Exclusive: Cosmic Lion Productions Announces Six Books
In the world of artisanal comic book creation, the inaugural Indie Comics Creator Con (IC3), slated for March 9th in New Haven, Connecticut, promises to be a landmark event, signaling a significant shift for independent creators and fans. Among the over 100 creators slated to appear, many are a part of the upstart indie comic collective Cosmic Lion Productions, led by Eli Schwab.
“CLP has been a great partner for IC3,” says Matt Sardo, founder of IC3. “Eli wants to inspire creators, and from their lineup of books, he’s succeeding.”
Schwab is similarly enthusiastic. "IC3 is the ultimate Indie Comics meetup,” he says. “There will be so much creative power in the room that 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."
CLP has answered the call. Several all-new items will be available for the first time on this special day in Connecticut. If you can’t make it to IC3, head over to cosmiclionproductions.com and get your books!
DEATHSLINGER
Deathslinger is co-created by writer Shane Berryhill (Scout Comics, Albatross Funnybooks, 12-Gauge Comics, Band of Bards, MacMillan/Tor, Crossroad Press), artist Ben Perkins (GHOST Agents, Anthro Comics, Post Traumatic) 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 nonstop with story and action from page one, panel one," says Shane. "There is no filler, no wasted space. Deathslinger is 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," Ben says. "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."
"At CLP, I'm always looking for something different—something not normally seen on shelves," said Cosmic Lion Productions publisher Eli Schwab. "Ben Perkins's art takes the ultraviolent subject matter of Deathslinger and elevates it into something admittedly raw and visceral, yet somehow still light and fun. And what Keith Finch has done completes the package, turning this comic into a 'design container,' to paraphrase Paul Pope."
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR DEATHSLINGER:
"Deathslinger is a grindhouse post-apocalyptic spaghetti western on steroids." – Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons)
"I opened it up and went directly into an apocalyptic fever dream of 4-color action. Great characterizations, clever layouts, and a genuine love of the medium. Deathslinger is a bombastic acid trip into everything that's right with comics." - Andy "The Animal" Belanger (Mother Trucker, Southern Cross, Death Dealer 2099)
“Deathslinger is just what I look for in a great genre tale. Compelling action, cool characters, and a sci-fi western world that feels so alive you can practically smell the dust in the air." – Dave Baker (Mary Tyler MooreHawk, Halloween Boy)
"Deathslinger zings! The tightly scripted action gathers momentum as the pages turn. Ben Perkins' art hits a sweet spot, swaggering like a gung-ho blockbuster filtered through a Bande Dessinee cybernetic eye-lens. Impressive on all levels, packed with enough design flourishes and mini-features to build a truly immersive read. Think, Star Wars. Think, Valerian. Think, the best of 2000 A.D. Think nothing of the sort…Think DEATHSLINGER! Deathslinger is the real deal!" - Shaky Kane (2000 A.D., Weird Work, The Man from Maybe, Bulletproof Coffin, Deadline)
FOURTH DIMENSIONAL
In their latest release, Cosmic Lion Productions presents the newest comic from a creator on their way up. The young man is named Seraji, and he's the artist and writer of Fourth Dimensional, the story of a young woman and an extra-dimensional fugitive facing a forbidding new world in an ongoing Urban Sci-fi Adventure series. A blend of the bold fun of Pop Art and the intensity of Shonen manga, Fourth Dimension: Summer Of Fun collects the entire first story arc. It's a 120-page trade paperback, including a guest artist pinup gallery, sketchbook and process pages, and illustrations. It's now available for preorder, along with the all-new first issue of the next story arc, Fourth Dimensional: Seal Your Heart Part 1, a double-sized comic containing over 48 pages.
"I've been reading and drawing comics since I was a little kid," says Seraji. "I am forever obsessed with fun stories set in fantastical worlds following engaging characters. Fourth Dimensional is the natural progression of that. It's a series containing everything I love about the comics medium and storytelling. It is also a vessel for me to grow as a comic artist. When you read 4D, you witness not only the journey of the characters but also my journey as a creator."
