Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: clover press, dc comcis, Scott Hampton, simon dark, steve niles, ted adams

Clover Press To Republish Steve Niles' DC Comic, Simon Dark

Simon Dark is a comic book character in the DC Comics universe, created by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton, who had a series running from 2007 to 2009. A creator-participantcomic book, but set in Gotham City, the comic focused exclusively on Simon Dark and only a few casual comments to indicate he and Batman were active in the same city. Which will hopefully make its new publication from Ted Adams' Clover Press a little easier. The publisher, made up of the folk who set up IDW and left, has mostly been publishing archival work and retailer variant books. And now it seems they have managed to extract Simon Dark from DC Comics. In the past this has not been an easy task, with DC Comics as likely to throw together a cheap imprint to keep publishing rights to a title when a creator asks about reversion rights (Deadenders anyone?) But today's DC Comics probably has no idea they even published it.

In the comic book, when he initially appears, Simon Dark has amnesia. He exhibits some super-human abilities such as enhanced speed and agility, as well as extraordinary strength. He acts as a protector of a neighborhood called "the Village" in Gotham City; for its part the neighborhood is happy for their odd protector's presence. As the comic progresses it is revealed that Simon Dark was created from very disturbing means, something he then has to challenge and come through the other side. The series was previously published into three trade paperbacks, all long out of print. Clover Press will be publishing all eighteen issues in one volume – possibly with a few references to Gotham and Batman stripped out.

Simon Dark will be published by Clover Press in July 2021.

Simon Dark is a strange creature of arcane science and occult magic, the defender of one of his city's forgotten neighborhoods. He is also a scared and lonely teenage boy who has been sewn together from body parts.

Protecting his neighborhood won't be easy when the opposing forces of dark magic and forbidden science choose it as their battleground. It will take the help of a beautiful coroner and a smitten teenage girl to help Simon stitch together the pieces of his former life and the mystery of his birth… or else death waits them all.

Acclaimed horror writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, October Faction) teams up with artist Scott Hampton (Books of Magic, Batman: Night Cries) to bring their dark imagination to a new kind of hero.

Collected in a single volume for the first time, this material was originally published by DC Comics as Simon Dark #'s 1 to 18.

"Lurks in shadows, hides in the park.
Simon. Simon. Simon Dark.
If you're good, he'll stay away
If you're bad, he'll make you pay
Lurks in shadows. Hides in the park.
Simon. Simon. Simon Dark."
– The nursery rhyme of "What Simon (Dark) Does".

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