''Sachs & Violens'' is an

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

created by writer Peter David and co-developed with artist George Pérez. This four-issue miniseries was published from 1993 to 1994 by Marvel Comics's Epic Comics imprint, in which creators retained the rights. The series was part of the imprint's Heavy Hitters line, and featured a greater amount of violence and adult situations compared with mainstream comic books of the time, and as such was recommended for mature readers. The titular duo later appeared as supporting characters in David's other creator-owned series, '' Fallen Angel''.

Publication history

''Sachs & Violens'' is an

four-issue miniseries published from November 1993 to July 1994 by Marvel Comics's Epic Comics imprint, in which creators retained the rights. It was created by writer Peter David and co-developed with artist George Pérez. The series was part of the imprint's Heavy Hitters line, which also Included ''Lawdog'', ''Terrarists'', ''Brats Bizarre'' and ''Feud''.

Plot and characters

Juanita "J.J." Sachs is a model who does softcore pornography photo shoots for her friend Ernie "Violens" Schultz, a former Vietnam War photojournalist. After her friend is viciously murdered in a snuff photo shoot, the two of them track down the people responsible and, in the process, become lovers and uncover an underworld of depravity, ending in a violent showdown in

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

. Sachs and Violens appeared as supporting characters in Peter David's other creator-owned title, '' Fallen Angel''. They first appeared in the second volume of the series, which was published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

, in which they arrive in the series' setting of Bete Noire, a mysterious city of Biblical origin inhabited by various characters of dubious character and motives. They become allies of the series' titular heroine, Liandra, and continue to appear in the series' third volume, by the same publisher, which debuted in August 2009.

Collected edition

In December 2006, the miniseries was collected as ''Sachs and Violens'', a 128-page

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

by DC Comics. In November 2016, the miniseries was again collected as ''Sachs and Violens'', this time by IDW.

Merchandising

In August 2009, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, a company that produces comic book-themed perfumes, debuted "Sachs & Violens", based on the titular comic book characters. Proceeds from sales of the scent went to the Hero Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping comic book creators in need of health, medical, and quality-of-life assistance.

References

External links

* {{comicbookdb, type=title, id=5425, title=''Sachs and Violens''
Newsarama interview with Peter David about Sachs and Violens
1993 comics debuts Comics about revenge Comics by George Pérez Comics by Peter David Crime comics DC Comics graphic novels Epic Comics characters Fictional models Fictional photographers Fictional Vietnam War veterans Fiction about human trafficking IDW Publishing characters Marvel Comics limited series Marvel Comics superhero teams Organized crime in fiction Superhero duos Superheroes with alter egos Thriller comics Vigilante characters in comics