In the final day of Steve Niles Week at CBR Steve takes over the interviewing chores for a day and spends time with the other guy behind “The Nail,” Rob Zombie. Learn more about Zombie’s comic creations, his love for comics and what makes Basil Gogos one of the best cover artists ever in comics.

STEVE NILES WEEK, Day 4: Steve interviews Rob Zombie

In part three of CBR’s week long chat with Steve Niles the writer talks about the line-up of books he has coming from IDW Publishing, including ‘Remains,’ ‘Sacred Hearts,’ the ‘30 Days of Night’ annual, plus news on the ‘Complete 30 Days of Night’ hard cover and two new series: ‘Hyde,’ Niles’ take on ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,’ and the next ‘30 Days’ spin-off, ‘Return To Barrow.’ Click Here to read the interview.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT ANNUAL SHIPS IN JANUARY

While December will see the conclusion of Steve Niles’ and Ben Templesmith’s Dark Days, the sequel to 30 Days of Night, the two creators, and select guests, are headed back into the world of vampires in January with the 30 Days of Night Annual 2004, a collection of four short stories.

“The main reason to do the Annual was because I love short comic stories that explore a little side of something interesting but might not sustain an entire issue or series,” Niles told Newsarama. “I had all these scattered ideas; some left over from 30 Days and some new ones which came about doing Dark Days. As I do more and more, I’m realizing that the 30 Days ‘universe’ is really huge and full of possibilities.”

Readers looking for tales of how the vampires in Niles’ and Templesmith’s particular mythology came to be organized will have to wait for another time though – the stories in this annual are contemporary to the work that will have just been completed a month earlier.

“The stories are all set after Dark Days and a couple characters make returns for a small solo adventure,” Niles explained. “I’ve also created a few new characters and follow the repercussions of Stella Olemaun telling the world that vampires really do exist in Dark Days.”

Templesmith will illustrate one of the stories as well as provide the cover, while the remaining three tales will be illustrated by Josh Medors, Brandon Hovet and Szymon Kudranski, all fairly new names when it comes to comics.

As for securing the artists, for Niles, it wasn’t a matter of going out and finding them – they came to him. “Most of them, and I love this, posted art on my message board,” Niles explained. “I liked their stuff and asked if they’d like to work together. Josh Medors and I met on the board and immediately started concocting plans. He’s also the new artist on the new Fused series. Brandon Hovet came to me through Jeff Mariotte. He’s got a Wrightson meets Big Daddy Roth thing going that I really like. Syzmon Kudranski posted on my board –In Ben’s Art Saloon- and I pounced right away. He has the moodiness of Templesmith, maybe a bit darker. Ben and I met online as well… but how we met is a seedy tale and this is a nice clean site.”

30 Days of Night Annual 2004 is a full color, 48-page comic book with a retail price of $4.99.

From www.newsarama.com

In part two of Comic Book Resources Steve Niles Week event, Steve shares his thoughts on horror films, influences on his work, and who’s doing the best work in horror comics today. Click here to read the full story.

Official Press Release

San Diego, CA, October 28, 2003. Shortly after hitting retail shelves, IDW Publishing’s newest hit book, Wake The Dead #1, has sold out. Steve Niles’s modern twist on the Frankenstein story has consumers and retailers alike seeking more copies of the book.

Wake The Dead #1 is yet another sold-out hit from prolific horror master Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Dark Days), with art by Milx and Chee. IDW Publishing has rushed a second printing to retailers so that the consumer demand can be met.

Beau Smith, IDW’s VP of Sales and Marketing, says, “I was in daily contact with retailers and distributors from day one of Wake The Dead’s release. Virtually everyone wanted to know if we had more, or were doing another printing. We overprinted, but that stock went quickly. It reminded me of 30 Days Of Night all over again.”

