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Book of Lost Souls brings dark fantasy element to Marvel
09/10/2005 . Source: Jessica Martin 
In a comics marketplace dominated by super-heroes, J. Michael Straczynski's new comic-book, The Book of Lost Souls, is looking to deliver a taste of fantasy. Buy The Book of Lost Souls in the USA - or Buy The Book of Lost Souls in the UK  "This is the most out-there title Marvel has published in a very long time," said writer J. Michael Straczynski to SFcrowsnest. "But for me, this is one of the most important things I've done in comics in a long while. It has some of the same feel as "Midnight Nation," and Neil Gaiman's "Sandman," in that it is a book that will attract our usual readers, but which will also have a great deal of mainstream and female appeal."
"It's exciting for me because this is the one Marvel title that is closest in genre to contemporary dark fantasy," explained Straczynski. "It is, by turns, dark and menacing, hopeful and optimistic, very scary and unabashedly romantic. In recent years, there really hasn't been a monthly book out there from the big two comics publishers that goes right for that audience, with a tragic, dark and romantic hero, a whole new supernatural mythology, and a world that goes from the weirdly fantastic to the back streets of urban cities."
Colleen Doran, artist on The Book of Lost Souls, says the concept was one "I fell in love with from the minute I read the script. It is a deeply engaging work and Straczynski's story has brought out the best in me. The themes are universal and moving on a personal level. Straczynski is crafting a whole new world and that means a whole world of new characters. The Book of Lost Souls follows Jonathan, a man who lived over a century ago who finds himself in a present day supernatural world after a near-death experience."
As Jonathan comes to grips with this new world and new characters, so do the readers. "Whether it's a young woman who is disappearing into the fantasy world of her own mind to avoid the harsh reality of a terrible life, a street artist whose wall murals begin to come to life, or a hired killer trying to escape the consequences of a lifetime of murder, the stories are hard hitting but hopeful, as Jonathan steps over the line that may mean life or death for the other characters in the story," added Straczynski.
Jonathan's supporting cast also includes "the Dark Man, who may be God or may be the Devil, who has his own agenda for Jonathan, and Mystery, the talking cat who is Jonathan's constant companion, and who may be something more than he appears to be."
Straczynski could not be happier to have the services of Colleen Doran to help bring his imaginary world to comic life. "The stories are often surreal and heart-rending, and the art by Colleen Doran is beautiful and moving, changing styles radically in order to complement the story," says Straczynski. "It really is some of the most amazing art I've seen in a comic in a long time."
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