In the aftermath of the Civil War, the great westward expansion of America was fraught with dangers both overt and hidden. Along the Osage Trail outside the tiny village of Cherryvale, Kansas, the Bender Inn seemed a haven for weary travelers, and one could not help but be enchanted by Kate Bender, the mysterious and beautiful proprietor. However, visitors had a way of disappearing, and time has dubbed it "The Devil's Inn." In part one of a three-part serial, witness the construction of the inn and the formation of a partnership that would lead to unspeakable horrors in this true story of murder on the plains.
Bestselling comic writer Michael L. Frizell teams up with noted artist and illustrator D.A. Frizell to capture the twisted underbelly of the west in Bender: Volume 1, the opening salvo in a three-part serial event chronicling the true story of America's first family of serial killers, the bloody Benders.
Bender is the culmination of the brothers' love for the medium, the childhood stories two brothers concocted to make rural Kansas a bit more exciting to them, and their desire to tell the stories of real people in extraordinary circumstances. Michael credits his fourth grade teacher, the late Fern Morrow Wood, author of The Benders: Keepers of the Devil's Inn, with planting the idea for the graphic novel. "Our family moved from New Jersey to Cherryvale, Kansas in 1977, and I wasn't adjusting well to the change," the author said. "Ms. Wood noticed how morose – and bored – I was. She shared that I lived in a town where exciting, and often scary things, happened. She fired my imagination with tales of the Bender clan. I guess her stories stuck with me."
Wood's stories about the Bender family also had a lasting effect on David and influenced his art. "Fern Wood often brought me special paper and pencils in order to keep me from drawing all over my homework assignments," says David. "She would bring me articles cut from magazines about movie special effects and artists like Frank Frazetta to reward me for passing grades on homework assignments." David is a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, working with bands Avenged Sevenfold, Wednesday 13, and other, but he's never forgotten Wood's enthusiasm for her students and the story of the Benders. "Her face would light up when it came to talking about the bloody Benders and I was always fascinated by the story."
In addition to an article about the creation of the comic and an art gallery, Bender – Volume 1 deluxe magazine contains the first two chapters of the seven-part saga originally serialized in Saddlebag Dispatches, a magazine which also contains articles profiling western fiction writers, short stories, and more. "When Casey Cowan, President and Creative Director at Oghma Creative Media, first approached me about publishing Bender, he mentioned that he'd like to serialize it first in Saddlebag, and I was intrigued," said author Michael. "When's the last time you saw a graphic novel serialized in a western-themed magazine? I loved the throwback idea to when comics were dancing on the fringes of culture rather than the homogenized, mainstream stuff we're seeing produced by some publishers today."
For those that can't wait for the next chapters in the story in a standalone format, chapter three will first see print in Saddlebag's spring 2017 issue.
Get your copy of Bender – Volume 1 starting Thursday, April 13 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books a Million.
Michael Frizell Bio
Michael Frizell is the Director of Student Learning Services at Missouri State University and holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He is the editor of The Learning Assistance Review, and his creative nonfiction has been published on the National Gallery of Writing, in Red Ink Journal, The Moon City Review, and others. As a writer with TidalWave Comics, he writes comics based on the lives of the famous and infamous as well as fiction. Recent titles include The Fantasy World of Bettie Page, Fame: Lionel Messi, Female Force: Elizabeth Warren, and Faith Series: The Life of Pope Francis.
D.A. Frizell Bio
DA Frizell is known for cover art for bands like Bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Sevendust, Wednesday 13 and many more. His portfolio includes traditional ink, digital art, mixed media and sculpture.
About Skye Press
As an imprint of Oghma Creative Media, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Skye Press is a traditional publisher reaching out to authors and artists who don't want to take the self-publishing route. They provide a team of editors, designers, and marketers to help bring your work to its finished form. Their goal is to develop relationships with our authors and artists.
Oghma (pronounced Og-MA) Creative Media is an independent publishing firm based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, whose mission is the advancement of established and emerging authors nationwide.
Connect with Bender via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BENDERtheGraphicNovel/
Connect with author Michael Frizell via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelFrizellAuthor/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/michael_frizell
Connect with artist D.A. Frizell via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DAFrizelldotcom/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/dafrizell?lang=en
Connect to Oghma Creative Media Website: www.oghmacreative.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/oghmacreative
Twitter: Oghma Creative Media
