Jumper: Jumpscars

The truth of the matter is that very few “movie-tie-in” comics do well or even good. That’s usually because some executive somewhere makes a decision that looks good financially, but doesn’t play out well with the fanboys and girls at all. Plotlines that aren’t in synch with the movie, characters that have gone astray, situations that do nothing but confound the entire storyline mythology…. yea we’ve all seen that. I have a feeling that the folks over at Oni Press might have the exception to the rule here… press release follows.

Oni Press is pleased to announce the release of the new graphic novel JUMPER: JUMPSCARS to coincide with the release of the new action/adventure epic, JUMPER. Set to launch into theaters this February, JUMPER features an all-star cast that includes Hayden Christiansen, Rachel Bilson, and Samuel L. Jackson and is helmed by critically acclaimed director Doug Liman (MR. & MRS. SMITH, THE BOURNE IDENTITY).

JUMPER tells the story of David Rice, a young man who discovers he has the ability to teleport himself distances both near and far with nothing more than a thought. David’s powers aren’t just a blessing though—they also happen to put him in the sights of the Paladins, an ancient order dedicated to eliminating the genetic aberrations they deem too dangerous to exist in our world. JUMPSCARS looks back over twenty years as a new Paladin must deal with the perils of the job while honing her skills under one of the Paladins’ top operatives—the mysterious Roland (portrayed in the film by Samuel L. Jackson).

“When we first started discussing the possibility of JUMPER comics with the fine folks at New Regency and Fox, one of the things that struck us most was the epic nature of the project and the vast scope the filmmakers had planned for the movie,” commented Oni Press publisher Joseph Nozemack. “The world that was being built around these characters was so well-realized and the mythology so interesting that other stories about this conflict would be plentiful and add to what the filmmakers were building.”

To build on the JUMPER backstory, Oni Press went to the proven team of writers Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir (NEW X-MEN, CHECKMATE) and illustrator Brian Hurtt (THE DAMNED, HARD TIME) to craft a tale of globe-trotting intrigue that adds depth to this epic struggle.

“There’s the whole world that they’ve created, and there are corners of it that we were excited to flesh out,” explained DeFilippis. “We see Paladins in the film, but we don’t see how hard their job is.”

“We wanted to create a really personal story, but one that fits perfectly into this larger world,” added Weir. “We wanted to show you this war from the ground level. What is it like to be swept up in this conflict? How does a Paladin get started and what is it like to have to do they things they have to do?”

“Plus,” DeFilippis noted, “they let us tinker with the backstory of the film in a small way. The story stands on its own, but once you see the film, you see how it connects to the story told there. Hopefully, we added some nice extra nuances to the JUMPER storyline.”

With locales as diverse as Seattle, New York, Cairo, London, Venice, and more, this is a graphic novel that truly embraces the movie’s mantra of “Anywhere is possible.” and even more remarkably, it manages to balance all the world travel with some heart-wrenching character work bound to suck readers into this familiar yet extraordinary world.

“At Oni Press we pick our licenses very carefully”, concluded Nozemack. “We know that any tie-in has to fit our sensibilities as a publisher while also ensuring that the project adds something greater to the property. In this era of media saturation and overexposure, we only want to work on projects that we’re passionate about. We’re confident this graphic novel will be a compelling read for both fans of Oni Press and those eagerly anticipating this blockbuster film.”

JUMPER: JUMPSCARS is a 104-page, full-color graphic novel that retails for $14.95 U.S. It is scheduled to be released on February 13th, 2008—the day before the film jumps it’s way into theaters.

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Updated: January 26, 2008 — 10:51 am

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