Actress and writer Claudia Christian and Scratch Comics publisher Shane Chebsey will be on a special panel at London Film & Comic Con on Saturday 8th July, putting the Dark Legacies project and the work of the independent British publisher very much in the spotlight.
Dark Legacies is, initially, a four issue comic book series written by Claudia Christian and Chris McAuley, the second issue recently achieving huge backing on Kickstarter, gaining 500 backers and funding of over £13,000.
The project is also being developed in other arenas, including a tabletop game from Iconiq Studios, with other projects also in the works involving other partners.
The project centres on tough as nails investigator Jessica Steele (Claudia Christian), who is investigating both shadowy intergalactic conspiracies and mysterious alien technology… and getting into plenty of trouble along the way!
Alongside Claudia Christian, several lead Babylon 5 cast members have become involved in this project, not just lending their likenesses to the characters, but also contributing to the ideas behind their characters, working closely with Chris and Claudia to flesh out the back stories and contributing ideas about distinctive character traits.
These include Bruce Boxleitner, as ruthless mercenary turned Martian Lawman Jake Reeves; Patricia Tallman, as Jessica Steel’s older sister, Rebecca; and Peter Jurasik, playing an assassin.
Dark Legacies Issue #1 will be available for purchase at London Film & Comic Con and Claudia will be signing at the event on Saturday only. Signatures will be charged for.
If you can’t make the show, you can order Issue #1 via your local comic shop, or directly from the Scratch Comics website.
After the pulse pounding events of Dark Legacies Issue One, Jessica has been assigned a new role and she is on a mission to uncover those behind the Dark Legacies conspiracy, but will she even survive her first mission and who is the strange assassin on her tail? This issue leads her to an unexpected family reunion…
Writers Claudia Christian and Chris McAuley draw you into this story of political intrigue, sibling vengeance and all-out fist flying action, joined by new interior artist the legendary Glenn Fabry, perhaps best known for his work on 2000AD.
The bumper second issue includes a back up story written by Claudia Christian and Chris McAuley, drawn by Chris Stockton, delving deeper into the origins of Bruce Boxleitner’s character, Marshall Jake Reeves.
It also features a character modelled on Star Trek and Babylon 5 actor Walter Koenig, a newcomer to the Dark Legacies project.
Walter Koenig is most well known for his powerful portrayal as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and, of course, starred in many of the blockbuster films, including the classic Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn and Star Trek: Generations.
He has also written several books including his autobiographical Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe, Chekov’s Enterprise, and also created his own comic book series, Raver, which was published by Malibu Comics.
Babylon 5 fans will know him for his villainous yet charismatic role as Alfred Bester during the series’ run between 1994-1998.
In Dark Legacies Issue Two, Walter’s character plays an electrifying character whose decisions will impact the universe for decades to come…
Scratch Comics is an independent publishing house founded by Shane Chebsey in 2022. Its projects also include the much-praised horror comics, Dracula: The Return – Cult of the White Worm, written Dacre Stoker and Chris McAuley, with stunning art by Chris Geary and Matt Soffe; and the recently-released Hedrek – Broken Pieces, one shot, featuring art by Damian Edwardson, Adam Jakes, Paul McCaffrey and 2000AD artist Steven Austin, wrapped up in a beautiful cover by the amazing Shane Oakley.
Coming Soon: The Dark Legacies Card Game
The Dark Legacies team recently announced it had partnered up with Iconiq Studios to produce a tabletop game.
Iconiq is a producer of high end quality collectables and boardgames based on licensed pop culture franchises. They are official partners with Capcom and produce Street Fighter and Silent Hill collectables, and also have produced the smash hit They Live card and board games, as well as Saw – The Jigsaw Trials, based on the legendary horror movie franchise.
The Dark Legacies product will be a competitive card based game featuring characters and locations from the franchise.
• Join the Dark Legacies Facebook Group
• Dark Legacies Issue #1 will be available for purchase at London Film & Comic Con and Claudia will be signing at the event on Saturday only. Do note, signatures will be charged for.
If you can’t make the show, you can order Issue #1 via your local comic shop, or directly from the Scratch Comics website
• Dark Legacies Issue #2 Kickstarter Deluxe Exclusives will be sent out in September and the retail version should be available in shops around October or November, depending on Diamondl
• To find out more about Scratch Comics and Dark Legacies visit scratchcomics.co.uk
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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