Wizard Top Ten and multiple Eisner Award-winning writer Brian K. Vaughan (Runaways, Y the Last Man, Ex Machina) tells the tale of three aspiring comics creators with big dreams, small cash, and publishing rights to one forgotten Golden Age hero--The Escapist!

Inspired by Michael Chabon's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, this is Vaughan's love letter to his chosen medium, a story about what it takes to start out with nothing in Cleveland, Ohio and end up with a comic so hot a major corporation wants to steal it from you! Brilliantly interweaving the lives of the creators with the world of their creation, artists Steve Rolston and Philip Bond bring the comic-booking trio Maxwell Roth, Case Weaver, and Denny Jones to life, while the inimitable Jason Shawn Alexander and Eduardo Barreto illustrate the thrilling trials and exciting extrications of the new- and old-Escapist!

Dark Horse Comics is releasing a softcover collection of the series on November 11th, 2009. That Alex Ross cover is even nicer in person, with a shiny spot varnish on the Escapist character. But the best part of this collection (aside from Brian's brilliant story) is the amazing introduction written by Michael Chabon. I don't want to spoil it, but it's almost like an epilogue to Chabon's novel, as the fictional Sam Clay meets a young boy at a comic convention. Yeah, that's all I'm gonna say.

Format: Full colour, 160 pages, trade paperback, 6" x 9"
Price: $14.95
Age range: 12+
ISBN-10: 1-59582-361-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-59582-361-8

I'm extremely happy to have been involved with this project. I've wanted to work with Brian for a while and this story was a good fit for me. Philip Bond has been a pretty big influence on me artistically, so it was fun working from his designs. And I sure as hell can't complain about being coloured by Dave Stewart! There were so many great people involved, it's crazy.

And guess what? there's a contest going on right now!!

If you buy a copy of the new Escapists softcover and send me a photo of yourself holding the book in front of the shop you bought it at, you'll have a chance to win an original sketch of Max, Case & Denny by yours truly. Click over to my livejournal for more details!



Want a peek at some art from the book? Then click on the thumbnails below. You can also visit these links:

            - Jason Shawn Alexander's website
            - Philip Bond's website
            - An e-comic showing 6 pages of script/roughs/inks/colours from The Escapists #2

         

The Escapist is TM and (c) Michael Chabon