Posted in: Comics | Tagged: atari, atari force, Comics, dynamite, entertainment

Dynamite To Publish Atari Comics, Including Reprinting Atari Force

Published Mon, 06 Jul 2015 12:00:06 -0500

Atari and Dynamite have agreed a publishing deal, after gour years of negotiations that will see Dynamite create original comic books based on Atari game products, republish previous series, such as Atari Force, and create non-fiction production products.

Such as the first official Atari Art and Historical Book, based on the hardcover model of Dark Horse's Hyrule Historia volume, telling the stories of the creation of games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Yars Revenge, Missile Command and the production art and details that went into them.

As well as creating new comics, Dynamite will also be reprinting Atari Force, first published by DC in the early-to-mid eighties.

Dynamite is very proud to announce a collaborative publishing agreement with Atari®, one of the world's most recognized publishers and producers of interactive entertainment. The deal includes rights for a comprehensive retrospective hardcover book, collecting game production and concept artwork, photos, behind-the-scenes info, marketing art, other details on the company and its games, and interviews with key people involved in Atari's rich history. The deal also includes the right to create original comics and graphic novels in all sizes, as well as reprint existing comic material.
"We are excited to be teaming up with Dynamite Entertainment to bring a modern twist to a classic series of comics and table top books that are rich with historic art," said Fred Chesnais, Chief Executive Officer, Atari, Inc. "Atari's roots in the comic book world and iconic art is a collector and video game enthusiast's dream. Our partnership is a fun way to expose our brand to a new generation and resonate with our long-time fans."

Atari was originally founded in 1972 and was a pioneer in arcade games and home video game consoles. The company's products, such as Pong® and the Atari 2600 helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s, and beyond.

"Atari is a touchstone for so many people," says Dynamite Director of Business Development Rich Young. "Their games and game system exposed a lot of folks to video games for the first time…and frankly, got them hooked! I have fond memories of playing games on the 2600 with friends growing up, and am quite happy that we have a chance to work with Atari on this publishing program."

In addition to the hardcover retrospective art book, Dynamite has plans to create new comics based on a select list of Atari properties that help reimagine games with new story and art from some of today's best creators. The list includes Asteroids®, Centipede®, Crystal Castles®, Missile Command®,Tempest®, Yar's Revenge®, and more. Dynamite also plans to reprint existing comics material, such as the Atari Force comics that were originally published from 1982-1986 and featured well known and impressive talent such as Gerry Conway, Roy Thomas, Ross Andru, Gil Kane, Dick Giordano, Mike DeCarlo, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Eduardo Barreto, and Mike Baron.