What does “Revenge’s” Emily Thorne have in common with Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor and Captain America? She’ll be the star of her own comic book, of course!
USA Today reports that ABC has partnered with Marvel Comics to bring “Revenge: The Secret Origin of Emily Thorne” to comic book stores. Written by Erica Schultz and television writer Ted Sullivan, the book is scheduled to hit shelves on Wednesday, September 3.
“The parts of the history we’re bursting to tell is the origin of the woman you see that shows up in the pilot, as differentiated from the girl who was thrown into (juvenile detention) when her dad was taken from her,” says “Revenge” executive producer Sunil Nayar. “We’re going to the beginning where when things don’t fall into place, she has to think fast on her feet… And she doesn’t have the experience she has on the show, so there’s going to be more mistakes and fumbles.”
With art by Vincenzo Balzano and Dustin Nguyen, the comic follows 19-year-old Emily (played by Emily VanCamp on the show) as she goes on her first mission in Switzerland to avenge her father’s death. She’s newly trained by Japanese sensie, Takeda, but that doesn’t stop her from taking a few hits, which Nayar says is reflected in onscreen Emily, who is “the sum of all the lessons learned and beatings taken in this graphic novel.”
Sullivan adds that the comic will answer many questions not dealt with onscreen, such as what made the girl who grew up as Amanda Clarke switch identities with her former cellmate and why she refuses to kill. “There is a difference between Emily and a regular vigilante. She’s not Charles Bronson — she doesn’t put a bullet in someone’s head,” Sullivan explains. “She is a comic-book character. She has an identity — she’s a rich person who poses as a socialite during the day and at night exacts vengeance. Because she is such a complicated character and has a lot of villains in her past, graphic novels are a really natural fit.”
As for the intended audience, Sullivan points out that comic books aren’t just for boys anymore. “There’s an often-underserved female audience out there,” he points out. “And ‘Revenge,’ both as a graphic novel and TV show, can fill that void for a lot of fans looking for a kickass character.”