Comics

Interview with Book of Dolor Author Rock Florino

Published

14 years ago

January 25, 2010

This weekend we added our exclusive in depth chat with horror author Rick Florino, the man behind the “Dolor” series. The first book, “Lila”, is available for FREE at the official website, with pre-orders now available for “Chrissy”. Click here to read the interview or go beyond the break for more info on DOLOR.

“After receiving widespread critical acclaim for “DOLOR: Lila | Book I”, author Rick Florino will release “DOLOR: Chrissy | Book II” February 11, marking the second in the series of ten illustrated mystery/horror novellas. A limited number of signed paperback copies of “DOLOR: Chrissy” will be available for $15 at BookOfDolor.com, with digital downloads available for only $5. As an introduction to the series, Florino and his New American Deities production company also continue to offer the DOLOR: Lila download for free at BookOfDolor.com. Limited edition signed and numbered physical copies of Lila are also available for purchase.

With DOLOR: Chrissy, Florino–author of DOLOR: Lila | Book I, Do the Devil’s Work for Him, founder of Ruin Magazine and Editor of ARTISTdirect.com–expands his foray into his true passion: fiction writing and the horror genre. The text is exemplified by the bizarre, dark and dreamlike artwork of Kristel Lerman. Says Florino: “Chrissy has one of my favorite scenes in the whole series, because it’s so delightfully sick and twisted. Kristel’s artwork gave those moments a violent vibrancy that’s as undeniable and gorgeous as it is heartbreaking and horrific. She steeped every one of her drawings in blood, and the series shines even more because of it.”

Here’s a short excerpt from Chrissy:

Rob is having a really bad day.

After getting stood up by a date, he leaves the Dolor Mall during a blizzard. As he’s walking into the storm, a car suddenly sideswipes him out of nowhere, speeding off and leaving him covered in blood. Awakening in the hospital, Rob finds out from Officer Caleb Taylor that he’s in way more trouble than he thought. However, things get really strange once Rob’s kidnapped from the hospital by someone too perfect and beautiful to trust…

“There’s a certain evil that the story explores that’s very prevalent during Lila but much more understated,” Florino reveals. “The veil of what really is going on in Dolor begins to slowly lift with Chrissy. At the same time, Chrissy preserves the sardonic humor and social observations that made Lila strangely fun at all the right (and wrong) times. If Lila was about the horror of unrequited love and losing control, Chrissy’s concern is with loving the wrong one and how absolutely terrifying that can be. There’s something hypnotic about the horrific, and I’m just as entranced by it as my readers,” he concludes.

Fans can get a glimpse behind the scenes now through a special DOLOR: Chrissy video trailer below!”

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 weeks ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.