Category Archives: The Walking Dead

ECCC 2017: Skybound Entertainment Overview with Editorial Director Sean Mackiewicz

Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment at Emerald City Comicon 2017

Image Comics/Skybound Entertainment at Emerald City Comicon 2017

Sean Mackiewicz is the Editorial Director of Skybound Entertaiment who oversees all comics titles, which include the upcoming EXTREMITY and REDNECK and Robert Kirkman titles THE WALKING DEAD, OUTCAST, and INVINCIBLE. I got a chance to chat with him for bit. He is the perfect person to provide a quick tour of Skybound Entertainment.

So, what is Skybound Entertainment? Well, most of you out there are familiar with THE WALKING DEAD, right? Robert Kirkman had a dream of bringing back, in a whole new way, the old black & white horror movies, especially zombie movies, he loved watching on Saturday morning television as a kid. His unique slant on zombies was thinking of a way to keep the story going, turning it into a ongoing saga. One thing led to another and THE WALKING DEAD, pardon the pun, came to life!

THE WALKING DEAD comic book series was created by writers Robert Kirkman and Harry Schofield and artist Tony Moore. In 2003, Image Comics began publishing it. By 2008, Kirkman was a partner with Image Comics. By 2010, Kirkman was heading up his own Image Comics imprint, Skybound Entertainment.

ECCC variant for EXTREMITY #1

ECCC variant for EXTREMITY #1

Skybound Entertainment is a place to showcase a wide spectrum of titles by Robert Kirkman as well as like-minded creators. It’s a unique place for creator-owned work to be shown to the world and to grow to its fullest potential. At Skybound, you have an assortment of comic book titles with character-driven, horror, and dark fantasy themes. Among the roster of Skybound titles: EXTREMITY (first issue out March 1at), by writer and artist Daniel Warren Johnson; and REDNECK, a horror comic written by Donny Cates and drawn by Lisandro Estherren, that will hit stores on April 19th.

To round out the picture a little more on Skybound Entertainment, I asked Mackiewicz if he could describe a typical day in his role as Editorial Director. He said that no day was typical but each day could see him overseeing comic book titles, developing new titles, and developing merchandise that uniquely fit a creator’s vision.

Regarding EXTREMITY, Mackiewicz expressed his deep admiration for the talent of creator Daniel Warren Johnson. “It’s not that often you find someone so good at both writing and drawing. Daniel is a unique talent,” said Mackiewicz. Daniel Warren Johnson proved to be one of those singular talents that started creating buzz with his online work as well as his drawing portraits of people as zombies.

Now that you have a better picture of what’s going on at Skybound, consider Robert Kirkman’s OUTCAST. This is one of the titles that seems to be on a similar path as THE WALKING DEAD with a successful comic resulting in a successful television show. This Southern Gothic may hook you if it hasn’t already. A loyal fan base awaits Season Two this April on Cinemax in the U.S. and on Fox in the U.K.

For more details, visit Skybound Entertainment right here. And, if you are going to Emerald City Comicon, there are a number of Image Comics panels to attend including a rare gathering of all the original Image Comics founders on Friday. This is at 1pm at Main Stage – WSCC 4A. Regarding Skybound in particular, on Saturday, starting at 12:30pm, there will be two panels taking place on Twitch’s ECCC Live stage. If you can’t attend ECCC, you will be able to view them on Twitch. For more details, visit Emerald City Comicon right here.

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Filed under Comics, ECCC, Emerald City Comicon, Horror, Image Comics, Robert Kirkman, Seattle, Skybound Entertainment, The Walking Dead

Review: THE WALKING DEAD: THE POP-UP BOOK

The zombie book of the season!

The zombie book of the season!

It is ingrained in our DNA to thirst for bloody horror. Oh, wait, I think I just used that opening line recently. Well, it’s a good one and it certainly applies to The Walking Dead. I firmly believe that, when you strike the right balance of evenly spaced blood splatters and evenly paced plotting, it will resonate with an audience. It’s the next phase a horror creator wants to get to and fast just like Robert Kirkman has succeeded in doing. In tribute to horror done right, behold “The Walking Dead: The Pop-Up Book,” published by Insight Editions.

Lots of details and hidden goodies

Lots of details and hidden goodies!

This is no mere pop-up book! Look it over form every angle, there is plenty to look at and marvel over. This masterful work is created by paper engineers David Hawcock (Journal of Inventions: Leonardo Da Vinci) and Becca Zerkin, with text by Stephani Danelle Perry, and illustrated by Sally Elizabeth Jackson.

AMC Walking Dead Insight Editions

Zombie Surprise!

