New GHOST Agents, Deathslinger, Half of the Crown, and Chris Anderson Art Book.
NEW HAVEN, CT. March 5, 2024 – Hot on the heels of their appearance at Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) last weekend with the debut of Seraji’s Fourth Dimensional: Seal Your Heart, Cosmic Lion Productions are bringing their wares to the Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) where they’ll be debuting four new titles from their growing library of acclaimed releases – GHOST Agents: Outlaw Town, Deathslinger, Half of the Crown, and Grey Matter Drip: The Art of Chris Anderson – alongside selling early copies of Gideon Kendall and Doug Latino’s new Wait … It Gets Worse collection.
Casting a spotlight on the burgeoning artisanal comics scene, the inaugural Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3) is set to be a pivotal event for the community. Among the more than 100 creators slated to appear at the event in New Haven, Connecticut on Saturday, March 9, many are part of the growing indie comics collective known as Cosmic Lion Productions, led by Eli Schwab.
“Cosmic Lion has been a great partner for IC3,” says Matt Sardo, founder of IC3 and Monkeys Fighting Robots. “Eli wants to inspire creators, and from their current line-up of books, he’s succeeding.” Publisher, Eli Schwab, is equally enthusiastic about the event. “IC3 is the ultimate Indie Comics meet-up,” he adds. “There will be so much creative power in the room, I can’t be sure whether the physical building will be able to withstand it all. I’m nervous and excited all at the same time.”
To commemorate the inaugural event, Cosmic Lion Productions will have several brand new items available for the first time on this special day in Connecticut. But, fans who can’t make it there in person don’t need to worry, everything going on sale at the event will be available to pre-order from the Cosmic Lion website this week.
GHOST AGENTS: OUTLAW TOWN
The latest project from writer/producer Rocko Jerome, GHOST Agents: Outlaw Town, is the first “feature-length presentation” in the ongoing GA series – and it’s a doozy, with 30 pages of wild action drawn by the legendary Ken Landgraf. This latest instalment in Cosmic Lion’s flagship series sets a record, with the first 20-page fight scene in one of the publisher’s books, as two GHOST Agents take on a mad family of mutated hippie freaks in an old Hollywood western set circa 1969.
“Ken’s art was in the first comic I ever bought off a newsstand,” recalls Rocko. “In it, Wolverine and Hercules get into a bar fight over a woman. I was eight years old and never looked back. To say this is a thrill is an absolute understatement.” Landgraf’s pages have been colored by Christian “Meesimo” Meesey, who says, “Coloring the work of underground legend Ken Landgraf is a blast! His art bridges the gap between our reality and a bizarre ‘70s-infused hyper exciting alternate universe that aligns perfectly with the world of GHOST Agents. My goal is to support the work with color and give it a strong finish while letting his singular linework shine through.”
“It’s been an honor to draw this new issue of GHOST Agents. It’s cool for me to team up with these young guys who bring so much energy & excitement to the project,” says Landgraf. “They have a new way of looking at things that I really like. I am putting all the storytelling devices I know into the action-packed pages. It’s great to be teaming up again with Rocko Jerome, who has delivered a unique spy action story. I kinda bounce off his ideas, and he lets me fly! And I absolutely love the psychedelic coloring by Meesimo – it adds to my line work in a really unique way!”
GHOST Agents: Outlaw Town is 11″ by 7 1/2″ inches and 30 pages on newsprint. A short run of just 50 posters will be available at IC3 from Mr. Landgraf himself.
DEATHSLINGER
Deathslinger is co-created by writer Shane Berryhill (Scout Comics, Albatross Funnybooks), artist Ben Perkins (GHOST Agents, Anthro Comics) and letterer/ designer Keith Finch. This 80-page giant is a gritty, adult space western full of cyborg assassins and alien gangs.
