 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2007) |
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| Parent company | Image Comics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Marc Silvestri |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Los Angeles |
| Key people | Marc Silvestri Matt Hawkins |
| Fiction genres | Superhero fiction, science fiction, horror fiction |
| Official website | topcow |
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics. It was founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.
During the early years of Image Comics, founder Marc Silvestri shared a studio with Jim Lee. In this studio, he created his first creator-owned comic book, Cyberforce , as part of Image's initial line-up. [1] After setting up his own studio, Top Cow Productions, he expanded into other comics, launching Codename: Strykeforce , a new Cyberforce series and various spin-offs.
Top Cow attracted several professionals including artist Brandon Peterson, writer Garth Ennis and former Marvel staffer David Wohl. The company also helped launch the careers of various writers and artists, such as Christina Z, [2] Joe Benitez, Michael Turner and David Finch. Benitez, Turner and Finch have since worked for DC and Marvel Comics.
In 1996, Top Cow briefly parted ways with Image during a power struggle with Image associate Rob Liefeld. Liefeld left the company shortly after Top Cow's departure, and Top Cow returned to the partnership. [3] At the same time, Top Cow was moving more into the fantasy genre with new properties Witchblade and The Darkness . Thanks to the success of Witchblade, Top Cow was able to expand, adding new titles to its lineup including The Darkness, Magdalena , Aphrodite IX , and others. Silvestri was heavily involved in training and developing new talent through the studio and Top Cow was known for a time for its "house style" (standardized elements of illustration across multiple titles produced by Top Cow), though former publisher Filip Sablik has argued that the company never truly had a house style. [4] [5]
In addition to its company-owned properties, Top Cow has worked with creators to develop creator-owned properties. These properties have included Michael Turner's Fathom (which eventually ended up at Aspen Comics), and Joe's Comics, created exclusively for J. Michael Straczynski, which included Rising Stars and Midnight Nation .[ citation needed ] Top Cow is also known for bringing Tomb Raider's Lara Croft to comics.[ citation needed ]
In 2006, Top Cow made a business agreement with Marvel Comics to publish crossovers such as Darkness/Wolverine and Witchblade/Punisher. [6] As part of this agreement, several Top Cow artists also provided art chores on various Marvel series. [7] Tyler Kirkham worked on Phoenix: Warsong and New Avengers/Transformers ; Mike Choi worked on X-23: Target X ; and Silvestri himself worked on X-Men: Messiah Complex . At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, an announcement was made by Marvel Comics extending the deal into 2008. [8]
At the 2007 New York Comic Con Top Cow announced that they would be one of the first major comics publishers to offer online distribution, through a partnership with IGN. The initial titles offered included Tomb Raider , The Darkness, and Witchblade , at $1.99 per issue. [9] [10] They also announced a deal with Zannel to license their comics as mobile comics. [11]
In 2022, Top Cow Productions reprinted the early issues of Cyberforce for the first time since 1994 in a 30th anniversary commemorative hardcover edition [12] The project was funded through Kickstarter, and the commemorative edition was exclusively available through the platform. [12] The book collected Cyberforce #0, Tin Men of War #1-4, WildCATS #5-7, Cyberforce volume 2 #1-13, Origins #1 (Cyblade) and #2 (Stryker), and Cyberforce Annual #1. [13] Later in the same year the book was reprinted in a trade paperback with the same contents.
In 2024, the company announced a new Witchblade series written by Marguerite Bennett and drawn by Giuseppe Cafaro. [14]
In December 2004, Dimension Films paid an undisclosed six-figure sum to develop a movie based on the comic, possibly for release in 2008.[ citation needed ] The film was pitched as a movie similar to The Crow , which was also produced by Dimension. There have been no further developments.
