Fred Van Lente

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About Fred Van Lente

Fred Van Lente is the New York Times-bestselling author of comics as varied as Archer & Armstrong (Harvey Award nominee, Best Series), Taskmaster, MODOK's 11, Amazing Spider-Man, Conan the Avenger, Weird Detective, and Cowboys & Aliens (upon which the 2011 movie was based), as well as the novels Ten Dead Comedians and The Con Artist.

Van Lente also specializes in entertaining readers with offbeat histories with the help of his incredibly talented artists. He has written the multiple-award winning Action Philosophers! (American Library Association Best Graphic Novel for Teens), The Comic Book History of Comics, Action Presidents! (all drawn by Ryan Dunlavey), and The Comic Book Story of Basketball with Joe Cooper (Ten Speed September 2020).

He lives in Brooklyn with his wife Crystal Skillman, and some mostly ungrateful cats, and loves hearing from readers at fred.vanlente@gmail.com.

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Titles By Fred Van Lente

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Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection Vol. 2: The Complete Collection Volume 2 May 20, 2014

by Robert Kirkman , Fred Van Lente , David Wellington , Jonathan Maberry , Seth Grahame-Smith , Sean Phillips , Kev Walker , Nick Dragotta , Andrea Mutti , Jason Shawn Alexander , Richard Elson , Wellington Alves , Arthur Suydam , Wellinton Alves

( 198 )

$19.99

Collects Marvel Zombies 2 #1-5, Marvel Zombies 3 #1-4, Marvel Zombies 4 #1-4, Marvel Zombies Return #1-5 and material from Marvel Spotlight: Marvel Zombies Return.

The Marvel Zombies have left Earth, turning their ravenous attentions to outer space! But when the zombies finally return home and find a tiny pocket of mankind still alive, will they feast on flesh once more — or can they learn how to overcome their all-consuming hunger? Then, dimension-traveling zombies have found their way into the Marvel Universe, and no one is safe! Machine Man, Jocasta, Morbius, Werewolf by Night and the Son of Satan must repel the undead epidemic — but will they uncover the traitor lurking within their own headquarters? And when the Marvel Zombies are unleashed on yet another unsuspecting dimension, can the guilt-ridden undead Spider-Man stop a gruesome history from repeating itself?

Other Formats: Paperback

Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection Vol. 3: The Complete Collection Volume 3 Nov 4, 2014

by Karl Kesel , Fred Van Lente , Frank Marraffino , Peter David , Todd Nauck , Adam Dekraker , Roberto Di Salvo , Kano , Francesco Francavilla , Rob Di Salvo , Fernando Blanco , Mirco Pierfederici , Al Barrionuevo , Alessandro Vitti

( 66 )

$13.30

Collects Marvel Apes: Prime Eight #1, Marvel Zombies: Evil Evolution #1, Marvel Zombies 5 #1-5, Marvel Zombies Supreme #1-5, Marvel Zombies Destroy #1-5 And Marvel Zombies Halloween #1.

Zombies on infinite earths! First, it’s monkey on the menu as the original Marvel Zombies invade the dimension of the Marvel Apes! Then, to uncover an antidote to the zombie plague, Machine Man and Howard the Duck set out across the multiverse — battling zombies in the Wild West, Camelot, a future megacity, during a Martian invasion, and on a world suspiciously similar to our own! But back home, undead clones of the Squadron Supreme have overrun Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., and only a long-dead former Avenger can stop them! And when the Marvel Universe is targeted by a dimension of Nazi zombies, Howard the Duck must assemble a brigade of misfits to beat them back!

Make Comics Like the Pros: The Inside Scoop on How to Write, Draw, and Sell Your Comic Books and Graphic Novels Sep 9, 2014

by Greg Pak , Fred Van Lente

( 57 )

$8.99

A step-by-step guide to all aspects of comic book creation--from conceptualization to early drafts to marketing and promotion--written by two of the industry's most seasoned and successful pros.

