Writer and artist Brian Stelfreeze (“Black Panther”) is returning to drawing comics interiors. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Stelfreeze will be taking on both writing and illustration alongside co-writer Doug Wagner (“The Ride: Burning Desire,” “25 To Life”) for the spy thriller “Thomas River” from 12-Gauge Comics.
Billed as John Wick meets James Bond with a black protagonist, “Thomas River” is Stelfreeze’s first interior work since leaving Marvel’s “Black Panther” relaunch in 2017. Stelfreeze and Wagner will be joined by newcomer colorist Michelle Poust, and Harvey Award-winning letterer Ed Dukeshire (“Power Rangers,” “Klaus”).
The book follows super spy Thomas River, a dangerous secret agent who hides behind his cover as a world-renowned engineer. The 40-page debut issue finds River charged with tracking down the perpetrators behind a brutal terror attack against the United States that hits River’s hometown of Baltimore.
“As a kid reading spy novels, it seemed like the agents all came from places like England or… New England,” Stelfreeze told The Hollywood Reporter. “They didn’t come from anything resembling the places where I grew up… Imagine growing up in the mean streets of Baltimore to become an agent protecting the hallowed halls of Washington DC. Doug and I really started exploring this juxtaposition and wanted to figure out what would it take for a man of that background to become a super agent.”
For Stelfreeze, the project sprung from his experience on “Black Panther.” “Working on ‘Black Panther’ really caused me to go inward and draw upon personal experiences and that truthfulness changes you as a creator,” he said. “I wanted to stay in that well just a little longer because I feel there’s more I can say and definitely more I could share.”
While the character and concept of “Thomas River” come from Stelfreeze, according to Wagner the book is a culmination of their friendship of more than 30 years. “We found we were kindred souls, obsessed with becoming better storytellers and creatives,” Wagner said. “It’s been the foundation to our friendship and the majority of what we talk about to this day.”
The first issue of the series is being produced by 12-Gauge Comics via a Kickstarter, which launched today. Though the creators say that the issue is fully finished and is just awaiting printing, plans for the future of the series will be released in the coming weeks.
You can find more about “Thomas River” #1, including the backer rewards, over on Kickstarter, as well as a preview of the first issue at The Hollywood Reporter.
