Shrapnel
Zombie Studios has partnered with science fiction writers Nick Sagan and M. Zachary Sherman to make a trilogy of graphic novels entitled Shrapnel, the first of which is to be released by Image Comics in 2008.
Shrapnel originated as a video game idea from Zombie Studios’ CEO Mark Long, but not long after collaborating with science fiction author Nick Sagan on Activision’s Zork Nemesis, they knew they had a great idea that could transcend just games, but would also make a fantastic comic book project as well as an amazing live-action feature film. Not long after Mark Long had met M. Zachary Sherman at San Diego Comic Con did he realize the perfect team for Shrapnel had been pulled together. Over the course of several months, the story was written in combination by the triumvirate of Mark Long, Nick Sagan and M. Zachary Sherman.
Shrapnel focuses on a future where humanity has reached out and colonized the Solar System and a Solar Alliance governs the planets similarly to the way ancient Rome dominated over their territories. Venus, the last free colony in the system, must do what it can to battle the domineering Marine forces of the Alliance in order to remain sovereign. Unbeknownst to the Marines, or even the Colonists themselves, one of the Alliance’s greatest heroes has exiled herself on the lost planet, hoping to escape the life she once knew as a soldier. Now, pulled back into the fold, she must teach the Colonist how to fight for their freedom and come to terms with her own past.
The son of Carl Sagan and Linda Salzman, Nick has been steadily writing for Hollywood since 1992, crafting screenplays, teleplays, animation episodes and computer games. He has worked for a variety of studios and production companies, including Paramount, Warner Brothers, New Line, Universal, Disney, actor/producer Tom Cruise, and directors David Fincher and Martin Scorsese. Nick co-wrote the award-winning computer adventure game, Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands. His film credits include adaptations of novels by Orson Scott Card, Ursula K. LeGuin, Pierre Ouellette and Charles Pellegrino. His television credits include two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and five episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, where he worked as a story editor. At the turn of the millennium, astronaut Sally Ride recruited him to work for SPACE.com as Executive Producer of Entertainment & Games. During his tenure there, the spark for a series of novels came to Nick, The Idlewild Trilogy, which he sold to Penguin Putnam in 2002.
An accomplished writer, M. Zachary Sherman has penned scripts for Marvel, Image Comics and Dark Horse. His creator-owned series “SOCOM: SEAL Team Seven,” a series focusing on Navy SEALs put into impossible sci-fi action adventures, has recently been optioned to be made into a feature film and video game. Besides comics, Sherman’s work has expanded over many platforms, ranging from video games, feature films, and television programming. He attributes his visual writing style to having worked as a Digital Effects Artist at such companies as Industrial Light and Magic and Digital Domain for over fifteen years. His credits include such films as the new Star Wars Trilogy, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, Saving Private Ryan and The Chronicles of Narnia. For Shrapnel, Sherman called upon his experience as a United States Marine to put a level of realism into the mix of sci-fi action. During his time as a Marine, Sherman earned the Global War on Terror medal as well as the National Defense Service Medal and Organized Reserve Medal. Sherman recently fulfilled a life-long dream by writing the script to the computer-animated film Maelstrom II based on the short story by Sir Arthur C. Clarke of 2001 fame.
Mark Long is Zombie's Co-CEO and Executive Producer of more than 20 titles. Prior to founding Zombie, Long had a Research and Development career that spanned three laboratories: the Sarnoff Research Center, the University of Texas Institute for Advanced Technology, and General Dynamics' Combined Arms Systems Engineering Laboratory. While at Sarnoff, Long and Joanna Alexander led a team that developed a virtual reality game console for Hasbro. Long was also part of a commercialization team for the Princeton Engine - Sarnoff's massively parallel supercomputer. Before Sarnoff, Long conducted hypervelocity research at the Institute for Advanced Technology (IAT) at the University of Texas, Austin. Long received his BS at the University of Texas, where he also received his commission in the US Army. He retired with the rank of Major and is the recipient of the Army's Meritorious Service Medal.
Early on in the project, future realist Syd Mead of Tron and Blade Runner fame, was brought in to realize the feel and ethereal qualities of the battle suits for Shrapnel. Recently, artisans from Imaginary Friends Studios in Singapore have been delivering magnificent concept art, doing what they can to bring the world of Shrapnel to life in a breath-taking mixture of realistic combat machinery and expressionism.
With a story crafted by three amazingly creative forces, Shrapnel promises to be an sci-fi action tour de force.
