Acclaimed Indy Title Seeks New Fans

[TomWaltz]

Everyone--

The much-deserved love you've shown H&B's awesome ELK'S RUN has been fantastic. Now we're hoping you can help us out, too.

CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE is the first individual title from Shooting Star Comics, and though we've been well-received and well-reviewed, we sure could use your help in the pre-ordering/re-ordering arena. Our Diamond numbers haven't been bad...but they could be much better. All we are asking is that you give us a chance -- we're confident you'll like what you see once you have our books in your hands. CotG #2 hit store shelves recently and we are busy at work on #'s 3 and 4. But enough from me...here's what some kind folks have been saying about CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE:

"Children Of The Grave--This is a new book comin' out from a small publisher called Shooting Star Comics. It's by Tom Waltz. I was lucky enough recently to get to see the first two issues. Man!! This stuff is creepy, brutal and full of character and action. I highly recommend this one. It's like a movie put to print." -- Beau Smith (Writer, WYNONNA EARP)

"I should confess right away that I'm a sucker for a good ghost story. The flip side is that it's hard to find a good ghost story, as most disintegrate into pure horror or gore. It's rare to find one that evokes a sense of menance and curiosity at the same time. CotG #1 did both those things. " -- Corinna Lawson (Sequential Tart)

"I'm quite impressed; the story is a cracking good yarn and the art is especially eye-popping... Children of the Grave is a sure bet for those seeking a little bit of horror as well as a strong plot... (The creative team have) seamlessly blended a technical military adventure with a seriously creepy horror undertone... Waltz and Maloney have a real winner here. " -- Matthew Clark (Broken Frontier)

"Tom Waltz and Casey Maloney, take a bow; you’ve officially freaked me out with your Children of the Grave title." -- Rob Irwin (SBC Sunday Slugfest)

"I find that I like these three (main) characters and I find the horror-tinged mystery at the center of the book intriguing... (Waltz and Maloney) should definitely get credit for pulling off such a strange genre mix as well as they do." -- Randy Lander (The Fourth Rail)

"Tom Waltz was into editing and writing prose before taking to comics. There are many reasons why you’d choose one form over the other, but I’m glad that with CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE, Waltz has found the right medium for the story —- Maloney brings a gritty immediacy to the story that brings us in a way that is special to comics. This series has a few more issues to go, so I’d recommend picking it up." -- Jason Henderson (Writer/Creator, SWORD OF DRACULA)

"I got your #1 issue of Children of the Grave, and I'm very impressed. Fantastic writing...you set a very disturbing tone. Just wanted to drop in and let you know that you're creating great material. There are a lot of sub-par comics out there, books that I can't read past the first couple pages...but Children of the Grave was a book that demanded to be read cover to cover." -- Ty Gorton (Writer, GUNN and RUNES OF RAGNAN)

Here's a URL to the CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE page at Shooting Star Comics.

http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/childrenofthegrave.html

We'd love for you to check us out! If you are interested, here are the Diamond ordering codes -- all books available for order/re-order -- just let your local comic store retailer know these numbers:

COTG #1 -- Diamond Preview Number: NOV042877 (page 313)

COTG #2 -- Diamond Preview Number: JAN052919 (Page 322)

COTG #3 -- Diamond Preview Number: MAR053100 (page 326)

COTG #4 -- Forthcoming

For more info, please visit the Shooting Star Comics website at www.shootingstarcomics.com -- check out our CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE Forum while you're there!

Thanks, everyone, for your continued support!!! Look below for the awesome cover work from artist Casey Maloney.

Best regards to all,

Tom Waltz
Writer: CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE
www.shootingstarcomics.com

http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/covers/childrenofthegrave1.jpg
http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/covers/COTG2cover_diamond.jpg
http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/covers/COTG3cover_diamond.jpg
http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/covers/COTG4cover_diamond.jpg

[Shwicaz]

The reviews are glowing, but they don't (and you didn't) tell us what the premise of the book is.

That might go a long way in getting people interested.

[PeterSparker]

Looks pretty cool man, I'll give it a shot. I really like the covers too.

