PRESS RELEASE
Dynamite Entertainment is excited to announce its acquisition of all rights to one of the most legendary independent comic book creations of the 1990s — Jae Lee’s Hellshock!
This deal ensures new life for a beloved and artistically influential franchise, and adds another genre classic to Dynamite’s ever-growing library of titles and intellectual property. Leading the charge in this new era for Hellshock, Dynamite will be going back to press to reprint the title’s acclaimed existing storylines in 2026. Creator, writer, and artist extraordinaire Jae Lee will be closely involved in these efforts, which will be timed closely to the 30th anniversary of the series.
Hellshock debuted in 1994 as part of the first few waves of independent creations published through Image Comics. Creator Jae Lee took an interesting path to superstardom in comics, with a run on Namor the Sub-Mariner followed by short yet industry-shaking stints on titles like X-Factor, Youngblood Strikefile, and WildC.A.T.s Trilogy. His meteoric guest spots across the biggest franchises at the time culminated in Hellshock, one of the first 10 titles from Image beyond the founders’ lines. A second series followed in 1997, further fleshing out the world, right before Lee took another explosive step in his career with Inhumans.
The series stars Daniel, a Nephilim born of angel and human parentage. Aided by Jae’s stunning, one-of-a-kind artwork, the mythos depicts the never-ending struggles between Heaven and Hell, and those caught in the middle. Daniel’s lineage grants him special abilities, which he taps into as he fights for his mother’s life and encounters other strangers, who find themselves contemplating whether they’re dealing with the truth, a cult, or a man gone mad.
Jae Lee’s history with Dynamite Entertainment, as well as its sister company Dynamic Forces, and its CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci goes back decades. Before Dynamite Entertainment was even founded as a dedicated publisher, Jae worked closely with DF on titles like Witchblade: Demon and The Darkness: Prelude. In the 20-plus years that Dynamite has been crafting fun stories and collectibles for fans, Jae has played a role in nearly every major title and franchise, primarily as one of the industry’s top cover artists. His total contributions amount to more than 200 covers, with continuing additions to that bibliography each and every month. These works include beloved franchises from the publisher’s Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery licensing partnerships.
“Hellshock remains the most important work of my career. It’s where I grew up. It’s where I reached further than what I could grasp. It’s also where I learned some tough lessons,” said creator Jae Lee. “And my best friend, Nick Barrucci, was there for me every step of the way. From Hellshock’s inception until today. There is no better home for him than Dynamite. Hellshock was my 90s baby. I’m incredibly excited to see what he’ll continue to grow into.”
Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci added, “Jae is one of my favorite creators and we’ve been close for a long time. He is not only one of the best-selling artists in the industry, but receives incredible critical acclaim, having won multiple awards beginning with his Eisner Award for Marvel’s Inhumans series with Paul Jenkins. He is a sought after artist and worked with such incredible creators including Grant Morrison, Stephen King, Len Wein, Mark Millar, and other luminaries in and out of the comics industry. But to many, his signature work has been Hellshock, a personal story that he wrote and drew nearly 30 years ago. We’re honored that Jae has entrusted us with the tapestry of Hellshock, and bringing it to new media from movies, television, games, and more.”
In addition to bringing the original Hellshock comics back into print to keep their historic legacy intact and offer them to whole new generations of readers, Dynamite Entertainment has the media rights for the property. Nick Barrucci and Dynamite Entertainment are represented by Charles Ferraro at United Talent Agency, Ford Gilmore of Illuminati Entertainment, and Michael Lovitz of Lovitz IP Law.
Further details on the editions and releases of reprints and other projects will follow!
