Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce the full creative team for Project Superpowers: Blackcross, a supernatural thriller written by comic book luminary Warren Ellis. Colton Worley, the fan-favorite Dynamite mainstay whose previous works include The Shadow Now and The Complete Dracula, will lend his atmospheric, hyper-realistic art style to the project. The March 2015 debut of Blackcross will be supported by a generous helping of variant covers from industry superstars and previous Ellis collaborators, including Jae Lee, Tula Lotay, Declan Shalvey, Jason Howard, Gabriel Hardman, and interior artist Colton Worley himself.
In the all-new Project Superpowers series, Warren Ellis and Colton Worley take readers on a sinister journey away from the brightly clad heroes of the Golden Age, and into the small town of Blackcross, nestled in the Pacific Northwest. All small towns have secrets, but Blackcross has more secrets than most… it’s a lonesome place, haunted by something truly impossible. Project Superpowers: Blackcross is a ghost story about something reaching out from the other side of the night, through the forest and mist of a remote town, to grasp at the hearts of its unsuspecting residents — victims who won’t know that they’re the targets of a strange killer until it’s much, much too late.
Dynamite first announced Ellis’ participation in a Project Superpowers series in April 2014, but today marks the first public statement of Worley’s involvement in the project. “I’m delighted by Colton Worley’s art,” says Warren Ellis. “It’s the kind of dark, muscular, classical American comic-strip illustration that I thought they didn’t make any more, with the control of light and shade that makes the whole thing feel like a supernatural thriller from noir cinema.”
Colton Worley says, “Ellis wrote a hell of a good script for me and everyone else to work off of. We’re all very happy with the end result and glad we can show it off a little before everyone has it.”
Alongside a handful of Dynamite’s most beloved cover artists, Project Superpowers: Blackcross #1 will showcase a number of artists from Warren Ellis’ most popular recent releases, including Declan Shalvey (from Ellis’ acclaimed run on Marvel’s Moon Knight), Tula Lotay of the Image Comics title, Supreme: Blue Rose, and Jason Howard of Trees. Jae Lee, the superstar artist of Batman/Superman, has a long history of providing highly sought-after cover editions for Dynamite Entertainment titles, as have Gabriel Hardman (Magnus: Robot Fighter) and, of course, Colton Worley.
“Since our initial announcement, fans have consistently been asking us two questions: who will be the artist, and when will the series ship? Warren wanted to have multiple scripts written, as well as the right artist on-board (and well into the series), a preference that we stand behind, since we want to ensure on-time delivery for fans and retailers. Warren was very hands-on with the selection of the artist, and we’re proud to announce that Colton Worley will be the visual foundation of Blackcross,” says Nick Barrucci, Publisher and CEO of Dynamite Entertainment. “With Warren Ellis at the helm, we couldn’t do any less than gather the best! The next chapter in the Project Superpowers saga is a mind-blowing, spine-tingling descent into the shadows, and rest assured, it’s in good hands.”
Project Superpowers: Blackcross #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ January 2015 Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in March. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Blackcross #1 with their local comic book retailers. Project Superpowers: Blackcross will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.