SDCC ’17: New ‘The Swords Of The Swashbucklers’ Comics From Mark Guggenheim And Dynamite

 

 
This is one for the old schoolers out there who fondly remember The Swords of The Swashbucklers by Bill Mantlo and Jackson ‘Butch’ Guice which first appeared as part of the Marvel graphic novels range in 1984, later going on to run as a 12 issue bi-monthly series from Marvel’s mature line imprint, Epic.
Well, thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign, Dynamite Entertainment has picked it up and run with it.

Thanks to the more than 800 backers, Dynamite will now not only restore the beloved series, but also bring the tale back to life with all-new adventures after more than twenty-five years out of print!

The new tales will be written by Marc Guggenheim, who people may better know these days as writer and Executive Producer on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow but is also helming Marvel’s X-Men Gold. He can now add this to his slate. I don’t know how he finds the time to write comics too, but we’re glad he does.

Following the success of the original Kickstarter campaign, Michael Mantlo, brother of Bill and spokesperson for the Mantlo family stated, “Earlier this year, a Kickstarter campaign was set up to fund the re-release of Bill Mantlo’s & 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! 

The Swords of the Swashbucklers co-creator Butch Guice says:

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. 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.

Writer Marc Guggenheim says:

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.

Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment had this to say:  

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!

The original stories featured teenager girl Domino Blackthorne Drake who acquired strange powers when she found an alien artefact and joins the pirate crew of the Starshadow, captained by Raadar, a space-faring charmer. With a willing crew, Domino goes in search of kidnapped parents lost somewhere in the evil Colonizer Empire. A cross between Guardians of The Galaxy and Pirates of The Caribbean.

The Swords of the Swashbucklers #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ October 2017 Previews catalog and slated for release in December 2017.