Rachel Rising

Rachel Rising

Cover to issue #13, art by Terry Moore
Publication information
Publisher Abstract Studios
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing
Genre Horror
Publication date August 2011
Number of issues 42
Main character(s) Rachel Beck
Creative team
Writer(s) Terry Moore
Artist(s) Terry Moore
Collected editions
The Shadow of Death ISBN 1892597519
Fear No Malus ISBN 1892597527
Cemetery Songs ISBN 1892597551
Winter Graves ISBN 189259756X
Night Cometh ISBN 1892597578
Secrets Kept ISBN 8865435380

Rachel Rising is a 42-issue American comic book series created by Terry Moore and published through Abstract Studios. The first issue was released on August 3, 2011 to good reviews. Plans for a television adaptation were announced April 17, 2013.

The story follows Rachel Beck, a young woman who wakes up in a shallow grave after being strangled. She does not remember the circumstances of the attack, but begins trying to solve her attempted murder with the help of her Aunt Johnnie and close friend Jet. Their investigation soon gets put on hold when they learn of a plot to destroy their town through witchcraft and demonic spirits.

Publication history

Moore initially had the idea for Rachel Beck, then called "deadgirl", while he was writing Birds of Prey for DC Comics in 2002, but left the book before introducing her. He held onto the concept for nine years before finally turning her into the main character for a new series.[1]

The first issue was released August 3, 2011[2] and quickly sold out at the distributor level, prompting Moore to announce a second printing eight days later.[3] Later issues continued to sell out, leading to additional reprints and an open letter from Moore asking retailers to increase orders.[4] A third printing of the first issue was released for the 2014 Halloween ComicFest.[5] New issues were released approximately six weeks apart.[6]

During a twitter conversation with fellow comic writer Joe Hill in 2013, Moore mentioned sales of Rachel Rising had fallen and he may have to cancel it if they fell any further.[7] Concerned fans responded by using the #SaveRachelRising hashtag in an effort to show support and promote the book.[8] Afterwards the sales stopped falling, but they did not increase.[7] Moore announced the series would end at issue 42 in January 2016.[9]

Rachel Rising is being collected into a series of square bound paperbacks containing six issues each. The same day the first collection was released, The Walking Dead #95 included a promotional excerpt from Rachel Rising #1.[10] A hardcover omnibus collection is planned.[6][11]

A French translation of the series is published in France by Delcourt.[12]

Plot

Rachel Beck wakes up in a shallow grave with rope burns on her neck and no memory of how she got there. With the help of her Aunt Johnnie and her friend Jet, she sets out to find the person who tried to kill her.

Critical reception

The series debuted to mostly positive reviews, earning an average score of 8.6/10 from critics according to the Review aggregation website Comic Book Roundup[13] Writing for Comic Book Resources, Kelly Thompson praised the first issue's balance of humor and dark elements and rated it 4.5/5 stars.[2] In a review for cxPulp, Blake Petite said the first issue was "a well-drawn, but otherwise very standard horror comic."[14]

The series continued to receive favorable reviews,[15] but critics frequently note the story's slow pace.[16] Rachel Rising has also appeared on numerous "best of" lists during its run.[17]

Awards

Rachel Rising has been recognized by multiple industry award programs. It has been nominated for several Harvey Awards, including Best New Series (2012), Best Continuing Series (2012, 2013), and Best Letterer (2014). It won the Best Cartoonist category in 2015 after two previous nominations in 2013 and 2014[18] It has also been nominated for an Eisner Award in the categories Best Continuing Series (2012), Best Writer/Artist (2012, 2014), and Best Letterer (2014). [19]

The series was nominated for Best Comic/Graphic Novel by the British Fantasy Society in 2014.[20] When it was released in 2012, the first paperback collection was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award in the Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel category by the Horror Writers Association.[21]

Television Adaptation

On April 17, 2013, Alcon Television Group announced plans for a Rachel Rising television adaptation and named Moore as one of the Executive Producers.[22] As of January 2015, Moore was also writing the script for the pilot episode.[23]

References

  1. ↑ Ash, Roger, "Interview: Terry Moore on Abstract Studios' Rachel Rising", Westfield Comics Blog (accessed January 1, 2016)
  2. 1 2 Thompson, Kelly (August 4, 2011), "Rachel Rising #1", Comic Book Resources (accessed January 9, 2016)
  3. ↑ Moore, Terry (August 11, 2011), "Rachel Rising 2nd Printing," Terry Moore Art (accessed January 10, 2016)
  4. ↑ Moore, Terry (October 5, 2011) "Note to Retailers: Rachel Rising sales update," Terry Moore Art (accessed January 10, 2016)
  5. ↑ Press Release, "Halloween ComicFest 2014 Comic Book Lineup," Diamond Comic Distribution (accessed January 10, 2016)
  6. 1 2 Bradley, Drew (February 11, 2015), "Small Press Spotlight: Rachel Rising," Multiversity Comics (accessed January 10, 2016)
  7. 1 2 Bradley, Drew (February 11, 2015) "Small Press Spotlight: Abstract Studios," Multiversity Comics (accessed January 10, 2016)
  8. ↑ Goulet, Tyler (December 19, 2013), "Save Rachel Rising," All Comic (accessed January 10, 2016)
  9. ↑ (January 25, 2016) "[www.multiversitycomics.com/news/the-rundown-jan-25 The Rundown: “Rachel Rising” Ends at Issue #42]", Multiversity Comics (accessed February 4, 2016)
  10. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (March 13, 2012), "The Walking Dead 95 will feature a preview of Rachel Rising", Comicbook.com (accessed January 9, 2016)
  11. ↑ Johnston, Rich (January 25, 2016) "Terry Moore Announces That Rachel Rising Is Coming To A Close", Bleeding Cool (accessed February 4, 2016)
  12. ↑ Moore, Terry (July 5, 2014), "Rachel Rising in France", Terry Moore Art (accessed January 9, 2014)
  13. ↑ "Rachel Rising #1 Reviews", Comic Book Round Up (accessed January 9, 2016)
  14. ↑ Petite, Blake (August 9, 2011), "Rachel Rising #1 Mini Review", cxPulp (accessed January 9, 2016)
  15. ↑
  16. ↑
  17. ↑
  18. ↑
  19. ↑
  20. ↑ Moore, Terry (June 14, 2014), "British Fantasy Society Award, Talking Rachel Rising, How To Buy SiP", Terry Moore Art (accessed January 9, 2016)
  21. ↑ "The 2012 Bram Stoker Awards final ballot]," Horror.org (accessed January 10, 2016)
  22. ↑ Kit, Borys (April 17, 2013), "Terry Moore's Horror Comic 'Rachel Rising' Heading to Television (Exclusive)", Hollywood Reporter (accessed January 9, 2016)
  23. ↑ Burlingame, Russ (January 20, 2015), "Terry Moore catches us up on writing Rachel Rising," Comicbook.com (accessed January 10, 2016)
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