Posted in: Boom, Comics | Tagged: boom studios, briar

Will Briar Go Ongoing? Stephanie Hans' Variant Drives #1 Orders

Published Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:27:10 -0500

Born and bred in the briar patch? James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera's Something Is Killing The Children put publisher Boom Studios on the map in 2019 and transformed into the industry's successor to The Walking Dead in short order. Then this year, they launched another rapidly growing, dark, female-led hit with Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano's Grim.

Well, it looks like the Big Four publisher might have another hit in the making in that same Erica Slaughter/Jessica Harrow vein with the upcoming Briar #1 by Halt & Catch Fire's Christopher Cantwell and Germán García. The brutal fantasy series promises to answer the question, "What if Sleeping Beauty never got her happily ever after… and instead had to save herself?"

And beyond Briar's giant eyes that remind us of Erica Slaughter and the signature weapon that evoke shades of Jessica Harrow, Briar also shares some similarities with another best-selling Boom original series, Dan Panosian and Giorgio Spalletta's Alice Ever After, which also took a familiar fairy tale a reinvented it by continuing the story in new and dark ways.

Apparently, we're not the only ones getting the same vibes, because we're hearing that retailers have already placed initial orders for Briar #1 that are higher than their initial orders for Grim #1… and we all know what that led to.

And just like Alice Ever After #1 and Grim #1, Boom dropped a surprise variant cover ahead of Final Order Cutoff next Monday, September 5th by Die artist Stephanie Hans alongside the previously unseen variant by Mercy's Mirka Andolfo. If Briar follows in its sister series' footsteps (which we predict it will), expect orders to jump considerably ahead of FOC and for Boom to have another hit on their hands.

The questions that remain are whether or not Briar will also need multiple printings to meet demand, and whether or not Boom will promote the current four-issue series to an ongoing like they did with Something Is Killing The Children?

If, or when, those questions are answered affirmatively, count on Bleeding Cool to be the first to report the news. Until then, you may want to pre-order your copy of Briar #1 at your local comic shop so you aren't chasing it later.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!