http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Battle_ChasersBattle Chasers - Revision history2026-10-25T12:47:29ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.1http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Battle_Chasers&diff=1279097&oldid=prev141.138.28.7 at 19:41, 15 June 20252025-06-15T19:41:29Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|American fantasy comic book series}}<br />
{{Infobox comic book title<br />
| image = BattleChasers1.jpg<br />
| caption = Cover to ''Battle Chasers'' #1 by [[Joe Madureira]]<br />
| schedule =<br />
| format =<br />
| ongoing = y<br />
| publisher = [[WildStorm]] <br> [[Image Comics]]<br />
| date = April [[1998 in comics|1998]] – June [[2023 in comics|2023]]<br />
| issues = 12 (and one [[Prologue|prelude]] issue)<br />
| main_char_team =<br />
| writers = [[Joe Madureira]] <br> Munier Sharrieff<br />
| pencillers = Joe Madureira<br />
| artists = [[Adam Warren (comics)|Adam Warren]] (back story in #6, 9) <br> Ludo Lullabi (#10-12)<br />
| inkers = {{ubl|Tom McWeeney (Prelude, #1–7)|Jason Martin (inker) (#7–9)|Vince Russel (Prelude)|[[Scott Williams (comic book artist)|Scott Williams]] (#7, 8)|Tim Townsend (#7)|Trevor Scott (#8)|Joe Madureira (#9)}}<br />
| colorists = [[Liquid!|Liquid Graphics]]<br />
| subcat = Wildstorm Publications<br />
| sort = Battle Chasers<br />
}}<br />
'''''Battle Chasers''''' is an American [[fantasy]] [[comic book]] series written and illustrated by [[Joe Madureira]]. First published by [[Image Comics]] as part of [[WildStorm]]'s [[Cliffhanger (comics)|Cliffhanger]] imprint (founded by Madureira with [[J. Scott Campbell]] and [[Humberto Ramos]]), the series left that imprint in 2001, after which was published by Image Comics' central office.<br />
<br />
The series was characterized by scheduling problems, with an average of about six months between issues, including a delay of 16 months for issue #7. Madureira produced a total of nine issues in four years (publishing two to three a year), a pace for which he was criticized, before leaving the comic industry to pursue a career as a video game designer.<ref name=Smith>Andrew Smith. "Canceled Comics Cavalcade Catch-up"; ''[[Comics Buyer's Guide]]'' #1485; May 3, 2002; Page 38</ref> The cliffhanger ending of issue #9 was not resolved for over 20 years; issue #10 was originally scheduled for November 2001, put on indefinite hiatus with Madureira's exit from the industry, and returned only as abstract plans and concept drawings from 2017 to early 2023. It was published in June 2023 and continued the plot after a two-page recap.<ref name=BWT-10>{{cite web|last1=Hartford|first1=Charles|title=REVIEW: 'Battle Chasers', Issue #10|date=2023-06-14|website=But Why Tho|url=https://butwhytho.net/2023/06/battle-chasers-issue-10-review/|access-date=2023-08-21}}</ref><br />
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==Publication history==<br />
''Battle Chasers'' was one of the initial three comic book series published under the [[Cliffhanger (comics)|Cliffhanger]] label, which Madureira founded with fellow artists [[J. Scott Campbell]] (''[[Danger Girl (comic)|Danger Girl]]'') and [[Humberto Ramos]] (''[[Crimson (comic book)|Crimson]]'') for [[Jim Lee]]'s [[Image Comics]] imprint, [[WildStorm]]. When, effective in 1999, WildStorm was sold to [[DC Comics]], the Cliffhanger titles moved along, and issues 5 through 8 of ''Battle Chasers'' were published by DC, until Madureira left the publisher, and released ''Battle Chasers'' #9 through Image Comics. Madureira canceled ''Battle Chasers'' #10, and placed the series "on hold" after forming a game development company called Tri-Lunar with Tim Donley and Greg Peterson.<ref name=Smith/><br />
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When it was revealed in August 2005 that Madureira would return to the comic industry, working on a then-unspecified project with [[Jeph Loeb]] for [[Marvel Comics]] (which was later revealed to be ''[[The Ultimates 3]]''), he also stated that a conclusion to ''Battle Chasers'' is "one of those things that I think about every once in a while, and not having finished it bums me out… I would love to do it at some point, but it would be very far out".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071018044217/http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=5713 Comic Book Resource - DAY 1 - CUP O' JOE SECOND REPORT]</ref> Joe Madureira said that he planned to release issue #10, starting directly where issue #9 ended, and two more issues as part of a 3-part story arc some time after the release of ''[[Battle Chasers: Nightwar]]'' in October 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/joe-madureira-battle-chasers-interview/|title=Joe Madureira On Returning To 'Battle Chasers' After 14 Years|website=ComicsAlliance|date=15 September 2015|language=en-US|access-date=2017-08-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/e3-2017-interview-joe-madureira-on-bringing-battle-chasers-to-a-new-generation-of-games/|title=E3 2017: INTERVIEW, Joe Madureira on bringing Battle Chasers to a new generation of games.