Why, hello there, friends!
I wanted to take a second to tell you that issues #9 and #10 of my sci-fi/comedy comic book Unit 44 are now available for preorder from Alterna Comics (and will ship in April)! Why two issues, you ask? To that I say, “Why not?”
Issue #9 kicks off Season 3 of our comic and picks up right on the heels of the events that went down in issue #8. (If you haven’t read issue 8, then there may be MINOR SPOILERS below!)
Today we’ll preview #9, and I’ll be back in a couple of days with a first look at #10. To guarantee your copies, get your orders in by February 20!
Issue #9 :: “One Hell of a Mess”
Artist Aleks Jovic and colorist Andrew Pate teamed up with me again for an issue that’s gonna be hard to beat!
What’s this Issue About, Anyway?
THE DEETS:
Gibson and Hatch are dead. RIP. After being killed by a grim reaper, Gibson and Hatch find themselves condemned to perpetual torture in Hell. However, after having had enough of flaying, stabbing, and the general unpleasantness, Hatch has concocted an escape plan that’s just crazy enough to work, and together, the agents will attempt to escape the afterlife. Or they’ll die trying… again.
Video trailer time!
The Story Behind the Story!
The fifth issue of Unit 44 saw me shift the format to self-contained stories. In theory, each issue could be someone’s first and it would make total sense and provide the reader with a complete and quality experience. While we’re still doing exactly that, I wanted to use season 3 as a way to begin knitting together some larger ideas. Not only do I want to entertain readers and make them laugh as much as possible, but I want to reward those who have faithfully followed our series.
Season 2 (issues 5-8) was all about establishing our new status quo of sending Gibson and Hatch on different case files. Starting with issue 9, we have a story that’s not only connected to the events of a previous issue, but we’re going to begin (and continue) focusing on the characters as we begin to peel back their onion skin.
So, why send them to Hell in this issue? While I am not a religious person, I find stories about the afterlife absolutely fascinating. Mostly, because any idea is fair game and no one can tell me that I’m wrong (HAH!). Hell specifically is even more interesting to me. What makes the place tick? Just how bad is it there? What would day to day life be like? (A few years ago I wrote an entire novel set in Hell, and a novella set in Purgatory, if that helps to better convey my obsession.) Perhaps most importantly of all, Hell is more than a place. It’s a state of mind. To walk through Hell, one is journeying toward something great. That’s an ideal that holds true in my silly comic as well.
But beyond showing what life is like in the underworld, I was intrigued by how two idiots could navigate within it, and what it would take for someone to escape. So that’s what got us to this point.
The best part of this issue? Series artist Aleks Jovic.
I’m always trying to throw new and exciting things at Aleks. Things I hope he will like. Things I want to see him draw. Things to challenge him. As our collaboration goes on, I look for places in each issue to provide brief art direction, rather than the strict panel-by-panel breakdown with which I normally write. I do this because I know that Aleks will interpret the scene better than I could ever write it. And Aleks doesn’t disappoint. Like, ever.
Let’s just say that there’s a 2-page scene in this issue that you could spend hours poring over if you wanted. I hope you will.
Not only does this issue have a ton of humor, but it has a ton of heart. And I don’t use that phrase lightly. To me, it’s a big milestone in the series.
Sneak Peek!
Thanks for Reading!
If you supported Unit 44 with issue #8 (or any of the previous issues, really), thank you so much! I want to write this comic forever, and your support gets me continually one step closer to that goal!
We’ll discuss issue #10 in a few days!