Comic book film actor David Dastmalchian (The Dark Knight, Ant-Man and the Wasp) is creating a comic of his own. The Hollywood Reporter reports that Dastmalchian and artist Lukas Ketner (“Batman ’66,” “Witch Doctor”) are teaming up to launch “Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter” through Dark Horse Comics this October.
The ’80s-themed horror series will follow former TV journalist turned Creature Feature host Jerri Bartman, as she learns that real-life monsters are roaming the Midwest. Bartman’s predecessor, the titular Count Crawley, had been responsible for keeping these monsters in check, but he has mysteriously disappeared …
In addition to hunting monsters, Bartman will have to contend with her own flagging career prospects and her struggle with alcoholism, a topic with which Dastmalchian has some personal experience.
“Personal themes of addiction shape my writing and I’m so grateful to present a terrifying tale about confronting dogmatism that’s lovingly reverent to classic horror and the power of myth,” said Dastmalchian, in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter. “This may be ’80s nostalgia but the importance of re-examining what we think we know is as timeless as ever.”
While Dastmalchian has not written a comic prior to “Count Crawley,” he has written screenplays for both the 2014 film Animals and 2018’s All Creatures Here Below. Dastmalchian and Ketner will be joined by colorist Lauren Affe (“Descendent”), when the first issue of “Count Crawley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter” drops on October 23. If you want to learn more and see a trailer for the four-issue series, be sure to head over to The Hollywood Reporter.
