Longtime Chicago Bears defensive end Israel Idonije knows a
lot about heroics on the football field. Now he's bringing that sense of
heroism to his first comic project, titled The Protectors, and he has the acclaimed creative team of writer Ron Marz and artist Bart Sears with him.
C2E2, held at Chicago's McCormick Place April 26-28, will mark the official release of the limited edition The Protectors issue
#0, which is sure to be a collector’s item. Sears has created two
covers for the launch, one featuring the heroes of the Protectors, and
the other an extremely limited sketch cover of Idonije in his #71
jersey. Copies of issue #0 will be available for $10. Known widely for
his charitable efforts, Idonije’s comic project will be no exception.
Athleta Comics is donating a percentage of net sales to public libraries
and to HERO Initiative, a charity providing assistance to comics
professionals in need.
Athleta Comics will be located at Booth #903, and The Protectors team, including Idonije, Marz, Sears and Troy Peteri, will host a panel on Friday, April 26 from 2-3 p.m. in room W474.
John Siuntres, Chicago radio host and the mastermind behind the
acclaimed Word Balloon podcast, will moderate the panel. Also, Idonije,
Marz and Sears will be available at the booth at various times
throughout the show to sign issue #0, Protectors T-shirts and other
items.
A fan of comic books since childhood, Idonije began creating The Protectors at
Bears training camp in 2007, and went on to start Athleta Comics, a
publishing company to appeal to sports fans and comic book fans alike.
First announced at the 2012 New York Comic Con, The Protectors is Athleta’s first project – a comic series combining the worlds of sports and superhero adventure.
The Protectors are a chosen handful of athletes who learn they are blessed with more than elite athletic ability. The narrative will grow into an epic story of cosmic proportions, with the world at stake. It’s no coincidence that Idonije is launching The Protectors in Chicago – it’s the city he loves and calls home and it is also the backdrop for The Protectors.
In March Athleta introduced The Protectors through a 20-day web rollout where the website featured a new comic panel each day. The webcomic and many of the character bios can still be viewed free of charge at athletacomics.com.
“This
is a project of love and one of the most exciting things in which I’ve
been involved,” Idonije said. “To hold the actual graphic novel in my
hands has been my dream since 2007 when I literally sat down with the
concept in my head and began writing it on my notepad. It’s been a long journey and I’m excited to be sharing it with the world.”
Sports
and superheroes are a combination that has not always been successful
in comics. But Marz believes this is the right creative team to make it
work.
"Before
I wrote comics, my first 'real' job was a sportswriter, so I'm familiar
with both of these worlds," said Marz, whose long list of comics
credits includes lengthy runs on Green Lantern, Silver Surfer and
Witchblade. "I don't think The Protectors could
have been written by someone who wasn't at the very least a sports fan.
We intend to get all the details right, which is not something you see
very often when sports appear in comics. Having spent a number of years
as a sports reporter gives me insight into the sports themselves, as
well as the reporter character in the series, Silas Simms. We want
sports fans to feel like the sports action is genuine, and we want
superhero fans to feel like they're getting a classic superhero story.
Artist Sears, who is known for his work on "Justice League Europe" and "X-O Manowar," among many others had turned much of his artistic attention toward video games and commercial art, but was lured back to comics for The Protectors. "When
you think about the statement, ‘pro athletes as superheroes’ that makes
a whole lot of sense. The athleticism of the superstars in every sport
is unbelievable, human beings with powers far above and beyond
normal man. Every single time a pro athlete takes to the playing field
he or she is ‘in it to win it’, exactly like every hero who stands up to
evil,” said Sears. “We call our athletes ‘gladiators’ and ‘warriors.’
It’s not a stretch to think of them as superheroes. It’s very exciting
to be involved in a project like this."
Idonije said, “First
and foremost, I believe we did the story right. People from a variety
of backgrounds will connect and enjoy the core elements of the amazing
story of The Protectors. Also, the artwork is fantastic. We have a
great team! To me, comics and sports should be a perfect union. In both
worlds, we find characters we can live through, characters we love and
support and with whom we connect.”
Rounding out The Protectors creative team are inker Mark Pennington, colorist Neeraj Menon and letterer Troy Peteri.
“I know the messages contained in The Protectors will
really connect with people, as well as entertain them,” said Idonije.
“I also hope this project will serve as an inspiration to anyone who
desires to achieve something. Regardless of who you are, if you have an
idea, you can achieve it.”
Please see http://athletacomics.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @AthletaComics
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment