Legendary comic creators Gail Simone and Christopher Priest are coming to the Catalyst Prime universe. In the case of Christopher Priest, it’s a return trip, with the writer poised to once again help develop the universe for which he co-wrote (with Joseph Phillip Illidge) “The Event” - the first story set in the reality of Lion Forge Comics’ superhero universe. Simone, by contrast, is taking on a leadership role, as Chief Architect for the line.
Set in a world largely identical to our own, the action of Catalyst Prime begins after five astronauts are sent on a mission to stop an asteroid from triggering an extinction-level event on Earth. The resulting explosion seemingly kills all but one of the astronauts and rains energy-charged rocks down upon the Earth. This seemingly facilitates numerous people around the world developing superpowers. To date, the line includes seven monthly comic book series including Accell (the story of super-fast teenager Daniel DosSantos), Summit (the story of a telepath coping with her new powers and the loss of her girlfriend) and Superb, which centers upon a superpowered teenager with Down Syndrome and his best friend, and chronicles their efforts to fight a company that is kidnapping other superpowered teens for nefarious purposes.
THR first reported on Simone’s new position and Priest’s return to writing for Catalyst Prime. When asked how she felt about working with Lion Forge Comics, Simone had this to say:
”I can barely express my excitement over this, and I want to thank Lion Forge for inviting me to play in this amazing new toybox. Everywhere you look, there’s something new and thrilling in this universe. And what we are planning is unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere.”
Lion Forge Comics President Geoff Gerber praised Simone’s reputation as a writer and as an advocate for minority representation in mainstream comics. Gerber added:
First finding mainstream acclaim writing Deadpool for Marvel Comics, Gail Simone would later go on to have extensive, critically-acclaimed runs on Birds of Prey and Wonder Woman. She is currently writing Plastic Man for DC Comics and Domino for Marvel and serving as Executive Producer on Crosswind - a television series based on her original graphic novel series (with art by Cat Staggs) about a hit man and a house wife who trade bodies, with darkly hilarious results. Christopher Priest also has a long record as a legendary writer and industry trailblazer. The first black comics editor in mainstream American comics, Priest is probably best remembered for his extensive run on Black Panther and his original series Quantum and Woody. More recently, he has written Deathstroke and Justice League for DC Comics.
“(Simone’s) leadership on representation of women in superhero comics speaks to her fit with Lion Forge and its mission distilled in our slogan as ‘Comics for Everyone.’ It is inspiring to think what she will be able to do with the amazing team of current creators working on Catalyst Prime when we set her loose on an emerging universe conceived and executed for a contemporary audience that, from its inception, has been inclusive and entertaining.”
Further details on Simone’s plans for the Catalyst Prime line are expected to be revealed at Lion Forge Comics’ Comic-Con panel. set to take place Sunday at 11:30 a.m. in Room 8. It’s already been confirmed that Priest will be taking over The Atonisher - a series about a disgraced celebrity scientist who must use his technology and his newfound power to travel into the nightmares of other superpowered people, in order to fight a mysterious threat that dwells within the dreams of humanity. Priest’s run will begin with Issue #10 later this fall.
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Source: THR
