Dig Deeper into The Black Beetle

Hello Black Beetle Friends,

This past week I took care of a few interviews about our favorite pulp hero: The Black Beetle. I want to thank all the press for giving a spot to BB, specially now that the first issue is solicited in Previews so you guys can pre-order it (see below the info on how to get the Black Beetle cover).

Here's the second interview which went up yesterday on the fan-favorite ComicVine website thanks to Tony Guerrero(thanks, Tony :)).

Here's an extract:


CV: Will the 24-page story be the beginning of more adventures for the Black Beetle? Do you have more stories to tell?

FF: I most definitely have plenty more stories to tell. Some are already outlined in detail; others are simply at plot or idea stage.
NIGHT SHIFT (the 3-part Black Beetle story that will appear in Dark Horse Presents starting with #11 in April) is an introductory story, accessible to everyone, that will hint at things that make The Black Beetle universe so interesting.
I am halfway through another story, KARA BOCEK, that ‘aired’ on my Pulp Sunday blog last year and which I plan to release in print when it’s completed.
And a few ‘lucky’ fans got a little taste of BB in the NO WAY OUT limited ashcan I put out a couple of years ago (now sold out). When it’s finished, NO WAY OUT will be on a much larger scale in terms of BB stories (full length GN).
And there is plenty more after that. It all comes down to how well received NIGHT SHIFT will be now that BB is reaching a wider audience, so make sure to buy Dark Horse Presents #11 and praise The Black Beetle.

CV: If you could do a crossover with the Black Beetle and any other character, who would be the best fit and who would be your dream team up (if they're not the same)?

FF: Given the nature of the character and the time settings, The Black Beetle could easily cross over with Mike Mignola’s awesome Lobster Johnson, if we want to stay in the Dark Horse territory, or more generally with The Shadow or the early 1930/1940s Batman.

You can read the whole interview on the ComicVine page.

DHP #11 comes with two covers; if you want to make sure to get The Black Beetle cover (shown on the left) , pls preorder the book at your LCS using the code FEB12 0052.

Dark Horse Presents #11 (with the Black Beetle cover) will be on sale on APril 18.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2011 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

Francesco Francavilla: Presenting The Black Beetle

Hello B-Beetle Friends,

This past week I took care of a few interviews about our favorite pulp hero: The Black Beetle. I want to thank all the press for giving a spot to BB, specially now that the first issue is solicited in Previews so you guys can pre-order it (see below the info on how to get the Black Beetle cover).

The first interview went up a couple of days ago on the excellent Comics Bulletin website thanks to Chris Kiser (thanks, Chris :)).

Here's an extract:


CB: For starters, would you tell our readers a little about the premise of The Black Beetle? What kind of comic should people be expecting?
FF: Someone defined it as “neo-noir,” a definition I quite like. Think action, mystery, suspense, more action, thriller, with a pinch of horror. It’s what I call “all the good stuff.”
NIGHT SHIFT, the three-part story that will start in Dark Horse Presents #11 this April, takes place in the home of the Black Beetle, Colt City. When a very rare amulet arrives at the Colt City museum things get really complicated. A team of dangerous individuals isn’t far behind—they want the amulet and will stop at nothing to get it.

CB: How about the Black Beetle himself? How would you describe his personality or motivations?
FF: His mission is to fight crime in Colt City. We don’t know who he is, not yet anyway. We do know that he has access to some advantaged technology that allows him to take care of the many threats the citizens have to face from time to time. Black Beetle is definitely the hero and protector of Colt City.

CB: This is a character who appeared before in some of your self-published work, both on the web and in a limited edition print comic. Was it always conceived as something that you would want to later return to and expand upon?
FF: Definitely. The ashcan was the introduction to NO WAY OUT, a longer story I was and still am planning to tell. And I’m running (sporadically) the KARA BOCEK story on my website. I’ve been plotting more stories and creating a whole set of characters (including some very dangerous villains) waiting for the moment The Black Beetle would land on shelves, and it seems that moment has arrived.

CB: How did The Black Beetle end up at Dark Horse? Was it something the publisher approached you about specifically, or did it come as a result of you pitching it to them?
FF: Mike Richardson is a big fan of my Pulp Sunday blog http://pulpsunday.blogspot.com/ and that’s where he saw the Black Beetle for the first time. He is a huge lover of all things pulp so he asked me to bring my hero to Dark Horse and create a special story for Dark Horse Presents. As a long-time fan of Dark Horse and the long line of writer/artists that label represents, it didn’t take more than 2 seconds for me to say: YES!

You can read the whole interview on the CB page.

DHP #11 comes with two covers; if you want to make sure to get The Black Beetle cover (shown on the left) , pls preorder the book at your LCS using the code FEB12 0052.

