Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga Volume One [Perfect Paperback]

Mark Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2008

Death Hawk: You can hire him, but can't buy him...until now! This collection features the 25th century salvage expert and his protosymbiotic partner, Cyke. The hard-luck heroes and the beautiful but treacherous con-artist Vanessa Bouvier find themselves unwilling partners as they engage in a quest to discover the secrets behind the ancient alien race known as the Skril and the sole surviving relic of their culture---the mysterious Soulworm. Featuring art by Adam Hughes. Foreword by New York Times best-selling writer, Douglas Clegg. If you're a fan of Joss Whedon's Firefly, the art of Adam Hughes or just good ol' blaster-blazing space opera, Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga is a must-have!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark (James Axler) Ellis is a best-selling SF author, the creator of the long-running novel series, Outlanders, now in its 11th year of consecutive publication. He has written 45 novels and is the co-author, with Melissa Martin, of The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels. His numerous credentials in the comic book field include critically acclaimed stints on Doc Savage, The Wild, Wild West, Star Rangers, The Justice Machine and many others. In the early 1990s, Mark Ellis was co-founder of Millennium Publications and worked with comic legends such as the legendary Jim Mooney, Don Heck, Darryl Banks, Adam Hughes Doug Wildey, and the late Mike Wieringo.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Transfuzion Publishing; First edition (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941613399
• ISBN-13: 978-0941613392
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,692,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a professional artist/photographer, designer and author.

Please visit my website: Mellissart.com to check out the background and research on my latest projects, "101 Ways to Find a Ghost", "The Everything Ghost Hunting Book" and the "Everything Photography Book".

My artwork has been featured in numerous New England exhibits and galleries, as well as in print media accompanying articles in the Redwood Review, Newport This Week, Newport Life Magazine, The Boston Globe, Horseman's Yankee Peddler, The Newport Round Table Anthology and Balancing The Tides.

I'm the author of three nonfiction books: "The Everything Guide to Writing Graphic Novels", "The Everything Photography Book", and "The Everything Ghost Hunting Book".

My husband, author Mark Ellis and I have collaborated on numerous graphic novel projects, including "Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga", "The Miskatonic Project:H.P. Lovecraft's The Whisperer in Darkness","Mr. Holmes & Dr. Watson: Their Strangest Cases", "The New Justice Machine", and "The Miskatonic Project: Bride of Dagon".

Our most recent graphic novel, "Nosferatu, Plague of Terror" harkens back to the origin of the vampire myths and the F. W. Murneau film, "Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horrors."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Fertile imagination, September 18, 2008

By 

Chris Van Deelen "Chris Van Deelen" (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga Volume One (Perfect Paperback)

Death Hawk is an interstellar adventure that delves into the discovery of an ancient alien artifact call the Soulworm.

Along the way, the main character Death Hawk encounters treacherous hotties, back stabbing partners that were forced upon him, primitive and easily manipulated natives and not to mention an interstellar corporation that owns most of the known Galaxy.

Death Hawk is very similar to characters we all know. There are aspects of Kane, which shouldn't come as a surprise, but I found that he was also quite similar in mentality and personality with Jack Burton (Big trouble in little china).

We have a hero (sort of) that does his best, but quite often finds the tables turned on him and things don't go anywhere near as he had hoped or expected.

Hawk has a side kick / partner, a Symbiote named Cyke who is part wiseass, part encyclopaedia, mixed in with a few nifty abilities that help Hawk out of some rather dangerous predicaments.

Of course, after reading this book, you can see where Mark got some of his inspiration for things we've seen in Outlanders. First, Brigid. She's not named Baptiste in DH, but the physical similarities are there, although she's almost the polar opposite of our Baptiste. Second, we have the Tigers of Heaven, third this is where he originally introduced the ASP weapons.

Do I have to say it then? I better, because some people occasionally don't clue in. If you like Outlanders, you should enjoy Death Hawk.

Also, I would strongly recommend that you read the introduction by Douglas Clegg as well as the interview with Mark at the end. It will fill in some blanks for you, things that as I was reading the comic had me scratching my head in confusion, mainly background and the like.

I also noticed something else. Maybe it's just coincidence, maybe it isn't. I've currently read a series of novels by another author, and there is a character in that series named bob that has a very strong resemblance to Cyke. And said author is, from what I gather, a comic book fan, so it's very possible that Bob was modeled after him.

Or maybe just a coincidence. I don't know, but believe it or not, that's not a bad thing.

The art is pretty good. It wasn't rushed, nor was it slip shod like I've seen in a lot of current artists, nor and some might argue with me over this, were the women super endowed and hot beyond human measures like we see in so many comics. They were more realistic, which in some ways is hotter! Like Freya... a synthetic Amazon with a real attitude, and legs that just won't quit, and a rack bigger than Death Hawk's head. Then again, considering that she's 7 feet tall...

Sorry, got distracted there...

If you're a fan of the fantastic artist Adam Hughes, you'll be pleased to know that he did about half the art in the book. Darryl Banks, Rik Levins also contributed to the book, and did a wonderful job.

You can also thank Darryl Banks designing the cover, and Melissa Martin-Ellis for providing the color, as well as the layout.

So, bottom line is this. If you like Serenity, Firefly, Outlanders, stellar adventure with a mystery to boot, then you should give Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga a read. It'll be worth not only your time, but your money.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death Hawk Rocks, October 24, 2008

By 

Daniel Muth (Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Hawk: The Soulworm Saga Volume One (Perfect Paperback)

Death Hawk is a fantastic sci fi adventure. Anyone who thinks Han fired first will love this book. The loner on a quest to make money and probably to save the universe. Humor, action; its got it all. I just can't wait for volume 2. Buy it!