Dave’s September ‘23 newsletter
Killtopia sequel reveal! Killtopia anthology reveal! + more!
Hi everyone, Dave here with September’s round-up and there’s a lot of great stuff to share - including a double-whammy of big revealed from my cyberpunk series, Killtopia.
The fifth and final issue of Killtopia’s first story arc just went on sale this week over on our publisher BHP Comics’ website. The full run is available there now if you want to pick it up.
I also launched an official Killtopia websitethis week. It looks really great and has an awesome intro to the series for newcomers, details of all the books, bios for our team members, store links sand much more. Check it out!
Before we get started: I’m using Twitter a bit less these days. I’m not leaving, but if you’d like to follow along with my projects and announcements on social, you can get me at:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/davecookcomics/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/davescook
Okay, here we go with a huge reveal that’s been a long time in the making…
1. Killtopia: Phantoms synopsis revealed!
You might have missed this one if you didn’t back Killtopia #5 on Kickstarter, but Killtopia: Phantoms is an official sequel that’s set five years after the first story arc. I’m currently working on the script for issue #2and it’s something I’m already really proud of (which is rare for me, as I usually hate my own work!)
Here’s the synopsis from the Killtopia’s site’s Phantoms page:
Set five years after the events of Killtopia #5, Phantoms is a cyberpunk police thriller that follows an ex-Wrecker turned cop who hunts a new breed of criminal - a terrorist who can hack into peoples’ minds and make their worst fears feel like reality.
Phantoms explores the darker side of Neo Tokyo, with elements of psychological horror and a deeper look at the yakuza underworld that was touched on in the original story arc.
The story’s elusive mind hacker is making the lives of Neo Tokyo’s citizens hell by tearing society apart at the seams. They‘re manipulating people around the world by implanting misinformation, bullshit conspiracy theories, paranoia and hatred into their minds. Worst still, they’ve started hijacking people like puppets to carry out murders on their behalf.
Together with the members of Phantoms Unit (an elite police division) the ex-Wrecker hunts for the hacker before they can trigger the final phase of their devastating master plan.
I’ll have more details to share in early 2024, but I hope you’re already looking forward to the next chapter of our ever-growing cyberpunk world.
Speaking of which…
2. Killtopia: Nano Jams cover + first contributors revealed!
Also on the Killtopia site, I listed a full synopsis for Killtopia: Nano Jams - the first short story anthology set in our world of Neo Tokyo. It’ll feature many stories from guest contributors all based on the broad theme of ‘media.’
It will be the next Killtopia release, and I’m aiming to run a Kickstarter in Summer 2024. Anthologies are huge projects, though, so this is still just a ballpark launch window. I’ll have more details to share in the coming months.
For now though: I’m hyped to reveal the Killtopia: Nano Jams cover by artist Kim Hu, who is also the artist of my short story, ‘Frontline.’
I’m also excited to share with you our first batch of contributor reveals. The book will be full of talented individuals from all levels of the comic scene, along with some incredible writers from the world of video games.
Here’s our first batch of reveals:
Click on their names to see their portfolios and sites
Scott Bryan Wilson (writer): Scott’s the awesome writer behind the likes of True Kult, Kill More and DC’s Pennyworth, to name just a few. I’m personally a huge fan of True Kult so it sincerely means so much to have Scott on board for Nano Jams.
Lucy Sullivan (writer): Lucy is known for her writing and art on such wonderful releases as Barking and Shelter: Early Doors, but she was keen to write a story for Nano Jams and collaborate with an artist. I can’t share who the artist is (yet!) but they’re bloody brilliant, so I can’t wait to share what this dream team has come up.
Ashley Cooper (writer): Ashley writes comics and video games, including Motive Games’ new Iron Man project, as well as Gotham Knights, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II, and more. I was keen to include a broad range of voices from different industries in Nano Jams, so it’s exciting to have Ashley on board!
Joey Oliveira (writer): Joey is the mastermind behind the brilliant horror comic imprint, Afterlight Comics. His written works include Ghost Island, Wendigo Wood, Districts of the Yokai, and Slasher Royale. If you like horror and haven’t jumped into Afterlight’s comics, then you’re missing out!
Anas Abdulhak (writer): Hailing from Damascus, Syria, Anas is a superb comic writer whose recent output includes the whodunnit revenge comic, Kill My Boyfriend, and the critically-acclaimed Etheres - which is a haunting and emotional look at the afterlife.
Craig Paton (artist): The Killtopia OG returns! Craig was part of Killtopia at the start as artist on books #1 and #2, and he’s since gone on to create the cyberpunk art book Hardcode. Craig’s teaming up with another juggernaut from the video game industry who I can’t reveal yet, but this one’s going to be very special!
That’s all for now, but we have many, many more contributors to announce in the coming months.
Lastly: some short bits
Go Straight’s second printing: The second printing of my side-scrolling beat ‘em up history book ‘Go Straight’ is available NOW on the Bitmap Books store. It’s a 450+ page journey through the genre, including over 200 games, such as as Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon and many more.
Run ‘n’ Gun history book progress: My second book for Bitmap Books is a history of the run ‘n’ gun genre. It’s out in 2024 and I’m currently halfway done editing the full book. Today I was editing game features from 1993 and 1994, including True Lies, Mega Man X2, Gunstar Heroes, Gun Force II and more!
BPM: Beatdowns Per Minute #2 progress: Steve has just completed the final page of artwork today, Lou has coloured over half of the book, and Rob has lettered over half of it - so we’re looking likely to ship to Kickstarter backers at the end of Sept or early October. Thanks for your patience everyone.
Lastly - my next comic con appearances: I’ll be at ACME Comic Con at the Glasgow SEC on September 23rd and 24th. Then, I’ll be at Thought Bubble in Harrogate on November 11th and 12th. I hope to see some of you there :D