In a series of announcements made just before BookExpo America, comics publisher Dynamite Entertainment has agreements to publish graphic novel adaptations based on the books and characters of acclaimed novelists Brandon Sanderson, Dean Koontz, Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher and the late Ernest Tidyman, author of the Shaft novels. The deals include original graphic novels and comics based on their works as well as original prose works and prose reprints.
Included in the spate of new adaptation deals is an agreement with the estate of the late novelist Ernest Tidyman, author of seven novels featuring John Shaft, the fictional black Harlem detective made famous by the 1971 movie (and a 2000 sequel starring Samuel Jackson) and its equally famous Isaac Hayes soundtrack. Among Tidyman’s Shaft novels are Shaft (1970), Shaft Among the Jews (1972), Shaft’s Big Score (1972) and The Last Shaft (1975).
Creative teams to produce the comics adaptations will be announced at a later day. Steve Kadin, an agent at the Curtis Brown Literary Agency, which represents the Tidyman estate, said the estate was “Thrilled with Dynamite's vision for Shaft, and look forward to his new adventures."
The novels are all out of print and Dynamite plans to reprint the prose novels, bringing them all back into print as well as publishing comics periodical and graphic novel adaptations of the books. Dynamite also plans to create new and original prose stories based on the iconic character.
Dynamite CEO Nick Barrucci called Tidyman’s Shaft character “an American icon,” and “a cool compelling character. Barrucci said Dynamites plans “to tell new stories in multiple mediums, with all new prose in addition to Original Graphic Novels, and create a publishing program that will bring Shaft back to the forefront of pop culture, where he belongs!”
In addition to the Tidyman deals Dynamite plans a six-issue mini-series based on Hopcross Jilly, an original story by bestselling novelist Patricia Briggs with Mercy Thompson, Thompson’s popular shapeshifter character. The series will be written by Rik Hoskins and drawn by Tom Garcia. The collected graphic novel will be released in 2015.
Dynamite plans to produce two original graphic novels based on the Dresden Files, the paranormal/fantasy/mystery series by novelist Jim Butcher. Dynamite has already published adaptations of Butcher’s Ghoul Goblins and War Cry and plans the publish the two original graphic novels in 2015 and 2016.
For bestselling novelist Dean Koonst, Dynamite plans to produce original graphic novels based three of Koonst’s bestselling novels, Frankenstein, Fear Nothing and Nevermore. Dynamite plans to create at least three original graphic novels for each of the prose works. Creative teams will be announced at a later date. And Dynamite will also publish White Sands, a three-volume graphic novel series by the bestselling fantasy novelist by Brandon Sanderson, who also was contracted to completed the late fantasy novelist Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series.
"Dynamite Entertainment is honored to produce original, canonical stories set within the universes conceived by authors Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Brandon Sanderson, Dean Koontz, and Ernest Tidyman," Barrucci said. "When you consider each one after the other, you really get a sense of the full scope of these new developments. Working hand-in-hand with such a fantastic enclave of authors, we’re poised to take Dynamite Entertainment’s publishing line to new heights with quality, imaginative projects that fans and critics alike will adore.”
