Source: Jeff Hughes
Artwork By: Dennis Willman
Comic Book Divas has just announced that they have handed all of the artwork duties for their upcoming comic book, "Ginger-Stein: Rise of the Undead" to illustrator Dennis Willman and from these concept images, it is easy to see why.
Jeff Hughes of Comic Book Divas describes the character like this, "Ginger-Stein is the story of a B-Movie Scream Queen who suddenly finds that the world of horror that she has been working in all her life has become a frightening reality. Through a freak set of occurrences, Ginger Stein is transformed into a zombie-killing character she has played in films for years, forever altered physically and mentally.
"But she must come to terms with her new life quickly as the phenomenon that caused her transformation bends the rules of reality and reanimates the dead. As the Army of the Undead rise and begin to walk the Earth, Ginger must rely on her wits, an arsenal of customized weapons, a chainsaw and a sleek ’78 Hemicuda to save the world from complete destruction."
Sounds like a cool plot for a comic series.
As one would guess, the development of "Ginger-Stein" was heavily influenced by such iconic horror films as "Romero’s 'Dead' movies, 'The Evil Dead' Trilogy and the 'Phantasm' series of films."
Hughes goes on to explain that unlike many of the striking female characters in other CBD comics, Ginger-Stein is actually conceptually based on several famous horror film actresses, not just one.
"Visually, she’s the amalgamation of several actresses and models such as Elsa Lancaster, Allison Hayes, Beverly Garland, Sophia Loren, Denise Milani and Cassandra Petersen to name a few. I wanted her to stand apart from other horror based female characters, hence the lime-gold green skin and multi-colored eyes. The white streak in her hair is a nod to Elsa Lancaster in character as The Bride of Frankenstein, which was also the inspirational genesis behind her name."
Originally artist Josh Barker was slated to do all the artwork for the "Ginger-Stein" series, but after viewing Willman's latest artwork for "A Life Behind the Mask" combined with all the concept work "Rise of the Undead" it was decided to go with the guy who had already invested so much time and talent in the project.
Besides, the artist had already produced an 8-page mini comic for "Rise of the Undead" for an upcoming Sacramento, Ca convention without even being asked.
Yes, it seems that Willman really, really, really wanted this one, and all of his hard work landed him the job.
Hughes adds, "Normally I would not have agreed to hand over a project to an artist and/or creator, but Dennis is a confident and talented artist and has proven himself with panel work for "A Life Behind The Mask" which is no easy task because of the amount of space that is given to draw in, but he did well enough that it helped in the decision."
Barker, in the meantime, will be developing a new vampire comic book series called "Fangs" and will continue his gig illustrating "Kaci Hansen Presents" for CBD.
Visit the Comic Book Divas website - http://comicbookdivas.com/
Look for "Ginger-Stein: Rise of the Undead" coming soon from Comic Book Divas. In the meantime, check out these great promotional illustrations from Dennis Willman:
See Also: “A Life Behind The Mask” - "Amazonia In: Power And Responsibility" From Comic Book Divas / The Women Who Spend Their Lives Behind The Mask / A Special Sneak Peek - Queen Rapunzel From "Goldilocks In Zombie Land" / The First Character Sketch From "Goldilocks In Zombie Land" / Goldilocks Is Through With Bears....Now She's Hunting Zombies