LINE Webtoon has expanded its New Brooklyn superhero universe by launching its second series, The Purple Heart.
The Purple Heart, created by Vito Delsante, Ricardo Venâncio, and Dean Haspiel, tells the tale of US Navy soldier, Isaiah “Zeke” Nelson who has just returned from war overseas. He is done fighting and all he wants is to return home, but Brooklyn has other plans when her heart is broken and she secedes from America, selecting Zeke to become New Brooklyn’s cosmic guardian, The Purple Heart.
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“Bringing the New Brooklyn universe to life has been so much fun,” said co-creator Vito Delsante says in a press release. “As a former longtime resident of the “Borough of Kings,” I have loved the opportunity to reinvent one of my favorite places in the world and show it through the lens of a reluctant hero like The Purple Heart.” He added, “I’ve worked with Dean in the past, and it’s always a highlight for me, but after years of knowing each other and coming close to working on a comic, I finally get to work with Ricardo, who is a talent like no other.”
The New Brooklyn universe follows its heroes as they learn to adapt to a new status quo where Brooklyn has left the United States, literally flooding its tunnels and pulling up its bridges to cut itself off from New York State.
“Even though I’m from an ocean away, I grew up reading about superheroes living, loving and fighting in New York City. It’s been in my DNA as a reader and as a budding artist since I was 6.” Said co-creator and artist Ricardo Venâncio. “To have the opportunity to work on a character and a universe that reflect those inspirations, but with a new and interesting approach like we’re doing in the Purple Heart is a great treat. The Purple Heart is a love letter from us to those stories that shaped us, and I hope it shows on every panel of this series.”
“The launch of New Brooklyn and The Red Hook has been a tremendous success and we are excited to continue the story with this next title in our first complete comic universe created for LINE Webtoon,” said JunKoo Kim, Founder and Head of LINE Webtoon.
New Brooklyn‘s next installment will be The Brooklynite, which follows a third hero who is also adapting to the new status quo. Launching this Fall from the late Seth Kushner, Shamus Beyale, and Jason Goungor, The Brooklynite follows Brooklyn cartoonist Jake Jeffries, who gets caught in the fallout of two superhumans battling and is accidentally irradiated with superpowers. Fraught with “Superman powers and Spider-Man problems,” Jake learns to fight crime in his secret identity as The Brooklynite and chronicles his adventures in a comic book series while struggling to lead a dual existence.
New installments of The Purple Heart can be readhere every Wednesday. For more New Brooklyn, fans can also catch up on The Red Hook here. To download the official LINE Webtoon app, visit the Apple App Store and Google Play. Check out concept art for The Purple Heart in the gallery below.
