Dynamite Entertainment Gets Li’l
Dynamite Entertainment isn’t just starting 2014 with their major crossover event
Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure. They’re also making their comics more accessible to a younger audience by making some of their most iconic characters into children! Similar to and their
Itty Bitty Hellboy and DC Comics
Li’l Gotham.
For five weeks starting in January 2014 Dynamite Entertainment will be releasing one-shot comic books where some of their most popular characters will be appropriate for all-ages – quite a feat for some characters. These
Li’l Dynamites that will be receiving this treatment are Red Sonja, Evil Ernie, Battlestar Galactica, Vampirella, and Bionic Man. I’m struggling to see how a kid who killed 666 people (see my review of
Evil Ernie #1) and warriors in chain mail (and whatever Vampirella wears) can be made into kid-friendly material, but the creative team has a great reputation.
The one-shots will have several award-winning all-ages writers including Roger Langridge, Art Baltazar, and Franco who will be joining regulars on Dynamite Entertainment’s writing staff include Jim Zub, Brandon Jerwa, and Eric Trautmann (what, no
Gail Simone?). The artwork for the series of one-shots will be done by Art Baltazar (
Tiny Titans) and Subscription-Only editions will be drawn by Agnes Garbowska (
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). Also included with the artwork in every issue is a two-page activity sheet.
The first one-shot that will be released on January 1
st, 2014 for
Li’l Dynamites is
Li’l Battlestar Galactica. The sci-fi crew will be written by Eisner award-winning writers Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani (
Tiny Titans). Apollo and Starbuck are here to save the day and meet the Cylons, trying to determine whether they’re friend, foe or frenemy! What little I know about
Battlestar Galactica comes from watching the entire series of Caprica, which basically taught me Cylons are pretty cool.
The second one-shot, which will be coming out on January 8
th, 2014 is
Li’l Vampi. This story features a teenage Vampirella trying to figure out why Stoker (I see what you did there…), Maine, is filled to the brim with monsters. I am looking forward to seeing what writer Eric Trautmann (
Red Sonja, Vampirella) and artist Agnes Garbowska come up with. I’m guessing Vampirella’s usual attire is out then?
Li’l Bionic Kids is the third one-shot, hitting the shelves on January 15
th, 2014. Brandon Jerwa (
G.I. Joe: Real American Hero, Vampirella) will be writing the series while Ian McGinty (
Adventure Time: Candy Capers) does the artwork. Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers are news students at A.S.I. (The Academy of Science Intelligence), which is a school for kids with unique gifts. Both Steve and Jaime are cyborgs with a rivalry between them that needs to be put aside if they want to stop incoming alien invaders.
In my eyes the hardest to adapt,
Li’l Ernie will be handled by Eisner award-winning writer Roger Langridge (
The Muppet Show: The Comic Book). It’s probably good they didn’t go with Jesse Blaze Snider. Ernie’s still evil, but instead of killing 666 people he …never eats his vegetables? …his library books are sometimes three weeks late? …he once xeroxed his own butt? This is definitely the kid friendly version. And Smiley’s his conscience?! I don’t remember any of this back when I reviewed
Evil Ernie…
The final one-shot will be
Li’l Sonja, coming to stores on January 29
th, 2014. The book will be written by Jim Zub (
Skullkickers) and have interior artwork done by Joel Carroll (
Skullkickers). Sonja is a young warrior girl who travels the world to battle monsters of all shapes and sizes. In this one-shot, she comes across a town trouble by bandits and has to figure out who is behind the robberies happening throughout the town. Just like Vampirella, Li’l Sonja’s wardrobe is much more kid-friendly than her famous counterpart.
I’m all for getting kids into comics, but wouldn’t it be disappointing if a kid really enjoyed
Li’l Ernie then went to look up more and stumbled upon Snider’s “Origin of Evil?” This could have some interesting results. All the one-shots will be available in stores and on digital platforms thanks to Comixology, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.
The second one-shot, which will be coming out on January 8th, 2014 is Li’l Vampi. This story features a teenage Vampirella trying to figure out why Stoker (I see what you did there…), Maine, is filled to the brim with monsters. I am looking forward to seeing what writer Eric Trautmann (Red Sonja, Vampirella) and artist Agnes Garbowska come up with. I’m guessing Vampirella’s usual attire is out then?
In my eyes the hardest to adapt, Li’l Ernie will be handled by Eisner award-winning writer Roger Langridge (The Muppet Show: The Comic Book). It’s probably good they didn’t go with Jesse Blaze Snider. Ernie’s still evil, but instead of killing 666 people he …never eats his vegetables? …his library books are sometimes three weeks late? …he once xeroxed his own butt? This is definitely the kid friendly version. And Smiley’s his conscience?! I don’t remember any of this back when I reviewed Evil Ernie…
The final one-shot will be Li’l Sonja, coming to stores on January 29th, 2014. The book will be written by Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and have interior artwork done by Joel Carroll (Skullkickers). Sonja is a young warrior girl who travels the world to battle monsters of all shapes and sizes. In this one-shot, she comes across a town trouble by bandits and has to figure out who is behind the robberies happening throughout the town. Just like Vampirella, Li’l Sonja’s wardrobe is much more kid-friendly than her famous counterpart.
I’m all for getting kids into comics, but wouldn’t it be disappointing if a kid really enjoyed Li’l Ernie then went to look up more and stumbled upon Snider’s “Origin of Evil?” This could have some interesting results. All the one-shots will be available in stores and on digital platforms thanks to Comixology, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.
