Back in January I reported on Undead Brainspasm that Albert Pyun — whose previous epic fantasy was 1982’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, the first memorable sword-and-sorcery film I recall seeing — was working on an epic fantasy follow-up, after a career in between that includes post-apocalyptic bodyguards (Cyborg, 1989), pint-sized alien cops (Dollman, 1991), cyborg cops (Nemesis, 1992, and sequels), outer space viral menaces (Infection, 2005) and much else besides.
His return to his original sword-and-sorcery genre success is called Tales of an Ancient Empire, and it’s due for release in 2010.
Director Pyun has just sent Undead Backbrain a rough-cut clip from the film, which stars Kevin Sorbo (of Hercules fame), Christopher Lambert (of Highlander fame), relative newcomer Melissa Ordway, and Lee Horsley (star of The Sword and the Sorcerer).
The sword and sorcery epic, written by Cynthia Curnan, tells the story of a princess forced on a quest to recruit the greatest warriors of the ancient world to save her kingdom from a demonic sorceress. But the odyssey to find them reveals a secret past for all.
The Backbrain has already shown you how John Carter (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) and Tars Tarkas are to be depicted in The Asylum’s upcoming version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Princess of Mars (US-2009; dir. Mark Atkins), but what of the titular Princess herself, who is to be played by Traci Lords?
In the book Dejah Thoris is described as stunning beautiful — “beautiful in the extreme”, in fact — with “coal black hair”, “light reddish copper” skin and “save for her highly wrought ornaments … entirely naked”.
Well, we’ve got some pictures of Traci as Dejah for you … but don’t get too excited. This is a family movie. You can’t expect it to align too closely to the original source text, can you?
[Click on the pictures for a larger view.]
Above: Tars Tarkas, John Carter and Dejah Thoris line-up.
See if you can identify the Princess.
No! That’s John Carter. Guess again!
Yep, well done! That’s her.
Dejah Thoris ready for action!
But she’s arrested for being wantonly blonde!
She’s obviously too buxom to escape through those gaps!
Such has been the extraordinary enthusiasm shown by those commenting on the Undead Backbrain article about director Daisuke “Daice” Sato’s short film version of Ray Bradbury’s famous story “The Fog Horn” that Mr Sato and his crew from Replica Co. Ltd have decided to pursue an official release.
Avery Battles [aka Kaiju Search-Robot Avery] reports that Mr Sato has already begun work on an English subtitled track and is investigating ways in which all those whose comments convinced him there was a deep-felt desire to see The Fog Horn will be able to do so as soon as possible.
“Mr Sato would like to thank everyone who has commented and shown interest in his homage to the great Ray Bradbury’s original story. He was very moved by all of the wonderful comments and support that fans from around the world have been giving him.”
Mr Sato is currently investigating how to go about obtaining a release. He would like to make the film’s world premiere in the US, the home of the story’s original creator. G-Fest — the annual US celebration of Japanese giant monsters — has been mentioned as a potential option. On behalf of Mr Sato, Avery has contacted J.D. Lees, editor of G-Fan and G-Fest coordinator, and he has indeed expressed interest in the possibility of screening the film at G-Fest and having the director present at the event.
But before these plans and the possibility of a DVD release can be moved forward there are some major legal issues of copyright to be dealt with.
As it stands, the short film is an unauthorized adaptation of a story by SF author Ray Bradbury, produced without any intention that it would ever be released.
“It was made as an experiment, a demonstration of the crew’s technical skills,” Avery said. “It was a labor of love and a tribute to the major SF-fantasy author who had inspired Mr Sato so deeply.”
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, ostensibly the first film version of Ray Bradbury’s “The Fog Horn”, may be a significant work in itself, but Mr Sato felt that it did not do proper justice to Bradbury’s evocative and emotionally powerful story. In fact, the events of the story are almost an afterthought in the main narrative.
Mr Sato wanted to do the real story justice while paying homage to one of the great writers of world literature. “The Fog Horn” was a story that had inspired him to work on films in the first place and so when he and his colleagues decided to test their abilities by making a short film, this naturally seemed like a good choice.
