Posted in: Comics | Tagged: gladiatrix, graphic novel, substack

First Look at Dan Gordon & John Stanisci's Graphic Novel Gladiatrix

Charley Parlapanides and Vlas Parlapanides, writer/producers of Immortals and Blood of Zeus, have hired screenwriter Dan Gordon and writer/artist John Stanisci to develop a new property based on the bloody gladiator battles of first-century Rome with Gladiatrix, in simultaneous development as an original graphic novel and television series. And Bleeding Cool gets a look inside the comic. Gladiatrix is in development as television series and original graphic novel through Asia Minor Pictures, and is introduced today in Stanisci's Origin Story Substack newsletter. Dan Gordon and John Stanisci have also written a pilot episode.

Set in Rome, 78 A.D., Gladiatrix follows Judith, the bastard daughter of a queen raised as a Sicaria assassin, and the last survivor of a massacred people. Shackled and taken to Rome as a slave, she is thrown into the Gladiator arena for sport, but she has come to the city on a mission of vengeance. Before she exacts revenge for her slain people, she will give the Roman crowd a bloodsport the likes of which they have never known…and rise to power like no woman of her time ever had.

John Stanisci: Dan, Vlas and Charley are long time friends and in September of last year, they came to Dan with the notion of creating a new Gladiator series. Dan called me up, asked me to be a part of this, and of course I was in. We then set about to map out a story that would give an audience all one would expect of a Roman Gladiator series (arena fights, Gladiators in all kinds of frightening looking armor, weapons, etc) and yet, we wanted to still carve out something unique that hasn't been seen yet. We found that some VERY interesting events took place around 55-78 A.D. in Rome. Events that would perfectly set the stage to introduce the world to a female Gladiator who rises to fame and power in the arena. A young girl, raised as an assassin, who comes to Rome as a slave, on a mission to avenge her people who have been slaughtered by the Romans. Gladiator fighting is relatively new at this time in Rome. The Coliseum is still being built. The citizenry love this brand new blood sport which is starting to emerge as big business. However, the notion that a GIRL could enter an arena and…actually fight? And not only survive, but rise to fame as the most famous Gladiator of her time? Well, we were all REALLY intrigued with this. A backstory was worked out, interwoven with historic events, which details the fall of the mountaintop fortress of Masada. It's a story about a people from a tiny country, under siege from an overwhelming force of a larger country, bent on their subjugation. It's about this one young girl, one of only a small handful of survivors of the massacre, who refuses to let the spirit of her people die. We didn't know it at the time, but the story we spun, which was meant to mainly tell an exciting adventure series, suddenly, and tragically, became all too relevant. We have all witnessed the unfolding, tragic, events taking place in Europe. We have seen stories of the incredible heroism and courage as the people of a small country refuse to surrender to the tyranny of a larger, more powerful invading nation. We realized that GLADIATRIX has much more to offer than being an exciting adventure series. And, I could not be more proud, or excited, to be a part of such a great project.

Dan Gordon: I just thought , what the hell, John will draw the pictures , I'll rest on both our laurels. Actually it was a passion piece for both of us and it's only more so in the face of what's happened. It seems that struggles of light vs darkness, freedom vs. totalitarianism are common to all generations in every age. Whether it's graffiti on the walls of Rome that tell Caesar to go fuck himself , or Ukrainian border guards telling Russian  warships to do the same or graphic novels and super heroes who seem to be the better expressions of ourselves, there is an eternal innate desire for Justice instead of injustice, no matter the sacrifice, no matter the cost. Which is a long winded way of saying I thing the story has an audience, which is hungry for it.

Vlas Parlapanides: One of the things that Charley and I loved about the story Dan and John crafted was that it was about someone standing up to tyranny and overcoming insurmountable odds in their pursuit for justice. That's a story that will always appeal to us. Our great grandparents were victims of genocide. They were murdered by the Turks solely because of their ethnicity. So when Charley and I come across stories that deal with people that have been persecuted, it especially resonates with us. In fact, we have great empathy for all people who have been marginalized or made to feel like they are less.  In addition, the story is incredibly inspirational. It's so very satisfying to see someone who has been dealt a terrible hand in life overcome insurmountable odds. It touches you emotionally. And the movies and shows we love best always manage to do that. As a storyteller if you're not moving the audience on an emotional level, then you're not doing your job. This is a story that manages to do that while also leaving them with a sense of hope.  And the fact that we get to tell it with Dan and John, two very talented, kind, decent people is a prayer answered.

Charley Parlapanides:  All I would add is that this is a story that needs to be told. Yes, we live in a golden age of content. Yes, this is the era of peak TV. But only certain stories get made these days and many of the epics we grew up loving would never get made today. Thankfully, the mediums we enjoy have also evolved and this story is inherently well suited for the panels of a comic. Furthermore, someone our age has no problem reading a graphic novel or watching an adult themed animated show. We grew up on comics, cartoons and video games. We're comfortable with them and consider them an artform, which may not have been true a generation or two ago. But most importantly, this is an amazing story, one that reminds us of our past. It sounds cliché but the old adage is true, those who do not know the past are doomed to repeat it. For all that has changed in the world, so much remains the same. And I'm convinced we need stories to better understand the world. It's how most of us make sense of the chaos around us. Again, we love the amazing story Dan and John have crafted. Often here in town, projects are all sizzle and no steak. There's an interesting visual or hook but no real story. It's just vacant IP. But this project is all sizzle and all steak. It's a cool, visceral and visual project COUPLED with an amazing story, characters and look back at the ancient world. We love it and can't wait to share it with the world.

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