Wake The Dead #1’s second printing will be accompanied by a special retailer incentive—every ten copies ordered by any retailer will earn a free eleventh, a copy of the first printing with the rare variant cover by Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Dark Days). Wake The Dead #1 is a 32-page comic book with a cover price of $3.99.

Chris Ryall talks to horror writer Steve Niles about his favorite holiday and takes a look at SCARY MOVIE 3. Just click here… moviepoopshoot.com

All week long Steve talks horror and comics over at Comic Book Resources. The Monday article is already up as Steve takes time out of his schedule to discuss his upcoming projects with Dark Horse Comics. Tuesday will see a discussion of his influences and a look at horror films. Wednesday’s a day off and Steve returns Thursday to discuss upcoming work coming from IDW Publishing. This all leads up to Friday when Steve takes over the interviewing chores when he talks with Rob Zombie about their upcoming collaboration, “The Nail.”

Monday - Steve Niles Week: The Dark Horse Books
Tuesday - Steve Niles Week, Day 2: Horror Films and Influences
Thursday - Steve Niles Week, Day 3: The IDW Books

To celebrate Halloween in grand style we’ve decided to include a FREE SIGNED SET OF CRIMINAL MACABRE with every order of $5.00 or more from the steveniles.com store!

That’s all five issues signed and delivered to you as our gift on this greatest of days.

Offer ends Halloween Night at meeeednight 10/31/03

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

-Steve

Niles sits down and chats with Alexander Ness about the new FUSED series starting at Dark Horse and a few other projects. Also features unseen FUSED art by Josh Medors and Peter Repovski!

Niles Talks Fused

Official Press Release

Sacred Hearts will be IDW’s first ongoing series!

San Diego, CA, October 9, 2003. 2004 will see the release of Sacred Hearts, IDW Publishing’s first ongoing series. Sacred Hearts is a new horror spectacular by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, the creative team behind the bestselling comics 30 Days of Night and Dark Days.

While IDW has become well known for its miniseries, especially in the horror genre, Editor-in-Chief Jeff Mariotte explains, “We’ve been looking for the right property, and the right team, to launch our first ongoing series. In Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, we have that team—Steve’s high concept storytelling is second to none, and Ben brings Steve’s ideas to life brilliantly. And in Sacred Hearts we have that property—a sure winner.”

According to writer Steve Niles, “Sacred Hearts is a combination of ideas I’ve been playing with for a while. It’s sort of a horror soap opera with characters like vampires, werewolves, devils and one poor priest who walks the line between the holy and unholy.

“At its core,” Niles continues, “Sacred Hearts is about self discovery and the idea that no matter what life hands us, we are not doomed to any one path. The main character is a man who has just lost his adopted parents and is told a terrible secret before they pass. Everything he ever thought he was has been a lie and now, in searching for the truth he will enter a world—a gauntlet—of religious zealots, Satanic cults, and creatures of the night!

“This is pretty cliché,” Niles grins, “but it’s Dark Shadows on acid.”

Artist Ben Templesmith adds, “Don’t expect the artwork to be the same as 30 Days of Night—my first printed work—but expect it to have the same vibrancy and atmosphere. I’m going to experiment like hell on this one.”

IDW PUBLISHING is a division of Idea + Design Works, LLC, a revolutionary creative service company with a wide range of clients including The Upper Deck Company, Electronic Arts, Ultima Online, WizKids, Cartoon Network, Sony Online Entertainment, Nickelodeon, and many more. IDW Publishing focuses on a small number of high-quality titles. Among them are CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith’s 30 Days of Night and its sequel, Dark Days; Ashley Wood’s Lore; CVO: Covert Vampiric Operations; Beau Smith’s Wynonna Earp; and Steve Niles’ Wake The Dead. Columbia Pictures has optioned the movie rights to 30 Days of Night, with Sam Raimi attached to produce. Konami is producing a video game based on CVO: Covert Vampiric Operations. Dimension Films has optioned the movie rights to Wake The Dead.