That it was never intended for public release explains why it has remained unseen since it was made two years ago. It is only now that its existence has been uncovered and fans from all over the globe have come forward to express their interest in seeing it that Mr Sato feels a need to pursue its release. Naturally, any official release of the film is for now on hold, until proper permission can be gained from Mr Bradbury.
“Mr Sato and his crew want to do the right thing and give the fans what they want, especially as so many of those fans are fans of Mr Bradbury’s work as well,” Avery added. “But they wish to do so in a manner that is respectful to Mr Bradbury’s ownership of the story.”
Steps are already being taken in this regard and hopefully Mr Sato will be able to come to a respectful agreement that will please both the parties as well as the fans.
“Mr Sato and his crew have nothing but respect and admiration for Ray Bradbury and wish to do the right thing,” Avery added.
Even should permission be gained from the copyright holders, there is then the matter of finding a company willing to undertake the production and distribution of a DVD — preferably an all-region DVD accessible to the worldwide fan-base. From the response we’ve seen, this is what fans want and is preferable to some sort of file-download arrangement.
Avery commented:
“It’s important that we remember that Mr Sato fully funded this film himself and his Replica Co. Ltd. co-workers assisted him on the production. No one involved sought to make money from the project. Mr Sato and his colleagues are workers within the film industry, but acting on their own initiative. They don’t have significant amounts of money behind them. But all fully support the release of the film and will cooperate with Mr Sato to prepare it once proper permission is obtained.”
Mr Sato also says that in anticipation of all parties coming to an agreement he is working on a temporary English subtitled track for the film so that he can send a copy to festivals for approval to be screened in the US. However, what he will be sending out will be the rough cut. If Ray Bradbury agrees and an American screening can go ahead, he will bring an exclusive revised edition to be premiered as he wants to work on some technical issues he feels need to be addressed. The Fog Horn was a very low budget production and there was no intention at the time that it would be seen by a public audience. There remain some parts he would like to improve and he wants to enhance the overall quality in order to offer the best experience for viewers that he can.
Mr Sato is currently living in London. For two more years he will be studying English and improving his technical skills there and is not currently working for Replica Co. Ltd. Nevertheless he has the company’s blessing and support in trying to get The Fog Horn out into the world.
Avery added: “It is still very early in the process. What will happen from this point depends on a lot of factors. But one thing we can say: it is now hoped that the film will be released to the fans in some form or other.”
To celebrate the coming of Ninjaz With Attitude to Canberra — where they did irreparable damage to the minds, souls and virginity of attendees at Conflux 6, an annual speculative fiction convention held in Australia’s national capital, as well as disposing of a few politicians on the side — Cat Sparks, their most ardent scifi devotee, ran a Ninja flash fiction competition. The winner has been declared. It’s Crisetta MacLeod. Crisetta will now be transported to the Ninjaz’ home planet where she will undergo a grueling ten-year training program before being “initiated” into the Ninjaz’ official retinue as a “pleasure drone”.
Meanwhile, here’s her story. It is, of course, unfit for delicate minds.
Ninja Nemesis
by Crisetta MacLeod
— winner of the Conflux 6 Ninja flash fiction writing competition, 2009
Ninjas don’t collect their super. Can’t have a ninja wearing glasses, complaining about rheumatism, so other ninjas kill them off. I found myself slowing down. I dropped a throwing star – a shuriken – on my foot. I was wearing my wooden animal paws but it went right through. Then later as I snuck into a ninja-free zone, an urchin said: “That man’s pretending he’s hiding!”
The shame! I was bound for ignominious involuntary retirement. Time to disappear.
I became a Sydney taxi driver then. I was making a living selling secrets discussed in the back of my cab, but my hearing started to go. Can hardly say: “Would you mind repeating that, I didn’t quite catch what you said?”
By then I was pushing ninety, so I bought myself a retirement unit. When Doris Darkly complained in the dining room:
“Pass the salt, why do you hog it at your end?” I ran up the wall, did a back flip on to the table, and booted the salt into her disgruntled face, making a condiment-shaped hole. Fred bumped me with his walking frame, so that I poured a spoonful of hot soup painfully into my trousers. I twisted his frame into an insoluble metal puzzle, strangling him.
OK – I just imagined those incidents. But I did like scaring them into heart attacks if they ventured out after dark. And little ninja bombs, with lots of smoke, kept the maintenance people busy looking for fire hazards.
