Ray Harryhausen & Jules Verne Team Up Again For The Comic Series « Back To Mysterious Island »

[ENGLISH] BELLINGHAM, WA –  « Mysterious Island » is a 19th Century novel by Jules Verne that was turned into a film by Ray Harryhausen in 1961. Fast forward to 2008 to Bluewater Productions « Back To Mysterious Island ».  Written by Max Landis and penciled by Kevin Gentilcore.  Alternate covers are by Matt Frank and Eagle award nominee Azim Akberali.  Issue 4 will feature a cover by Ray Harryhausen himself! « Back to Mysterious Island » is described as, Two zoologists who’ve been hired to survey the day to day life of penguins on a rogue iceberg end up finding out their job is a lot more complicated than they originally expected.   The entire primary cast is original, although Landis created a  plot device to fit in a slew of Harryhausen monsters that a lot of people will probably be happy to see.  The group later discovers that their secret helper is the reclusive Captain Nemo (first introduced in Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea).

« When we were going through the Ray Harryhausen catalog this was one of the stories we were excited to tell.  It has everything from action, adventure and a giant chicken. » stated Bluewater publisher Darren G. Davis. « This is a classic tale from Jules Verne and Max Landis did an amazing job » Davis continues « Our Ray Harryhausen tales are unique, not adaptations from the films. We are trying to tell the stories of these established characters ».

Writer Max Landis said » Ray Harryhausen’s films have always been important to me. Something about the personalization of monsters, something I’d been unfamiliar with when I first saw the movies as a child. I remember seeing seventh Voyage Of Sinbad for the first time when I was seven or eight, but I must’ve seen it a dozen times before then. See, I was a Godzilla kid. I was raised in a very, very movie-reverrent household, and Godzilla was like mothers-milk. However, though I didn’t realize it then, Godzilla was just a stepping stone. »

Landis continues, « So when I came across this job; found out Id have the opportunity to take that Cyclops who’d diligently entertained me for so many hours, died a thousand deaths in his struggle against the dragon, into my hands, I was ecstatic. To make him walk, and talk, move and fight and exist, even if only on paper…Well, it was the answer to a question I didn’t know I’d asked. »

Artist Kevin Gentilcore, « Back To Mysterious Island has been really cool and fun to work on!  It is a great story and very unique with it’s handling of all things Harryhausen with respect to the original Verne concept.  Oh and don’t forget the monsters!  Fans won’t be disappointed! »

To order « Back to Mysterious Island » go to the new issue of PREVIEWS: DIAMOND CODE MAY08 3668

For more information on Bluewater Productions, visit them online (http://www.bluewatercomics.com), or check them out in your local comic book shop!