DARK HORSE COMICS PRESENTS A
CITY WORTH SAVING IN “SAINT JOHN”
No city in America is quite like Portland—and no hero is
quite like Dan Schkade & Brennan Wagner’s “Saint John”
Dark Horse Comics, in partnership with groundbreaking clothing brand Portland Gear, presents the Rose City’s very own superhero in Saint John. Born and raised in the streets of Portland, Oregon, Saint John is unlike any superhero before him, built for the quirks that make the city unique. Cartoonist Dan Schkade (Will Eisner’s The Spirit) and Portland native creator Brennan Wagner, (Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey), along with letterer Frank Cvetkovic (Count Crowley), bring to life the vivid, sometimes funky world of the Rose City and the hero destined to keep it safe.
“A few years ago, I set out to create a positive storyline for the city and utilize the connections I’ve had in town for many years.” said founder and owner of Portland Gear, Marcus Harvey. “With the assistance of Brennan, Dan, and Mike Richardson, the idea of a superhero for Portland came to life—an individual radiating positivity and dedicated to community building. Portland is a magical place, and I believe that employing the medium of a comic book would provide a unique opportunity to share its wonders with the world.”
SAINT JOHN #1
Written by Dan Schkade & Brennan Wagner
Illustrated by Dan Schkade
Colored by Brennan Wagner
Lettered by Frank Cvetkovic
Main Cover (JUL231111) by Dan Schkade
Variant Cover (JUL231112) by Matt Wagner
When reporter Tori Slate from the Big Apple comes to Portland to investigate an underground superhero named Saint John, she discovers not only a larger mystery at play but also the charm and genuine beauty of the Rose City. Tori starts to see the world, and Portland, through Saint John’s eyes and realizes that some cities may be worth saving after all.
“When Marcus approached me about doing this project, I knew I had to pull in my longtime collaborator and dear friend—Dan Schkade,” said series artist Brennan Wagner. “We were immediately hooked by the concept and wanted to be a part of it. Portland is the perfect stomping ground for an adventure like this. We can’t wait to introduce the world to Saint John.”
Praise for Dan Schkade and Brennan Wagner:
“[Dan Schkade’s] Lavender Jack reminds me of the City Watch books in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, a similar level of drama and politics combined with lush and visually interesting action scenes.“
—Women Write about Comics
“Paired with colorist Brennan Wagner, the artwork side of this book is really beautiful… His coloring choices keep this issue firmly within the Mignolaverse while still allowing him to stay true to his own style. His palette for the environments feels akin to much of Dave Stewart’s work, while his characters are brighter in tone, stepping outside of the typical look throughout the various series.”
—Multiversity Comics
This series is for anyone who has ever loved or hated Portland and everyone who has always wondered just what makes the Rose City such a fascinating and powerful place. Produced with—and featuring the fashion of—Portland Gear, lace up your high tops (and don’t forget your PDX carpet socks!) and join in on a 4-issue miniseries that is everything Portland.
SAINT JOHN #1 (of 4) launches in comic shops on September 20, 2023.
Get your pre-orders in NOW for SAINT JOHN #1. Use Diamond Order Code JUL231111 for the Main Cover and Diamond Order Code JUL231112 for the Variant Cover!
To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com.
About Dark Horse Comics:
Founded in 1986 as an offshoot of his comics retail chain, Mike Richardson, launched Dark Horse Comics with the goal of creating a welcoming environment for comics professionals. The company strives to be an example of how integrity and innovation can broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Dark Horse has published modern masters such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Colleen Doran, Janet Evanovich, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Kentaro Miura, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Eric Powell, Stan Sakai, and Gerard Way, as well as Hall of Fame legends Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and Richard Corben. The company also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, based on properties such as Star Wars, Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Halo. Dark Horse established an entertainment division in 1989, finding immediate success with company-owned projects The Mask and TimeCop. Current hits from Dark Horse Entertainment include The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and Resident Alien on SyFy. Additionally, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing new creative talent throughout all of its divisions.
In 2022, Dark Horse Media, LLC was established as the parent company of all three divisions, and became part of Embracer Group AB, forming the tenth operative group, strengthening the company’s transmedia capabilities.
