Ectokidis asuperherocomic bookseries published byMarvel Comics'Razorlineimprintthat ran from 1993 to 1994. Created by filmmaker andhorror/fantasynovelistClive Barkeras one of the imprint's four interconnected series, it starred teenaged Dexter Mungo, the child of a mortal and a ghost, who is able to see and interact with the dangerous, interdimensional Ectosphere.
| Ectokid | |
|---|---|
 Ectokid#1 (Sept. 1993), cover art bySteve Skroce. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | September 1993 - May 1994 |
| No.of issues | 9 |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Clive Barker |
| Written by | James Robinson Lana Wachowski Lilly Wachowski(uncredited) |
| Penciller(s) | Steve Skroce |
| Inker(s) | Bob Dvorak |
| Letterer(s) | Gaspar Saladino |
| Colorist(s) | John Kalisz |
| Editor(s) | Marcus McLaurin |
Publication history
editEctokidwas one of Clive Barker's fourRazorlinetitles, all set in the newly introduced "Barkerverse", as it was called unofficially. Razorline published a preview comic in July 1993 called "First Cut", which covered the four titles, each one having a written introduction by Barker, a short prequel comic strip, and a description by the series writer (in the case ofEctokid,written byLana Wachowski,credited as Larry Wachowski).
The main series ran for nine issues (cover-datedSept. 1993 – May 1994) before being discontinued with the rest of the Razorline titles. All art was bypencillerSteve SkroceandinkerBob Dvorak. The first three issues were written byJames Robinson,with issue #3 set up as a cliffhanger and joint credit given to Wachowski, who wrote the remaining six issues.[1]Wachowski's sisterLillyco-wrote with her, uncredited.[2]
The final Razorline release was the one-shotEktokid Unleashed(Oct. 1994), written byDan AbnettandAndy Lanning,with artwork by penciler Hector Gomez and inker John Strangeland. It included a proseshort storybyElaine Leeabout another Razorline character,Saint Sinner.[3][4]
Fictional character biography
editEctokidis about 14-year-old Dexter Mungo, whose father was a ghost. Dex, as he is called, sees the world as it normally is through his right eye, but through his left he can see into the Ectosphere, a dimension similar to Earth but with a number of crucial differences. All the regular-Earth buildings are in the same places, but have a crusted and coral-covered appearance, and this world is populated by creatures and races out of myths, legends, and nightmares.
As Barker described, "Ectokid,which is perhaps the second weirdest of the bunch, is a kind of dream story for the 15-year-old that's still alive to me — the tale of an adolescent who lives in two worlds and has access to a whole other sphere of reality ".[5]
Other media
editA game based on the series, calledEctosphere,was planned during the initial run of the comic, though never produced.[6][7]After the cancellation of Razorline, Barker sold the television and film rights toNickelodeon MoviesandParamount Picturesin 2001. The film was set to have Barker,Don Murphy,and Nickelodeon'sAlbie Hechtand Julia Pistor as producers, Joe Daley as executive producer, andKaren Rosenfeltoverseeing development at Paramount. Barker would also act as executive producer of the television series, with Daley and Murphy as producers. Talking toDaily Variety,Barker explained that his aim was to create "a franchisable world" for the studio, "of great, transcendent beauty; one that reconfigures people's expectations of what ghosts are, of what comes after death".[8]
References
edit- ^Ectokidat theGrand Comics Database
- ^Ojumu, Akin (May 18, 2003)."Brothers Grim".The Guardian.UK.Archivedfrom the original on October 21, 2012.
- ^Ectokid Unleashed#1at The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators. ( "Features" link)Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2015.
- ^Hyperkind Unleashed#1at the Grand Comics Database.
- ^Barker, Clive, inRusso, Tom (July 1993). "Razorline".Marvel Age.No. #126.Quote excerpted in"Interviews, Part Two".Clive Barker (official site).Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2010.
- ^"Other Media".The Official Clive Barker Website.
- ^Van Scott, Miriam (2015).The Encyclopedia of Hell.Macmillan. p. 29.ISBN9781466891197.
- ^Brodesser, Claude; Dunkley, Cathy (August 12, 2001)."Par, Nick take 'Kid' for ride".Daily Variety.
External links
edit- Ectokidat the Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators.Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2015.
- Ectokidat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
- Ectokidat An International Catalogue of Superheroes.Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2015.
- Ectokidat CliveBarker (unofficial site).Archivedfrom the original on October 23, 2015.