I really don’t know much about C.B. cebulski other than he used to edit at Marvel and has initial in place of a proper first name, but if his artist, Sana Takeda, produces interiors half as tight as this promo piece, we might have the first female superstar comic book artist on the level of Jim Lee and Bryan Hitch.

Full press release after the jump.

C.B. CEBULSKI UNLEASHES MARTIAL ARTS HORROR WITH “DRAIN”
The first in a slew of new projects from writer

BERKELEY, CA — 20 September, 2006 — With a never-before-seen mix of history, mythology and the supernatural, writer C.B. Cebulski and acclaimed Japanese illustrator Sana Takeda bring you DRAIN, an exciting new series about ninjas, vampires and one woman’s centuries-spanning quest for vengeance.

Debuting in November from Image Comics, DRAIN follows the story of Chinatsu, a woman whose life is irrevocably changed when her and her ancient clan of Japanese assassins is ravaged by vampires. Rather than take her life, Chinatsu was turned and left as a witness to the fate of her clan in order to spread the legend of the vampires in Japan.

Cebulski explains, “Chinatsu was left as the sole survivor in order to recount the horror she and her clan had suffered and spread fear across the land. She was to become an immortal example of the fate that would befall those who crossed the vampires. Instead, Chinatsu has made it her mission to make them regret their actions. She has chosen to stand up against the undead and use the powers and immortality she’s gained to hunt down those who killed her family and clan… no matter how long it takes.”

Having been turned into a creature of the night, Chinatsu has dedicated herself to tracking down and destroying the vampire lord who ruined her life, a quest that will not only take her around the world but through time, too.

“Here’s where I get to combine my love of vampire mythology and world history,” Cebulski says. “With DRAIN, what I wanted to do was follow Chinatsu as time passes around her and the world changes before her eyes. We will see some of the key events in human history play out through the eyes of a vampire… and examine her role, good or bad, in them. She’s going to be all over the place… and time.”

DRAIN is illustrated by Sana Takeda, a digital painter from Japan. Acclaimed for her design work at Sega for their popular video game RF Online, and most recently the debut issue of X-Men: Fairy Tales, Takeda is looking to make her mark in the U.S. comic field.

“Sana is simply an amazingly talented illustrator. From the moment I saw her artwork, I knew I had to work with her!” Cebulski gushes. “The level of detail she’s able to paint into every panel is simply incredible. DRAIN would not be the book it is without her. You open up the comic and lose yourself in the mood and environment she creates on every page.”

This is the first of several new projects for Image Comics by Cebulski, a former Marvel Comics editor and writer of on such projects as Star Wars Tales, New Mangaverse, X-Men Fairy Tales and more, plus the upcoming Spider-Man: Legend of the Spider-Clan Special: Elemental Evil.

DRAIN is an ongoing martial arts horror series available for pre-ordering now in the September Previews. The first issue (SEP061786) of this full-color series will retail for $2.99 and is scheduled to be in-stores November 15th, 2006.

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