KISS’ Gene Simmons’ son, Nick is a comics fan just like his Dad apparently. His new series debuts from Radical Publsihing in August. Press release below.
They cannot die. They feel no pain. They hunger for human flesh. They are Revenants. Centuries ago, the Revenant known as Mot was worshipped as a God. Now, he walks the Earth in search for a purpose to his immortality – but when a secret society discovers a way to kill Revenants, Mot and his fellow immortals must make a choice: Hunt or be hunted.
Radical Publishing is proud to announce its newest title for August 2009: INCARNATE, created, written and penciled by Nick Simmons, son of rock legend Gene Simmons and star of A&E’s Gene Simmons Family Jewels. The three-issue miniseries will feature a brand new 52-page format and $4.99 price point that will be used in future Radical titles such as FVZA: Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency from David Hine (Civil War: X-Men, Spider-Man Noir) and The Last Days of American Crime from Rick Remender (Punisher, Fear Agent).
The story concerns Mot, a peculiar member of a race of predatory creatures called Revenants. They are immortal, ageless, shape-shifting and vicious. There has never been a force on this earth that has been able to give them the death that Mot (secretly) seeks, until now. A shadow organization known only as Sanctum has discovered a way to kill the Revenants, and is carrying out a secret genocide that spans the globe. Mot, his protégé Connor, and the rest of the Revenants now must decide how to ensure their place at the top of the food chain. Nick Simmons’ breakout American Manga title reveals a world that challenges even the imagination, planting its tongue firmly in cheek, then biting it off…And swallowing it.
“Incarnate is a project that is very close to me,” stated Radical Publishing President and Publisher Barry Levine. “As a rock photographer, I have worked very closely with Gene Simmons and the members of KISS. Since I’ve known him, Gene has always had a passion for comics and has passed that down to his son Nick. After seeing Nick’s concept for Incarnate and the quality of his designs and panels, I immediately felt that this was a great fit for Radical.”
Just before its August release date, Incarnate #1 will debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International with Nick Simmons on hand to sign copies. For more info on Radical at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, stay tuned to www.radicalcomics.com for all the latest news.
Incarnate #1 appears in the June 2009 Diamond Previews catalog, to ship August 2009 and featuring a cover by popular Runaways and Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 cover artist Jo Chen (Diamond Code: JUN091053). Incarnate #1 is a 52-page comic and retails for only $4.99.
Those Brits sure know how to make good sci-fi tales. Ridley Scott behind the lens of Blade Runner, all those crazy cats at 2000AD and now Steve Pugh with Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead. There’s something in the water that gives the English a refreshing perspective to the genre, and the perfect package that is Hotwire is the latest jewel in the crown.
There’s some simply amazing work in this title. It’s very accessible to the new reader and moves at a brisk pace. Hotwire is a great character – a loveable rogue, like a female Han Solo. She’s always where the action is and doesn’t concern herself with official policies when there’s citizens to be saved and “blue-lights” to be exorcised.
Bringing things to a tasty close, this horror/sci-fi mini-series from Radical Publishing is the final action packed issue, in what has been an engrossing tale.
I missed issue 2 of this series, but thankfully there’s a recap page. I wasn’t too impressed with the debut ish, but could see past its flaws (namely of the artistic variety) to see the epic being built. I’m glad I gave this title a second shot. In a nutshell the premise of this sci-fi tale is this – Samantha Vijaya is an ex-soldier hiding from her past, as a miner in Venus, when the Earth Alliance attacks. When I left Sam she had a tough call to make. Would she face her mistakes and become a leader once more, or would she retreat into the shadows again?
This issue is so pretty it’s making all my other comics jealous. An orgy of sights from Poltergeist, Ghostbusters, Judge Dredd and grand superhero epics, Warren Ellis and Steve Pugh concoct a tidy package of bombasticity (yes, I made up that word) unlike any piece of work you’ll find on today’s shelves. The four issue mini-series from Radical is yet another attention-getter in its already impressive arsenal of hot properties. Steve Pugh’s name comes before famed writer Warren Ellis’, and there’s a good reason. Hotwire is primarily Pugh’s creation, working from Ellis’ original story, but Pugh handles both chores brilliantly. Like any good writer/artist Pugh is totally in synch with his ambitions on the page and the fact that he’s been working on this title on and off for years shows. That devotion is obvious and Pugh can be glad that he stuck with Alice Hotwire. It’s paid off very well.
There are very few series I look forward to each month. This is one of the fortunate to make the cut. Along with Geoff Johns’ Action Comics, Paul Dini’s Detective Comics and select titles from Jeph Loeb and Brian Michael Bendis, I know with City of Dust I’m guaranteed a good read.
Issue 3 opens with a gruesome scene, of which this series is not shy of, as Khrome uses some old school CSI techniques to determine exactly what happened. His superior, Blake believes Khrome’s mind is slightly askew for not putting his trust in the crime scene bots, who say that there is no evidence amongst the bloody corpse. Facing suspension, Khrome walks away, with fellow cop, Sonja to check out an old evidence storage area. At the same time what appear to be werewolves brutally attack a high society ball. Khrome gets called into Blake’s office, but instead of receiving the expected, “You’ve gone too far! You’re off the case!” type scenario we’ve seen in every Steven Seagal film, Khrome gets a surprise. Blake takes his face off, revealing himself to be a Terminator-like android, created by Henry Ajax. Ajax was once a respected proponent of hi-tech gadgetry, but has now gone underground after being disgraced. Blake and Khrome visit him, surrounded by assorted monsters, and the importance of Khrome’s father in the story takes another step forward. The dramatic change in behaviour from Blake can only be attributed to him “saving face” in front of the other cops, due to the fact that moments later he’s pleasantly talking to Khrome like an old buddy. With Sonja, and now Blake, it seems Khrome’s allies are growing, but they still prefer to remain closet friends, lest they too get in trouble with the harsh authorities. This is never spoken, despite Khrome’s noir-like captions (which work well), so there is some assumption on the part of the reader, which is never a good move. However, the series’ concept and visuals rise above these minor storytelling distractions.
This isn’t the best issue so far, and has less of the supernatural elements introduced in the previous two issues. The art is also different, but not in a jarring way. 
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