8th September 2009 / Dead Space / Alex Rider / On Sale
SKELETON KEY is now on sale in the UK and Europe (an American edition, published by Philomel, will follow soon). I received my advance copy this weekend, and it looks fantastic.
As with POINT BLANC, this graphic novel is based on the original book, and as always, it’s drawn by the dynamic sisters Kanako and Yuzuru. Here’s the blurb:
Reluctant teenage superspy Alex Rider is useful to MI6 in ways an adult could never be. Now they need his help once again. But a routine reconaissance mission at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships sets off a terrifying chain of events for Alex that sees him on the run from a murderous Chinese triad gang. Forced to hide out, Alex is sent to Cayo Esqueleto — Skeleton Key — an island near Cuba. Waiting for him there is General Alexei Sarov — a coldly insane Russian with explosive plans to rewrite history. Alex faces his most dangerous challenge yet. Alone, and equipped only with a handful of gadgets, Alex must outwit Sarov as the seconds tick away towards the end of the world…
The UK ISBN is 9781406313482. As soon as I have details for the Philomel edition, I’ll post them here.
I’ve mentioned before that this book required a bit of jiggery-pokery with Sabina’s character, seeing as in the novels Alex doesn’t even meet her until this book! But I think it worked out pretty well, and it sets us up nicely for EAGLE STRIKE, which will hopefully hit shelves in 2010…
Also this week, according to Diamond’s shipping list, the DEAD SPACE: EXTRACTION one-shot comic goes on sale. That’s a little earlier than most of us expected, but now you get even more time to pore over Ben’s lovely art before the game hits later this month. Here’s the solicitation:
Take a step further into the horrifying world of DEAD SPACE with EXTRACTION, the special edition comic of the forthcoming Wii title, from the same creative team behind the original DEAD SPACE comic! Senior Medical Officer Nicole Brennan gets the chance of a lifetime when she’s assigned to the USG Ishimura… but before long, the necromorph infection breaks out and Nicole must race to unravel the horrifying clues she finds in a very special young girl!
You can read a huge 9-page preview at Newsarama, and order it with the code JUL090350.
29th May 2009 / Alex Rider
Walker Books have announced a publication date for SKELETON KEY, the third Alex Rider graphic novel. It’s scheduled for release in the UK on September 7th.
As with the previous books in the series, SKELETON KEY is ably illustrated by sisters Kanako and Yuzuru, it’s 176pp, and will be available in bookstores everywhere. If events follow past form, readers in the US should be able to get hold of an edition a few months afterward.
Like POINT BLANC, this book is based directly on the novel, and is very faithful. I had to do a bit of jiggering with “The Sabina Situation” again, and anyone familiar with the novel will notice those changes, but they were unavoidable and I think it worked out well. It also sets us up nicely for EAGLE STRIKE, the fourth graphic novel, which I finished writing at the end of last year and will hopefully be out in 2010.
23rd October 2008 / Dead Space / Alex Rider / Appearances
I’m attending the London MCM Expo this weekend. Together with Ben Templesmith, I’ll be doing signings and a panel to talk about DEAD SPACE.
The panel is at 12pm on Saturday, and will be held on Stage 2. Tony Lee will be hosting it and interviewing us, but we’ll try our best to still be sober by the end. Because…
The signings will be at the Manga Entertainment booth (Manga are distributing the DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL DVD over here), just across the aisle from EA themselves, and will start at 1pm on both Saturday and Sunday.
The Manga booth will also have copies of my other books for sale, including a stash of Alex Rider graphic novels which I’m very happy to sign if that’s your thing.
Should be a good laugh. Hope to see you there.
20th June 2008 / Alex Rider / Links
2008 is the National Year of Reading here in Britain, and earlier in the year the government commissioned the School Library Association to produce a list of books specifically aimed at encouraging young boys to read (as in America, boys here lag quite a way behind girls in their reading habits and frequency).
