ONI PRESS REIGNITES ONLINE SUNDAY COMICS WITH IDOL WINNER, HYSTERIA
For a couple of years, Oni Press hijacked the tradition of delivering new comic strips on Sunday mornings by posting brand new, free content on its website. Used as both an avenue to promote books like BLUE MONDAY and JINGLE BELLE and a place for creators like Bernie Mireault and Bryan Lee O’Malley to try something different, the Sunday Comics soon became a favorite of Oni’s online fans. That all ended this past summer, as the program quietly faded into oblivion.
But now it’s back-and with a vengeance! Oni Press has lined up two new features for an all-new cavalcade of cartoonery! And it’s set to begin this Sunday, January 18, 2004.
First up is a three-part original story by Oni editor in chief Jamie S. Rich and artist Patrick Scherberger. Known to many as the winner of Comic Book Idol, a talent contest run by Comic Book Resources in 2003, the strip will be Scherberger’s first sequential work since the contest closed. Entitled “Chance Meetings,” it’s a romantic comedy about just what the title suggests-how people meet and sometimes miss each other.
“I really wanted to give Patrick something he could show off with,” Rich said. “I wanted it to be a showcase for both of us, and I tried to make it a complete narrative. It was a lot of fun seeing the pages take shape. Patrick put everything he had into what could’ve been a small assignment. I think people will really take notice.”
The strips are colored by another newcomer, Jared Jones.
Following “Chance Meetings” will be an all-new three-part strip by Mike Hawthorne, showcasing characters from his February collection HYSTERIA. Featuring high-octane action, outrageous personalities, and over-the-top humor, HYSTERIA is the place where the RUULE and QUEEN & COUNTRY artist goes to let his drawing hand run wild.
“A lot of HYSTERIA originally came to life on the web,” Hawthorne said, “so this is like coming home for the gang. I hope to give people a little taste of what I am up to in the book, while at the same time giving them some fresh entertainment that stands all on its own.”
Hawthorne is no stranger to the Oni Sunday Comics, having previously done strips starring the THREE DAYS IN EUROPE characters, written by Antony Johnston. Those comics are being included in the collection of the THREE DAYS miniseries, in shops just last week.
Hysteria is ? & © 2004 Mike Hawthorne. Chance Meetings is ? & © 2004 Jamie S. Rich & Patrick Scherberger. All items listed above are not official Oni Press items, and all sales are between the customer and the individual artist.