“What excites me about Deathslinger is how the book rocks and rolls non-stop with story and action from page one, panel one,” says Shane. “There’s no filler, no wasted space. It’s a mean, lean comics machine that goes for the jugular and doesn’t let up for an instant!”
“My interest in this project was largely driven by the concept, genre, and the opportunity to work with Ben,” says Keith. “As the guy who does the work that falls right in-between the written word and the artwork, Deathslinger has been a fun ride – balancing Shane’s evocative script with Ben’s explosive artwork.”
“The book is everything I have wanted to draw,” adds Ben. “Sci-fi locales, crazy alien characters, robots, and gunslinging!! This is some of the best comic storytelling I’ve done in my career; I’m excited to show people what I’ve done for this book.”
HALF OF THE CROWN
When Penny Chiu, a girl haunted by the unseen world, is invited to a new school, she didn’t expect to be sharing a space with the stand-offish yet kind Issei Devlin, much less her soul; but their bond might be the deciding factor in an ancient conflict as it finally comes to a head.
With nearly 17k readers on Webtoon, Ro Higashi’s Half of the Crown is a well-established fan favorite, and Cosmic Lion is proud to present the first ever print edition of the material.
As Ro observes, this new version has some enhancements: “As a kid, I wanted to be a writer. I had no idea I was dyslexic, and a 3rd grade teacher told me I was a bad writer. So, in a fit of ODD, I decided from then on, I would draw my stories instead; dyslexia be damned. Some of the speech in the book is refined from the Webtoon panels, since I wrote those parts when I wasn’t managing my dyslexia well. The printed comic is more concise and easier to follow, in my opinion, although the story remains the same.”
Half of the Crown is a deeply personal work for Ro. “The older I get, the more vulnerability scares me,” she says. “My comics and my work mirror a lot of the things I’m afraid of. Reading my comic is like getting to know me. On the surface, it appears harmless, sweet, and maybe ‘adorkable.’ As you read a lot more into it and invest time, you may realize there is this huge mess that totally changes your view about what you thought you were agreeing to read. My hope is that you stick around, and stay invested in the story and characters along with all their changes, twists and turns. Similar to how I hope people still stay friends with me even after they find out more about me.”
GRAY MATTER DRIP: THE ART OF CHRIS ANDERSON
His art has featured in the immortal Heavy Metal magazine and Cosmic Lion’s GHOST Agents, and his invisible hand has been a part of storyboarding many Hollywood movies, TV shows, and commercials. His successes include the Creepshow comic and Chaotic Neutral. Now, Chris Anderson brings us a collection of all the commissions, pin-ups, and covers he’s done over the last two years, a chronicle of a chapter in the life of a hardworking professional artist.
“I’ve always responded to Chris’ work—some completely singular confluence of ‘60s comix, ‘80s mass pop fantasy, and ‘90s extreme-ism– with a visceral desire to see more. More weird, more crazy, more ugly, more beautiful. This book almost satiates that primal need with an incredible selection of works.”
-Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Nightwing, Local Man)
“Now and then, you discover an artist that embodies the word ‘fearless.’ It’s rare. It takes courage. Chris appears unable to hold back and continues to surprise his fans with his unique take on illustration and storytelling.”
-Dan Panosian (Slots, Canary, Prophet)
“What a mistake I’ve made! If I had known that Chris could draw all these wonderful lunatics, I would’ve had him do all my work for me! I could’ve spent way more time sport fishing, grouting driveways, and TikTok influencing!”
-Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts, Curse Words, Eight Billion Genies)
“Chris Anderson gave me a present for my son’s baby shower, and due to our shared love of prog rock, I jokingly predicted that it would be a YES onesie. When I opened it up, to my great surprise… it was a YES onesie! Chris may be predictable as a gift-giver, but he is absolutely explosive as an artist. His energetic linework leaps off the page, and his style and craftsmanship are ever-evolving, imaginative and inspiring!”
-Chris Burnham (Batman Inc., Nameless, Die!Die!Die!)
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