A serial killer will terrorize the Valiant Universe’s San Francisco in “The Final Witness,” a five-issue series written by Ray Fawkes, illustrated by Jeremy Haun, colored by Nick Filardi, lettered by Clayton Cowles, and edited by Heather Antos. The miniseries, previously teased by Antos as Zodiac meets True Detective with superheroes, was revealed today at The Nerdist with the full creative team, plot details, and an April 29th release date for the first issue.
“The Final Witness” is presented as Valiant’s first foray into the crime noir genre. The story is set in San Francisco as a serial killer eludes local law enforcement. The comic book introduces four new lead characters: an investigative journalist, a police detective, an arsonist, and a civilian with super powers as they attempt to solve and end the serial killer’s horrifying crimes.
For Fawkes, introducing elements of crime noir and psychological thrillers into the Valiant Universe was an appealing proposition for this project. He says, “I’m thrilled to bring a crime-thriller twist to the Valiant superhero universe, and I’m excited to see the fans react to this book! It’s a real ride, with a lot of twists and turns and some good, horrifying crime thrown into the mix. People who read my work know I love the darker side of things, and this book is one where I truly get to cut loose. I’m really looking forward to watching fans try to unravel the mystery!”
Haun jumped at the chance to work with Fawkes and carve out an untouched space in the Valiant Universe with new characters, saying, “‘The Final Witness’ is a perfect companion to so many of the huge things going on across the Valiant universe. It’s a different perspective. And then once things get big, they get really, really big.”
As supplementary material to the comic, readers can pre-order the entire series through their local comic book shop to receive behind-the-scenes pages, special variants, and new clues in the backs of the issues to help fans solve the central mystery. These bonus pages are meant to “open up more of the crime and investigative world of Valiant.”
