PORTLAND, Ore. 05/30/2025—In five…four…three…two…one month, the explosive new atomic sci-fi/horror series by critically acclaimed writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, Ultimate Wolverine), visionary artist Jeffrey Alan Love (The Last Battle At The End Of The World, The Thousand Demon Tree), star letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and designer Michael Tivey, News from the Fallout, is launching from Image Comics. Now, those brave enough to enter the restricted area can learn confidential intel about the project with an inside look at the script-to-final-page process behind making the first issue, with new commentary from Condon and Love. News from the Fallout #1 hits shelves June 25 (with a Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers this upcoming Monday, June 2).
“My main goal with page one was to establish the setting and the tone of what we’re about to experience,” said Condon. “I think the first panel, let alone the first page, is essential to telling a reader whether this book is going to be any good or not. In the first panel, we establish that we are in a sparse desert landscape, specifically at a top-secret army base. I think setting a book up like this is laying down cards in a game of poker. You’re revealing your hand. So, as panel one establishes the setting, panel two establishes a vital piece of the comic: a black petrified rock. Then we pull back to reveal who is holding that rock. This person is also a pivotal piece of the puzzle. This is our villain: General Sheridan P. McCoy. As the rest of the page plays out, we get to see that the general is preoccupied with his personal goals and, for some reason, they seem to be entwined with that stone.”
———————————————————————————————————————-
———————————————————————————————————————-
Condon added: “I want the reader to enter into this comic at a sprint. There’s no slow, plodding exposition. We jump into it. We show you pieces of information—a location, a rock, a general. You should, theoretically be able to take those disparate elements, understand that these things are important together, and then move onto the next page. We are also establishing TENSION. An inherent tension. The dropping of the bomb. We know how that works—it’s ingrained in us even though my generation and the generations that followed never did a duck-and-cover drill. The ominous countdown. A countdown to what? A reaction…”
News from the Fallout, a thrillingly dark sci-fi horror, takes place in Nevada in 1962 during a nuclear bomb test that goes horribly awry. A dangerous contaminant gets released into the atmosphere, causing an apocalyptic chain reaction that changes the course of history. Strikingly crafted with ashy black and white art, the comic gives the feel of turning through the dusty pages of a ’60s horror comic met with the experience of watching a staticky science fiction film. Fans of ’60s sci-fi films and TV shows like TheTwilight Zone and The Outer Limits, classic horror comics like The Vault of Horror, and the works of authors Stephen King and Richard Matheson will enjoy this six-issue miniseries, which marks Condon’s first Image series in collaboration with Love, who is making his direct market comic book debut as a series artist.
Condon also remarked on the final pages of the preview: “At this point, we’ve established the juxtaposition of two characters, General Sheridan P. McCoy and Private Otis Fallows, and their two environments. So now, as the tension ratchets up and the bomb is closer than ever to dropping, we reflect that in just how we are juxtaposing those two things. Instead of spending a page with each of them, we’re now cutting between panels. Then, the bomb begins to drops. We see the sycophantic, quasi-religious view of the superior officer as the bomb drops – a smile on his face. The splitting of the atom reflected in his polarized lenses. Then we see, across a massive double-page spread, the bomb itself. This tells us the obvious—the bomb has been dropped. But it also tells us that the situation we’ve been ramping up toward has come to pass. No longer are we juxtaposing these two, we’re now past that point. Something has happened. Everything has changed. And nothing is ever going to be the same again.”
“Clarity is always my goal, to have the reader be drawn into the dream of the story and not have that experience broken,” said Love. “Everything is in service of the story. A unique style of mark-making in art means nothing if the storytelling is muddled, so really nailing down the layouts so they read well is the most important part of my process. Once the layouts are clear and telling the story we want to tell, that’s when I can just let loose and have fun making marks and letting the paint and ink do what they want on top of that strong structure.”
For those courageous enough to venture even further into the ash-covered darkness to find out the truth of what happened, and what caused such monstrous effects, all authorized personnel can log in HERE to get a glimpse into the restricted access section of the confidential files…but be warned. Unauthorized removal or dissemination of case files will result in a maximum prison sentence or death.
News from the Fallout #1 (of 6) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, June 25 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is June 2):
- Cover A by Love – Lunar Code 0425IM295
- Cover B by Jacob Phillips – Lunar Code 0425IM296
News from the Fallout #2 (of 6) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 30 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is July 7):
- Cover A by Love – Lunar Code 0525IM411
- Cover B by Leslie Herman – Lunar Code 0525IM412
News from the Fallout #3 (of 6) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, August 27 (Final Order Cutoff deadline for retailers is August 4):
- Cover A by Love – Lunar Code 0625IM363
- Cover B by Andrew MacLean – Lunar Code 0625IM364
News from the Fallout will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
|
