Good news, bad news in the world of Image Comics’ new horror/sci-fi series Monarch: things are looking cloudy with a chance of devastating alien invasion.
io9 has your first look inside Monarch, a new series from Killadelphia’s Rodney Barnes, with art from Immortal Hulk’s Alex Lins and Luis Nct. Inspired by the likes of Attack the Block and War of the Worlds according to Barnes, Monarch follows a young teen named Trayvon living in Compton, who wakes up one morning to find the world forever changed: humanity’s first contact with an alien civilization. But when things go a little more Independence Day than they do Star Trek, Trayvon finds himself thrust into the unlikely role of protector and survivor as human kind is assaulted by an overwhelming alien force.
“I picked up Killadelphia as a fan without knowing who Rodney was at the time. It was so captivating, I finished it in a single sitting and wanted more” Lins added in a press release provided to io9. “Just like Killadelphia, Monarch has this great concept with a perfect rhythm and flow. But what really struck me is that whatever genre the book he tackles, be it horror or sci-fi, Rodney will make it all relatable, however far you fancy yourself to be from the reality of these characters at first. And this is what I look for in a comic and what I love to help bring to life — this has been my favorite part with Monarch, as I prefer to draw a story with people in it that are completely three dimensional, rather than ‘concept placeholders.’”
Check out two covers for the first issue of Monarch above, as well as a few pages from its ominous opening, below!
Monarch #1 is set to hit shelves in February 2023.