Kickstarter/Indiegogo Spotlight: Knightingail: Shadow Divisions

For more information or to support this Kickstarter, head on over to the official Knightingail: Shadow Divisions page.

Big Dog Ink Teams Up With Wayne Gardiner to Bring Fans More Knightingail

Big Dog Ink and Knightingail comic creator/writer/producer Wayne Gardiner are overjoyed to announce that the Knightingail saga will be returning to Big Dog Ink this Summer! The all-ages, fantasy-adventure comic book Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will be available in comic book stores nationwide beginning July 2013 and will continue as a 6-issue monthly mini-series.

Suitable for fans young and old, Knightingail: Shadow Divisions continues to follow the adventures of Knightingail where the first mini-series volume, Knightingail: The Legend Begins, left off. In this breathtaking new series, Knightingail and her four Centurion companions must somehow find a way to unite and use their combined powers to destroy Luceus and a band of assassin warriors known as the Showdow Ravens.

Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will include the same phenomenal, full-color artwork featured in volume one.  New series penciler/inker Mel Joy San Juan brings amazing details and expressive facial emotions to Knightingail and friends.  Colorist Katrina Mae Hao returns from the first volume to add her breath-taking color artwork to the world of Knightingail.

Knightingail: Shadow Divisions will also feature amazing cover artwork. Keeping with Big Dog Ink tradition, two covers will be released nationally in stores. The Cover “A” artwork will be provided by interior artists Mel Joy San Juan and Katrina Mae Hao. Cover “B” artwork will be illustrated by the amazing team of Nathan Seals and Kate Finnegan who provide a unique Disney-
Manga like full-painted art style.  A talented line-up of artists will also be contributing cover art to the series including Dawn McTeigue, Jen Broomall, Mike DeBalfo, and Nei Ruffino with colors being provided by Ula Mos and Nei Ruffino.

 If you enjoyed Knightingail: The Legend Begins, creator Wayne Gardiner promises an even more thrilling and dynamic story in Shadow Divisions. Knightingail: Shadow Division fiercely launches into the challenges, perils, and anguish that result from war. Shadow Divisions features larger, epic battles only hinted at in the first volume while retaining the emotionally charged and sometimes hilarious dialogue that passes between Knightingail and her friends. Great for new readers and longtime fans of Knightingail, Wayne Gardiner weaves a narration monologue by Knightingail throughout the first issue introducing new and continuing readers to everything they need to know to appreciate this exciting new series.

About Big Dog Ink
Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

Big Dog Ink Does Special Signing!

This past Saturday, Jesse James Comics, a premiere comics book store in Glendale, AZ, was invaded by the some of the most outstanding artists and writers out there also known as Big Dog Ink. Set against an abnormally hot September desert, things inside the shop were even hotter (but in the good way). Armed with an arsenal of brilliantly colored banners displaying the best of BDI’s comic creations Ian Snyder, Natali Sanders, Jenevieve Broomall, Wayne Gardiner, as well as writer and publisher Tom Hutchinson came to rock the place. 

One thing I noticed right off the bat. This team doesn’t take anything for granted. They were not only more than willing to talk about their creations, they were also visibly engaged with the fans. I think when you are a collector or just a casual reader and you are sitting back hoping to meet some of these people, you always kind of hope they are genuine. Big Dog Ink is all that and more. 

I was fortunate enough to pick up Issue 3 of Ursa Minor and even had a choice of covers which is usually the case at a place like Jesse James Comics. Unfortunately I waited too long to get the now legendary cover by Natali Sanders, Teachers Pet. However, there were plenty of other amazingly pieces, Jenevieve and Natali both had jaw dropping prints on hand. 

Jesse James Exclusive Cover by Ian Snyder

There was a nice crowd in the store when I got there which speaks to the support not only that Jesse James Comics gets, but that BDI has established through hard work and excellence. In addition to the signings, it was an amazing time overall. They even had Knightingale writer Wayne Gardiner there as well as Knightingale and Kaeli Hunter for fans of BDI’s newest creator owned book. Special thanks to Jesse James Criscione and Tom Hutchinson for getting this together. This might sound cliché, but it’s true so I get to say it. Comics have a future…and Big Dog Ink is sounding the charge. 

--Jess Hurley-- 

Knightingail #1

"The adventure begins here!  This all-ages fantasy-adventure tells the story of Eloa, a Forester princess born with healing powers and how she becomes Knightingail – the leader of the seven tribes of Aeonius and controller of nature itself.  In this debut issue, Eloa confronts her father about the secrets he’s been keeping about both her mother’s death years earlier and his interactions with a Dracon spy!"

When I first saw this book, my inner girl squealed. I'm not ashamed to admit that. I saw the adorable redhead on the cover and went ooooh..this is a book I want to read. Of course, that same inner girl scoffed at the high heeled boots. She's still of the opinion that no self-respecting forest type heroine would wear boots like that. You just can't convince her that forest societies would have a good cobbler.

The Good: This book is a lot of back story which carries you right until the end of the book and leaves you wanting to know what happens not only next but in the past with Eloa's mom. The artwork is on the cartoony side but don't let that fool you into thinking that it's not fabulous. It is wonderfully executed and the easy style just pulls you further into the story.

The Bad: I had to look really hard to find a downside to this book. The only thing I could come up with is really kind of silly, but here it is. At the beginning of the book, Eloa (now in the form of Knightingail) is 31. Yet, when speaking to Kaeli, she speaks as if she's closer to the 16 that she is in the rest of the book. Yep, that's all I could come up with.

The Summary: This really and truly is a book for all ages. My inner girl loved the artwork and the fun. As an adult, I could relate to the frustrations that Eloa is dealing with at the age of 16. While I wasn't a princess dealing with counsels at 16, I had similar problems within my own family. This is another book that I can't wait to see the other 5 issues in this series.

If, like me, you want to read this whole series, you're in luck! This title was recently picked up by Big Dog Ink! Rumor has it that they will be releasing all 6 issues in one trade paperback. We only have to wait until December. This would make a fantastic present for anyone under the Christmas tree.

Don't want to wait until December to learn more? Check out their website or Facebook page.

My thanks go out to Jesse James of Jesse James Comics for this book. If you live in the Phoenix area, this is where you should be finding your comics. He's a major supporter of the Indie comic industry as well as the locals involved in the industry. Even though he gave me a copy of this book for the purpose of this review, all thoughts, comments and opinions belong solely to me.