Well, I’ve just discovered—by way of a short article about the report in last week’s TIMES—that the POINT BLANC graphic novel is on the list.
It’s categorised as “older primary” level, and is in some damn good company—Charlie Higson’s YOUNG BOND and Eoin Colfer’s ARTEMIS FOWL graphic novel, for example. You can see the specific listing here, or browse through the whole report online.
I’m dead chuffed about this. Not just because, hey, it’s one of my books, but also because this is another step towards erasing the stigma that has traditionally surrounded comics for so long in this country. Onward and upward.
6th December 2007 / Dead Space / Wasteland / Alex Rider
I’ve just handed in the final script for SKELETON KEY. Lot of fun, especially trying to simulate Conrad’s broken speech patterns. Note to purists; thanks to some clever-dickery, by the end of this book the GN continuity (including Sabina!) is in line with the original novels, ready for EAGLE STRIKE. Which I’ll be writing in 2008…
DEAD SPACE issue #1 will be solicited next month, and on sale late Feb/early March 2008. I’ve seen Ben Templesmith’s solicitation cover, and it’s gorgeous (in an unsettling way, of course). Ben and I will be at WonderCon in February, and EA are planning some promotional events at the con. Looking forward to seeing San Francisco again, it’s been a long time.
WASTELAND #17 is drafted, just needs a polish and then I can turn it in. Hoping to get #18 done before the holidays, too. The second collection, SHADES OF GOD, will be on-sale mid-December, just in time for Xmas. I’ve seen Joe Infurnari’s finished guest art for #14, by the way, and it’s awesome.
Finally, keep an ear out over the coming weekend for news from the New York Anime Festival. Remember those “left field” projects I mentioned a while back? This is one of them. Can’t say any more at the moment…
9th October 2007 / Dead Space / Wasteland / Alex Rider / Pre-order
So it’s raining, my study light has been on since 5pm, and I’m wearing a pullover indoors. Yep, must be autumn. And with it comes an emergent trend, that of being hella busy (as Teh Kidz say) from now until the end of the year. This is the third year in a row that it’s all suddenly gone mad as December approaches. Why? I have no idea.
Quick progress report, then:
WASTELAND #16 is written. Should also have #17, and maybe even #18, scripted before the end of the year (this arc is definitely going to run to #18, now). Joe Infurnari is hard at work on #14 right now, and Chris is starting work on #15. All going smoothly.
Still with our friends in the desert, WASTELAND BOOK 02: SHADES OF GOD has just been solicited for pre-order. It collects issues #8-#13, i.e. the entire second story arc, and will be in stores at the start of December. Makes a lovely holiday gift, assuming your loved ones are into grim, violent stories about slavery and the end of the world.
DEAD SPACE, the new book I’m doing with Ben Templesmith, is well and truly out of the bag, thanks to a huge article in Game Informer magazine… Which should be a big clue, if you didn’t already know. Yes, DEAD SPACE is a prequel tie-in to EA’s newly announced sci-fi horror videogame. It’s planned for six issues, and #1 should launch in February. Ben and I will also be at San Francisco’s WonderCon in Feb. More details on that closer to the time.
SKELETON KEY: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL is now well underway. I’m enjoying this one a lot - it’s a very different book to the first two novels, as anyone who’s read them will know, so it’s presenting a lot of interesting challenges.
BLACKGUARD has stalled a little, purely because of the aforementioned sudden busy period. But I’m chipping away, little by little, and I’m pretty pleased with it so far. The intention is to do intelligent fantasy that owes more to George RR Martin than Robert E Howard, but for kids. Fingers crossed, eh?
There’s also yet another batch of Secret Projects that I’m in discussions about. Can’t say anything at the moment, of course, but if you thought DEAD SPACE came out of left field, well, watch this space.
