From Markosia are two new releases to look forward to in June 2022. Written by Ian Sharman, you can check out the details and previews below.
First up is the first part of a new urban fantasy adventure series written by Ian Sharman and beautifully illustrated by Melissa Hudson. Shadow Of The Dragon Star Part One introduces us to Eloise Jones, who is struggling to find acceptance at school. Adopted, mixed race, she doesn’t know who she is or where she fits in. Her world is turned upside down when she discovers a faerie in her garden shed, carrying the Dragon Star…a mysterious amulet which may just hold the key to the truth about who…and what…Eloise really is.
“I’ve wanted to work with Melissa for years,” said writer, Ian Sharman, “but we could never quite find the right project. Eventually we talked and decided that as I tend to write comics set in the present or near future and she tends to draw fantasy comics, we should meet in the middle and create an urban fantasy story. I wanted to craft a story that followed the classic hero’s journey arc and from there everything just fell into place.”
Shadow Of The Dragon Star Part One will be released on June 8th and is available to pre-order now from all good bookshops and direct from markosia.com.
Secondly, we have the Hero: 9 to 5 Omnibus, which collects the complete super-hero satire co-created by Ian Sharman and David Gray. When he’s not drawing comics, David is better known as the drummer in death metal bands Akercocke, The Antichrist Imperium and Voices. In his spare time he’s been working with writer Ian Sharman on Hero: 9 to 5 for well over a decade now.
Hero: 9 to 5 is set in a world where being a superhero is just another job.
A world where the rich can afford comprehensive hero protection policies that ensure that the best heroes will come to their aid in an emergency. The poor, however, have to make-do with protection from government sponsored agencies with limited resources whose staff are…shall we say…a little less heroic.
We’ve tracked the lives of the heroes that make up one of these government sponsored agencies, Heroes 4 Zeroes, through three books…so far. We’ve seen them through relationship troubles, trips to the supermarket, battles against an unfeeling killer, convention appearances, appearances on reality TV, a takeover of parliament and more! And now all of those adventures are available in one enormous book! Just look at how thick it is…feel that weight…impressive, eh?
Artist David Gray comments, “It really is the ultimate collection, I’m very proud of all our work together!”
The Hero: 9 to 5 Omnibus collects all three Hero: 9 to 5 graphic novels in a single volume, plus the rare Night On The Streets story, previously only available in colour in a London Super Comic Con exclusive preview of Hero: 9 to 5: Quietus.
In his introduction to the second book, Hero: 9 to 5 – Quietus, Mike Carey (X-Men, Hellblazer) wrote, “The most astonishing thing about the series is its ability to take massive shifts in tone very much in its stride – to modulate from farce to tragedy and make both of those extremes fit and feel right in the narrative frame.”
The Hero: 9 to 5 Omnibus will be released on June 3rd and is available to order now from all good bookshops and direct from markosia.com.
Additionally, Ian Sharman will be exhibiting in the Artist Alley at MCM Comic Con London from 27-29 May at the Excel in London’s Docklands and will have both books on sale at his table, along with his many other graphic novel releases.
Pre-order links for Shadow Of The Dragon Star Part One can be found here:
Pre-order links for Hero: 9 to 5 Omnibus can be found here:
Check out markosia.com for more information on Markosia and all of our releases.
Markosia was established in 2005 and has become one of the UK’s leading publishers of graphic novels. Based in London, we have gained a reputation for producing a diverse range of comic books and graphic novels that cover almost all genres.