''The Expendables Go to Hell'' is a 2021

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

comic book based on the action movie franchise of the same name.

Summary

The Expendables are killed in action, and awaken in

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

itself, which is caught in an eternal war. The story features an eclectic mix of different character archetypes involved in the war itself, such as

demons A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

war elephants A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant ...

monsters A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

, Norse

Valkyries In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:36) ...

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, and

knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. They also meet various historical figures, such as

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

. Their overall goal is to win this war, and fight their way out of Hell. There are three "side quests" in the story, where characters branch off the team in a subplot that is interwoven with the main story itself: "The Bridge" (where Barney Ross finds his still living friend Tool trapped in Hell), "Christmas In Hell" (where Lee Christmas is lured away from the team at a time where he's needed the most), and "Barbarian's Holiday" (where Gunner Jensen "makes the most of a bad situation").

Development

Dynamite Entertainment Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...

, which previously held the comic rights to ''The Expendables'', had let their license expire at an unknown date. Afterwards, Chuck Dixon and Richard C. Meyer made deals directly with

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

to get the rights to adapt the movie into a comic book. Meyer, known online as Comics MATTER w/Ya Boi Zack, had announced this as a secret project in July 2019 on his

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel. In February 2020, ''The Expendables Go to Hell'' was officially unveiled. The comic was crowdfunded on Indiegogo, raising over $275,000 in total, and is set to release in 2021 under Meyer's Splatto Comics imprint. Early reports have also stated this will be published under a new indie label called Destination Comics, created to be a professional label for Meyer's Splatto, other indie creators and licensed comic books such as those featuring Stallone.

Team

The concept and general story arc was conceptualized by

, while

Chuck Dixon Charles Dixon (born April 14, 1954) is an American comic book writer, best known for his work on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher and on the DC Comics characters Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 1990s and early 2000s. Early life D ...

and Richard C. Meyer co-wrote and developed the comic itself. The main storyline is drawn by

Graham Nolan Graham Nolan (born March 12, 1962) is an American comic book artist, best known for work for DC Comics on Batman-related titles in the 1990s and his work on ''The Phantom'' Sunday strip. He frequently collaborates with writer Chuck Dixon. Biograp ...

, with the side quests drawn by Jason Johnson ("The Bridge"), Kelsey Shannon ("Christmas in Hell") and

Butch Guice Jackson "Butch" Guice (born June 27, 1961) is an American comics artist who has worked in the comics industry since the 1980s. Biography Guice was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Retrieved March 21, 2008. Growing up in the 1960s, Guice was fond o ...

("Barbarian's Holiday").The main cover was designed by Shannon, and with unique variant covers by

Billy Tucci William Tucci is an illustrator, writer, and filmmaker best known for his creator-owned title and character, ''Shi''. Career Tucci founded Crusade Comics in Bayport, New York Its flagship title, ''Shi'', debuted in March 1994. Publisher Top C ...

, Meyer, Johnson, Renzo Rodriguez and

Dave Dorman Dave Dorman (born 1958 in Michigan) is a science fiction, horror and fantasy illustrator best known for his '' Star Wars'' artwork. Early life Dorman's parents are Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jack N. Dorman and Phyllis Dorman. Both parents ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Expendables Foes to Hell, The The Expendables (franchise) American graphic novels Action comics Fantasy comics Crowdfunded projects Indiegogo projects Comics based on films