"Fun designs, compositions, and great use of color. It's really impressive work." — Wes Craig (KAYA, Deadly Class)
"4D brings me back to my happy comics place with 4x the fun and adventure." – Darcy Van Poelgeest (LITTLE BIRD, Critical Role THE BRIGHT QUEEN)
GRAY MATTER DRIP: THE ART OF CHRIS ANDERSON
His art has been in the immortal Heavy Metal magazine and CLP'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 Tink Tonk 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., Namekess, Die!Die!Die!)
GHOST AGENTS: OUTLAW TOWN
The latest project from self-described "Writer/Producer" Rocko Jerome, GHOST Agents: Outlaw Town, is the first "feature-length presentation" in the ongoing GA series, and it's a doozy. It's 30 pages of wild action drawn by the legendary Ken Landgraf, in which two GHOST Agents take on a mad family of mutated hippie freaks in an old Hollywood western set circa 1969. This latest installment of CLP's flagship series sets a record, with the first ever 20-page fight scene in one of the publisher's books.
"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 will be colored by Christian "Meesimo" Meesey, who says, “Coloring the work of underground legend Ken Landgraf is a blast! It is an honor to collaborate with him and add color to his always dynamic compositions. His art bridges the gap between our reality and another bizarre 1970’s infused hyper exciting alternate universe that aligns perfectly with the world of Rocko Jerome’s GHOST Agents. My goal is always to support the work with color and give it a strong finish while letting his singular linework shine through.”
“It’s been an honor for me to have drawn 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. It’s always fun to work from Rocko’s stories. I kinda bounce off of 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 will be 11" by 7 1/2" inches and 30 pages on newsprint. You can preorder it now. A short run of just 50 posters will be available at IC3 from Mr.Landgraf himself.
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 standoffish yet kind Issei Devlin, much less her soul; however, 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 well established, and CLP is proud to bring you the first ever print edition. 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 comic and my work mirrors a lot of the things I am afraid of. Reading my comic is like getting to know me. On the surface, my comic 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 its changes, twists and turns. Similar to how I hope people still stay friends with me even after they find out more about me."
WAIT…IT GETS WORSE
Since 2014, Wait..It Gets Worse has been cracking people up everywhere there are comix. In the upcoming Wait...It Gets Worse, If We Only Knew, the hilarious work of Gideon Kendall and Doug Latino gets the big-time treatment. This hardcover, 270-page collector's edition collects the best of the comic of the same name in lush pages, both color and black and white! It carries on the tradition of the let it all hang out, autobiographical, misfit underground greats of the sixties through the eighties.
The Eisner-winning Gideon is the co-creator, writer, editor, and primary artist. You might have seen his work in Heavy Metal, Full Bleed from IDW/PDX, LAAB from Beehive Books, Dark Horse Comics, MAD magazine, or The Illustrated Al: The Songs of Weird Al Yankovic, recently published by Z2.
Doug Latino has had numerous auto-bio short stories published in anthologies, including Blue if You See It in collaboration with Tony Wolf, as well as in Tony's Tales From the Wolf. He's also in Wizerd #2, another Cosmic Lion Production, and Whiskey-A-No-Go, in collaboration with Gideon Kendall and in Bottoms Up, a publication from Birdcage Bottom Books.
"Just when you thought richly realized comics by mature creators had to be all corporate, along comes Wait...It Gets Worse, kicking down doors with spirited wisdom." - David Collier
"Wait…It Gets Worse is a revelation, the marriage of great writing and great artwork, something far too rare in comics and graphic novels. In fact, Wait…It Gets Worse can't get any better! I loved it." - Drew Friedman
INDIE COMICS CREATOR CON (IC3)
Saturday, March 9th
10 am - 6 pm
345 Fitch St
New Haven CT 06515
Free Parking
Head over to Eventbrite for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indie-comics-creator-con-tickets-730522752217