In March 2005, The Darkness was licensed by Majesco Entertainment for a console game to be developed by Starbreeze Studios. 2K Games later obtained the rights to the game, and a first-person shooter adaptation was released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 console systems on June 25, 2007, in the United States. In the EU, the game was released for Xbox 360 on June 29, 2007, and for PS3 on July 20 of the same year.[ citation needed ]
To promote the video game, a five-issue mini-series was released, with each issue chronicled a chapter of the game. In June 2007, the mini-series was collected into a trade paperback. [15]
In February 2012, a sequel to the video game, entitled The Darkness II , was released for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The script for the game was written by comic book writer Paul Jenkins, who previously worked on The Darkness comic series. Unlike the first game, the graphics for The Darkness II were developed using a cel-shading technique, emulating the aesthetic of its graphic novel namesake. [16] The game received positive reviews from critics. [17]
Following a pilot film in August 2000, the cable network TNT premiered a television series based on the comic book series in 2001.[ citation needed ] The series was directed by Ralph Hemecker and written by Marc Silvestri and J.D. Zeik. Yancy Butler starred as Sara Pezzini. Although critically acclaimed and popular with audiences, it was canceled in September 2002. [18] The cancellation was announced as a production decision, but there was widespread speculation that the true reason for its cancellation was Butler's alcohol addiction; Butler was ordered to enter rehab for alcohol addiction a year later, after being arrested for wandering intoxicated amidst traffic. [19]
Witchblade ran for two 12–episode seasons on TNT. The first episode aired on June 12, 2001, and the last episode aired on August 26, 2002. On April 1, 2008, Warner Home Video announced a long-anticipated DVD release. Witchblade: The Complete Series — a seven-disc collectors set including the original made-for-TV movie, all 23 episodes of the series, and special features — was released July 29, 2008. [20]
In January 2017, NBC announced that it would be developing a Witchblade reboot, with Carol Mendelsohn and Caroline Dries serving as executive producers. [21]
An American superhero film based on the series was announced in 2008. [22] The film was to be directed by Michael Rymer, who directed the 2002 film Queen of the Damned and several episodes of Battlestar Galactica , and was to be written by Everett De Roche. [23]
The film was one of the two being produced and financed back-to-back by Platinum Studios, IDG Films and Relativity Media.[ citation needed ] The film was to be produced by Arclight's Gary Hamilton and Nigel Odell, Platinum Studios' Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, and Steve Squillante of Havenwood Media. Top Cow's Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins were to be executive producers with Platinum Studios' Rich Marincic and Greenberg Group's Randy Greenberg. Filming was announced to begin in September 2008, with China and Australia among the possible locations being considered for filming. [24] [25] Megan Fox was approached for the role of Sara Pezzini at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con.[ citation needed ]
The film's website and teaser poster were released in May 2008, [22] but the project was later cancelled.[ citation needed ]
In 2004 Japanese animation studio GONZO announced an anime version of Witchblade, with a subsequent manga adaptation. The anime version is considered controversial by some, because GONZO has announced that the main character of the anime is of Japanese ethnicity but is not Itagaki, one of the previous bearers of the Witchblade.[ citation needed ] Instead the main character is a new character named Masane. Although this series centers around all new characters and tells a new story not contained in the source material, it is set in the same continuity as the comic book. [26] The anime series began broadcast during April 2006 and ran for 24 episodes.
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include Spawn, The Walking Dead, Kick-Ass, Invincible, Jupiter's Legacy, Witchblade, The Maxx, Savage Dragon, Bone, Saga, Radiant Black and Stray Dogs.
Wildstorm Productions is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1998. Until it was shut down in 2010, the Wildstorm imprint remained editorially separate from DC Comics, with its main studio located in California. The imprint took its name from a portmanteau of the titles of the Jim Lee comic series WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch.
Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, which ran from November 1995 to October 2015. The series was created by Top Cow founder and owner Marc Silvestri, editor David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.
Marc Silvestri is an American comic book artist, creator and publisher. He is CEO of Top Cow Productions and Image Comics.
Michael Layne Turner was an American comics artist known for his work on Witchblade, Fathom, Superman/Batman, Soulfire, and various covers for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. He was also the president of the entertainment company Aspen MLT.
Paul Jenkins is a British comic book writer, screenwriter, novelist, and narrative director. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, Jenkins had a big part shaping the characters of the company, helping via the Marvel Knights imprint to propel Marvel from Chapter 11 bankruptcy before choosing to focus on independent publications. He is also noted for his groundbreaking narrative work in the field of video games, and is recognized as one of the world's preeminent "cross-media" creators for his work across such multiple media as animation, video games, comic books, and film.
Joe Benitez is an American comic book artist. He is co-creator and penciller of Weapon Zero, published by Top Cow Productions.
Ron Marz is an American comic book writer, known for his work on titles such as Batman/Aliens, DC vs. Marvel, Green Lantern, Silver Surfer, and Witchblade.
Aphrodite IX is a superheroine created in 2000 by writer David Wohl and artist David Finch, published by the American comics studio Top Cow, an imprint of Image Comics. Aphrodite IX is a self-aware female android designed as a spy and assassin who retains no memory of her missions. A sequel series was launched in 2013, and the character was rebooted in the 2018 Cyber Force: Awakening series.
David Finch is a comics artist known for his work on Top Cow Productions' Cyberforce, as well as numerous subsequent titles for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, such as The New Avengers, Moon Knight, Ultimatum, and Brightest Day. He has provided album cover art for the band Disturbed, and done concept art for films such as Watchmen.
Brian Haberlin is an American comic book artist, writer, editor and producer. He is best known as the co-creator of the Witchblade franchise and for his digital art style.
Cyber Force is a comic book series created by Marc Silvestri in 1992 through his publishing studio, Top Cow Productions, and published by Image Comics.
Aaron Sowd is an American comic book creator, writer and artist. Sowd began his comic book career as an inker for Top Cow, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. He currently works as an illustrator and storyboard artist.
Patrick Lee is a Canadian comic book artist, publisher, former president, and co-founder of the now-defunct Dreamwave Productions.
Billy Tan Mung Khoy, commonly known as Billy Tan, is a Malaysian comic book artist.
Michael Choi is a comic book artist and video game concept artist, known for his work on books by DC Comics, Marvel Comics and Top Cow Comics, such as Witchblade, X-23 and X-Force.
David Nakayama is an American concept artist and comic book artist, currently working in the video game field and as cover artist
Stjepan Šejić is a Croatian comic book writer and artist, known for his work on the series Witchblade, Aphrodite IX, Sunstone, and The Darkness among others.
Joyce Chin is an American comic book artist. She has created content under the Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and IDW Publishing labels. A large portion of Chin's work has been in creating comic book covers.
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