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| "Red Sonja Presents Thulsa Doom" begins in August | |
When it was announced last month, Dynamite Entertainment's "Red Sonja Presents Thulsa Doom" series drew attention for the uncanny resemblance the famed Robert E. Howard villain's cover appearance drew to actor Djimon Hounsou. As painted by Alex Ross, the book's covers were obviously meant to remind readers that the twice Oscar-nominated star is attached to portray Thulsa Doom in the upcoming solo movie. CBR News spoke with Hounsou last year about his interest in the character and property, and after interviewing upcoming "Doom" writer Arvid Nelson, we contacted the actor again to receive the following statement on his view of the new series.
“I’m excited that we have someone talented like Arvid Nelson writing Thulsa," Hounsou told CBR. "His vivid imagination has benefitted all the projects that he has worked on, and will only add to the depth and complexity of a story like ‘Thulsa Doom.’"
For more on the series, CBR spoke with interior artist Lui Antonio about his involvement. Antonio already has experience in the world of Red Sonja for Dynamite, having drawn issues of Doom's she-devil opposite in her own solo series. "I like the sorcery itself, and I grew up in that kind of genre/era when all the movie makers came up with those kinds of astonishing non-digital effects such as 'Flash Gordon,' 'Clash of the Titans' and the first three 'Star Wars' movies,” Antonio said. “I really wanted to draw babes with blades and or with blazing guns those kinds of things like Black Widow, Psylocke, Elektra, Zealot, Lara Croft, Witchblade and so on. And I enjoy creating/designing my versions of the villains and monsters."
As for whether he'll be matching Ross' Hounsou-inspired likeness within the pages of the series, Antonio admitted, "Honestly, I suck when it comes to likenesses. I mean, when drawing real people or celebrities, it's either I make them the younger version of or the much older version! I guess that's not my field, but I'll see what I can do since the writer asked me to align the design of Doom with the cover. Alex Ross is one of the best artists I worship when it comes to art."
Luckily, the artist already has experience with Doom as a character and will endeavor to bring his second shot at the arch-villain into a classic likeness inspired by Howard's original tales. "I already did one time my own design of Thulsa Doom in the book ‘Doom of the Gods,’ but my editor advised me stick to the original design, and I did," Antonio laughed. "Guess I just added few things. I like that white skull face thingy. It kinda glows in the dark when you draw a version of it."
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| "Red Sonja Presents Thulsa Doom" artwork by Lui Antonio | |||
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Keywords: thulsa doom, red sonja, dynamite entertainment, djimon hounsou, lui antonio