Derek meets Doctor Who…in six psychotic episodes!
This summer, Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, the writing team behind Tales from The Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death and The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem, are back and bringing eerie vibes to a brand-new, surreal comic series, Paranoid Gardens. This six-issue comic will be written by Way and Simon with art by Chris Weston (Judge Dredd, Ministry of Space), colors by Dave Stewart (Hellboy, Shaolin Cowboy: Cruel to Be Kin), and letters by Nate Piekos (Stranger Things: The Voyage, Black Hammer: Reborn). Issue #1 will feature a die-cut cover with art by Weston and a variant cover by renowned illustrator Motohiro Hayakawa. Successive issue variants will feature artwork by Glenn Fabry, James Stokoe, Tradd Moore, Alice Darrow, and David Mack.
“I’m excited to be back with my incredibly handsome and talented brother-from-another-basement Shaun Simon penning a story that’s really special to us, and honored the masterful Chris Weston joined us to create a visually powerful and emotionally tangible physical object that is this comic,” said Way. “I’m now more complete getting to share something we’ve wanted to for a very long time, and working with this fantastic group of individuals in the process.”
“Most people dream of rubbing shoulders with someone who is cool, talented, mega-successful and who enjoys a wild rock’n’roll lifestyle. Luckily for Gerard Way the dream came true when he got to work with me on Paranoid Gardens,” added Weston. “It must have been quite daunting for him at first, but once he could see past my notoriety and discover I’m just an ordinary joe who shares his love for the 60’s TV show ‘The Prisoner’ we were able to form a joyous union.
“Along with his equally radical writing partner, Shaun Simon, we’ve created a wild and psychedelic tale that combines Kafkaesque nightmares with sweet Silver Age reveries. Within the pages of Paranoid Gardens you’ll find a curious care-home peopled with aliens, ghosts and caped heroes recovering from psychotic episodes. The very ground it’s built on is febrile and fertile; and lusted after by the minions of Mammon.
“It’s the perfect remedy for all those stricken with super-hero fatigue and needing a fix of something a bit more mind-bending and unpredictable.”
Loo is a nurse at the most bizarre care center around. The staff are not entirely human, and the cases downright unearthly. Aliens, ghosts, superheroes, and more creatures plague its hallways as both doctors and patients and the hospital itself seems to be somewhat self-aware. Loo believes that despite a recent failure at her job she’s been given some sort of higher calling in this mysterious place, and decides to rise to the challenge. Along the way, she must fight her way through corrupt staff members, powerful theme park cults, and her own personal demons and trauma to meet this challenge and discover what secrets the gardens hold.
Paranoid Gardens #1 (of 6) arrives in comic shops on July 17, 2024. It is now available to pre-order at local comic shop for $4.99.
Be sure to follow Dark Horse Comics on social media and check our website, www.darkhorse.com, for more news, announcements, and updates!
Praise for The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem and Tales From The Umbrella Academy: You Look Like Death:
“The entire vibe feels like Daniel Clowes illustrating The Dark Knight Returns—and it’s perfect.”—Alternative Press on The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem
“It’s [The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem] strong writing in classic Way-Simon form–creating smart, but damaged protagonists, slotting them into a wild world full of bizarre characters like pornodrones and fly-men dealing ray guns, and sprinkling clues like breadcrumbs throughout the panels.”—Screen Rant
“True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: National Anthem #1 is a drama-filled pastiche of the last 60 years of counterculture, wrapped in a nostalgia-inducing package.”—Newsarama
“When Gerard Way is on point, he manages to balance chaos with story, bouncing around from one thing to the next … yet somehow finding a path to a genuinely raucous good time with an emotional center. Here, he’s working with Shaun Simon, and they seem to make a pretty good team because the luster of The Umbrella Academy world is shinier than ever.”—Fanbase Press
