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Simon Roy Explores Futuristic Worlds In ‘Jan’s Atomic Heart And Other Stories’

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10 years ago

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If you’re a big Image Comics reader, you’ll know Simon Roy for his contributions to the critically beloved “Prophet”. Roy is gearing up to release a collection of short stories, also through Image, each taking place in their own bizarre setting. The titular tale follows Jan who awaits a new body after his previous flesh-sack was ruined in a car accident. But until he can find a suitable replacement, he’s stuck in an outdated and sketchy robot loaner.

Look for “Jan’s Atomic Heart And Other Stories” in shops on March 28, 2014.

Official Press Release:

Many comics readers have been introduced to Simon Roy’s expansive imagination in PROPHET, the epic science fiction series that he writes and draws with Brandon Graham. But his deft hand with futuristic alien worlds was first on display in his short stories, seven of which are now being collected by Image Comics in JAN’S ATOMIC HEART AND OTHER STORIES.

As with so much of Roy’s work, the title story in this collection deposits the reader in a fully-formed world while allowing them to see just a tantalizing slice of life in it. Jan is waiting for a new body after his previous body was destroyed in a car accident, and he’s none too pleased with the outdated robot “loaner” he’s using in the meantime—even before he begins to suspect it played a role in a Lunar terrorist attack.

In every story, Roy brings familiar attitudes to strange settings, whether it is in the banal brutality of imperialism, the unpredictable bond of friendship, or the everyday concerns that exist even in the most alien of places. The tone ranges from grim to poignant and even humorous—even within a single story.

Roy’s tendency to juxtapose the quotidian with the alien and to find perspectives at odds with each other may have its roots in his time studying in Ukraine, the “old world” as he called it in an interview with Multiversity Comics, “where you can see the history of the place with every step you take, where all of the history is coexisting at once…. [Y]ou had all this interesting tension between the different ages of this country all coexisting in a very interesting way.”

JAN’S ATOMIC HEART collects seven stories, some of them never before published: “The Cosmonauts,” “Jan’s Atomic Heart,” “Good Business,” “Shipwrecked with Dan the Gorilla,” “Bar Fight,” “Homeward Bound,” and “Hunter Killer.” It will be in comic book stores on March 26, in bookstores on April 8, and is available for preorder now.

JAN’S ATOMIC HEART AND OTHER STORIES by Simon Roy
ISBN 978-1-60706-936-2
112 pages, black and white, paperback
$14.99
In comic book stores March 28, bookstores April 8
Available for pre-order now
Retailers and reviewers may request a PDF galley from Jennifer de Guzman, Director of Trade Book Sales — jenniferdeguzman@imagecomics.com

Advance praise for JAN’S ATOMIC HEART AND OTHER STORIES
“…a trove of well-written short stories that stand well both individually and as a collective unit.”
–Multiversity Comics

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

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11 hours ago

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April 18, 2024

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Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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