Comic Shop Benefit Book Coming From AFTERSHOCK

Can't see this email? View in Your Browser JUNE 16, 2020

You may have already heard a little about this, but here’s the full story. As a way to help local comic shops, all of which have suffered in some way over the past three months, AfterShock Comics has put together a special 48-page collection of original stories by top creators and will release it into comic shops as a benefit book starting next Wednesday, June 24th. The brainchild of AfterShock Publisher, Joe Pruett, SUPPORT OUR SHOPS (S.O.S.)showcases the work of some of the industry’s most celebrated creators and emphasizes the fundamentally irreplaceable role played by comic shops in their lives and in the lives of fans. Featured writers include Cullen Bunn, Stephanie Phillips, Zac Thompson, Steve Orlando, Jamie McKelvie, Jerry Ordway and Aaron Douglas, with art from Leila Leiz, Don Kramer, Szymon Kudranski, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt, Gordon Purcell and Cliff Richards. The striking cover, shown here, was conceived and executed by David Mack. Copies of S.O.S. are being sent to comic shops in very limited quantities and it is up to each shop to determine how best to distribute them to customers. Some may offer them as a free gift with a minimum purchase. Others may sell them at a set price to help recoup losses sustained through pandemic-related closures and events. Check with your LCS for details – and if it turns out your shop was not included in our initial shipment to stores, have them drop us a line! “This benefit book celebrates the central and critical role that comic shops have always played in fostering a love of the medium among fans – many of whom have gone on to become creators in their own right,” said Pruett. “These are heartfelt stories, crafted by creators with deep, lasting connections to the comic shops of yesterday, today and, we have no doubt, tomorrow.” “S.O.S. is our small way of saying ’thank you’ to all of the wonderful stores that have supported AfterShock since the beginning,” added Mike Marts, AfterShock’s Editor-In-Chief. “Now it’s our turn to give back.”

HERE’S WHAT’S SHAKING THIS WEEK AT YOUR COMIC SHOP

THE MAN WHO F#%&ED UP TIME #3 Writer: John Layman Artist: Karl Mostert The armored Neanderthal foot soldiers who serve the evil emperor Abraham Lincoln VI have orders to bring in time-traveling f#%&-up Sean Bennett dead or alive – and they choose dead! That’s right, we kill our lead character on page two of issue #3. So, uh...what’s next? Well, either a lotta blank pages...or a surprise twist so amazing YOU DARE NOT MISS THIS ISSUE!!! (Spoiler: it’s the latter.) IN SHOPS: JUNE 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS PREVIEW

DARK ARK: AFTER THE FLOOD #4 Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Jesus Hervas Cover: Juan Doe As Khalee strives to maintain order in the newly forming society of the unnatural, a trickster walks among the monsters, encouraging dissent not only among the ghouls and goblins and manticores, but among the humans as well. IN SHOPS: JUNE 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE GRAPHIC POLICY PREVIEW

YOU ARE OBSOLETE: THE COMPLETE SERIES Writer: Mathew Klickstein Artist: Evgeniy Bornyakov The Techno-Thriller of the Summer Starts Here! A disgraced journalist is called to cover a mysterious story on an isolated European island. As she investigates, she discovers that children have taken control and are somehow killing off all adults by their 40th birthdays. Now she must discover the truth behind the killings while staying on the good side of the children’s harsh leader...or she’s next. IN SHOPS: JUNE 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS INTERVIEW

OUT OF THE BLUE: THE COMPLETE SERIES A War is a Difficult Thing to Kill Both volumes of the gripping Original Graphic Novel in one 152-page deluxe hardcover edition. The Second World War is almost over, but no one seems to have told the Germans – as Royal Air Force pilot Jamie McKenzie finds out when he’s assigned to deadly shipping strikes along the enemy coast. Flying the Mosquito fighter-bomber against heavily armed targets is dangerous enough at the best of times, but after incurring the wrath of his vengeful commanding officer, Jamie is assigned the most unpopular navigator in the unit – not to mention the least reliable aircraft. Worse still, the commander’s sights are firmly set on Jamie’s beautiful young wife, Beth. Writer GARTH ENNIS (A WALK THROUGH HELL, Preacher, The Boys) and artist KEITH BURNS (War Stories) reunite after the success of their series Johnny Red, presenting another tale of World War Two aerial combat: featuring skies black with flak and enemy fighters, nail-biting low-level action, and the dark humor of men whose lives can be snatched away at any second... OUT OF THE BLUE. “...a great, almost docudrama snapshot... highlights a level of pain and brutality that you don’t always expect to see in flyboy stories.” – Doom Rocket AT SHOPS JULY 8th FAST APPROACHING! Reserve Now at your Local Comic Shop. Click Covers for Previews! ARTEMIS & THE ASSASSIN #3 IN SHOPS: July 15th Writer: Stephanie Phillips Artists: Francesca Fantini To save history, they just may have to destroy it. Order Deadline: June 22nd Order Code: MAR201506 UNDONE BY BLOOD #4 IN SHOPS: July 15th Writers: Zac Thompson & Lonnie Nadler Artist: Sami Kivelä They wrote her off for dead. She’s back to finish the story. Order Deadline: June 22nd Order Code: MAR201508