AfterShock Comics have announced a new series called “Knights Temporal” will be launching in July. The new series will be written by Cullen Bunn (“Harrow County”), illustrated by Fran Galan (“Goya: The Terrible Sublime”) and lettered by Simon Bowland (“Goddess Mode”). The series will tell the story of medieval knight Auguste de Riviere, who, in searching for redemption for his actions in the Crusades, encounters a necromancer. Auguste’s pursuit of the necromancer leads him into a forbidden forest, where it is said no one ever leaves.
Auguste, however, does leave the forest, only to find himself in the modern world, accompanied by the “enigmatic” Jane Fool. However, his existence in the modern world is not his only one, with Auguste discovering that he now exists across time and space, trying to stop the necromancer in each era. The series will follow Auguste as he tries to “piece together the mystery of his very existence.”
In an interview with Bunn, he teased that the different “instances” of Auguste will be both a “boon and a deadly disadvantage.” He summarised the book as one “with lots of action and humor and horror,” as well as having a story that will provide readers with a “challenge.” Galan is a Spanish artist whose work on “Goya: The Terrible Sublime” earned him a nomination for Autora Revelación (translated as “Revelation Author”) at the Barcelona Comic Fair earlier this year.
“Knights Temporal” #1 will be released on July 31. The first issue of the series will feature variant covers by Nat Jones (“Broken Moon”) and Mike Rooth (“Dodge”).
The preview pages and full press release are below.
KNIGHTS TEMPORAL #1 / $3.99 / 32 pages / Full Color / ON SALE 07.31.19
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Fran GalanLetters: Simon Bowland
Cover: Fran Galan1:10 Incentive Cover: Nat Jones
1:25 Lenticular Incentive Cover: Mike Rooth
When Auguste de Riviere returned from the Crusades, he was ashamed and horrified by the things he had done. Hoping to reclaim his soul, he pledged to root out evil wherever it might be found. But when he pursues a vile sorcerer into a forbidden forest, his life is shattered. Auguste ventured into the dark forest, but emerged in the modern world. Accompanied now by the enigmatic Jane Fool, Auguste hunts a madman while trying to piece together the mystery of his very existence.
CULLEN BUNN ON WHAT THE STORY’S ABOUT AND HOW HE CAME UP WITH THE TITLE:
“This is a weird fantasy tale. It’s the story of Auguste, a medieval knight in search of redemption, who pursues a vile necromancer into a forbidden, haunted forest. It is said that no one who enters this forest ever leaves. This is not the case for Auguste, though. He leaves the forest–but when he exits, he finds himself in another time. And another time. And another time. Auguste’s very existence is shattered and cast through time and space. He exists over and over again in multiple eras. And in all of those eras, he has the same goal–to stop the necromancer’s evil plans. There’s a strange connection between all of these different “instances” of Auguste’s existence, one that can be both a boon and a deadly disadvantage, as you’ll see. How did Auguste find himself in such a strange predicament? Well, for that you’ll need to read the comic.
As for the title, it was a long road, and I ran the story concept by several of my first readers to get their feedback. In the end, KNIGHTS TEMPORAL sounded perfect for a story about time-lost knights.”
IF THE BOOK WAS TURNED INTO A FILM OR TV SERIES, WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO STAR IN IT?
“Every time I start developing a concept with a knight, I can’t help but think of Sean Bean, who has played some of my favorite warriors in movies and television like LORD OF THE RINGS or BLACK DEATH or GAME OF THRONES. Of course, he tends to die in his roles, so maybe I should go with someone else (for the longevity of Auguste). Maybe Nikolaj Coster-Waldau would be a good choice. And then there is the character of Jane Foole, who is very important in this series. Sticking with a Game of Thrones theme, Maisie Williams would be a terrific choice to portray her strange antics!”
CULLEN BUNN ON WHO HIS TOP 5 FAVORITE CREATORS WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY TODAY OR OF ALL TIME:
“Such a tough question! I’ll stick with creators who were big influences for me when I was younger! Bill Manto, Michael Golden, Jim Starlin, Walt Simonson, and Chris Claremont were all huge inspirations for me! But, really, there are so, so many others!”
CULLEN BUNN ON (3) REASONS WHY COMIC BOOK FANS SHOULD ADD THIS TITLE TO THEIR PULL LIST:
“KNIGHTS TEMPORAL is a perfect pull list addition for readers who are looking for something unlike anything else they’ve read. It’s a book with lots of action and humor and horror, but it will challenge the readers, too. And the characters will appeal to readers in a big way, I think.”
