PORTLAND, OR, 07/10/2018 — In a shocking move, Image/Skybound Entertainment dropped the first issue of an all-new series by comics titans Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA, OBLIVION SONG), Scott M. Gimple (Punisher: Nightmare, writer and producer for The Walking Dead TV adaptation on AMC), and Chris Burnham (Batman Incorporated, NAMELESS, NIXON'S PALS, OFFICER DOWNE), with colors by Nathan Fairbairn and lettering by Rus Wooton, titled DIE!DIE!DIE! which will be available for sale tomorrow.
"That's right, in stores TOMORROW! We want to make going to a comic shop exciting again—a place for discovery! The internet has drained all surprise and anticipation from comics. Everyone hears about exciting new projects and then has to wait months or years for it to be in their hands... and half the time at the end of that buildup, the stories get spoiled in some lame attempt at getting wider media attention," Kirkman dissed. "So, surprise! Here's a new monthly series. How cool is that?! This is literally the only way I can be like Beyoncé."
Gimple added: "I spend most of my time working in TV, the big Walking Dead programs keep me plenty busy, but I've had a burning passion for comics since I was nine. I used to go to panels to see Robert Kirkman talk. And now he’s writing quotes in a press release as me that I can read over and tweak!”
DIE!DIE!DIE! promises to be a blood-soaked, no holds barred, action-packed, irreverent story that fans won’t be able to rip their eyes from. We live in an evil world where evil people do evil stuff all the time and DIE!DIE!DIE! lifts the veil on a secret cabal within the United States government that influences world matters through targeted assassination. The world around us is manipulated right under our noses, mostly for the better… but sometimes for individual gain, and sometimes for the fun of it.
“We cooked up all sorts of great action sequences and horrific gross-out gags for this book,” said Burnham. “Maybe we should have called it Puke!Puke!Puke!"
So if you’re hurting people, somehow making the world worse than it already is, or even just standing in the way of something good happening… someone could right now be giving the order for you to… DIE!DIE!DIE!
DIE!DIE!DIE! #1 is available in stores tomorrow. Don’t miss it!
|
Replies
Ha! I had no idea this was a big surprise. When I was looking at the racks today, I saw this (art by Chris Burnham is always worth a look to me), and I thought, "Wow, you get nice surprises like this when you don't ever read Previews!"
They didn't list in Previews, from my understanding. This was a surprise drop, which Kirkman likened to Beyonce dropping surprise albums.
I bought DIE!DIE!DIE! yesterday, but I haven’t read it yet. I have read Kirkman’s editorial, though, and the press release above. Before I get to that, though, one thing not mentioned above is that there are ten “alternate” covers. That is, the artwork is the same as above on all ten covers, but the word balloons differ. Taken together, they provide a little skit or taking heads scene.
As indicated above, Kirkman wants to restore a sense of surprise and anticipation to new comics, a goal I applaud. I’m not 100% certain he’s going about it the right way, though. I saw it on the shelf and could tell by the cover (including the creators’ names) that it would be a “blood-soaked, no holds barred, action-packed, irreverent story.” I just happened to notice it (plus my retailer promoted it (as he doers many titles each week) with a little placard. Preserving a sense of surprise and anticipation simply requires a bit of will power. I do read Previews each much, but I don’t read all or much of the solicitation. I look mainly at the creative teams to see if there’s something I might be interested in. It’s nice to have a “heads up” so I know to keep an eye out for it.
For example, yesterday I picked up a copy of Comic Shop News and read about DC’s upcoming Crisis-themed mini-series. I read few DCs these days since Flashpoint and I might not have been interested enough to pick it up when it ships without knowing a little something about it first. Now that I do, I’m more likely to notice it and buy it when it ships.
I happened to see DIE!DIE!DIE! yesterday, but I would have been more likely to if I’d’ve known it was coming. If this becomes the wave of the future (it won’t) I’ll adapt, but really, folks, if you want to preserve a sense f wonder, all it takes is a little willpower not to read solicitations in Previews or online.
That's exactly what I was saying. I just thought it was a new book with Chris Burnham art so I bought it, thinking that everyone else had been expecting it. Not being a Previews reader, new books on the shelf are just new books on the shelf to me.
Captain Comics said: