Jerri Bartman, the comic book character created by actor David Dastmalchian, is returning to stores in the spring — and with a new title.
Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter arrives March 23, 2022 from Dark Horse Comics. The 1980s-set series centers on Jerri Bartman, a once-rising TV journalist who moves back to her hometown in the Midwest after washing out of her career due to struggles with alcohol. After taking over as the host of a midnight monster show, she learns that monsters are real. Now she must take a crash course in monster hunting to protect those she loves from a vampire who is coming to town.
“When the pandemic stopped the world, I spent countless hours in my home late at night thinking about what I want to do with my life, what kind of stories I need to tell and how I want to wrestle with the big questions that haunt me. With no promise of more Crowleys, I still wrote Jerri’s story and took her further into her quest to defeat the ‘bad’ monsters while defending the ‘good’ ones,” says Dastmalchian. “Writing about her internal struggles, her family stresses, her battle to find her true, authentic and actualized self all helped me navigate the strain of the lockdown and my depression throughout the pandemic.”
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The new batch comes on the heels of Dastmalchian’s breakout year thanks to the role of Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad and his work in Dune as Piter De Vries. He launched the series in 2019 under the title Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter. The writer is teaming once again with artist Lukas Ketner, colorist Lauren Affe and letterer Frank Cvetkovic.
“To now be sharing these stories with the world is one of the greatest gifts of my creative journey,” says Dastmalchian. “Back with my incredible partners, Megan, Lukas, Lauren and Frank, I am over the howling moon to share with the world this next chapter in Jerri’s journey! No longer ‘Reluctant,’ she’s now a stumbling, fumbling, courageous ‘Amateur’ Midnight Monster Hunter! Here’s hoping she makes it to morning!”
Dastmalchian is a life-long comic book fan who began his acting career with a small role in The Dark Knight and has also appeared in the Ant-Man films as well as The CW’s The Flash. He is preparing to film a role in 20th Century’s Boston Strangler, opposite Keira Knightley.
