Featuring the Complete Year Zero Series, an All-New 30-Page Story from Benjamin Percy, and Premium Art from Frank Cho, Tim Bradstreet, and More, the Exclusive Zomnibus Edition is Available for Pre-Launch on Kickstarter Today
Kickstarter Wraparound Cover Art by Frank Cho
NEW YORK, NY – September 15, 2026 – The zombie apocalypse has never been contained to one place or one story. AWA’s Year Zero has taken readers across the globe to see how people from radically different backgrounds confront the same undead nightmare. Today, Artist Writers & Artisans (AWA) returns to the monstrous world with YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION, a 400+ page hardcover omnibus collecting the complete acclaimed zombie saga: YEAR ZERO VOL. 1, YEAR ZERO, VOL. 2, and YEAR ZERO, VOL. 0. Available for pre-launch on Kickstarter, the deluxe graphic novel brings together these volumes for the first time in a premium collector’s edition.
This special title expands the world of Year Zero with an all-new 30-page story, OUTER DARK, from writer Benjamin Percy (DEVIL’S HIGHWAY, WOLVERINE) and artist Max Von Fafner (ENTANGLEMENT, CONAN THE BARBARIAN). The new story takes the series beyond Earth, following a crew aboard a space station as they watch the world below descend into chaos — and discover that distance from the dead does not necessarily mean safety. The Kickstarter campaign for YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION launches October 10, 2026, allowing fans to purchase the special edition through Monday, November 2, 2026.
YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION will also feature exclusive premium artwork, including Kickstarter wraparound cover art by acclaimed artist Frank Cho (FIGHT GIRLS, SHANNA THE SHE-DEVIL), slipcase art by legendary cover artist Tim Bradstreet (LOOK OUT, PUNISHER), and zombie pin-up art from an all-star lineup of comic book creators.
“No genre compels one to ponder how one’s moral compass recalibrates under life-or-death duress more than the Zombie Apocalypse,” said Axel Alonso, Chief Creative Officer at AWA. “The globe-spanning stories in Year Zero explore how geography, culture, and religion – or Axel Alonso the lack thereof – shape the survival instincts of widespread protagonists at the critical moment when the dead walk the earth.”
Originally launched in 2020, Year Zero is an action-packed prequel to the hit series that established itself as one of the publisher’s standout horror titles. Created by acclaimed writer Benjamin Percy with artists Ramon Rosanas (RUMPUS ROOM, STAR WARS: HAN SOLO)and Juan Jose Ryp (STAR WARS: BOBA FETT, IMMORTAL X-MEN), the original two-volume series explored the outbreak and aftermath of an epidemic through a diverse cast of survivors scattered across the globe.
“Year Zero is an adrenaline-fueled horror story, but just as importantly, it’s centered on character — the people who make the reading experience feel global and emotionally immersive and deeply human,” said Percy. “Seeing the entire saga come together in YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION is incredibly rewarding. An amazing creative team built this story piece by piece over so many years, and now we’re bringing it all together between two covers and giving fans a thrilling, comprehensive collection that reads like an epic.”
Rather than telling a single linear apocalypse story, Year Zero moves between countries, cultures, and individual experiences, creating a true portrait of civilization as it begins to fall apart. Soldiers, doctors, criminals, scientists, survivalists, nurses, refugees, families, and ordinary people are forced to confront the same fundamental question: what does humanity become when all the lives go out?
That global perspective continued with YEAR ZERO, VOL. 0, the origin story written by New York Times best-selling horror author and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Kraus (ANGEL DOWN, WHALEFALL), and illustrated by award-winning artist Goran Sudžuka (MARJORIE FINNEGAN, TEMPORAL CRIMINAL, WONDER WOMAN). The prequel travels back to the earliest days of the pandemic, when rumors and denial still obscure the true horror unfolding around the world. The volume features four interconnected stories set against the first chaotic days of the outbreak: a Russian police officer navigating a criminal black market emerging amidst the crisis, a North Korean soldier witnessing strange developments along the DMZ, an emergency room nurse fighting to protect her rural hospital from threats both inside and outside its wall, and a flight attendant noticing disturbing clues as she travels between continents while keeping a close eye on a passenger in seat 23C.
With its combination of crime thriller, medical drama, war story, and airborne horror, YEAR ZERO, VOL.0 expanded the series’ central premise while preserving its commitment to social commentary and character-driven horror. Now, YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION brings the complete saga together — and opens the door to an entirely new chapter in one massive slipcase hardcover collector’s edition.
YEAR ZERO: THE ZOMNIBUS EDITION will also be available online and wherever books are sold for a mass-market softcover trade paperback edition on Wednesday, March 17, 2027 — with a cover from series original cover artist Kaare Andrews. The collection is colored by Lee Loughridge (ABSOLUTION, THE GOOD ASIAN), Frank Martin (THE RESISTANCE, ABSOLUTE BATMAN), and Miroslav Mrva (MARJORIE FINNEGAN: TEMPORAL CRIMINAL). AWA’s fan-favorite collector’s editions, including FIGHT GIRLS, MARJORIE FINNEGAN: TEMPORAL CRIMINAL, and the ongoing ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE, have raised over $500,000 on Kickstarter since offering deluxe editions to fans. For more information on YEAR ZERO ZOMNIBUS and other projects, visit AWA Studios on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and AWAStudios.com.
About Author
