DSTLRY is a new boutique comic book publisher that’s a little over a year old, and they’re making waves by promising that the creators have full control of their properties, and 3% of company equity will be distributed amongst them as long as they get ideas released within the first three years. It’ll be based on how well these titles sell, and so far, I’m taking notice!
In their first year of operation, they released titles like Spectregraph by James Tynion IV and Christian Ward and also Somna by Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay. They’re worth tracking down, and if you’re a fan of modern horror, I feel they’re worth picking up. I’ll offer up reviews of these at a later date, since I don’t feel its fair to offer up impressions after a single read. These creators put in a lot of effort to layer in more than just a simple visual narrative, and I want to do justice in what I’m discovering upon successive reads.
For their second year, there’s two releases worth taking notice. Time Waits is a white-knuckle sci-fi series that spans time and space. This narrative unites Eisner and Harvard-Award Winner Chip Zdarsky (Batman, Daredevil, Sex Criminals) and co-writer David Brothers (Good Devils, Go Back) with artist Marcus To (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Force), colorist Matt Wilson (Thor, Paper Girls), and letterer Ariana Maher (Demon Days: X-Men) for the tale of a corporate mercenary from a dystopian future pursued by his former overseers in the past. TIME WAITS #1 will be on sale later this summer in print and digital.
This project marks the first of four series by Chip Zdarsky for DSTLRY.
Time Waits revolves around Blue, a time-travelling soldier of fortune who abandons his war and finds asylum in a small rural town nestled in his timeline’s distant past—our present. After Blue falls in love with the local sheriff, Grace, the couple build a life of gardening and domestic tranquillity. But just as Blue and Grace debate expanding their family through adoption, Blue’s former corporate lords from the future locate the deserter and send soldiers to ruthlessly reclaim their property and the secret he’s been hiding.
“It’s been an amazing process to explore the different lives and eras of TIME WAITS with David and Marcus,” co-writer Chip Zdarsky explains. “There’s a huge tapestry of story here and we’re beyond excited to reveal how these characters collide—often with huge explosions expertly crafted by Marcus.”
“Exploring sci-fi violence in a small town with Chip and Marcus has been a great time, right up our alley,” co-writer David Brothers continues. “A time-travelling vendetta is a great way to complicate things for a couple who are starting to slow down—not to mention the fun of getting to dig into the best parts of both settings.”
“Drawing this book has been an absolute blast. I have been able to flex my character acting muscles as well as try something different with my storytelling in DSTLRY’s oversized format,” artist Marcus To says. “I loved drawing these characters interacting with each other in both calm and violent ways, and Chip and David have created a winding, surprising story that’s hard to put down.”
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Another title is The Missionary from writer Ryan Stegman (Superior Spider-Man) and artist Jason Howard (Batman, The Astounding Wolf-Man). They have teamed up to create a horror comic for the ages, debuting in print and digital in late summer.
Bryce Hunter is a devoutly religious man whose faith is shattered when he catches his wife being…intimate with an Elder from his church. This harrowing event sends Bryce spiralling into the hands of a demonic entity named Uvydus.
Instead of rejecting possession, Bryce accepts Uvydus. Bryce wants to learn to be “bad” and Uvydus wants to be “less than completely evil.” But before Bryce can use this new partnership to live a little, the world’s greatest Exorcist sees Bryce as his greatest challenge. But that’s not even the worst of it as a murderous group of demons breaks free from Hell and threatens to re-shape earth into a kingdom over which they rule!
The combination of Bryce and Uvydus allows the pair to manifest demonic powers to fight both the EVIL and GOOD forces that want them destroyed. The fate of eternity hangs in the balance as Bryce and Uvydus must fight to not just survive, but reconcile their opposite natures and become The Missionary.
“Jason and I are having a hell of a time grappling with eternal questions of ethics and spirituality, but we’re also making The Missionaryas exciting as possible,” co-creator and writer Ryan Stegman explains. “Jason is doing the work of his career and I can’t wait for you to see these tortured souls on their missions of damnation.”
For more information on either title, please visit www.dstlry.co or follow them at @DSTLRY_Media on Instagram.
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