Zombie Surprise!

Based on AMC’s hit television series, “The Walking Dead,” this has got to be the ultimate gift idea for many a friend and loved one into zombies, horror movies, or pop culture in general. It’s big but also compact enough to fit comfortably on your coffee table or wherever you like to keep groovy ghoulies.

THE WALKING DEAD: THE POP-UP BOOK is a hardcover featuring five glorious page spreads and over 20 pop-ups. For more details, visit our friends at Insight Editions right here.

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Filed under Books, Gifts, Holidays, Insight Editions, Television, The Walking Dead

Review: The Walking Dead Hardcover Ruled Journal from Insight Editions

The Walking Dead Hardcover Ruled Journal

With Season 6 of AMC’s The Walking Dead set for this October, a perfect addition for any fan’s gear is The Walking Dead Hardcover Ruled Journal. This is another in a line of pop culture treats from Insight Editions. Take notes. Draw your own zombies. Write your own zombie story. Whatever you choose to pen down, this is a fine specimen, with a durable hide that can withstand any zombie attack.

AMC The Walking Dead

This is the real deal. A beautiful and rugged journal, 192 pages of archival ruled paper, with artwork gracing the inside cover and endpapers. There’s also a secret pocket on the back cover, just in case you need to save some zombie-related notes. Or just plain notes.

The Walking Dead Insight Editions

You’ll find a card in that back pocket letting you know about Insight Editions’ The Walking Dead poster books. Each poster is easy to remove and perfect for displaying.

AMC The Walking Dead 2015

A perfect little gift to give yourself or someone special. You’ve got four versions to choose from. For more details, visit our friends at Insight Editions right here. You can also find this item here and here.

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Filed under AMC, Gifts, Insight Editions, Television, The Walking Dead, Zombies

Review: UNDER THE FLESH #2: Ravaged Road

Under-The-Flesh-02-Ravaged-Road

Before we start in, I want to point out that there’s a Kickstarter campaign running in support of this comic. “Under The Flesh,” published by Escape Comics, caught my eye due to its high quirk factor: an intelligent grindhouse zombie horror superhero comic! Let’s take a closer look and see if it resonates with you.

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Filed under Captain America, Comics, Comics Reviews, Escape Comics, Horror, Kickstarter, The Walking Dead, Zombies

Review: FAMOUS MONSTERS #272

FAMOUS MONSTERS #272 HISTORY OF SCI-FI (NEWSSTAND)

FAMOUS MONSTERS #272 HISTORY OF SCI-FI (NEWSSTAND)

Consider this scenario: A man finds himself apparently the sole survivor of a world-wide pandemic. He searches for more survivors and a cure. Sound familiar? Well, welcome to the source: Richard Matheson’s groundbreaking 1954 Sci-Fi classic, I AM LEGEND. Or about this scenario: A world-wide plague has wiped out most of the population. Survivors fight for what little resources remain. Again, sound familiar? Well, go back even further to another source: Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking 1826 Sci-Fi classic, THE LAST MAN. Starting to see a pattern? You get a look at a wide variety of Sci-Fi interconnections in the latest issue of FAMOUS MONSTERS, #272. Half the issue is a tribute to writer Richard Matheson, who passed away in 2013, and the other half is a brief history of Sci-Fi literature.

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Filed under Famous Monsters, movies, Sci-Fi, science fiction, Television, The Twilight Zone, The Walking Dead

ROBERT KIRKMAN’S ZOMBIE STAR CONTINUES TO RISE

Robert Kirkman is probably never going to give Kevin Smith a run for his money regarding one-liners and show business pizzazz but he’s undoubtedly much loved. From what I’ve seen, he seems to be getting more into the spirit of the promotional side of things, as this photo by Matt Hoyle attests. Congratulations to Mr. Kirkman for his latest accolade, his winning a Saturn Innovator Award at the annual Saturn Awards presentations on July 26, 2012.

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Filed under Robert Kirkman, Television, The Walking Dead, Zombies

COMIC-CON 2011 Memo #10: The Walking Dead

“The Walking Dead” has won the hearts and souls, if not the flesh, of Comic-Con fans, detached observers and the media. Whitney Matheson of USA Today’s Pop Candy gives it the official thumbs up in her recap of Comic-Con 2011:

The Walking Dead is more lively than ever. If I had any doubts about Dead‘s staying power, I don’t anymore. The show attracted a multitude of zombie fanatics to its panel and booth, where there was a permanent traffic jam. Creator Robert Kirkman has become a bona fide superstar.

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Filed under Comics, Television, The Walking Dead