Deeds perhaps unworthy of our founder, Prince Yamoto. But fun, and they kept my hand in.
The other residents asked about my life. I muttered about military involvement, until a real ex-military bloke asked about campaigns, and ranks. Couldn’t allow that, so he had to die. I snuck into his unit and suffocated him. They thought sleep apnoea got him, nosy fat bastard.
“I’m a retired ninja. I can undertake mercenary malevolence,” I once proclaimed over a game of Rumikins.
“Don’t be ridiculous, young man, that’s a species of turtle,” snorted Gladys Whipplethorpe. The insult! She had to die. I used kendo stick techniques, as she negotiated steps in the gardens. Her rickety little legs snapped, she cracked her head satisfyingly and became quite messily dead.
Later, Fred Featherstonehaugh told me about his daughter-in-law, who had shoved him into the retirement village and taken his home. I stabbed her with my kunoichi. I took her handbag, her watch, and her dignity. I melded into the walls with ninja cunning.
Plenty of ninja opportunities, even in retirement, you see!
I started venturing out at night. I set the dogs barking hysterically; I terrified virgins by peering through their bedroom windows.
Four thugs surrounded me! I back-flipped and broke the first one’s neck, slipped my ninja-to sword between the ribs of another. Tripped two others with my shoge, sickle on a chain, then put out their eyes. My old heart gave out with joy! I died happily amongst the bloodied dead, ninja to the end.
A previously unknown and unsuspected Japanese giant monster film has just come to light — one that resonates backwards right to the start of the daikaiju eiga tradition. What is it? You’ll have to read on to find out.
Background
In the history of giant monster cinema, the Japanese take on it — called daikaiju [or kaiju] eiga — looms very large indeed. At its genesis, and occupying a sizeable part of its growth and continuity, lies Gojira, or Godzilla as the “King of Monsters” came to be known. The original Gojira was made by Ishirô Honda in 1954 and its phenomenal success led to a franchise that has not only produced 28 official films featuring the atomic giant (plus one made in America), but its central aesthetic morphed into a tradition of super-monster film metaphysics that appears throughout Japanese cinema and television, most notably in the many Ultraman TV shows and movies. Godzilla himself remains — along with King Kong — the most iconic of giant monsters worldwide. Everyone knows him.
But Gojira was inspired by two other films that preceded it. One was Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s 1933 giant ape film King Kong, which was re-released in 1954 and attracted big business both in the States and in Japan. Toho executive and eventual Gojira producer Tomoyuki Tanaka was keen to take advantage of the popularity of the Great Ape’s re-appearance, but it wasn’t until Eugène Lourié’s The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms hit it big at the US box-office in 1953 that Tanaka decided to take elements of that film and run with them. Then, once Honda was given the job of directing “The Giant Monster From 20,000 Miles Beneath the Sea” (working title), it quickly became Gojira and began to develop its own unique qualities.
But what is important for us here is the story that inspired The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms — at least partially. It was a short story called “The Fog Horn”, written by great science fiction fantasist Ray Bradbury and first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1951. Wikipedia describes the intricate relationship between the film and the story thus:
The original title of the story was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. It was published in The Saturday Evening Post. Meanwhile a film with similar theme of prehistoric sea monster was being shot under the shooting title of Monster from Beneath the Sea. Later producers, who wished to share Bradbury’s reputation and popularity, bought the rights to Bradbury’s story and changed the film’s title. Bradbury then changed the title of his story to The Fog Horn. The monster of the film was based on the illustration in The Saturday Evening Post.
Here is a synopsis:
Johnny has been working with McDunn at the old lighthouse for the past three months. The lighthouse is situated on a rock 2 miles out to sea, and Johnny is looking forward to “shore leave” the following day. That night, McDunn tells him about a huge sea creature that comes to the lighthouse every year to cry out at the fog horn [mistaking it for the cry of its own kind]… and tonight is that night! The two make their way to the top of the tower and watch as the monster ascends and begins its yearly ritual. Very fascinating indeed, but when McDunn turns off the fog horn the monster shows its true, primitive nature! (bestsciencefictionstories.com)
One less direct connection between the film and the story is the claim by Bradbury that the original idea was inspired by the ruins of a demolished roller coaster he saw on a Los Angeles-area beach, which suggested a dinosaur’s skeleton to him. The movie version ends in Coney Island amid the ruins of the roller coaster there. But the only real connection between the story and the film’s narrative is the rise of the monster from the sea and its coming ashore at a lighthouse, which it destroys. It’s a brief moment within the film, but a powerfully effective one.