Dark Horse Presents #11 (with the Black Beetle cover) will be on sale on APril 18.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2011 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

"THE BLACK BEETLE: NIGHTSHIFT" Exclusive First Look!

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Here's an exclusive (unlettered) first look at my upcoming "NIGHT SHIFT", a tale of The Black Beetle in 3 parts that will appear on Dark Horse Presents starting with issue 11.
Hope you enjoy this preview and can't wait to hear from you guys.

DHP #11 comes with two covers; if you want to make sure to get The Black Beetle cover (shown on the left) , pls preorder the book at your LCS using the code FEB12 0052.

Dark Horse Presents #11 (with the Black Beetle cover) will be on sale on APril 18.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2011 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

The Beetles ~ Steve Epting

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Hello Pulp Friends,

It's time again for "THE BEETLES", tributes or fanart that friends and fans have done for our favorite pulp hero. I am posting the BEETLES I actually own, and then we'll go to those that are not in my possession (yet ;))

Todays tribute is from a another good friend of mine and acclaimed Cap America and FF artist: STEVE EPTING!
Thank you so much, Steve :)

Tune in next Friday for more BEETLES and make sure to tune in each Wednesday for new art and updates on THE BLACK BEETLE! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2012 Dan Brereton
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

The Beetles ~ Dan Brereton

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Hello Pulp Friends,

We continue with the Friday feature of "THE BEETLES", tributes or fanart that friends and fans have done for our favorite pulp hero. As mentioned, I am gonna start posting the BEETLES I actually own, and then we'll go to those that are not in my possession (yet ;))

Todays tribute is from a dear friend of mine and master of Fantasy and Horror: DAN BRERETON!
As it happened with Darwyn, I gave Dan a copy of the ashcan at the same Dragon*Con show and he surprised me with the above rockin' sketch within an hour :D
I ♥ ya too, Dan :)

Tune in next Friday for more BEETLES and make sure to tune in each Wednesday for new art and updates on THE BLACK BEETLE! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2012 Dan Brereton
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

The Beetles ~ Darwyn Cooke

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Hello Pulp Friends,

Starting today, each Friday I will be posting "THE BEETLES"! :)
The Beetles are tributes or fanart that friends and fans have done for our favorite pulp hero. I am gonna start posting the BEETLES I actually own, and then we'll go to those that are not in my possession (yet ;))

First: a very dear friend of mine and one of the modern masters of Comics and Illustration: DARWYN COOKE!
Darwyn was in town for Dragon*Con a couple of years ago. I was there too in Artist Alley and had to give him a copy of the Black Beetle ashcan I had at my table. You can imagine how shocked I was (I remember to have been actually and literally speechless) when he came back to me an hour later with this. Still puts a HUGE smile on my face everytime I recall this story (or see the art on my studio wall :))

I ♥ ya, Dar :)

Tune in next Friday for more BEETLES and make sure to tune in each Wednesday for new art and updates on THE BLACK BEETLE! :)

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2011 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

The Black Beetle - Cover of DHP #11

~~ Click on the image for biggie ~~

Hello Pulp Friends,

Dark Horse released an early look at the solicits for APril, and that means I can finally reveal my cover for Dark Horse Presents anthology featuring our favorite hero: The Black Beetle! :)
Hope you guys dig it and pls spread the news/link and pre-order DHP #11 at your local comicbook store.
Below is the description for #11 - as you can see, BB is in good company :)
Dark Horse Presents #11 (with the Black Beetle cover) will be on sale on APril 18.

Cheers,
Francesco

Artwork © 2011 Francesco Francavilla
KARA BOCEK, BLACK BEETLE & COLT CITY created by, ™ and © 2006-2012 Francesco Francavilla

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #11

Francesco Francavilla (W/A/Cover), Steve Horton (W), Carla Speed McNeil (W/A), Steve Niles (W), Evan Dorkin (W/A), Tim Seeley (W), John Arcudi (W), Andrew Vachss (W), Neal Adams (W/A), Frank Barbiere (W), Michael Dialynas (A), Jonathan Case (A), Victor Drujiniu (A), Tonci Zonjic (A/Cover), Geof Darrow (A), and Luke Radl (A)

On sale Apr 18
FC, 80 pages
$7.99
Ongoing

Don’t miss the continuing exploits of cunning assassin Amala, Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder, Evan Dorkin’s House of Fun, and Steve Niles’s Criminal Macabre.

This issue is also packed with the exciting premiere of Francesco Francavilla’s pulp-noir hero the Black Beetle, the return of John Arcudi’s The Creep, and a new story by Andrew Vachss with illustrations by Geof Darrow!

And in an exciting feature by Frank Barbiere and Luke Radl, meet the killers known as the White Suits, who have left their bloody fingerprints throughout modern history. When a young girl encounters one of the Suits during a mob deal gone wrong, she is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever—or end it!