Celebrity-created sequential art is always a sensitive subject among serious comic book fans. Many stars, such as “Mayhem” creator Tyrese Gibson candidly address their motivations for entering the medium, while others take a less hands-on approach to addressing audience skepticism. While it’s far too early to tell which route a given star will take, there should be plenty of opportunities to tackle the topic as Jeff Katz's American Original puts comics behind comics with the production of a new line of graphic novels collected under the “Comedy Death Ray” banner.
Announced during San Diego Comic-Con, the line is planned to feature titles by Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Silverman (pictured), Patton Oswalt, B.J. Novak, David Cross, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Scheer and Zach Galifanakis among others.
Although the talent assembled for the collection seems to indicate a future in other media, such as television and film, the creative forces behind each story offer plenty of potential to please readers with original comics content.
American Original has been upfront about its proposed multi-platform publishing business model since its formation was announced in May. Katz, a comic book creator himself, explained his goals to Splash Page recently, stating, "We have a shrinking audience in terms of buying comics, when in reality our product is growing exponentially in its power."
There’s no word on specific titles or release dates at this time, but given the series' lineup, it's a safe bet there could be some very vocal comic book promotion coming soon.
What do you think Splash Page readers? Does “Comedy Death Ray” seem like a legit venue for established comedians to create comics? What do you think of the lineup? Let us know in the comments.
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