The Fog Horn’s Fate
Until now, Bradbury’s important story — which indirectly led to Godzilla and all that followed for the giant monster genre — has never been accurately filmed, not as such. In the mid-2000s, to remedy this oversight, Japanese director Daisuke “Daice” Sato and his crew from the Replica Co. Ltd production studio took Bradbury’s story “The Fog Horn” as the basis of a short experimental film — a project completed in 2007. The film, however, has never been released. A trailer for it recently surfaced on YouTube and now, thanks to Kaiju Search-Robot Avery, there is a chance that it will emerge from its self-imposed obscurity.
The Fog Horn (Japan-2007; short [20 min.]; dir. Daisuke Sato)
The film came about when Mr Sato and his crew were working on the costumes and the suitmation designs for Gojira: Fainaru uozu [trans. Godzilla: Final Wars](2004; dir. Ryuhei Kitamura) and Gamera: Chiisaka yusha-tachi [aka Gamera the Brave; Gamera: Little Braves] (2006; dir. Ryuta Tazaki). “We made The Fog Horn as a demonstration of our technical skills,” Mr Sato commented. “It has not been released, not even in Japan. There is actually a problem with the copyright of the original, and so that is why we haven’t yet released it to the public. But if there is enough demand for it and a lot of people want to see it, then we’ll definitely release it. If we do, it will be as a DVD or online.” He added that he would definitely add English subtitles for international viewers.
The film’s fate now seems dependent on how much interest giant monster fans can demonstrate. Mr Sato says he will only release the film if there is a demand for it.
Making The Film
By shooting in black-and-white and giving it a slightly degraded look, Mr Sato intended that The Fog Horn would mimic the sort of unrestored appearance of an old ’50s monster film — as a respectful tribute to The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and its place in the daikaiju heritage. It is an aesthetic we’re all familiar with, and one that resonates strongly.
Daisuke Sato has had considerable experience in the genre, with credits that include Godzilla Final Wars (monster suit, see images 1 and 2 below)), Gamera the Brave (monster suit), Lion Maru G (props), Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers (Invader GUTS suit), Ultraman Max (Geronga suit, see image 3 below), Exexion (Europe suit, see image 4 below), Gransazer (props) and Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack! (props). Similarly, modelmakers Tomohiro Matumoto and Kaz Oiti have worked on Mirror Man Reflex (Hero suit and monster suit), Shinkaijû Raiga [aka Deep Sea Monster Raiga] (monster suit), Justirazer (Hero suit and mechanical work), Ultraman Mebius and Ultraman Brothers (Invader Knuckle) and Gohongers (monster suit).
Gamera The Brave Storage Area [Area 51?]
Mr Sato states that he has always loved daikaiju eiga, coming to the realisation that he wanted to work on films at age 15. He attended and graduated from a school of art in Japan, and was 20 years old when he started on his first film. He came to work with Replica Co. Ltd., which is run by “the great Takashi Ogami”, in 2004.
After naming Eiji Tsuburaya, Shinji Higuchi (the Heisei Gamera trilogy; Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack; Casshern; The Princess Blade; the Evangelion re-build) and Tomoo Haraguchi (Sakuya: Slayer of Demons; Gamera: Guardian of the Universe; Gamera 2: Advent of Legion; Uzumaki) as major influences and idols, Mr Sato also confessed to a particular passion for Ray Bradbury’s work.
“I decided to film ‘The Fog Horn’ partly because of its connection with Gojira and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” he said, “but the main reason is that it has been my favourite of Ray Bradbury’s writings for a long time. Ray Bradbury’s fiction is very poetic. ‘The Fog Horn’ impressed many Japanese people, and of course me, too, because of the enchantment he brings to it, evoking the tragic agonising of the monster and giving it a profound poetic quality.”
