Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Image | Tagged: frankenstein, Michael Walsh, Nullhunter, October 2024, Sacred Damned

Michael Walsh Writes And Draws Nullhunter, Sacred Damned, Frankenstein

Michael Walsh writes Nullhunter, draws Sacred Damned, and writes and draws Frankenstein, all published by Image Comics on the 23rd of October

Michael Walsh is best known as the creator, writer, and artist of horror series The Silver Coin and for his YA graphic novel The Oates & The Elphyne. His creator-owned book Comeback was also optioned for a feature film by Skybound Entertainment. And in October 2024's Image Comics solicits and solicitations, he has three titles of note, all coming out on the 23rd of Octobver, the week before Halloween. The first is a new series, Nullhunter, with artist Gustaffo Vargas, an original sci-fi war epic that fuses together '80s cyberpunk comix and classic Greek mythology.

The second sees Sabir Pirzada is working with Michael Walsh as an artist on The Horizon Experiment series, The Sacred Damned showrun by Pornsak Pichetshote, one of five one-shots, all featuring original protagonists from marginalized backgrounds set in a popular genre and inspired by pop culture icons. The Sacred Damned introduces the world to Inayah Jibril, Professor of Ethnography and the Occult—a "Muslim John Constantine" demon-hunting female exorcist.

And the third sees Michael Walsh both write and draw the third issue of Universal Monsters: Frankenstein.

In Nullhunter, Clay is a war hero who faces unspeakable tragedy after returning home. Seeking justice, he's forced into service for his estranged father's powerful company, OLYMP0S. His first mission takes him to faraway N3M-3A on the trail of a hijacked shipment of war lions. In seeking exoneration, this quest of twelve near-impossible labors will lead Clay to the very edges of space as he discovers the true source of evil in the cosmos.

"When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Greco-Roman mythology. I'd spend hours pouring over old mythology books that I'd rented from the library while drawing my own versions of Hercules, Zeus, Poseidon, and all the larger-than-life gods and monsters. For a long time, I've wanted to take a crack at making a Hercules comic, but I could never find a unique and original way in," said Walsh.

Continued Walsh: "I first conceived of Nullhunter while I was working on The Silver Coin and had originally planned to draw it myself after that series had wrapped. When The Silver Coin performed exceedingly well and shifted into ongoing status, the long and arduous hunt for an artist for Nullhunter began. When I first saw Gustaffo's art I knew he'd be the perfect artist for this comic. His Peruvian Cyberpunk series is chock-filled with incredible designs, kinetic action sequences, and deft character work. All the things that I knew would make this comic book sing. I'm so excited to introduce the world to these classic stories in a whole new light."

"When Michael told me his idea about making a cyberpunk saga of Hercules in space, my brain got loaded with tons of ideas, and I couldn't wait to start building this world," said Vargas. "I do my best work when I'm inspired and challenged, and this is exactly what I get from Michael and the team. Nullhunter is my best work to date, and I think readers will be able to enjoy this visual feast and powerful story."

The Sacred Damned is intended as a love letter to classic horror stories, from Dracula to The Exorcist, reimagining horror tropes through an Islamic lens. Like the other titles in The Horizon Experiment, this one-shot serves as the equivalent of a pilot for a creator-owned series, with the potential of continuing should there be demand for more. Along with an original cover by Walsh, the issue also features variant covers by Eisner Award-winning artist Tula Lotay, part of a connecting series across all five of the one-shots.

"I took sadistic pleasure in delving into the stuff of Muslim nightmares for The Sacred Damned. People think of Islamic culture as a monolith, but the opposite couldn't be more true: it's varied, rich, and rarely given the spotlight in western narratives despite representing a massive global population," said Pirzada. "When Pornsak challenged me to take us to new places in horror where no one has ever gone before, I knew that could only be accomplished with Michael Walsh, the greatest horror artist of our generation. It was a distinct thrill to have industry titan editors Will Dennis and Pornsak Pichetshote along for the ride as we introduce the world to a bold new antihero in Inayah Jibril."

"When the incredible Pornsak Pichetshote first approached me about contributing to The Horizon Experiment, I was immediately interested…Reading Sabir's pitch for The Sacred Damned sealed the deal. It really felt like an entirely fresh new take on a type of horror story that I love: the modern examination of classic folklore, mythology and religion through the lens of the Horror genre," said Walsh. "When I received the script, I was thrilled—not only was this going to be a blast to draw, but there was an authenticity, economy and understanding of the medium that cemented this as something that would be really special and really terrifying. Working with this whole team, Will, Pornsak, Sabir, Toni Marie, and the excellent letterer and designer Becca Carey, has been an absolute joy and has resulted in a book that I am truly proud of."

"There's no formal way to break into comics, so many creators like Sabir get swept up into other mediums in the process of trying. But even in that intensely competitive environment, Sabir came out a star—writing for Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, as well as other cool, envious gigs. Yet he was still dying to do comics. That's how I knew he is exactly the kind of writer that the comic industry needs," said Pichetshote.

Continued Pichetshote: "The idea of The Sacred Damned—a horror series following a Muslim exorcist—was one of those stunningly obvious concepts you're astonished no one's ever done. Looking at exorcism stories outside of the Christian tradition blows the doors off a genre you thought you knew—which is exactly what The Horizon Experiment series is all about. Sabir wanted an artist who could really handle horror, so we swung for the fences and secured the best horror cartoonist currently working, Eisner Award-winning Michael Walsh."

Both The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned #1, Universal Monsters: Frankenstein #3 and Nullhunter #1 will be available at comic book shops on the 23rd of October.

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