Comic-Con News:  On the eve of the San Diego Comic-Con, Dynamite Entertainment has announced a number of initiatives including a Sheena, Queen of the Jungle/Tarzan crossover, a new 6-issue Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Storm Surge miniseries, a November-debuting mixed martial arts-themed all-ages series Cage Hero, the artistic teams for a new comic book series based on the Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, as well as the art team for the previously announced Devolution comic written by Rick Remender, and a Jungle Girl statue.

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The biggest news out of this batch of announcement could well be the acquisition of rights to Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, the first comic book heroine to get her book.  Created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, Sheena was the distaff counterpart of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan, so it makes perfect sense that Dynamite is introducing Sheena, in her first major comic crossover event ever, in a shared adventure with Tarzan.  Dynamite’s Sheena rights also include statues, trading cards, action figures, lithographs, and t-shirts.

Dynamite also announced a second series based on author Dean Koontz’s original take on the Frankenstein monster.  The six-issue Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein: Storm Surge is being co-written by veteran comic book scribe Chuck Dixon (Batman, The Punisher), and will feature art by Andres Ponce (Doctor Who).  The Storm Surge narrative picks up where the previous Dynamite Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series left off.  The debut issue of the six-part Storm Surge saga will be solicited in Diamond’s August Previews for an October ship date.

Debuting one month later in November is Cage Hero, a four-issue, mixed martial arts-themed series developed by Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as an “all-ages” action adventure comic in the tradition of Eastman’s TMNT and the Karate Kids movies.  Rather than brutality, Cage Hero will endeavor to promote health, fitness, skill, and teamwork.

Dynamite also announced the creative team for its previously-revealed Gumpy Cat comics (see “Grumpy Cat Comes to Comics”).  The series writers will include Ben Fisher (Smuggling Spirits), Ben McCool (Captain America), Royal McGraw (Detective Comics), and Elliott R. Serrano (Army of Darkness).  Cover artists will include Agnes Garbowska (My Little Pony), Rebekie Bennington (Doodle Jump), and Tavis Maiden (The Konamis), while Ken Haeser and Steve Uy will provide both the interior art and covers.  In addition Dynamite is producing a blank cover and well as a “create your own Internet meme” cover that allows readers to provide their very own Grumpy Cat curmudgeonly witticisms.

In addition Dynamite revealed that Jonathan Wayshak will be the lead artist on the previously announced Devolution comic book series written by Rick Remender (Black Science, Tokyo Ghost—see “Rick Remender to Write ‘Devolution’ for Dynamite”).  Since this “pulp/grindhouse science fiction” title was announced way back in 2012, it is good to see that it will finally be on the schedule for a late 2015 debut.

Among Dynamite’s other announcements was news that the Dresden Files comic book saga, Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Down Town, which is based on an original story by Butcher (see “Dynamite Announces Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Down Town”) would be released in a hardcover graphic novel collection in September, and a Jungle Girl Statue based on the distinctive art of Jungle Girl artist Frank Cho and sculpted by Jason Smith.  The 12-inch high limited edition figure is the third release in the “Women of Dynamite” series of sculptures.