This April, writer Ted Anderson (“Moth & Whisper”) and artist Nuno Plati (“Alpha: Big Time”) will ask what would come of a world without grown-ups, in AfterShock’s “Orphan Age.”
In a press release announcing the series, Anderson described “Orphan Age” as a “post-apocalyptic Western” that’s set 20 years after an unknown event killed every adult in the world. The children who witnessed that traumatic event are now grown up themselves – and doing their best to rebuild a society they barely remember.
“I’ve always loved stories with post-apocalyptic settings, and I wanted to create a world that took that apocalypse seriously,” continued Anderson, “that looked at the societies and groups that would spring up in its wake. Survival in these types of worlds isn’t always about materials — the food you can scavenge, the shelter you build — it’s also about the people you work with, the networks you form, the tribes you create.”
Anderson says he has a complete story planned for “Orphan Age,” though he’s not sure exactly how long the series will run. To start, though, “Orphan Age” will be a Western-style journey in which its heroes are on the run from “a larger force.”
“There’s a conflict brewing that’s going to envelop all these fragile communities that have grown up in the aftermath of disaster, and our protagonists are going to play a major role in it,” said Anderson. “There’s going to be action, tragedy, thrills, drama, romance, gunplay and standoffs and quiet nights under the stars. It’s going to be a hell of a ride, and I can’t wait to bring everyone along.”
You can check out covers (including a 1:10 variant from Juan Doe) and unlettered preview pages from “Orphan Age” below, in advance of the series’s April 10 debut.
