Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is proud to
announce the March debut of EVIL EMPIRE, the political thriller that asks: What
would happen if modern society crossed the line and became the megalomaniacal
force we’d always fought against? Instead of a story that picks up when this
so-called “evil empire” is already in place, Say Anything lead singer Max Bemis
(POLARITY) and artist Ransom Getty (Guarding the Globe, Suicide Squad) take us
to the very beginning and show the devolution of society through the eyes of an
outspoken, female hip-hop artist named Reese.
To add to the anticipation surrounding Bemis’ first
long-form series, BOOM! has added a pre-Final Order Cutoff (FOC) incentive
promotion for retailers. Similar to the DAY MEN #2 promotion, the publisher
will have 50, limited-edition, screen-printed, and numbered prints created of
one of Jay Shaw’s iconic cover images for EVIL EMPIRE. The “We The People”
print promotion means that each one of the 25 top-ordering retailers will
receive one print. Additionally, in keeping with the democratic nature of the
series, 25 additional retailers, chosen at random, will receive one print each.
Retailers have until the end of the day on Monday, February 10th to finalize
their orders for EVIL EMPIRE #1.
“Max has created a provocative thriller in EVIL EMPIRE,”
said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “At BOOM!, we want our comics
to resonate beyond the page, and EVIL EMPIRE is the kind of explosive
storytelling we love to get behind. We saw with POLARITY that Max is a bold new
voice in the industry, and we were eager to work with him again. EVIL EMPIRE is
an intense vision of a society’s dark transformation. It’ll turn some heads.”
WHY WE LOVE IT: After POLARITY, we just had to work with
writer (and Say Anything lead singer) Max Bemis again, and his thrilling take
on how a modern society could evolve into an evil empire is absolutely
terrifying.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE IT: Every fan of fiction is aware of
the trope of the "evil, sinister empire" i.e. the Empire in
"Star Wars." Oftentimes, when we are introduced to these totalitarian
establishments, they are already fully in power and it's up to our hero to
bring back order and peace. However, in EVIL EMPIRE, we explore how that would
unfold in a real-world setting. How close to the precipice are we right now in
the world we live in? Would we let it happen? More specific to this tale: Would
we secretly WANT it to happen?
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Told through the perspective of an
underground rapper named Reese, Max Bemis’ gripping story explores a scenario
in which we watch modern society gradually evolve (or is it devolve?) into an
evil empire.
EVIL EMPIRE #1 arrives in comic shops on March 5th with a
cover price of $3.99 under Diamond order code JAN140984. The issue ships with a
main cover by Mondo print illustrator Jay Shaw along with two retailer
incentive covers by Robbi Rodriguez (FPB: Federal Bureau of Physics) and Shaw.
Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or
findacomicshop.com to find one! It’s also available for order directly from boom-studios.com.