Dynamite today announced the creative teams for the “John Wick,” “The Librarians,” and “Fruit Ninjas” comic books coming out this fall.
A prequel series based on the John Wick film franchise is in the works from artist Giovanni Valletta (“Dark Horse Presents,” “Eternal”) and writer Greg Pak (“Planet Hulk,” “Action Comics”). John Wick and it 2016 sequel John Wick 2 were both breakout hits with mesmerizing action sequences and highly stylized back drops for Keanu Reeves titular ex-assassin’s quest for revenge and peace of mind. The prequel series will center on a young John Wick, fresh from prison, first introductions to the guild of assassins and cabal of crime lords from the films.
Next Will Pfeifer (“Aquaman,” “Catwoman”) and Rodney Buchemi (“Uncanny X-Men,” “Incredible Hercules”) will be bringing the hit TNT TV show The Librarian, which is itself a continuation of the popular 2002 TV movies of the same name, to the comic book page. The series will follow The Librarians, a group of Indiana Jones-types tasked with protecting the wider world from magical mysteries and perils hidden in plain sight. The first issue will center on the murder of a famous B-movie director from the 70s at a film festival with a piece of Noah’s Ark.
Then there is the adaption of the popular Fruit Ninja smartphone game being written by Nate Cosby (“Cowboy,” “Buddy Cops”) with art provided by Scott Brown (“Nightfall”) and Ruairí Coleman (“Turok: Dinosaur Hunter,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures”). The video game had players slicing the aforementioned fruit and avoiding cutting the deadly bombs in an effort to advance their “Juice Jitsu” skills and unlock new powers. “Fruit Ninja” will feature attack hippos wearing goggles, super aggressive ants driving peaches, jetpacks made of cake and of course fruits and ninjas. All of which according to Cosby are just the very first issue, which will also feature a backup comic about an ancient ninja warrior.
In addition, Denis Calero has replaced Matthew Southward on Dynamite’s adaptation of Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel, which will be written by Van Jensen. The 160-page graphic novel is due out in October.
