Captain Blood Comic Book Sails In June

[ENGLISH] SLG Publishing tells us: Dead Eyes Open writer Matthew Shepherd returns next spring with a new pirate tale set in the volatile high seas of the Caribbean. Adapting the classic 1922 novel by Rafael Sabatin, Captain Blood: His Odyssey, Shepherd and artist Mike Shoykhet (Tron) bring you an exciting new interpretation with the debut issue of Captain Blood #1.

Peter Blood had always been a driven man. He was a soldier, a sailor, a captain, and a doctor. Nothing seemed unattainable for the skilled Dr. Blood. But when an act of compassion during a rebellion thrusts him into the bottom trenches of slavery, Peter must use his wits and experience to fight his way back to freedom. Shepherd’s Captain Blood promises to chronicle Blood’s ascension to power as he eventually becomes one of the most notorious pirates to roam the seven seas.

The book will be filled with epic sea warfare, forbidden romance, drunken debauchery, unrelenting action, and yes, even political intrigue. This isn’t any ordinary pirate story, however. It’s as much a story of one man’s journey of transformation and strength in the face of defeatist-inducing circumstances as it is a tail of revenge, violence, and adventure. « Blood is no cardboard-cutout hero, » Shepherd said. « He’s a tactical genius, but also a rash, bullheaded leader whose sense of nobility gets him into as much trouble as it gets him out of it. »

Captain Blood #1 is 24 page one color comic book printed in a sepia tone and priced at $3.50. The comic flies in the face of a recent move by SLG Publishing to an all graphic novel release schedule. « Given the state of the economy and recent sales figures it became apparent that selling a graphic novel, even something based on a familiar character like Captain Blood, is becoming more and more difficult, » said SLG president Dan Vado. « We want to start moving back to products with lower price points which might still have a longer shelf life. »

A short trailer and ten page preview of the first issue can be seen at www.slgcomic.com/previews. For more information please contact Dan Vado at dvado@slgpubs.com