Kickstarting Comics: Guns N’ Roses’ Rock Legend Slash Presents ‘Deathstalker’ With Vault Comics

Damn! you go out on a week day night and get a bit drunk and by the time you get home you return to the news that Slash of Guns N’ Roses is publishing a comic book adaptation of the cult classic sword-and-sorcery movie franchise, Deathstalker. A project in partnership with Shout! Studios, and Raven Banner Entertainment, as part of their previously announced Headshell imprint at Vault Comics. But the boozing is something I think Slash would wholeheartedly commend. So, rock and roll, y’all!

Based on a story by writer, director, and legendary creature effects artist Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void), the comic reunites the creative team behind Vault’s hit weird western series, West of Sundown; writer Tim Seeley (Grayson, Hack/Slash, Money Shot) and artist Jim Terry (Come Home, Indio).

Slash commented:

“I’m excited to be kicking off a new era of Deathstalker. From Tim Seeley, artist Jim Terry, writer-director-creature FX-wizard Steven Kostanski, and myself, our Deathstalker is a reimagining of that fine specimen of 80s sword and sorcery. With fantasy, you get a little of everything: horror, magic, sex, thrills, blood, guts, swords and weirdness. You know—all those things you can’t look away from. And that’s what we’re bringing. So—please—if you share my love of all things wicked, check it out!”

Slash and Vault Comics have decided to launch this project via Kickstarter campaign which will offer fans a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition ahead of of a comic shop launch as a single-issue comic book series and trade paperback formats to be made available through comic book stores and book shops everywhere.

Speaking about this quite amazing project, Vault Comics CEO Damian Wassel said:

“We obviously adore sword and sorcery at Vault. So, when Slash approached us with the opportunity to relaunch a cult classic of the genre together with Steven Kostanski, and our friends at Shout! and Raven Banner, we couldn’t say no. The whole idea of this project is to balance nostalgia for the so-bad-it’s-good fantasy filmmaking of the 1980s with the storytelling sensibilities of our time. There’s no one we could trust more to turn that into a wickedly hilarious, fantastically epic comic than Tim Seeley and Jim Terry.”

Seeley added:

“I’m a child of the 80s. I remember when my dad bought our first VCR in 1982. And I remember the slew of weird and imaginative sword and sorcery VHS tapes that followed. Deathstalker has been near and dear to my heart since I was completely disturbed and aroused by it at a far-too-young-age. And as a fan of the films of Steve Kostanski, I was thrilled to contribute to this project and the ongoing mythology of Deathstalker with my good friend and frequent collaborator, Jim Terry at Vault!” 

Jim Terry contributed to the discussion with the following:

“Some went to church, some had friends, I had the video store. Being young at the birth of the VHS explosion was magic, and it felt like a time when folks were telling incredibly imaginative stories with limited resources – that charm and creativity would be hard to recreate today but it’s a thrill to bask in that energy with Deathstalker. I’m already enjoying myself, and very much looking forward to wandering in a world I’m very familiar with and making something that we hope will be an absolute blast to read. Thanks to all the folks involved and to my pal Tim Seeley for inviting me along to hang out in this universe for a while.” 

To keep up to date, visit the Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vault-comics/slash-presents-deathstalker