Description

The Black Gryphin Chronicles The Black Gryphin has always been among us. Moving through the shadows and the dark places that only men of courage dare tread. The Black Gryphin uses his hi-tech armor and weapons to battle the ancient might of the Saracens and their Assassins of the Unseen Order. In 1314, King Phillip of France disbanded the Templar Order and many factions moved underground to carry out their crusades. One such faction, the Order of the Gryphins managed to survive and thrive throughout history. The Gryphins were a more aggressive sect than the many others, and yet relied on secrecy to weather the many years of the Inquisition and religious persecution. The Gryphins kept the same vows as the Templar Knights, chastity, piety, honor and obedience. They added courage, and charity to their vows. Templar Knights always recruited candidates of noble ancestry, however the Gryphins shunned that tenet and recruit from their own monasteries and orphanages. Each generation, one knight is given the title of �¢??Black Gryphin�¢?? and that knight is given the secret knowledge and fighting arts of the Order of Gryphins. The reigning body of the Gryphins is headed up by the Bishop of Shadows. The Bishop weighs the decision making process and finalizes all decrees. The rest of the council is made up of retired members of each vocation. The vocations are as follows: Finance, Clergy, Combat, Education, and Politics. The Bishop of Shadows is chosen from one of the five vocations and represents that vocation on the council. Political in-fighting has erupted every twenty years, when a new Bishop is elected There are five seats on the council with the real power always steeped with whoever is the Bishop of Shadows. The Order of Gryphins sees the world as a place of sin, pain and deceit. They have a social and political agenda to instill their values in all mankind by any means necessary, and have on occasion used force and high-handed tactics, but only rarely and in the name of God only. The year is 2018 and the city of Moravia Minor, New Jersey is the setting for the clash between the current Black Gryphin, James Pryor, and his implacable adversary Yulib Yanacki, the Master of the Unseen Order. James Pryor has inherited wealth and technology from the Order of Gryphins and has battled in their name for ten years. James Pryor however has many failings and has succumbed to his own lusts and he has not lived his life according to the very strict Knight�¢??s Code. A current indiscretion with Yanacki�¢??s daughter, the assassin known as Eclipse, leads to a battle for the Black Gryphin�¢??s own survival, and Pryor is left injured and vulnerable to a Saracen attack. Yulib Yanacki leads an attack on the Pryor Estate and James Pryor is killed in the attack, leaving the mantle of Black Gryphin vacant. Enter Edward Kelly, an orphan living in one of the Order of The Gryphin�¢??s orphanage and monastery. Edward is only seventeen and was not scheduled to take the mantle of the Black Gryphin for another ten years. Edward is pulled from is monastic life-style and given a squire�¢??s suit of hi-tech armor and the title of the Red Gryphin. Edward must navigate the secrets of his Order and learn the ways of a knight. He must also begin securing his own survival, as he trains and is set upon a path of retribution against his new enemy Yulib Yanacki. With the help of the Black Gryphin�¢??s holographic butler, Thomas, the newly squired Red Gryphin must become a knight and follow his order�¢??s code to become the defender of the city and its citizens. Edward must use all the resources available to him to accomplish these goals and still attend high school and navigate all the social nuances that being a teenager entail. He must balance his Knight�¢??s Code and fight to become the next Black Gryphin and still find time to do his homework. Drawing on a rich story base, and the evolution of the hero archetype, I want to explore what it actually means to have a destiny and see how exactly the hero character develops. Using that evolution and a rich tapestry of shadows and mysteries, and deadly villains, I would like to put a spin on the conventional dark avenger/hi-tech costume stories. In using strong, creative visuals, and solid story-telling, my hope is to share a story that is entertaining, and explore what makes hero comics truly great.

Comic Stats

Writer: J Ramos

Art: G. Woronchak

Chapter List