Sympathy for No Devils #1 / $4.99 / 32 pages / Color / On Sale 05.20.20
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Artist: Lee Ferguson
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Cover: Lee Ferguson w/ Jose Villarrubia
Winston Wallis has a secret. He is all that remains of mankind, and is surrounded on all sides by demons, monsters, and ghouls that picked up where humankind left off – lying, stealing, cheating, and killing.
Years ago, it was Winston’s job to investigate such things. Now his ex-partner needs help solving the brutal murder of the world’s largest Colossal. Because he knows the secret. He knows about the magical curse that gives Winston the ability to survive a world where everything is bigger, stronger, and angrier than he is. But how long can Win’s impossible luck last, and will this new case finally be the death of him?
He certainly hopes so…
From Brandon Thomas (Excellence) and Lee Ferguson (Sam and His Talking Gun), the critically-acclaimed creators of The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury, comes a bold new series filled with murder, mystery, monsters, and magic!
BRANDON THOMAS ON WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT AND WHY HE IS EXCITED FOR IT TO COME OUT:
“Sympathy For No Devils is about Winston Wallis, the last human alive, who is trapped in a world filled with demons, monsters, and ghouls that picked up where humankind left off—lying, stealing, cheating, and killing each other for bad reasons. As an Inspector, it used to be his job to keep some peace, but failing to solve the crime of the century led to forced retirement, and a fairly miserable life as a rundown PI. Now his ex-partner Raleigh is back, desperate to solve the murder of the world’s largest Colossal (think Godzilla), who was shot dead by a laser gun blast to the head. Raleigh knows about the magical curse that gives Winston the ability to survive a world where everything is bigger, stronger, and angrier than he is. So if he’s going to solve the case, he’ll need some of that impossible luck, but Winston hates him now, so that’s gonna be a big problem.
This book is five different genres beautifully smashed together to create a world that never plays it safe, and always keeps the characters (and hopefully readers) off-guard, with no idea what’ll happen next, or which trope is next to be subverted. It’s an exciting world to tell stories in, and a big part of that is because of the people making it, with a mix of old friends (Lee Ferguson, Mike Marts, Simon Bowland) and new ones (Jose Villarrubia, Christina Harrington). When the first pages came back, it was like being hit with little bolts of lightning—everything just looked and felt right, and you always have that feeling, but until it transforms from words on a page into an actual, living thing, you never know. That first sequence felt welcoming and off-putting in the perfect way, and we’re having a blast building out and exploring this new world around a character like Winston.”
BRANDON THOMAS ON SOME OF HIS INSPIRATION BEHIND CREATING THE BOOK:
“The things on my mood board for this were Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Devil in a Blue Dress, Cool World, and Bad Boys. I’m always interested in injecting new black and brown characters into genres where they typically haven’t appeared, and I’d never seen a book with this particular mix of characters, environments, and storytelling styles. Think people will LOVE the subversion of tropes, and the refusal of the book to be pinned down. Right when you get too comfortable, the gears get switched again and we find a new avenue to take Winston and this story down.”
BRANDON THOMAS ON HOW HE FIRST HEARD ABOUT AFTERSHOCK AND IF HE’S HAD A CHANCE TO CHECK OUT ANY OF THEIR TITLES:
“Editor Mike Marts and I have been connected to each other for well over a decade now. He was one of the first people I ever submitted work to when he was at Acclaim, then we worked together at his stints at both Marvel and DC, so AfterShock and its great books have always been on my radar. Like everyone else, I’m a BIG Animosity fan, and also excited to see John Layman coming back for another book, Eleanor & The Egret was one of his best.
BRANDON THOMAS ON (3) REASONS WHY COMIC FANS SHOULD PICK THIS BOOK UP:
“1. Lee Ferguson working with Jose Villarrubia is something that is going to excite anybody who sees these pages. Lee and I did a book called Miranda Mercury some years back that changed our lives and careers, so it was only a matter of time before we got back together to make some more cool comics, and Sympathy is definitely in the same vein. Impossible odds, amazing character and creature design, and a responsibility to push boundaries.
- Winston and Raleigh are the coolest dysfunctional pairing since Lowrey and Burnett. The core of this story is about how two estranged friends put their relationship back together in the most high stakes situation. Lies will always do you in, and these guys have some unpleasant things to learn about each other and themselves before getting it together. Finding out if they can do it has been my favorite part of writing it so far.
- It’s a murder mystery where Godzilla is killed by a laser gun, and the only person that can solve it is the last man alive in a world of monsters, and the victim of a magical curse that guarantees impossible escapes. As always, it’s a comic that I would love reading every month, and think there are plenty out there that will agree come May.”
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