All-ages Hero, Michael Midas Champion, Due in July
Not a lot has been heard from Jordan B. Gorfinkel, former DC editor and the mastermind behind Batman: No Man’s Land. His Avalanche Comics Entertainment operation has been doing some custom and corporate comics work while he continues to produce a weekly strip for Jewish newspapers. But, behind the scenes, he’s been slowly assembling this project which is finally coming out after way too many years. I’ve worked on it, I’ve read it, and I recommend it.
Here’s the official press release with the details:
May 23rd, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – This June, BOOM! Studios is proud to announce MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Scott Benefiel. Wrapping a classic fairy tale in superhero comic book clothing, MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION blends the heart of It’s A Wonderful Life, the majesty of The Princess Bride and the thrills of Spider-Man.
MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION is the inspirational life story of Michael Midas, who, as told by a grandmother to her grandson, grows from being a boy—dealing with a playground crush stolen from him by a tormenting bully—into a crimson hero who dons a mask and battles evil, particularly the bully of his youth, who has, naturally, become his supervillain arch-nemesis. Through his triumphs and trials, Michael becomes a superhero so dedicated that he loses touch of what’s important in life—his loved ones—puttting them and the whole Earth on a path to complete destruction. But given a rare second chance, can Michael Midas Championset things right? Will he?
Chris Renaud, director of DESPICABLE ME and DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, said, “MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION delivers a dynamic narrative and spectacular illustration while answering the question, ‘How do you balance a family and superpowers?’ Everyone can recognize their own life in the character of Michael Midas and that’s what makes it fun. I truly enjoyed reading this story.”
Gorfinkel said, ““I cooked up Michael Midas Champion with all of my favorite illustrated storytelling ingredients: action, adventure, drama, mythos, suspense, romance, horror, redemption, drool-inducing art and most of all, heart and soul. My fondest hope is that fans will read it and fall in love with comics again like it’s their first time.”
Artist Scott Benefiel renders with a vibrant and dynamic style that captures both American and European aesthetics. He has worked with such publishers as DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, IDW, Disney, Humanoids and others, penciling titles like GHOST, SUPERMAN, JLA, JSA, SILVER SURFER, GHOST/HELLBOY, and more. He is an accomplished artist and designer in the video game industry on titles such as TRANSFORMERS: WAR FOR CYBERTON, THE BOURNE CONSPIRACY, SILENT HILL 5 and more. And he has illustrated for animated television series, including MINORITEAM for Cartoon Network, and the award-winning animated feature ROBOTECH: THE SHADOW CHRONICLES.
Colorist Jonny Rench provided the striking and lush “American Animé”-style Michael Midas Champion coloring before his untimely passing. Jonny was deeply admired for his prolific coloring of the WildStorm Universe (on tiles such as The Authority, The Programme, Ratchet & Clank and Human Target), as well as his work for Aspen, Dark Horse and Devil’s Due.
MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION is a full throttle, heart string tugging, all ages book filled with suspense, action, romance and wonderfully poignant scenes told in a cinematic wide-screen layout. A story that will touch a part of everyone that reads it.
Bonus: each issue also showcases an original short story, created by The Troika, the former Batman editors Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Scott Peterson and Darren Vincenzo, and special guests, including legendary Dark Knight writer/creator Denny O’Neil.
MICHAEL MIDAS CHAMPION will ship this July. This title is a six-issue mini-series which is accessible to all ages. Attention Consumers and Retailers–All six issues of Michael Midas Champion are complete, insuring on-time delivery and low-risk ordering.
Each issue will run 48 pages (with no interior ads) in a unique “Widescreen Comics” landscape format and will carry a $4.99 price point, with a Diamond Comics Distribution Order Code of MAY120978.