Iron and the Maiden
Encyclopedia
The Iron Saint, originally known as Iron and the Maiden, is Aspen Comics
' first creator-owned
comic book
. It was created by Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog
, the key creative force behind Crash Bandicoot
and Jak and Daxter
. The series was released in September, 2007
. A one-shot titled Brutes, Bims and the City was released February, 2008. The trade paperback was released by Top Cow Comics in September 2010.
artist Francis Manapul
, with backgrounds by Joel Gomez
. Coloring is being done by Danimation, with cover art coming from industry veteran Jeff Matsuda
. The character concept art was created by Joe Madureira, of Battle Chasers
fame, and Matsuda. Concept design work was handled by Blur Studio.
titled Iron and the Maiden. It was followed up by a one-shot: Iron and the Maiden: Brutes, Bims and the City. The series portrays an alternate-universe 1930s metropolis. "The City" is struggling to survive a three-way battle for power between The Government, the ominous religious sect known as The Order and the seedy criminal underbelly led by The Syndicate. Caught in the middle of this war for power, Michael Iron discovers firsthand the meaning of sacrifice, his only hope for survival coming in the form of a forgiving Angel and several more unexpected surprises along the way.
Rubin has described it as "a cross between a '30s gangster film, Escape from New York and Beauty and the Beast."
heavy metal
band Iron Maiden
sued Rubin and Aspen Comics, citing Iron and the Maiden as an infringement of their trademark.
Recent solicitations for the collected edition show that the series has been renamed: The Iron Saint.
Aspen Comics
Aspen MLT is a California entertainment company founded by artist Michael Turner. It has locations in Santa Monica and Marina Del Rey. Launched in January 2003, the company is best known for producing comic books and figurines.-History:...
' first creator-owned
Creator ownership
Creator ownership is an arrangement in which the creator or creators of a work of fiction retain full ownership of the material, regardless of whether it is self-published or by a corporate publisher. In some fields of publishing, such as fiction writing, creator ownership is a standard arrangement...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
. It was created by Jason Rubin, co-founder of Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986 as an independent developer, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001...
, the key creative force behind Crash Bandicoot
Crash Bandicoot series
Crash Bandicoot is a series of platform video games published by Activision after first being developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Initially created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin, the series was developed for its first four years by the video game company Naughty...
and Jak and Daxter
Jak and Daxter
Jak and Daxter is a critically acclaimed video game franchise created by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2.The series consists of four main games and two spin-offs,though they are also considered to be part of the main series...
. The series was released in September, 2007
2007 in comics
-January:*January 10: Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predator released.*January 24: The Boys is canceled with issue #6.-February:*February 2: Newsarama reports that The Boys has been picked up by Dynamite Entertainment....
. A one-shot titled Brutes, Bims and the City was released February, 2008. The trade paperback was released by Top Cow Comics in September 2010.
Creators
As well as Rubin on scripting duties, penciling is being done by WitchbladeWitchblade
Witchblade is an American comic book series published by Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, from 1995 until present. The series was created by Top Cow editors Marc Silvestri and David Wohl, writers Brian Haberlin and Christina Z, and artist Michael Turner.The series follows Sara...
artist Francis Manapul
Francis Manapul
-Career:Manapul is known for his work on Witchblade and The Necromancer for Top Cow, working on the former for three years, off and on, returning for the tenth anniversary issue in 2005.He provided covers for various titles, most notably for some G.I...
, with backgrounds by Joel Gomez
Joel Gomez
Joel Gomez is an American comic book artist, known for his work on books such as WildStorm Productions' The Lost Boys: Reign of Frogs.-Career:Gomez started his career at Top Cow, working on books such as Witchblade and The Darkness...
. Coloring is being done by Danimation, with cover art coming from industry veteran Jeff Matsuda
Jeff Matsuda
Jeff Matsuda is a Japanese-American concept artist, comics artist, and animator. He served as the chief character designer for both Jackie Chan Adventures and The Batman, and is the president and creative director of X-Ray Kid Studios. Matsuda was discovered by Rob Liefeld after submitting some...
. The character concept art was created by Joe Madureira, of Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers
Battle Chasers is an American fantasy comic book series by Joe Madureira, launched in April 1998. It was one of the most popular American comics series in the late 1990s, but suffered from extreme scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16...
fame, and Matsuda. Concept design work was handled by Blur Studio.
Plot
The Iron Saint was originally a four-issue mini-seriesLimited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
titled Iron and the Maiden. It was followed up by a one-shot: Iron and the Maiden: Brutes, Bims and the City. The series portrays an alternate-universe 1930s metropolis. "The City" is struggling to survive a three-way battle for power between The Government, the ominous religious sect known as The Order and the seedy criminal underbelly led by The Syndicate. Caught in the middle of this war for power, Michael Iron discovers firsthand the meaning of sacrifice, his only hope for survival coming in the form of a forgiving Angel and several more unexpected surprises along the way.
Rubin has described it as "a cross between a '30s gangster film, Escape from New York and Beauty and the Beast."
Controversy
In 2009, BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
sued Rubin and Aspen Comics, citing Iron and the Maiden as an infringement of their trademark.
Recent solicitations for the collected edition show that the series has been renamed: The Iron Saint.
External links
- Aspen Comics to Publish Rubin's Iron and the Maiden, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...
, May 14, 2007 - Previews and reviews of Iron and the Maiden #0, #1, #2 and #3, NewsaramaNewsaramaNewsarama is an American website that publishes news, interviews and essays about the American comic book industry.-History:Newsarama began in Summer 1995 as a series of Internet forum postings on the Prodigy comic-book message boards by fan Mike Doran. In these short messages. Doran shared...