The Future
On the subject of whether he was working on any new films right now, director Sato was understandably reserved. “Ha! Sorry,” he said. “I can’t tell you about that.” On the possibility of working on further giant monster films, however, he was willing to admit: “I do have a plan to do another, but I think first I’ll direct a concept movie. That’s all I can say about it for now.”
Meanwhile, though Mr Sato’s “The Fog Horn” doesn’t contain traditional daikaiju eiga tropes, such as city destruction and monster-vs-monster wrestling matches, it does represent the first accurate rendition of a story that holds primary historical significance for the genre. As such, Undead Backbrain thinks it should be made available and hopes that our revelation of its existence will spur fans on to express their enthusiasm for it, too. We want to see in action the monster that Mr Sato refers to only as “the sea-monster”. From the trailer and the images the director kindly provided, it well may be that Daisuke Sato and his crew have captured in its 20-minute running time all the lyricism, poignancy and spectacle that lies at the heart of Bradbury’s original story.
Act Now!
So this is your big chance. Kaiju Search-Robot Avery’s enthusiasm has convinced Mr Sato to consider looking at ways of releasing the film. He will be watching to see how much interest exists in his little homage to the beginnings of daikaiju eiga. So if you want to see it, with English subtitles, leave a comment below and say so. Help save The Fog Horn from becoming a lost opportunity, like those Japanese King Kong films from the 1930s we know about but will never see.
Source: Thanks to Daisuke Sato. Big Kudos to Avery Battles for not only discovering that The Fog Horn exists, but for getting in contact with Mr Sato and interviewing him.
Gallery (including more images of work by Replica Co. Ltd. as well as screenshots and behind-the-scenes for The Fog Horn):
Streetlights flickered and coughed as she passed. For a while, hope was a euphoric drug that changed her subtly, slowly — the rhythms of breathing, the flow of blood in her veins falling into a pattern that was in harmony with the world’s. For the first time in her life Leah was beginning to feel as though she belonged in the world — and in herself. Was this the transmutation she’d hoped for?
Yet hope is a fragile thing.
This is the beginning of my section of a “round-robin” horror story, written in conjunction with a bunch of other Australian horror writers a while back. The story was created for a competition run by the Australian Horror Writers Association. Now the final phase of the competition is upon us and below is the information you’ll need to be part of it.
________________________
The AHWA and ‘Nameless’ competition director Stephen Studach are thrilled to announce that the “Nameless” competition will be judged by multi-award winning master of dark fiction Ramsey Campbell.
In honour of Mr Campbell’s involvement, the competition’s deadline has been extended to the 13th of March, 2010.
Read the story here. Come up with a conclusion and a title! Make your $10 donation and enter the competition here.
Competition prizes include a $500 winner’s cheque, and a prize pool of horror goodies:
A manuscript version of the story signed by as many of the writers involved as can be tracked down.
A copy of The Australian Writer’s Marketplace 2009/2010.
A copy of The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror 19th annual collection (edited by Datlow, Link and Grant.)
Books: Signed limited editions — Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge; Wild Things by Douglas Clegg; Prodigal Blues by Gary A. Braunbeck.
A boost to any personal horror library — Development Hell by Mick Garris; Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill; Infected by Scott Sigler; The Nature of Balance by Tim Lebbon; The Dark Descent edited by David G. Hartwell; a pre-loved copy of The Books of Blood (vols 1-3) from Marty Young’s own collection.
A first edition of The Last Days of Kali Yuga, Paul Haines’ forthcoming collection of stories; published to impeccable standards by Brimstone Press, and slated for release in December 2009.
All proceeds from this competition go to award-winning author Paul Haines, to assist Paul and the Haines family, while Paul undergoes treatment for cancer.
So the giant bug movie Infestation (US-2009; dir. Kyle Rankin) has crawled out of its pupal stage and appears on DVD in the US on 13 October.
Synopsis:
A slacker wakes up to find himself weak, wrapped in webbing and cocooned to the wall of his office. After realizing that the world has been taken over by giant alien insects, he wakes a ragtag group of strangers and together they fight for survival.
