover had been primarily blue.
I think the orange was better anywhere. It burns hotter. More passionate and threatening.
Nick has been awesome to work with, he always surprises us.
Current Soundtrack: Jamie T, Carry on the Grudge
