Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Bill Mantlo and Butch Guice's Swords of the Swashbucklers will return to comic book stores this winter -- but that's not all. Arrow executive Marc Guggenheim will helm a new ongoing Swords of the Swashbucklers series for Dynamite Entertainment, which is due to hit shelves this December.
Swords of the Swashbucklers is a creator-owned comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics’ Epic Comics division and ran for 12 issues between 1985 and 1987. The series was set on an alternate Earth in which sinister aliens called Colonizers are regularly raided by freedom-loving pillagers called Swashbucklers. One such Swashbuckler, a young girl named Domino Blackthorne Drake, uses her unique abilities to fight her people’s oppressors and rescue her parents alongside the Pirate Queen.
An artist has not yet been announced for the upcoming series. Dynamite also plans to shop film and television rights for the franchise in the near future.
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"Earlier this year, a Kickstarter campaign was set up to fund the re-release of Bill Mantlo's and Butch Guice's The Swords of the Swashbucklers. By ALL accounts it was a tremendous success, and now, after more than a quarter of a century out of print (and out of sight), the epic space opera has returned in a gloriously remastered edition AND in a new series that will continue the adventures of Domino Drake and the crew of the Starshadow!" Michael Mantlo, brother of Bill and spokesperson for the Mantlo family, said in a statement. "The hope is that this endeavor will introduce the Mantlo/Guice masterpiece to a whole new generation of fans. On behalf of Bill Mantlo, I'd urge everyone to carry this wondrous story far into the future by signing on for the journey through the purchase of these books. Not only will you get to enjoy a magnificent tale, you will also be helping support Bill Mantlo finally being able to improve his quality of life, and having the opportunity to experience the joy of knowing just how loved and respected he is by the comic book community."
"I am both humbled by and extremely grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support the Swords of the Swashbucklers Kickstarter launch received earlier this year, and am excited to see these characters being published again for fans old and new," added Guice. "My participation in telling the adventures of Raader, Domino, and the gang hold a very special place in my memory, and it is extremely gratifying to discover they are so fondly remembered by others as well. Thank you to everyone who has hand a hand in putting this launch together, and thank you to the many people who have helped make this revival happen."
"Swords of the Swashbucklers has long been a favorite of mine and it remains one of the great high concepts in all of comics, which is unsurprising when you consider that Bill Mantlo and Butch Guice were the creative forces behind it. I'm humbled to continue their work and looking forward to introducing this remarkable comic to a whole new audience," Guggenheim shared.
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"We are so proud that we were able to achieve our goal and bring attention to Bill Mantlo's heartbreaking story, but we could not have accomplished this incredible feat without the help of our fans, backers, and all of the amazing creators we work with on a daily basis that rallied the support for one of their own," CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment Nick Barrucci said. "By bringing on the always incredible Marc Guggenheim to serve as writer, we can guarantee the new series will show the proper respect for Bill Mantlo's work, while introducing an entirely new generation to the series that inspired so many of the great creators throughout the comic book industry today!"
Guggenheim is no stranger to the world of comics. Prior to his work on Swords of the Swashbucklers, he contributed to esteemed comic book titles like Aquaman, Wolverine,
The Punisher, Blade, The Flash, The Amazing Spider-Man, Young X-Men and Super Zombies. More recently, he has leant his talents to television; he is currently a writer and executive producer for Arrow, DC's Legends of Tomorrow and the upcoming Ray TV series. He also executive produces Guillermo Del Toro's Trollhunters for Netflix.
Swords of the Swashbucklers #1 will go on sale in December 2017.