LOS ANGELES, August 28, 2018
– Formerly titled
Cursed, Legendary Comics and Webtoon will debut the new imaginative comic series Acursian starring
John Barrowman (“Doctor Who,” “Torchwood,” “Arrow”) next month.
The series—rooted in Celtic lore in a unique fusion of mythic
storytelling from co-creators John Barrowman, Carole Barrowman
(“Torchwood”), and Erika Lewis (Game of Shadows and
Firebrand: The Initiation of Natali Presano) with art by Beni Lobel and designs by Tommy Lee Edwards—will be available beginning at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, September 13. Readers can download the official Webtoon app by visiting the
Apple App Store and
Google Play.
Acursian
(an
Old English word defined as one consigned to destruction, misery, or
evil by a curse) stars John Barrowman as Charlie Stewart who, on the eve
of an important birthday,
falls victim to an ancient Celtic curse. Stewart seemed to have it all:
the big house, the fast car, the beautiful family, and a high-power
career at a leading criminal law firm, but overnight finds everything
spiraling out of control as his perfect life becomes
a disaster zone of chaos and calamity. Every decision he makes, every
relationship he has, every choice he’s given is doomed to fail
spectacularly, no matter what he does.
Embarking
on a quest for the truth behind the supernatural forces re-writing his
destiny, Charlie discovers that
his ancestor Bonnie Prince Charlie made a deal with the ruthless Celtic
God of War, Bregon. In return for the Bonnie Prince’s victory at the
battle of Culloden, Bregon demanded the prince steal three magical
talismans from Bregon’s own sisters. These sisters
cursed the entire Stewart bloodline and now Charlie must settle a
centuries-long family squabble among gods in order to get his own family
back. Real life and ancient legend collide in unexpected ways as
Charlie battles across this world and opens up realms
of time and mystery that no mortal was ever meant to see.
“We
began this journey with John, Carole, and Erika over a year ago and are
thrilled to see this project coming to
fruition in such a gripping story that features—for the first time
ever—John starring in his very own comic book, one that truly reflects
his love for Celtic lore,” said Robert Napton, Senior Vice President of
Legendary Comics.
“Did Robert just say a year ago? We’ve been stewing on this for CENTURIES…,” said co-creators
John Barrowman, Carole Barrowman and Erika Lewis. “We’re so excited the world can finally read
Acursian. Beni Lobel’s dark, entrenched style seduces from the
first panel. Goddesses and gods, fate and time be damned, Charlie
Stewart is embarking on a sometimes dangerous—sometimes sexy—sometimes
strange and magical quest to get his life back, and
you can come along for the ride.”
“We’re beyond excited to continue our partnership with Legendary and can’t wait for our readers to experience
the world of Acursian that John, Carole, Erika, and Beni are creating,” said Webtoon Head of Content Tom Akel.
About the creators:
Born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Illinois,
John Barrowman is a unique talent in the entertainment industry
on both sides of the Atlantic—he sings, he dances, he acts, he presents,
he judges. His most famous television role is undoubtedly that of
sci-fi hero Captain Jack Harkness, whose first
appearance in the revamped “Doctor Who” on BBC1 created such an impact
that he was given his own spin-off series “Torchwood.” John also played
Malcolm Merlyn (aka The Dark Archer) in the hit American CW drama series
“Arrow,” based on the
Green Arrow comic books. John’s Merlyn appeared regularly in the CW’s “The Flash” and “Legends of Tomorrow.”
He also played a guest-starring role in the CW’s hit historical drama
“Reign” and ABC’s American political drama “Scandal,g” and has hosted
and
produced many UK-based series for the BBC and Channel 4, as well as
ABC’s “Sing Your Face Off.” On the big screen, John has appeared in
Zero Dark Thirty, All Stars, The Producers, De-Lovely, and the cult classic
Megalodon: Shark Attack 3. John’s prolific stage career includes
roles as the leading man in musical theatre in many West End and
Broadway shows including:
Sunset Boulevard, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of The Opera, Anything Goes, Putting It Together,
and Sam Mendes’ premiere production of The Fix, which
garnered John an Olivier Award nomination as “Best Actor in a Musical.”
In his thirty-year career, one of John’s proudest career
accomplishments was being awarded the MBE for his services to
entertainment and charity by Her Majesty the Queen and the British
Government.
Carole Barrowman
is
John’s bossy big sister and has made a career out of her passions:
reading, writing and teaching. She’s an English professor and the
Director of Creative Studies in Writing at Alverno College in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Carole and John have collaborated on nine
books, including the Sunday Times best-seller Anything Goes; the fantasy trilogies,
Hollow Earth (Simon & Schuster); The Orion Chronicles (Head of Zeus); and Malcolm Merlyn’s backstory,
The Dark Archer for DC Comics. Carole and John have also collaborated with Titan Comics on their
Torchwood series. Carole is a regular reviewer for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and
The Minneapolis Star Tribune, and she’s the book contributor for Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate, WTMJ4’s show “The Morning Blend.”
Erika Lewis
is their
bossy friend. Erika first collaborated with the bossy Barrowman
siblings when she was producing G4’s “Attack of The Show!” and John was
presenting. She graduated from Vanderbilt University and went on to earn
an Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing from
Stony Brook University. Erika is the author of Firebrand with Legendary Comics,
The 49th Key from Heavy Metal, and Game of Shadows
from Tor Books. Along with her writing and her producing, Erika has also
launched the careers of a number of popular television stars.
About Webtoon:
Webtoon is the #1 digital comic app, averaging more than 46 million monthly active users, with north of 10 million
daily readers – more people read webtoons in one day
than watch most television shows. Founded by NAVER Webtoon in 2004,
Webtoon became a cultural phenomenon and pioneered the distribution and
consumption of web-based comics – webtoons. Launched stateside
in 2014, Webtoon has hundreds of titles and post new content daily
featuring the MOST diverse content of any comic platform – including
fantasy, romance, sci-fi, LGBTQ, and more. The app is always free on
user smartphones as well as available on computers,
and the content is free and downloadable. Webtoon utilizes the vertical
scroll which enables the reader to continue an episode without having
to flip to a new panel. Webtoon is always working to enhance the user
experience with technology – FX Toon is a tool
some titles use to include music or animation in their webtoon, and
content – including partnerships with Legendary, Lucasfilm, Stan Lee,
Top Cow/Image, and more.
Webtoon takes the
comic experience to the next level by providing readers with daily
curated content and giving creators an intuitive platform designed to
help them easily publish and publicize their own
original comics. Webtoon is available on iOS, Android, and web
browsers.
Sizzle Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
About Legendary Entertainment:
Legendary
Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary
Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital
Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning,
producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has
built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself
as a trusted brand which consistently delivers
high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world's
most popular intellectual property. In aggregate, Legendary
Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $16
billion worldwide at the box office. To learn more visit:www.legendary.com
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