Famed “The Empty Man” Writer and Long Time “Magic” Writer Team Up for More Magic This Summer
The prolific and award-winning author, and Magic: The Gathering superfan, Cullen Bunn (Ghostlore, Harrow County) brings his love for Magic to the page alongside a story by acclaimed writer Rich Douek (Magic, Sea of Sorrows), with artists French Carlomagno (Firefly: Brand New ‘Verse, The Dead Lucky) and Carlos Pedro (Elephantmen) in the 40-page one-shot MAGIC PLANESWALKERS: NOTORIOUS #1 from BOOM! Studios, hitting shelves Summer 2023!
Two of the most popular Planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering history–fan favorite vampire Sorin Markov and the incomparable necromancer Liliana Vess, come together for a team-up that’s not to be missed! On a mysterious, unnamed plane, the two must work together to prevent a diabolical figure from unleashing hell across the multiverse.
Meanwhile, two of the most mysterious of the Planeswalkers, Oko and Calix, cross paths elsewhere on another plane…
Cullen Bunn is not expecting to grow flowers in the desert, but he can live and breathe and see the sun in the wintertime. He is the writer of creator-owned comic books such as The Sixth Gun Harrow County, Bone Parish, The Damned, The Empty Man, Regression, Basilisk, Shock Shop, and Door to Door, Night by Night. He also writes books such as Deadpool Kills The Marvel Universe, Magneto, Uncanny X-Men, Sinestro, Lobo, Venom, and Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the editor/curator of the horror imprint Outer Shadows from Outland Entertainment. You can follow him on Patreon (www.patreon.com/cullenbunn) or subscribe to his weekly e-newsletter (www.cullenbunn.substack.com).
“I’ve been a Magic: The Gatheringplayer for a long, long time. I know this is dating myself, but way back when, I worked at one of the first Waldenbooks to carry the game. This was back in Unlimited days. Been playing ever since,” said Bunn. “So, it’s a thrill to write a story featuring characters I know and love. I love contributing to the mythology. And which characters are better for me to write about than Sorin and Liliana? Well… there’s another. But I’ll keep that under my hat.”
Rich Douek is a Bram Stoker Award-nominated writer based in New Jersey, and the co-creator of original series like Breath of Shadows, Sea of Sorrows and Road of Bones for IDW He’s also written Wastelanders: Star Lord for Marvel, Superman: Red and Blue for DC Comics, and Magic: The Gathering for Boom! Studios. You can find him on twitter, and elsewhere @rdouek.
“Way back when I was in college, I remember going to my friend’s dorm to play cards, only to discover he wasn’t talking about poker, or anything like that, but Magic: The Gathering,” said Douek. “I fell in love with it right then, not only for the beautiful art and intriguing lore, but for the deep strategy and satisfying gameplay. It’s been an honor to contribute to a universe that I’ve loved for so long, and I was thrilled for the opportunity to give both Calix and Oko a proper introduction to the world of comics.”
MAGIC PLANESWALKERS: NOTORIOUS #1 features a main cover by Jahnoy Lindsay (Hawkeye: Kate Bishop), and variant covers by Frany (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Justine Florentino (Grim).
Previously a storyboard artist for the Italian ADV agency Armando Testa, in 2015 French co-created the webcomic Aqualung together with Jacopo Paliaga, which later became an original series for Bao Publishing winning several awards as best series in Italy. Since 2018 he has been collaborating with BOOM! Studios on comic series such as Power Rangers, Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and Magic: the Gathering. He also worked as an illustrator with brands like Disney, Lucas Arts, Marvel, and many more. He is currently working on his new Image series The Dead Lucky co-created with Melissa Flores.
“I was first introduced to Magic: The Gathering when I was 15 years old and have been in love with it ever since,” said Carlomagno. “Having the chance to make my contribution to this fantastic universe with my comic art is an honor for me, but I’ll be complete when I’ll have the opportunity to finally draw a card.”
Carlos was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1986 and has been doing comics since 2006. After finishing his degree in Architecture he delved into the freelance comic-book world working in indie books such as Fast and Frightening and Keeper. He self-published his own comic Solomon which led him to work on Elephantmen and, from 2017 to 2020, he worked on a myriad of pitches to different publishers and worked on the indie comic Lad – The Homecoming. He decided to take a break from comics in 2021 and dedicated himself to a post-grad in Graphic Design until the opportunity to work with BOOM! Studios on the Magic: the Gathering universe appeared–a deal he couldn’t say no to…
You can find him on his website carlospedroart.com, or twitter and instagram under @carlospedroart
“Magic the Gathering has been part of my life since I was 12. I bought my first deck when 4th edition was still a thing. I was a kid when the adventures of the Weatherlight crew, Urza’s saga and the war against Yawgmoth and the Phyrexians raged in Dominaria,” said Pedro. “We drifted apart for some years but a few years ago I got back to it and now I go regularly to my games shop for Sunday Casual Commander Day and for the pre-releases.
“When the opportunity arrived to work on an action packed, character driven, masterfully woven story by Richard Douek with some of my favorite new characters, I had to take the chance to be part of this amazing sandbox and have a tiny share in this amazing mythology.”
“Cullen Bunn and vampires; Rich Douek and even more Magic. Putting these creatives together for these fan favorite Planeswalkers was such a fun experience and I’m sure fans will love the stories they have to tell!” said editor Kathleen Wisneski.
MAGIC PLANESWALKERS: NOTORIOUS is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Wynd by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Briar by Christopher Cantwell and Germán García; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; The Approach by Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, and Jesus Hervas; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Behold, Behemoth by Tate Brombal and Nick Robles; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; Mosely by Rob Guillory and Sam Lotfi; Harrower by Justin Jordan and Brahm Revel; The Neighbors by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Letizia Cadonici; The Seasons Have Teeth by Dan Watters and Sebastián Cabrol; and the upcoming Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Harkonnen from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Michael Shelfer; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle and Rubine.
MAGIC PLANESWALKERS: NOTORIOUS #1 will be available in comic shops August 23, 2023. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
For continuing news on MAGIC and more comic book series from BOOM!, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
Anthony Andujar Jr.