AfterShock Comics have announced “Sympathy for No Devils,” a new comic book series debuting in May by writer Brandon Thomas, artist Lee Ferguson, colorist José Villarrubia, and letterer Simon Bowland. The comic is centered on retired investigator Winston Wallis, who is the last human alive in a world overrun by demons, monsters, and ghouls. When Winston is contacted by an ex-partner to solve the murder of the largest Colossal on the planet (“think Godzilla,” says Thomas), Winston sets out in this unique setting while harboring his own secrets.
“It’s a murder mystery where Godzilla is killed by a laser gun, and the only person that can solve it is the last man alive in a world of monsters,” says writer Brandon Thomas (who makes his AfterShock debut with “Sympathy”). “This book is five different genres beautifully smashed together to create a world that never plays it safe, and always keeps the characters (and hopefully readers) off guard, with no idea what’ll happen next, or which trope is next to be subverted.”
When describing his influences for the book, Thomas says, “The things on my mood board for this were Who Framed Roger Rabbit , Devil in a Blue Dress, Cool World, and Bad Boys. I’m always interested in injecting new black and brown characters into genres where they typically haven’t appeared, and I’d never seen a book with this particular mix of characters, environments, and storytelling styles.”
According to Thomas, the mixture of inspiration and subversion also suits the art team: “Lee Ferguson working with José Villarrubia is something that is going to excite anybody who sees these pages. Lee and I did a book called ‘The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury’ some years back that changed our lives and careers, so it was only a matter of time before we got back together to make some more cool comics. ‘Sympathy’ is definitely in the same vein.”
“Sympathy for No Devils” #1 will debut May 20th and retail for $4.99 at local comic book stores and digital comics services.