And that’s about it. I apologise in advance if updates are even more sporadic than usual between now and the end of the year, but as you now know, at least I have a good excuse…
27th September 2007 / Alex Rider
Following on from the European release of POINT BLANC, I’ve just signed the contract to write SKELETON KEY, the third Alex Rider graphic novel.
Like POINT BLANC, it’ll be based directly on the book, and once again drawn by Kanako & Yuzuru. No other details yet, but I’ll put up an official page when I know more.
11th September 2007 / Alex Rider / On Sale
POINT BLANC is now on sale in the UK and Europe (the US edition, titled POINT BLANK, goes on sale in December).
I received my copies today, and it’s a gorgeous-looking book. It’s also about thirty pages longer than STORMBREAKER (for the same price), and has a real heft to it.
I’m very proud of this one—adapting directly from the novel was a real challenge, and I think we pulled it off with aplomb. I hope your kids agree.
7th May 2007 / Alex Rider
Walker Books have added an official page to their site for the graphic novel version of POINT BLANC, sequel to STORMBREAKER. It’s scheduled for a September release in the UK, and should be available in the US shortly after (through Philomel again, I assume).
POINT BLANC is based directly on Anthony Horowitz’ original novel, rather than being a screenplay adaptation like STORMBREAKER, so purists will doubtless enjoy it even more than the first book. Once again it’s drawn by sisters Kanako and Yuzuru, and as you can see from the cover to the right, it looks fantastic.
As for SKELETON KEY, Alex’s third adventure? Well, nothing’s signed yet, but it’s looking hopeful. I’m thoroughly enjoying writing these adaptations, so my fingers are certainly crossed.
6th January 2007 / Wasteland / Alex Rider / Novels / Stealing Life / Anthologies / Texas Strangers
Meet the new year, same as the old year… Except, of course, it’s not. In fact, it’s going to be very different indeed. Thus:
WASTELAND will continue through the year. Issue #7 is called CHILDREN OF THE SUN, a stand-alone story featuring the drafting talents of Carla Speed McNeil - author of FINDER and one of my favourite creators. After that we head into the second major arc with #8, entitled RUSTY CAGE. I’m just wrapping up the script for #10 now, wherein a few tasty clues and tidbits get revealed. And, of course, there’s a fight.
In addition to last month’s WIZARD listing (which I still haven’t seen. Bah), WASTELAND was just named as one of the top 10 books of 2006 by Matt Price in the Daily Oklahoman. WASTELAND is still doing well, still performing beyond mine and Chris’ expectations, and the near-term future at least looks secure. I am now writing a bona fide ongoing series. Which is weird, but good.
STEALING LIFE goes on sale in just a few weeks, which is also going to be weird but good, mainly because the core audience of Abaddon’s line is of course 2000AD fans, who have absolutely no idea who I am. PJ Holden owes me a drink, if that makes any difference…
TEXAS STRANGERS debuts in March. What’s weird about this experience; it’s the first time I’ve co-written, my first book through Image, my first regular book for children, and also my first regular book in colour. However, once again; weird… but good. Dan and I are finishing the script to #3 this month.
The second Alex Rider graphic novel, POINT BLANC, will be released some time later in the year. STORMBREAKER is already my most successful book ever, outselling even my Alan Moore adaptations. Weird, but… good. Exactly.
And I’m about to sign a contract to do a series that could be even more crazy, if it all comes off. I don’t like to talk about stuff that isn’t ready to be announced, so I’m not going to bore you. But this one is really weird.
I’ve also agreed to do a short story for volume 2 of 24Seven, the robot-themed anthology created by Ivan Brandon. My story is an existential tragedy about the futility of struggling for immortality. Yeah, I know. Working title is SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE.
Finally, I sweartagawd that I will write another novel this year. Probably BLACKGUARD, if I can sink my teeth into it for a good few weeks.
Oh, and I have a deconstructionist comic miniseries called KILLING DEAL that keeps bubbling to the surface. So you might hear about that, too.
Hope you had a good 2006. Here’s to a better 2007.
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