Seven Days to live? Gail Simone raises the stakes of Catalyst Prime in new miniseries

Three years ago, Lion Forge Comics launched its Catalyst Prime shared universe of diverse superheroes. Now writer Gail Simone and artist Jose Luis are giving the heroes their greatest challenge to date in the event miniseries Catalyst Prime: Seven Days. A seemingly all-powerful being has arrived on Earth and declared ownership of the planet. Within seven days, all life on Earth will be exterminated ... and the heroes may not be able to do anything about it.

"This is a huge event," said Simone. "It's seven issues where each issue is one day in this seven days ... I just really wanted the readers to have time to get to know these characters and really like them like I like them. I felt like if there were too many distractions and they felt 'I had to get this book, and that book, and everything,' I just felt it would be too confusing."

Unlike some other comic events, Simone's primary purpose was to ensure that Seven Days was easy to get into for both veteran Catalyst Prime readers and new fans who may discover the series.

"The goal was to tell a story that was like a welcome mat to new readers," explained Simone. "So you don't have to know anything about any of it to jump right in with Seven Days #1. And you will get all of the information you need from that book about who the characters are, what their motivations are, what their strengths and weaknesses, and all of those things."

The first two issues of Catalyst Prime: Seven Days are out now. For more details about Seven Days and the origins of the Catalyst Prime universe, check out the rest of SYFY WIRE's Behind the Panel One Shot with Simone!