PRESS RELEASE
Vault has announced they are expanding their industry-changing Free-to-Retailers program, and will make BARBARIC: BORN IN BLOOD #1 completely free to retailers.
In 2023, Vault founded the innovative Free-to-Retailers program, offering retailers first issues at no cost. The first two titles launched under this program were Christopher Yost and Val Rodrigues’ UNNATURAL ORDER #1, and Zack Kaplan & Fabiana Mascolo’s BEYOND REAL #1. Collectively, these two issues received over a quarter million copies ordered.
BARBARIC: BORN IN BLOOD #1 is a true jumping-on point for new readers, requiring no previous knowledge of the series in order to read, making it a perfect issue for Vault’s free-to-retailers program, enabling retailers to hook in new readers to one of the most beloved and best-selling independent comic series of the past decade.
Barbaric is one of the best-selling independent comics of the past decade. Co-created by writer Michael Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden,, Barbaric has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and was named one of the best comics of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, Thrillest, CBR, Comics Beat, & more. The story follows Owen, a bloodthirsty barbarian and his drunk axe as they roam an untamed, mythic realm battling supernatural cultists, hungry giants, creatures of the night, and more in their quest to somehow, amidst all this chaos, do some good.
The standard cover of BARBARIC: BORN IN BLOOD #1 will be offered to retailers in free bundles of 25 copies. The issue will retain its $4.99 SRP, and retailers will be free to sell, discount, or freely distribute copies to their customers as they see fit. In addition to the standard cover, Vault will offer net-priced, open order premium variants from a murderers row of hit artists like Corin Howell, Adam Cahoon, Ed Luce, and Patrick Gañas. Barbaric: Born in Blood #1 will also feature a stunning Berserk manga homage variant by Angela Wu, which is sure to be a hit among manga readers.
BARBARIC: BORN IN BLOOD #1 will hit store shelves on April 10th, 2024. The Full synopsis can be read below:
A new era of Barbaric begins!
Worried Axe is going to find out you fell behind on a few issues? Scared to admit that despite all your friends raving about Barbaric for years, you still haven’t joined in on the fun? Rejoice! For Barbaric: Born in Blood begins the next season of Owen, Axe, and Soren’s tale. Yes, that’s right! We did it…the thing everyone says they’re doing, even when they’re lying through their teeth: a genuinely good jumping on point. How, you ask? Well, it all starts with a compelling new bad guy.
Meet Orrick, the tortured barbarian now turned master torturer, who will take us deep into Owen’s past, revealing secrets that should have stayed buried…like Axe in a chest cavity slurping up that sweet, delicious blood. Will the cursed-to-do-good barbarian finally do some actual good? Probably not! But some much worse guys will almost certainly lose their heads. Yummy!
Retailers can contact retailers@vaultcomics.com for more information.
