AfterShock Comics promises Jack the Ripper, the Russian mob & some tortured little piggies at NYCC

The folks at AfterShock Comics have a lot of new books coming out, from tales of Jack the Ripper hiding out in the Wild West to twisted fairy tales where the three little pigs get their genitals attached to car batteries. Yeah, it's that kind of publishing house.

At AfterShock's panel at New York Comic Con on Sunday, the writers and editors gave fans a taste of what to expect in the next few months from the comics publisher. For example, this week marked the debut of Chicken Devil, a “Fast Food Thriller” (according to the description on the website) by writer Brian Buccellato and artist Hayden Sherman. 

"[Chicken Devil] is about a guy who makes really good chicken, who has problems with his partner, gets in over his head, then goes on a revenge fantasy... but is not equipped," said Buccellato, who was one of the panelists. “It's a dark comedy. It's meta. It plays with tropes. It’s light and funny while dealing with revenge, death and the Russian mob.”

Later this month, AfterShock will release Cross to Bear, by writer Marko Stojanovic and artist Siniša Banovic. Per the publisher’s description, Cross to Bear centers on Jack the Ripper hiding out in the American West, and a secret order hunting him down. The first issue comes out Oct. 13.

Aftershock Comics

Another title coming out this month is AfterDark, a horror-themed anthology one-shot with stories written by Cullen Bunn, Jim Starlin, Joe Pruett, and Frank Tieri. AfterDark also goes on sale Oct. 13.

Next month, AfterShock will debut a new series called The Heathens. According to managing editor and panelist Christina Harrington, The Heathens “is an ensemble” about “a bunch of killers throughout history trapped in hell tasked with coming to our world to find other killers who are even worse who escaped.” Issue #1 will be released Nov. 3.

Harrington also let attendees know about another title coming out in November: My Date with Monsters, by writer Paul Tobin and artist Andy MacDonald. “The monsters in the dreaming world have escaped into our own,” Harrington explained. “Nasty creatures from other cultures, fairy tales, and things like that.”

When one woman learns that the only way to close the door to our world for these monsters is to fall in love, she refuses. “She'd rather let monsters enter our world than go on a date,” Harrington said. Issue #1 of My Date with Monsters is available Nov. 10.

Writer and panelist Tieri let attendees know about another AfterShock Comics one-shot he worked on that’s coming out in December: Tales of Mother F. Goose. Per Tieri’s description, it’s a twisted fairy tale where “Georgie Porgie is a pimp who is whacked,” and “Jack Horner is a cop who rounds up suspects like the Three Little Pigs and Puss-in-Boots.” And Detective Horner will do what it takes to get his man, even if it means attaching car batteries to the pigs’ genitals to get them to squeal. Yeah, it’s that kind of book.

And this is only a sampling of the titles and trade paperbacks that AfterShock teased at the panel. We didn’t even get to the Miskatonic one-shot, Maniac of New York: The Bronx is Burning, or the trade paperback of Nuclear Family -- all of which are coming soon. Suffice it to say, this publishing house is very busy. Those interested in learning about more can check out the publisher’s website.  

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