Good luck


(we've really become pimp central here haven't we? :) )

[Opus Croakus]

Looks like a pretty cool book.
Since you're in San Diego, will you have a booth at Comic Con this year?

[TomWaltz]

The reviews are glowing, but they don't (and you didn't) tell us what the premise of the book is.

That might go a long way in getting people interested.

Good point, Shwicaz. Here goes (this is taken from the CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE page at ShootingStarComics.com:

The country of Stinwan has always been a boiling point for violence and bloodshed in the embattled Middle East . For six years, Stinwan has suffered through a civil war that threatens to destroy the entire nation. Only a peace treaty brokered by the United Nations is able to finally end the fighting between the Stinwanese armed forces and their enemies from the mountains, the Kilipanese. Unfortunately, not all the combatants involved are satisfied with the stalemate, most notably Colonel Akbar Assan, a fierce warrior from the Stinwanese army who gives up his official position and, along with a band of loyal and equally-homicidal followers, go rogue to inflict a new war of terror against the Kilipanese… and any others who dare stand in their way.

Assan’s campaign is one of attrition, utilizing ethnic cleansing as a means to an end in his unholy war, including the wholesale massacre of Kilipanese children. His numerous atrocities are enough to catch the attention of a horrified world, and the United States covertly sends in an elite 3-man team of special forces soldiers, known as Team Orphan, to investigate the slaughter taking place in Stinwan’s Kilipan Mountains . When they arrive, they are shocked to discover that the mass gravesites they are guided to have all been mysteriously emptied, with no clues as to what has happened to the bodies of the murdered Kilipanese children. As the mystery of the empty graves widens, and as Colonel Assan continues his rampage against the innocent, Team Orphan’s leadership finally decides enough is enough, and orders the team to assassinate the Colonel and destroy his small army of terrorists.

CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE is the story of this mission. Team Orphan – Lieutenant Michael “LT” Drake, Sergeant Reginald “Shiv” Reese, and Sergeant Pedro “Lil’ Pete” Rodriguez, in their quest to rid the world of the maniacal Assan, will soon learn that they are not the only ones who seek his death. Assan’s many small victims –- the children he has destroyed – have somehow returned from the dead, bent on revenge, and Team Orphan is caught in the middle, wondering who they should fear most: Colonel Assan, themselves, or the CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE?

CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE is written by Tom Waltz and illustrated by Casey Maloney. It is a stark tale of terror, war, loss and redemption, which Waltz describes as his, “fantastical look at a brutal reality. Ethnic cleansing is all-too-real, as is the murder of innocents throughout the globe by terrorist groups, who will stop at nothing until they shape the world into their own fundamentally-twisted vision.”

Intended for Mature Readers, no holds have been barred in the creation of CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE. “This is not a pretty topic,” Waltz explains of the story. “In war, people die, and it is never like what we see on TV. Casey Maloney has done a stupendous job of depicting the blood-and-guts harshness of battle, as well as the dark foreboding of a supernatural mystery. And, from my own experiences in the military, soldiers cuss… A LOT . So does Team Orphan. This is not a Sunday stroll through the park, folks.”

CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE, a 4-issue mini-series, will hit store shelves in January 2005, and will be published bi-monthly. Waltz remains mum as to whether this is the only time we see Team Orphan, but guarantees one thing: “Casey and I will definitely be working together again soon. We’ve developed a fantastic writer/artist relationship during the creation of CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE, and are anxious to get together on new projects in the future for Shooting Star Comics.”

[TomWaltz]

Looks like a pretty cool book.
Since you're in San Diego, will you have a booth at Comic Con this year?

Definitely! AND, Casey and I will be doing an all day signing tomorrow at San Diego's very own COMICKAZE -- Robert Scott's kick ass comics store.

Check the CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE forum at ShootingStarComics.com for more details (here's a link):

http://www.shootingstarcomics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=278

[TomWaltz]

Oh... and to follow up this thread, the CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE #4 Previews Code is in! Here it is:

COTG #4 -- Diamond Preview Number: MAY052926 (page 326)

Pre-ordering is your friend!!!

:D

Thanks, all!

[Opus Croakus]

Already added to my list of things to look for at San Diego Comic Con. :)

[The Roman Candle]

Who?