Press Release
Blind Ferret Entertainment and New York Times bestselling novelist Joe Abercrombie announced today their agreement to bring THE FIRST LAW series of fantasy novels to comics, starting with the first book in the series The Blade Itself. Experience the entire first issue today via comiXology and the first 12 pages through http://www.firstlawcomic.com.
“The blade itself incites to deeds of violence.” – Homer
Logen Ninefingers, infamous barbarian, has finally run out of luck. Caught up in one feud too many, he’s on the verge of becoming a dead barbarian, leaving nothing behind but some bad songs, a few dead friends, and a lot of happy enemies.
Captain Jezal dan Luthar has nothing more dangerous in mind than fleecing his friends at cards and dreaming of glory in the fencing circle. But war is brewing, and on the battlefields of the frozen North they fight by altogether bloodier rules.
Inquisitor Glokta, cripple turned torturer, is cutting treason out of the Union one confession at a time. His latest trail of corpses may lead him right to the rotten heart of government – if he can stay alive long enough to follow it.
Murderous conspiracies rise to the surface, old scores are ready to be settled, and the line between hero and villain is sharp enough to draw blood. Unpredictable, wickedly funny, and packed with unforgettable characters, The Blade Itself is fantasy with a real cutting edge.
Industry veteran Chuck Dixon (The Punisher, The Simpsons) is handling scripting, with detailed artwork by Andie Tong (The Batman Strikes, Tron: Betrayal), and stunning colors by Peter Pantazis (Justice League of America, Superman/Batman). Joe Abercrombie is personally overseeing all stages of production on the title.
“This whole process has been a real delight for me, ” said Joe Abercrombie. “Seeing Chuck whittle the book into scripts, seeing Andie put faces, expression, and action to my characters, and seeing Pete’s colors bring the whole thing to life. The results really have exceeded my highest hopes.”
The entire first issue is available now for 99 cents from comiXology the revolutionary digital comics platform available across the iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and the Web. Future digital issues will also be available for purchase from comiXology. Each issue bought through comiXology will include an exclusive 8-page sketchbook bonus section full of concept and pencil artwork from artist Andie Tong. Additionally, the first twelve pages to issue #1 can be viewed and read online now at www.firstlawcomic.com. New pages will be posted each week, with 1 new page going up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The Blade Itself Vol. 1 graphic novel will be published in print later this year, and will collect the first 4 issues.
The First Law series of novels have been translated into 26 languages worldwide and sold over two million copies, garnering a ton of acclaim along the way. On April 10th, 2013, come see this vivid fantasy world come to life in full color!
About Joe Abercrombie:
Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, studied Psychology at Manchester University, and worked as a freelance film editor for 10 years. His first book, The Blade Itself, was published by Gollancz in 2006 and was followed by two other books in The First Law trilogy, Before They are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings. Three standalone books set in the same world have followed: Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and most recently, Red Country. His books are London and New York Times bestsellers, published in 26 countries. He lives in Bath with his wife and three children. www.joeabercrombie.com
About Blind Ferret Entertainment:
Blind ferret Entertainment is a Montreal based multi-media company best known for its flagship web property Least I Could Do along with it’s other comics Looking For Group and The Gutters. With a worldwide reach of over 3 million fans and nearly 10 years of experience, Blind Ferret continues to expand and reach out to new audiences worldwide. www.blindferret.com
About comiXology
Founded in 2007, comiXology revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes’ top 10-grossing iPad apps in 2011 and 2012. Its new comiXology Submit platform enables independent comics creators to efficiently self-publish and immediately profit from their work. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, plus leading and emerging independent creators, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. The privately held company is based in Gotham City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.
