Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dynamite, embargoed, entertainment, Giovanni Valletta, greg pak, john wick, lionsgate

Greg Pak To Tell John Wick's Origin Story In New Comic Series

Dynamite has announced that Greg Pak (Planet Hulk) and artist Giovanni Valletta (Dark Horse Presents) will be the creative team on their new John Wick comics series. Based on the two popular Lionsgate films, the comic series will dive into the assassin-for-hire early days.

When a young John Wick emerges from prison and embarks upon his first epic vendetta, he comes up against a strange, powerful community of assassins and must learn how to master the Book of Rules that guides their lethal business. What are the Three Bills? Who is Calamity? And who was John Wick before he became the Baba Yaga?

Writer Greg Pak says,

I was on board pretty much as soon as I got the call and heard 'John Wick.' I'm a huge Keanu Reeves fan and loved the John Wick movies, which had the kind of kinetic action and intriguing mythology that seemed like a perfect fit for comics. I'm also always happy to work with my friends at Dynamite, who are always a pleasure to make comics with. And the art I saw from Giovanni Valletta blew my mind — he's totally nailing Keanu Reeves' likeness while creating emotional, dynamic, exciting action. This book is going be BEAUTIFUL. But what really sealed the deal was when Dynamite Editor Anthony Marques said we had the greenlight to tell a John Wick origin story. That was astounding to me — we're not just telling another fun adventure with the character; we're actually going to be able to add to this character's and world's tremendous mythology by telling an origin story! What could be cooler than that?

Artist Giovanni Valletta says,

When Dynamite Editor Anthony Marques asked me if I would like to do some tryouts for this project, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I loved the John Wick film so much, and have been a fan of Keanu Reeves and his work for as long as I can remember. I couldn't be happier to have been picked to work on this project, and I hope the love I have for this movie shines through in my work.

The action-adventure film franchise John Wick launched in 2014 and follows the titular hero, a deadly hitman, as he seeks vengeance for the death of a loved one. Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and written by Derek Kolstad, the critically-acclaimed first installment starred Keanu Reeves and grossed close to $90 million worldwide. Based on the box office success of the first film, the series was greenlit for a sequel, and John Wick 2 opened in February 2017, grossing $165 million worldwide to date.

John Wick #1 will be solicited in the July 2017 Previews catalog and slated for release in September.

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