July 28 2005, Toronto, Canada — Athena Voltaire, the Eisner Award-nominated webcomic, comes to print in December 2005 courtesy of Speakeasy Comics.
Launched online in 2002, Athena Voltaire follows the adventures of the title character, a globetrotting aviatrix facing down Nazis, monsters and the occult in the 1930’s. Since its inception, the series has garnered rave reviews from Ain’t It Cool News, Sequential Tart, Comic World News and others. Additionally, Athena Voltaire was named one of the year’s best comics by the Webcomics Examiner.
The title’s print debut showcases the work of the acclaimed creative team of Paul Daly (script), Steve Bryant (art) and Chad Fidler (color art).
Athena Voltaire: The Flight of the Falcon, Athena’s Speakeasy debut, takes the heroine to South America, Hong Kong and the Middle East as she struggles to keep an artifact of great power out of the hands of Nazis and black magicians.
“We’re thrilled to be joining the Speakeasy lineup,” said artist Steve Bryant. “The previous Speakeasy books have set the bar very high in terms of production value and quality storytelling, and we’re excited to be a part of that tradition.”
“It’s great to have these guys on board and to be able to bring their incredible comic from the computer screen to comic shops across the country,” commented Adam Fortier, President of Speakeasy Comics.
Athena Voltaire has already received a great deal of attention from other creators. Warren Ellis (Planetary, The Authority) describes it thusly “Imagine if the likes of The Mummy and Van Helsing were actually, you know, good.” Tim Bradstreet (Punisher, Hellblazer) sees the “wonderful pulp throwback” as “return to the heady days of the adventure comic,” while Beau Smith (Guy Gardner: Warrior, Wynona Earp) likes the “Manly story tellin’ and beautiful art.” Mark Schultz (Xenozoic Tales) sees it as “fun and compelling” with “stylish storytelling and gorgeous rendering.” Mike W. Barr (The Outsiders, Maze Agency) sums it up best, “If loving Athena is wrong, I don’t want to be right!”
Athena Voltaire: The Flight of the Falcon is currently being previewed in black and white on www.graphicsmash.com . Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, readers can check out a new page. The full color series hits stores in December.
For more information, check out the official Athena Voltaire homepage at www.athenavoltaire.com.
Look for more comics and creators from Speakeasy Comics at Wizard World Chicago, August 4-7! For tickets and more information, please visit: http://store.yahoo.com/wizarduniverse/wizworchic20.html