Infestation does for giant bugs what Shaun of the Dead did for zombies, pitting an “ordinary” bloke against an apocalyptic nightmare, with a comedic tongue wedged firmly in its cheek — and some romance thrown in as well. It stars Chris Marquette, Brooke Nevin, Ray Wise, Bru Muller, Deborah Geffner and Efram Potelle and is R rated for “violence, language and brief nudity”.
Kaiju Search-Robot Avery has gathered together so many shots from the film, you could probably make your own version of the movie by stringing the lot together in chronological order. If you’ve got some time on your hands, go for it! Otherwise, wait until tomorrow and pick up a copy from your favourite DVD emporium.
The newly released official trailer for Assault Girls [aka Asaruto gâruzu] (Japan-2009; dir. Mamoru Oshii) represents a massive upgrade on even the great potential we’ve seen before:
Synopsis:
In the aftermath of global thermonuclear war, the Earth’s surface has been turned into a desert battlefield. Three beautiful female hunters — Gray (Meisa Kuroki), Lucifer (Rinko Kikuchi), and Colonel (Hinako Saeki) — traverse the barren landscape armed with powerful assault rifles to fight a group of deadly sand-dwelling monsters called sunakujira (sand whales). When the the epic battle eventually seems to be coming to an end, the sparkle of muzzle flash dies down and an assault ship flies overhead. Suddenly, a gigantic super mutation called Madara Sunakujira attacks. (Nippon Cinema)
Oshii is perhaps most famous for the hi-tech anti-cybernetic-terrorist anime Ghost in the Shell and the live-action VR scifi film Avalon.Assault Girls premieres in Japan on 19 December 2009.
Prolific independent filmmaker Brett Kelly’s latest production — hot on the heels of his 1950s remake Attack of the Giant Leeches — has entered the lost world of slapstick comedy. Kaiju Search-Robot Avery reports!
Now this one’s gonna be a blast! It’s a new dino comedy in the same vain as, say, Queen Kong, The Mighty Gorga and Abbott and Costello in Africa Screams!, or Caveman and such [for all these see Addendum below]. Boy, we haven’t seen a slapstick buddy dino comedy as such for a long time. From Brett Kelly the director of the redux of Attack of the Giant Leeches, and other cool flicks such as The Scarab, Iron Soldier, the Bonesetter series, Prey for the Beast and Pirates Quest for Snake Island, and co-writer Trevor Payer comes She-Rex. It’s kind of a ’40s style Ritz Bros comedy [see Addendum 5] with dinosaurs — something Bud Abbott and Lou Costello might have done if Willis O’Brien had got drunk with them one night after the premiere of Mighty Joe Young. It stars Shawna McSheffrey, Ray Besharah, Brett Kelly himself, and others.
Director/star Kelly has supplied us with a bunch of production shots — full of pith helmets, baggy shorts, cavemen and women in furry knickers, open-mouthed double-takes, bad moustaches, and of course dinosaur hand-puppets.
Gallery:
Source: Brett Kelly via Avery
Addendum 1: The “King Kong” scene from Africa Screams (US-1949; dir. Charles Barton):
Addendum 2: some stop-motion dino action from Caveman (US-1981; dir. Carl Gottlieb), starring Ringo Starr and Dennis Quaid:
Addendum 3: The Mighty Gorga (US-1969):
Addendum 4: Queen Kong (UK/France/West Germany/Italy-1976; dir. Frank Agrama):
Addendum 5: The Ritz Brothers in The Gorilla (1939):
First we discover that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective Sherlock Holmes will soon be fighting giant monsters in a currently-in-production film. Now we discover than he hasn’t escaped the zombie curse.
Wildstorm — a division of DC Comics — will be releasing the first issue of Victorian Undead, in which Holmes and his medical chum Watson are called upon to investigate a plague of dead folk rising as carnivorous corpses that invade London in the aftermath of a massive green meteor that lights up the skies and the streets of the great metropolis. Though it is not immediately apparent how useful Holmes’ phenomenal deductive powers might be when zombies are trying to eat your face, it sounds and looks like it could be fun. The image above is apparently the cover of issue 1 (by Tony Moore) and below is an alternative cover by Simon Coleby (click on it to see the very large version):
The six-part series is written by Ian Edginton (of 2000AD fame) with art by Davide Fabbri.
Check out a preview of the first six pages on io9.com.
