Avatar Press has announced that it will publish a series of full color mini-series and specials featuring The Coven, the Ian Churchill creation launched to great acclaim at Awesome Entertainment. The dark magic begins at Avatar with The Coven: Spellcaster, a March 2001 release which will feature interior artwork by Al Rio and covers by Rio, David Finch, Tim Vigil, and Matt Martin.
“Ian Churchill and Jeph Loeb kept readers spellbound with their work on this series, making it one of the hottest title launches in recent years,” says Avatar Press editor in chief William Christensen. “As we have begun work on it over the past few months, it’s easy to see why. This is a great mix of characters and concepts. And with Al Rio on interior art and guys like David Finch on covers, I think we’re capturing that dark magic that makes The Coven great.”
“We are going to deliver what the fans have been demanding with Al Rio’s art on this book,” Christensen continues. “As we have put out titles such as Avengelyne and Exposure in recent months, readers have been asking to see more high-profile, full color projects from their favorite creators. So I was very pleased to be able to get artists like Rio and David Finch involved with this. Finch of course is doing scorching work on best-selling Aphrodite IX at the Cow right now. And Al Rio’s art on this project is the best work of his career. That’s definitely saying something considering his work on titles like Gen 13. Al’s fans know that he can draw it all, from monsters and mayhem to beautiful babes, and he gets ample opportunity to show off his range of talents in The Coven: Spellcaster.”
Begun at Awesome in 1997, The Coven is an enigmatic group whose members possess supernatural powers, brought together to maintain the balance between good and evil. Spellcaster, a member of The Coven, is a beautiful young white witch named Sasha Cullen. Still coming into her true power, Sasha is the focus of The Coven: Spellcaster.
Avatar Press has carved a niche for itself as a publisher that pushes the boundaries between mainstream and independent with titles such as Avengelyne, Exposure by Al Rio, Mike Deodato’s Jade Warriors, Warren Ellis’ Stranger Kisses, and Quinn and Vigil’s Faust. Now in its fourth year, Avatar has published over 250 comic books since 1997.
The Coven: Spellcaster is a one shot with a special issue ½ prelude story beginning in March 2001 from Avatar Press. The full color saga will be drawn by Al Rio and written by William A. Christensen and Mark Seifert, with covers on the project provided by David Finch, Al Rio, Tim Vigil, Matt Martin, and Matt Haley.