Discover the Secrets of Your Favorite Comic Book Creators

Do you want to break into the comics industry? There are many creative roles available—writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, editor, and more. Each creator serves a vital function in the production of sequential art at companies such as DC, Marvel, Image, and Valiant. In Make Comics Like the Pros, veteran comics creators Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente team up with a who’s who of the modern comic book scene to lead you step-by-step through the development of a comic. With these two fan-favorite writers as your guides, you’ll learn everything from script formatting to the importance of artistic collaboration to the best strategies for promoting and selling your own sequential art masterpiece. Pak and Van Lente even put their lessons into practice inside the pages of the book—pairing with Eisner Award–winning cartoonist Colleen Coover (Bandette) to produce the swashbuckling, adventure comic Swordmaids, and giving you front row seats to their creative process. Make Comics Like the Pros provides all the answers you’ve been seeking to take your comic book–making dreams all the way to professional-level reality.

Other Formats: Paperback

Halo: Evolutions: Essential Tales of the Halo Universe Jan 1, 2019

by Various

( 245 )

$12.99

The thrilling short story collection featuring Jeff VanderMeer, Karen Traviss, and Eric Nylund—part of the expanded universe based on the New York Times bestselling video game series Halo!

When humanity expanded beyond the safety of Earth to new stars and horizons, it never dreamed what dangers would be encounter there. When the theocratic alien juggernaut known as the Covenant declared war upon the fragile human empire, millions of lives were lost—but millions of heroes also rose to the challenge. In such a far-reaching conflict, not many tales of the brave have a chance to become legend. This collection of eleven stories dives into the depths of the vast Halo universe, not only from the perspective of those who fought and died to save humanity, but also from those who vowed to wipe it out of existence.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Dead Man's Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West May 13, 2014

by John Joseph Adams

( 52 )

$7.99

HOW THE WEST WAS WEIRD!

From a kill-or-be-killed gunfight with a vampire to an encounter in a steampunk bordello, the weird western is a dark, gritty tale where the protagonist might be playing poker with a sorcerous deck of cards, or facing an alien on the streets of a dusty frontier town.

Here are twenty-three original tales—stories of the Old West infused with elements of the fantastic—produced specifically for this volume by many of today’s finest writers. Included are Orson Scott Card’s first “Alvin Maker” story in a decade, and an original adventure by Fred Van Lente, writer of Cowboys & Aliens.

Other contributors include:
Tobias S. Buckell * David Farland * Alan Dean Foster * Jeffrey Ford * Laura Anne Gilman * Rajan Khanna * Mike Resnick * Beth Revis * Fred Van Lente * Walter Jon Williams * Ben H. Winters * Christie Yant * Charles Yu *

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback , Audio CD

Spider-Man: Red-Headed Stranger May 12, 2010

by Fred Van Lente , Brian Reed , Barry Kitson , Robert Atkins , Yanick Paquette , Javier Pulido , Luke Ross

( 21 )

$6.99

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #602-605. The Chamelion returns with a terrifying new mission that has Mayor J. Jonah Jameson squarely in his sights! Meanwhile, the Anti-Spider Squad narrows its dragnet around the Wall-Crawler, and Peter Parker gets a brand-new job - will it bring him closer to the newly-returned Mary Jane, or push her further away?

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

Odd Is on Our Side (Graphic Novel) (Odd Thomas Graphic Novels Book 2) Oct 19, 2011

by Dean Koontz , Fred Van Lente , Queenie Chan

( 359 )

$9.99

When things get scary, it’s nice to know that Odd is on our side.

The one and only Odd Thomas is back—in his second edgy and enthralling graphic-novel adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling suspense master Dean Koontz.

It’s Halloween in Pico Mundo, California, and there’s a whiff of something wicked in the autumn air. While the town prepares for its annual festivities, young fry cook Odd Thomas can’t shake the feeling that make-believe goblins and ghouls aren’t the only things on the prowl. And he should know, since he can see what others cannot: the spirits of the restless dead. But even his frequent visitor, the specter of Elvis Presley, can’t seem to point Odd in the right direction.
With the help of his gun-toting girlfriend, Stormy, Odd is out to uncover the terrible truth. Is something sinister afoot in the remote barn guarded by devilish masked men? Has All Hallows Eve mischief taken a malevolent turn? Or is the pleading ghost of a trick-or-treater a frightening omen of doom?

Other Formats: Paperback

Spider-Man: The Gauntlet Vol. 2: Rhino and Mysterio Sep 15, 2010

by Joe Kelly , Dan Slott , Fred Van Lente , Max Fiumara , Marcos Martin , Javier Pulido , Michael Lark

( 17 )

$8.79

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #617-621. The Gauntlet continues as the Rhino charges into Spider-Man's life, out to make a name for himself...by killing the Rhino? AND, Mysterio is back from the dead...and he's not alone!