|date=2017-06-19|work=The Beat|access-date=2017-08-23|language=en-US}}</ref> After several years of further delays, he posted unlettered preview pages to Twitter in March 2021.<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Madureira Relaunches Battle Chasers #10 Drawn By LuloLullabi|last1=Johnston|first1=Rich|date=2021-03-03|work=Bleeding Cool|url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/joe-madureira-relaunches-battle-chasers-10-drawn-by-lulolullabi/|accessdate=2021-07-02}}</ref> Nearly two more years passed, and Image Comics published it in June 2023, featuring art by Lullabi and a new story arc.<ref name=CBR-Issue10Release>{{cite news|last1=Schreur|first1=Brandon|title=Joe Mad's Battle Chasers Comic Returns With a New Story in Mid-2023|date=2023-02-28|url=https://www.cbr.com/battle-chasers-joe-mad-comic-returns-2023/|website=Comic Book Review|access-date=2023-03-01}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
The story takes place in an [[Steampunk#Alternative world|"arcanepunk"]] setting. The story stars five main characters, including a ten-year-old girl named Gully, whose father mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind a pair of magical gloves. A rogue named Red Monika tries to enlist Garrison, a swordsman haunted by the death of his wife, to assist in freeing a prisoner, which Garrison turns down. Red Monika accidentally releases four extremely powerful villains during the breakout. Garrison overcomes his grief and joins Gully, the [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]] Knolan, and the towering [[golem|war golem]] Calibretto to stop the villains' rampage.<br />
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==Characters==<br />
;Garrison<br />
:At the beginning of the series, Garrison is drunk in despair with the passing of his wife. He is a legendary swordsman and owns a powerful magical sword. He is trained in swordplay by Red Monika and mentored by Aramus. From Joe's original concept sketches of the characters, Garrison's sword was able to open similar to the [[ThunderCats]]' Sword of Omens.<ref name="Battle Chasers - Concept Sketches">{{Cite web |url=http://www.joemadfan.com/gallery/p17_sectionid/5 |title=Battle Chasers - Concept Sketches |access-date=2007-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207233538/http://www.joemadfan.com/gallery/p17_sectionid/5 |archive-date=2007-12-07 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />
<br />
;Gully<br />
:Gully is a ten-year-old girl whose father, Aramus, mysteriously vanishes leaving a powerful set of magical gloves behind. Through the series she shares a friendship with Calibretto and Knolan while searching for her father.<br />
<br />
;Calibretto<br />
:An outlawed war golem with a very gentle personality, he is the last of his kind after all previous war golems were ordered to be destroyed. His arms can fire projectiles.<br />
<br />
;Knolan<br />
:A powerful [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]], approximately five hundred years old, who takes Gully under his wing. His companion is Calibretto, a war golem.<br />
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;Red Monika<br />
:A voluptuous bounty hunter who originally trained Garrison, and has an apparent history with him. Madureira concept sketch notes refer to her as "sort of the [[Jessica Rabbit]] of the ''Battle Chasers'' world".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.joemadfan.com/gallery.html?p17_sectionid=5&p17_imageid=49 |title=Battle Chasers – Sketches |access-date=2010-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713112158/http://www.joemadfan.com/gallery.html?p17_sectionid=5&p17_imageid=49 |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />
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==Reception==<br />
Although issue #10 of ''Battle Chasers'' was not released as part of the initial run, it was 14th in the Top 300 comics list with an estimated pre-order of 60,860.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/indepth/826.html|title=Top 300 Comics--November, 2001|publisher=icV2.com|accessdate=2008-02-28}}</ref><br />
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==Other media==<br />
===Film adaptation===<br />
