SDCC: Dynamite signs Ron Marz for new JOHN CARTER series

DYNAMITE SIGNS RON MARZ TO NEW ONGOING JOHN CARTER: WARLORD OF MARS SERIES; BURROUGHS’  ICONIC HERO RETURNS TO COMICS WITH NEW #1 LAUNCH IN NOVEMBER

July 23, 2014, Mt. Laurel, NJ:  Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce a brand new chapter in the history of Edgar Rice Burroughs creation, John Carter: Warlord of Mars, to be written by the masterful pen of comics legend Ron Marz.  Illustrated by newcomer Abhishek Malsuni, John Carter: Warlord of Mars is the newly-minted cornerstone of the publisher’s Warlord of Mars line, launched in the wake of their May 2014 announcement of the comprehensive licensing agreement between Dynamite and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars welcomes science fiction and fantasy fans to the exotic landscape of Barsoom, where displaced earthling John Carter has to save his adopted world, not to mention his beloved Dejah Thoris, from an enemy like no other he has ever faced.  John Carter must truly become a Warlord of Mars against an adversary who is every bit his equal on the savage red planet.

Marz’s enthusiasm for John Carter has been building for many years.  He says, “This is literally a job I’ve been wanting to do since I was twelve years old. I was just the right age when I discovered John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Tars Tarkas, and the wonder of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars. It fired my imagination like almost nothing else. So to finally get a chance to write these characters, to visit that world, is a dream come true for me.”

Ron Marz is an industry veteran with decades of experience as a writer and editor under his belt. He is best known for his work on Green Lantern and Silver Surfer, and as one of the original creative masterminds behind CrossGen Comics. His more recent work includes Witchblade, Cyberforce, and Voodoo. He currently lives in upstate New York with four horses, three children, two dogs and one wife.

“We are incredibly excited about Ron coming on board for this project,” says Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “When we originally launched the Warlord of Mars series in 2010, Ron and I ran into each other at a comic convention, and Ron grabbed me by the shoulders and said something to the effect of, ‘How can you launch a John Carter series and not call me to write it?’ It was a statement! As we looked at the potential creators for this series, we instinctively remembered Ron’s passion for the mythos. He is simply the perfect fit. Add in the fantastic art by Abhishek Malsuni and Neeraj Menon, this series will take John Carter to new heights.”

John Carter debuted in 1912 as the lead character in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ first novel, serialized as Under The Moons Of Mars in the pulp magazine, The All-Story, and later published as a complete novel retitled A Princess of Mars.  The character excited the imagination of readers and quickly imprinted onto the public psyche. As many literary and popular culture scholars attest, John Carter served as the template for a litany of adventure heroes to follow, from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and Superman to the Jedi Knights of Star Wars fame and Avatar.

Dynamite’s John Carter: Warlord of Mars comes on the heels of the reacquisition of comic book rights by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. that had been held by Walt Disney Pictures and its Marvel Entertainment subsidiary, as well as a recent legal settlement with Dynamite that cleared the way for Dynamite to introduce key characters and plot elements from the John Carter backstory that were, until now, absent from recent comic book interpretations.

John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ September Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in November.  Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of John Carter: Warlord of Mars #1 with their local comic book retailers. John Carter: Warlord of Mars will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.

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About Dynamite Entertainment:
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more.  Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.  In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent.  Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s Project Superpowers – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors.  In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011.  The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

All characters, names, logos, etc. are ™ and © their respective owners.  Press release written by Kevin Pearl.

About Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Founded in 1923 by Edgar Rice Burroughs himself, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. holds numerous trademarks and the rights to all literary works of the author still protected by copyright. The company has overseen every adaptation of his literary works in publishing, film, television, theatrical stage productions, licensing and merchandising.  The company is still a very active enterprise and manages and licenses the vast archive of Mr. Burroughs’ literary works, fictional characters and corresponding artworks that have grown for over a century.  The company continues to be owned by the Burroughs’ family and remains headquartered in Tarzana, California, the town named after the Tarzana Ranch Mr. Burroughs purchased there in 1918 which led to the town’s future development.  For more information, please visit EdgarRiceBurroughs.com.