PRESS RELEASE –
New York Times best-selling author, and multi Eisner-award nominee Ian Edgington (2000AD., Batman), and artist Cam Adams (Fallout World) have been tapped as the creative team to bring the world of the hit-game franchise Killer Instinct to the pages of comics for the first time ever! Thanks to the new partnership between Dynamite Entertainment and Double Helix Studios, the new series is slated to launch on September 13th, and will provide fans of the game with epic new adventures set within the its stunning game-play universe!
The Shadow Lord Gargos has been defeated, but the battle to save humankind from his Astral invasion has taken a terrible toll on the Earth. Our world lies in ruin, and a sinister new power called the Coven has risen from the ashes, vying with the megacorporation Ultratech to rule the shattered nations. The heroes Kim Wu and Jago-their Astral powers weakened by their devastating war against Gargos-must band together with the scattered remnants of the Night Guard to forge a pathway into the Astral Plane. Here, in the birthplace of The Shadow Lord and The Guardians, festers the secret malevolence that threatens to destroy them all…and enslave the world forever.
Writer Ian Edington said, “Killer Instinct has a colorful and diverse cast of characters, each with their own rich back-stories and with plenty more tales to tell. The Killer Instinct pantheon effectively comprises a superhero universe and it’s hard not to get overwhelmed with the wealth of riches there is to work with. I’ve taken a dozen or so characters – Kim-Wu, Jago, Aganos, Tusk, Aganos, Kan-ra, etc, and built a story around them that’s self-contained but can spring board into other series if need be. I’ve structured it to appeal to die-hard Ki fans and those coming to it cold. You won’t need any foreknowledge of the game to enjoy it. Likewise, there will be plenty of nods and easter eggs to the game for Killer Instinct fans. I’ve had a huge amount of fun writing this series. It’s a fantastic world to be permitted to play around in.”
Ian Edgington is a New York Times best-selling author and multiple Eisner Award nominee. He is the writer and creator of Stickleback, Helium, Kingmaker, Leviathan, Brass Sun, and the renowned UK science fiction comic 2000AD. He has written for Judge Dredd, Batman, Wolverine, X-Force, Uncanny X-Men,and Stormwatch, as well as Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Star Trek, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and Doctor Who. He also wrote Scarlet Traces and Scarlet Traces: The Great Game, the Eisner Award nominated sequels to HG Wells, The War of the Worlds. In addition, he has written for the video game properties Kane and Lynch, Dead Space, The Evil Within and Assassins Creed. He lives and works in Birmingham, England.
“Killer Instinct has always been a killer game, and the team at Double Helix Games have been a sheer pleasure to partner with on this property,” said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite’s CEO and Publisher. “By bringing on widely celebrated writer Ian Edgington, and the endlessly talented Cam Adams, we’re confident this is going to be a killer comic book series as well!”
Killer Instinct is based on the popular video game franchise originally released in 1994. The fighting game developed by Double Helix Games is published by Microsoft Studios. The 2013 game serves as a reboot of the franchise after a 17-year long hiatus since its last title, Killer Instinct 2, was released in 1996.
The debut issue of Killer Instinct features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers with the freedom of choice! The cover artwork features the talents of Yildiray Cinar (Teen Titans), Jonathan Lau (Red Sonja), interior artist Cam Adams, and Udon (Streetfighter), respectively. Limited variant editions in “Black & White” and “Virgin” formats are also available as retailer incentives for comic shops that support the launch issue by achieving stocking thresholds.
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger’s Project Superpowers – have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.
