Sal Abbinanti’s Haunting ogn THE HOSTAGE is Now on Kickstarter

 

Sal Abbinanti’s Graphic Novel THE HOSTAGE is Now on Kickstarter

 

THE HOSTAGE Campaign Includes Limited Edition Lithographs from Alex Ross, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jeffrey Alan Love, Sanjulián, Geof Darrow, and Eric Powell

 

and Tiers with Original Sketch Cards, Postcards, and Bookmarks by Abbinanti

 

 

January 25, 2021—Chicago, IL— By day, Sal Abbinanti is the art rep for comic book superstars Alex Ross and Bill Sienkiewicz, but by night he, too, is an artist. For more than two decades, the Chicago native has been obsessed with creating a graphic novel inspired by a visit he made to Brazil when he was in his early 20’s. Now, Abbinanti is launching a Kickstarter campaign for his dream project, a 115-page full-color original graphic novel set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro titled THE HOSTAGE.

 

“When I was 25, I spent six months living in Rio de Janeiro,” said Abbinanti. “I was a starry eyed, full of shit college kid who went there for a Brazilian vacation of samba, nightlife, and beaches. To see the level of poverty, suffering, and death in Rio de Janeiro was eye opening. I will never forget it. THE HOSTAGE is my tribute to the amazing country and especially to the kids living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.”

 

Loosely inspired by the culture and religions of Brazil like the Umbanda and the Candomblé, Abbinanti has been building the world of THE HOSTAGE in his studio for over 10 years—sketching characters, panels, and scripting pages. Abbinanti’s unique art style and vibrant color choices create a spellbinding effect. THE HOSTAGE tells the story of a group of street kids who are abandoned by society. Dying every day from poverty and gang violence, the kids join together and summon a mystical spirit—THE HOSTAGE—who will protect them and avenge the deaths of their friends.

 

THE HOSTAGE Kickstarter campaign includes limited edition lithographs from Alex Ross, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jeffrey Alan Love, Sanjulián, Geof Darrow, and Eric Powell, as well as tiers with original sketch cards, postcards, and bookmarks by Abbinanti.

 

“One of the most exciting parts of bringing my project to Kickstarter is the opportunity to connect with so many amazing artists from around the world and bring their work to you,” said Abbinanti. “I've been working in the comics business for a long time and I'm really lucky to know so many talented artists who have been willing to make contributions to this project. It's an honor to see their visions for THE HOSTAGE and have them be part of this."

 

The crowdfunding campaign is live now and concludes on February 25th, with pledge tiers ranging from a digital edition available in both English and Portuguese (translated by Kelsey Trotta), to The Complete HOSTAGE Package, which includes an 11x17 original drawing by Sal Abbinanti and a complete set of lithographs by all guest artists.

 

For updates, follow @SalAbbinanti and @comics_mercury.

 

To support the campaign, visit Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420812560/the-hostage-a-graphic-novel-by-sal-abbinanti

 

About The Creator

Sal Abbinanti was educated at the University of Southern California and the Art Institute of Chicago. Sal began his indie comics career in 2005 with the launch of Mercury Comics and the publication of Atomika-God is Red, and now, The Hostage. By day he is the art rep for Alex Ross and Bill Sienkiewicz and lives on the North Side of Chicago.

More horror and humor awaits in EDGAR ALLAN POE'S SNIFTER OF BLOOD #4 from AHOY Comics

 

EDGAR ALLAN POE’S SNIFTER OF BLOOD #4

(W) Tyrone Finch, James Finn Garner

(A) Ryan Kelly, Sandy Jarrell

(C) Alan Robinson

AHOY continues to cheaply exploit the great Edgar Allan Poe's reputation with two hilarious new horrors: an updated version of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by James Finn Garner and artist Sandy Jarrell; the original tale of "Winston," a six-year old who terrorizes a town, written by Tyrone Finch with art by Ryan Kelly; plus the usual AHOY extra illustrated prose stories. Cover by PENULTIMAN co-creator Alan Robinson.

January 27, 2021

$4.99

AFTERLIFT, the Eisner Award-winning, Shuster Award-winning, and Harvey Award nominated graphic novel

 

AFTERLIFT, the Eisner Award-winning, Shuster Award-winning, and Harvey Award nominated graphic novel from Eisner Award winning writer Chip Zdarsky, best known for his work on Sex Criminals and Marvel Comics, and Jason Loo, the acclaimed artist of The Pitiful Human-Lizard, is now available to read in print for the first time!

 

“Rideshares have become synonymous with modern-day life and they can, depending on your driver, be a total lifesaver or complete hell. On that latter point, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jason Loo have come together to create a comiXology Original story about the terrifying concept of a rideshare being your final journey to the afterlife. . . .

Strange, silly, and very enjoyable.” –Nerdist

 

Arriving in print from Dark Horse in February 2021, AFTERLIFT [136 pages / color / on sale February 2 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold and February 3 in comic shops / MSRP $19.99/$25.99 pbk / ISBN: 978-1-5067-2440-9] colored by Paris Alleyne, lettered by Aditya Bidikar and edited by Allison O’Toole, includes a Jason Loo Sketchbook with commentary by Chip Zdarsky as well as a process piece called Anatomy of a Page. 

 

AFTERLIFT is a fast-paced story about car chases, demon bounty hunters, and figuring out your place in this world and the next. Janice Chen recently quit her day job in finance and signs up to be a driver on a ride-sharing app. She has enough to deal with, from annoying passengers to overbearing parents. But what was at first a mundane yet enjoyable way to pass the time takes a terrible turn when she picks up a pair of mysterious passengers who are pursued by otherworldly forces, Janice realizes that her already-terrible day might be headed straight to hell.

 

 

 

About the Creators

Chip Zdarsky never stops learning, and recently he’s learned that he’s written Spider-Man and Daredevil for Marvel Comics and even drew a tiny bit of Batman. What a world! He’s also the co-creator and illustrator of Sex Criminals for Image Comics, which is even weirder than drawing Batman. For more information go to zdars.co.

 

Jason Loo is a Toronto-based cartoonist best known for The Pitiful Human-Lizard, a comic book series he wrote and drew, set in Toronto about a struggling Canadian superhero making the best out of his shortcomings, which he Kickstarted in 2014. Loo was nominated for the 2018 Doug Wright Spotlight Award for his work on The Pitiful Human-Lizard. He has also worked on the G.I.Joe: Canadian Convention Edition comic books and has contributed a comic short to the Kill Shakespeare series by IDW.  Loo’s freelance illustration work has appeared in THIS Magazine, CBC, National Post, Globe and Mail, and 24 magazine.

 

On Background

Dark Horse Comics, the legendary comic book publisher of titles including Black Hammer, Hellboy, Sin City and The Umbrella Academy, and comiXology, the world’s premier digital comics service, recently announced that Dark Horse will distribute print editions of comiXology Originals graphic novels and collections. Select titles from the creator-owned line of comiXology Originals will be available in print for the first time for customers in comic shops, bookstores, and libraries. Through this deal, Dark Horse Comics will be responsible for distribution and fulfillment for the titles through Diamond Comic Distributors for comic shops and Penguin Random House for bookstores around the world.

 

ComiXology Originals' exclusive content line debuted in 2017, and in their first year garnered an Eisner Award for Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost. The next year saw an Eisner Award nomination for The Stone King by Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook, and in 2020 an Eisner Award win and Shuster Award win for AFTERLIFT. In addition to the creator-owned line of exclusive content, comiXology Originals, through a partnership with Kodansha Comics, has re-released and newly translated manga such as BECK, Initial D and The Drops of God.