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

Unlimited reading. Anywhere you go. Learn more

King Kirby Dec 19, 2017

by Fred Van Lente , Crystal Skillman

( 2 )

$4.99

“Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, the husband-and-wife playwrights behind 'King Kirby,' know the score. She wrote the smart Off Off Broadway shows “Cut” and the fangirl-friendly 'Geek'; he was a co-author of the graphic novel 'Cowboys & Aliens,' later adapted for a Hollywood sci-fi western. With this supple, informative and poignant portrait, they offer penetrating insight into the tirelessly prolific Kirby (1917-94), whose brawny and dynamic yet nuanced style dominated comics for more than 40 years. Their play (Kirby was known as the king) documents a creator who attained immortality even as his life ended amid a morass of corporate exploitation.”

— Andy Webster, The New York Times

KING KIRBY is a play by the husband-and-wife team of New York Times bestselling comics writer Fred Van Lente and NYIT award-winning playwright Crystal Skillman about the life and times of Jack Kirby, the great comic book artist who created or co-created some of your favorite heroes on the page and screen, Captain America, the Avengers, Thor, Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, Young Romance, the New Gods, Darkseid, The Demon… the list goes on and on.

From the Jewish ghetto of New York's Lower East Side to the battlefields of France to the Senate hearings of 1950s, this is a hysterical and heartbreaking story about a man who pours his quintessentially Twentieth Century life into his comics, only to make the fateful mistake that sends him into obscurity while his creations become known to every person on Earth.

A real-life "Adventures of Kavalier & Klay", King Kirby asks what happens when an artist doesn't own his own legacy? Can he ever get it back?

PLEASE NOTE: Unlike the physical edition, the Kindle edition does NOT have photos from the 2014 Comic Book Theater Festival production.

Other Formats: Paperback

Deadpool vs. The Punisher (Deadpool vs. The Punisher (2017)) Aug 30, 2017

by Fred Van Lente , Declan Shalvey , Pere Perez

( 311 )

$8.99

Collects Deadpool Vs. The Punisher #1-5.

It's the Merc with a Mouth vs. the One-Man Army! When a man known simply as the Bank hires Deadpool to kill Frank Castle, it should be a simple task for Wade Wilson to execute, right? Except taking out the Punisher is a lot harder than Deadpool could have anticipated--especially since he likes the Punisher. A straightforward job becomes a knock-down-drag-out fight as they trade shot for shot. But things get complicated when the mercenary and the merciless Castle wind up embroiled in a bigger, messier conflict with the Bank front and center. The bloody and brutal fight never ceases regardless of what side Wade and Frank are on, even when it's seemingly the same side--just because they have a common enemy doesn't make them partners in crime. To the victor belong the spoils, but is there a clear winner here?

Other Formats: Paperback

Spider-Man: The Gauntlet Vol. 1: Electro and Sandman Jul 14, 2010

by Dan Slott , Mark Waid , Fred Van Lente , Adam Kubert , Barry Kitson , Paul Azaceta , Javier Pulido

( 49 )

$10.99

Amazing Spider-Man #612-616 & Dark Reign: The List - Amazing Spider-Man. The wife and daughter of the late Kraven the Hunter want Spider-Man dead and they're sending his oldest enemies to do the job...first up, Electro and Sandman! Plus: Norman Osborn seeks to check off the number one item on The List: Kill Spider-Man!

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback

Unlimited reading. Anywhere you go. Learn more

Spider-Man: 24/7 Feb 10, 2010

by Fred Van Lente , Zeb Wells , Dan Slott , Mark Waid , Phil Jimenez , Paulo Siqueira , Barry Kitson , Mike McKone , Paolo Rivera

( 15 )

$10.99

Collects Amazing Spider-Man #589-594.
You think your life is hard? Try being Spider-Man 24/7! First shift, your old baddie the Spot returns deadlier than ever! Second shift, you've got to head to the Microverse on an adventure with the Fantastic Four. Then, a third shift: a showdown with the new mayor's Spidey-killing strike-force.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback , Mass Market Paperback

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