& J.D. Mettler
AfterShock Comics have announced “Nuclear Family,” a new alternate history series by writer Stephanie Phillips (“A Man Among Ye”), artist Tony Shasteen (“Star Trek”), colorist J.D. Mettler (“Ex Machina”), and letterer Troy Peteri (“Red Atlantis”) debuting early next year.
Based on the Philip K. Dick short story “Breakfast at Twilight,” the comic is set in 1957, and follows Korean War vet Tim McClean after an atomic bomb is dropped in a city in the Midwest. “Tim and his family find themselves plunged into a strange new world, where what’s left of the United States has gone underground while continuing to wage war on Russia with unthinkable tactics,” reads the synopsis.
In the press release, Phillips said, “This story is really a collaboration with artist Tony Shasteen. We have tried to create a really weird vision for this nuclear future that is unlike anything that we have seen in apocalyptic fiction to this point. We pulled a lot of inspiration from Philip K. Dick and The Twilight Zone to try to imagine what could have been for the United States if the Cold War didn’t remain cold.”
She added, “This story blends fiction and history to create a ‘what if?’ scenario about the events of the Cold War,” and that “we really tried to create family tension to see how this family reacts to unreal and horrific scenarios. It’s really interesting to see this family of four change as they are put through these trials.” She commented particularly on the daughter, Robin, who’s “sharp and witty, but also at that stage where she wants to be rebellious against her parents. Being thrown into this alternate future, Robin has no choice but to trust her parents and cooperate with them in a way that I think most teenagers are not really enthused about.”
“Nuclear Family” #1 will be released digitally and in comic book stores on February 24, 2021. Until then, check out the incentive cover by Tony Harris, and some unlettered preview art.
