Comics Bookcase founder and writer Zack Quaintance is planning a crowdfunded anthology, “Death of Comics Bookcase, Vol. 1,” featuring six stories with art by Ryan Lee, Anna Readman, PJ Holden, and many more, including “Pink Lemonade” creator Nick Cagnetti. We are pleased to present an exclusive first look at Cagnetti’s variant cover for the book, as well as two pages from his story, ‘The Responsibili-Teen,’ a satire of generative AI patterned after a certain’s teenage superhero’s origin story.
Thanks to Quaintance for the artwork, and be sure to follow the project on Kickstarter to be notified when it launches this spring. Now without further ado, here are the interior pages, lettered by François Vigneault, as well as the book’s full press release:
Press release:
Six stories, 48 pages, one epic demise! This new comic is written by Zack Quaintance, founder and former editor of the defunct comics blog, Comics Bookcase, which is being murdered in these pages… publically… and purely for entertainment purposes, of course.
“I shut down my comics site a couple years ago to focus on creating comics,” Quaintance said. “Now, I’m dusting it off to tell the tale of the titular Bookcase’s demise. There will be blood… and bookcases… and comics. It’ll be great!”
One of the standout stories in the book is The Responsibili-Teen, which features a new superhero co-created by Quaintance and rising star artist, Nick Cagnetti (Pink Lemonade). Starring an earnest and disoriented teen protagonist not unlike Spider-Man (ahem!), this story takes aim at satirizing generative AI culture. It also features letters by François Vigneault.
United by a shared cheeky sensibility, the rest of the book features a range of genres and a mix of rising/established creators. In its pages, Kickstarter backers will find horror by artist Anna Readman (2000 AD, Dancing Queen), colorist Brad Simpson, and letterer Becca Carey; fantasy by artist Luke Horsman (2000 AD), colorist Jason Wordie, and letterer Rob Jones; crime by artist Pat Skott (Next Door), colorist Ellie Wright, and letterer Rob Jones; and sci-fi/war by artist PJ Holden (2000 AD, Battle Action), colorist Dearhbla Kelly, and letterer Simon Bowland.
Tying the whole book together is a framing sequence, where an actual anthropomorphic comics bookcase is telling the tales, and that story is illustrated by Ryan Lee (Mountainhead, Rick and Morty) with colors by Doug Garbark, and letters by Shawn Lee.
In addition, the book will feature a main cover by John McCrea with colors by Mike Spicer; a deluxe edition cover by Raul Allen, and a variant cover by Nick Cagnetti, all available exclusively this spring via Kickstarter.