In March 2003, [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] optioned feature rights to the fantasy comic book series with Gil Netter attached to produce. [[Stuart Hazeldine]] was considered to adapt the screenplay.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Harris|first1=Dana|title=Fox gets ready for 'Battle'|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/markets-festivals/fox-gets-ready-for-battle-1117883887/|date=31 March 2003|website=Variety|accessdate=2 May 2017}}</ref><br />
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===''Battle Chasers: Nightwar''===<br />
{{Main|Battle Chasers: Nightwar}}<br />
A turn-based role-playing game called ''Battle Chasers: Nightwar'' serves as a continuation and jumping-on point of the original comic book series. The game was developed by [[Airship Syndicate]] and published by [[THQ Nordic]]. Madureira was the CEO and Creative Director along with Ryan Stefanelli as President and Lead Designer; Steve Madureira as Animation Director; Christopher Brooks as Technical Director and Jesse Carpenter as Environment Lead. 2D animation scenes in the game were developed by [[Powerhouse Animation Studios]]. ''Nightwar'' was released for [[Microsoft Windows|PC]] and [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], both on [[Steam (service)|Steam]] and DRM-free on [[GOG.com|GOG]], [[Xbox One]], [[PlayStation 4]] in October 2017,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Matulef |first1=Jeffrey |title=Darksiders dev's Battle Chasers: Nightwar gets a release date |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/darksiders-devs-battle-chasers-nightwar-gets-a-release-date |website=Eurogamer.net |access-date=6 February 2024 |language=en |date=1 June 2017}}</ref> with Nintendo Switch<ref>{{cite web |title=Switch On: Battle Chasers: Nightwar finally gets a date on Nintendo Switch® {{!}} THQ Nordic GmbH |url=https://thqnordic.com/article/switch-battle-chasers-nightwar-finally-gets-date-nintendo-switch-r |website=THQ Nordic |access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref> and Linux<ref>{{cite web |title=Linux version is out now! |url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/451020/announcements/detail/1666775029237548226 |website=Steam |access-date=6 February 2024 |language=en |date=28 May 2018}}</ref> versions releasing in May 2018. During the Kickstarter campaign, new issues of the ''Battle Chasers'' comic book were offered with pledges starting at $90 and higher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548028600/battle-chasers-nightwar|title = Battle Chasers: Nightwar}}</ref><br />
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Calibretto also had been announced as a playable character in the game ''[[Indivisible (video game)|Indivisible]]''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCAo-aq3PjE |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/lCAo-aq3PjE |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=New Campaign Message from Lab Zero - November 27th, 2015 |website=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2021-02-23}}{{cbignore}}</ref> before the dissolution of developer Lab Zero Games.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://indivisiblegame.com/official-505-games-statement-regarding-lab-zero-games/ |title=Official 505 Games Statement Regarding Lab Zero Games |date=9 October 2020 |access-date=2021-02-23}}</ref><br />
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==Issues==<br />
===Core issues===<br />
* ''Battle Chasers Prelude'' (1998, [[Image Comics]]/[[WildStorm]])<br />
* Story in ''Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated'' #2 (1998, Quantum Cat Entertainment)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers'' #1–4 (1998, Image Comics/Wildstorm)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers'' #5–8 (1999–2001, [[DC Comics]]/Wildstorm)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers'' #9 (2001, Image Comics)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers'' #10-12 (2023, Image Comics)<br />
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===Reprints===<br />
* ''Battle Chasers: Collected Edition'' #1 (reprints ''Battle Chasers'' #1–2)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers: Collected Edition'' #2 (reprints ''Battle Chasers'' #3–4)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers: A Gathering of Heroes'' ({{ISBN|1-56389-538-2}}; reprints ''Battle Chasers'' #1–5, the ''Prelude'' and the story from ''Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated'' #2)<br />
* ''Battle Chasers Anthology HC'' (reprints #0-9, featuring a few sketches and pages of the unprinted issues 10), April 2011<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{Image Comics}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:1998 comics debuts]]<br />
[[Category:Image Comics titles]]<br />
[[Category:Fantasy comics]]<br />
[[Category:Steampunk comics]]<br />
[[Category:Unfinished comics]]</div>141.138.28.7