Darkchylde

Darkchylde
Ariel Chylde pictured on the cover of Darkchylde issue #1
Publication information
Publisher	Maximum Press Homage Comics (Wildstorm/Image Comics) Darkchylde Entertainment
Created by	Randy Queen
In-story information
Full name	Ariel Chylde

Darkchylde is an American comic book character created in 1996 by Randy Queen. It was originally published by Maximum Press, and later by Image Comics, through Homage Comics, a publishing imprint of Wildstorm. Subsequent projects would by published by Darkchylde Entertainment, through Wowio.^[1]

Darkchylde is the story of Ariel Chylde, a cursed teen who can become the creatures from her many nightmares, and then must save her small town from the forces of darkness she's set free.

Publication history

Darkchylde was launched as a comic book property to immediate success in the summer of 1996. The book shot to the # 1 hottest comics spot in Wizard, where it stayed for nine months collectively in both Wizard and Combo magazines.^{[citation needed]} The book outsold Spider-man, Hulk, Superman and Batman in America, and quickly garnered an unusually large female following, in stark contrast to the traditionally male comic book market . The success of the books spawned a line of best selling trading cards, action figures, skateboards, lunch-boxes, lithos, apparel, and mini-bust statues.^{[citation needed]}

When the book was launched overseas to foreign audiences, it quickly became Panini Publishing's best selling title, overselling all of their classic super heroes titles, including both Spider-man and the X-men.^{[citation needed]}

Wizard magazine released Darkchylde # 1/2, a mail order only comic that outsold all of their previous mail order comics.^{[citation needed]}

Creator Randy Queen crafted Darkchylde Entertainment with partner Sarah Oates and launched "Dreams of the Darkchylde" #1. It was the #1 best selling independent title offered that month in Previews,^{[citation needed]} the magazine for comic distribution orders.

In a second interview with Nicholas Yanes from scifipulse.net Queen revealed that Darkchylde would appear in comic book after several years of absence. This comic book would be a one-shot crossover titled "The Darkness/ Darkchylde: Kingdom Pain" and scheduled to come out in December 2009. In addition to containing a new story feature Darkchylde, this one-shot also contained preview art for Randy Queen's next comic book title "Starfall."^[2]

Manga Darkchylde

In 2005 the title was relaunched at Dark Horse Comics as Manga Darkchylde, with Ariel now being a little girl. The term manga in the title is somewhat misleading, as the new series is clearly not a manga in the traditional sense and actually bears very little resemblance to Japanese manga in any way.^{[citation needed]} Only using the base elements of the original Darkchylde, Randy Queen is now expanding his "Darkchylde-universe".

Issues

Darkchylde comic books, in order of reading:^{[citation needed]}

• Darkchylde Diary
• Darkchylde #1–5
• Spawn #56 (4-page Darkchylde interlude featuring Flatulance)
• Darkchylde #0
• Darkchylde ½
• Darkchylde: The Legacy #1–3
• Darkchylde: Redemption ½, #1–3
• Dreams of the Darkchylde #1–6
• The Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain

• Painkiller Jane/Darkchylde (drawn by J.G. Jones)
• Witchblade/Darkchylde

• Darkchylde Swimsuit Illustrated
• Darkchylde Summer Swimsuit Spectacular
• Darkchylde Sketchbook

• Manga Darkchylde #0, 1–5

Collected editions

some of the comics have been collected into trade paperbacks:

• Darkchylde: The Descent (collects the original miniseries and the Spawn interlude, WildStorm/Homage Comics, 1998)

• Darkchylde, Volume 1: Legacy and Redemption (Collects Darkchylde: Legacy #1/2 & 1-3, and Darkchylde: Redemption #1/2 & 1-3) (160 pages, January 2011, ISBN 1607063522)

• Darkchylde: Dreams of Darkchylde (Collects Dreams of the Darkchylde #1-6) (June 2011, ISBN 1607063889)

Adaptations

Novel

It was announced on Feb. 14, 2011 that Darkchylde would be turned into a Young Adult Novel by Andrea Brown Literary Agency.^[3]

Film

In August 2007 creator Randy Queen revealed to Newsarama that a movie is in the works.^{[citation needed]}

In a recent interview with Nicholas Yanes from scifipulse.net, Randy Queen was asked and responded to a question about a film/television adaptation of Darkchylde:

“

Yanes: For years now there have been rumors of Darkchylde being turned into an animated series, miniseries for a cable network and movie. Are you able to comment on Darkchylde’s potential future on in television and film? Any actresses you’d love to play Ariel? Queen: A movie makes so much sense it’s ridiculous, and all I can say is that we are working on it. I know that’s a frustrating answer for fans, but it’s a frustrating process. It’s probably best for me not to comment on actresses, so we’ll just all have to wait and see.[4]

”

Test footage from the set of Darkchylde emerged in July 2010^[5] and on October 31, 2010, it was announced John Carpenter was to direct.^[6]

Notes

1. ^ Darkchylde Entertainment
2. ^ "Comics Interview: Randy Queen Discusses Darkchylde/Darkness Crossover". Scifipulse.net. October 28, 2009. http://scifipulse.net/?p=15573. 
3. ^ Nicholas Yanes, "Randy Queen Signs With Andrea Brown Literary Agency To Turn Darkchylde Comics Into Young Adult Novels". Scifipulse.net. October 28, 2009. http://scifipulse.net/?p=41693. 
4. ^ "Randy Queen Talks About Starfall & His Comic Book Influences". Scifipulse.net. February 24, 2009. http://scifipulse.net/?p=5685. 
5. ^ Newsarama Staff (July 6, 2010). "Exclusive DARKCHYLDE Weta Workshop Test Footage Revealed". Newsarama. http://www.newsarama.com/film/darkchylde-weta-workshop-footage-100706.html. 
6. ^ Turek, Ryan (October 31, 2010). "John Carpenter Bringing Darkchylde to the Screen". Shock Till You Drop. CraveOnline. http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=17036. Retrieved October 31, 2010. 

External links

• Official website