For quite some time now, readers have been asking me these same three questions:
1. “When are you going to return to zombies?”
2. “When are you going to write something really long and epic-length?”
3. “When are you going to write more comic books?”
Today, I’m happy to announce that I intend to do all three at once. I’ve signed with indie comics publisher Antarctic Press to write an ongoing, creator-owned series called The Last Zombie.
Since 1984, Antarctic Press have produced over 850 comic titles with a total circulation of over 5 million. Among its titles (past and present) are President Evil, Robotech, Ninja High School, Gold Digger, Dinowars, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Bad Kids Go To Hell and many more. They’ve published some of the most respected and longest-running independent comic series, and I’m very happy to be working with them.
The Last Zombie is based on an idea that I’ve had for quite a while. Originally, I’d planned on doing it as a prose novel, but when I sat down and plotted it out, I realized that if it were published in book form, it would be about as long as The Dark Tower series. Publishers these days balk at such a hefty volume, especially if you’re a mid-list author like myself. Therefore, it made sense to me to do this in comic book format, with each ‘chapter’ or story-arc approximating five monthly issues (according to my calculations, the entire story will run twenty-five to thirty issues). When finished, The Last Zombie will be the longest thing I’ve ever written.
I won’t be revealing much of the plot in advance, because to do so would involve major, and I mean MAJOR spoilers. Hell, the title itself is a major spoiler (although you won’t find out why until several issues into the series). I’m not going to answer any story-line questions at this time, so if you ask me things like “Does it takes place in the world of Dead Sea or The Rising“, I’ll have to answer “No comment” and then we’ll both feel frustrated. Please give me your patience on this one. Trust me, all will be revealed.
Just to give you a taste of what I have planned, here is the Hollywood pitch version: “Damnation Alley meets The Stand and Mad Max in the aftermath of The Walking Dead.”
That’s pretty much all I can say about it for right now. I’m currently working on the scripts for the first five issues, which make up the first chapter of the series. Announcements regarding series artists, formats, publication dates, ordering info, etc. will be forthcoming. At this point, all I can tell you for sure is that you’ll see it some time next year. If you want to receive the latest updates, follow The Last Zombie on Twitter.
Brian Keene’s THE LAST ZOMBIE. What happens after the dead die…?
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this sounds fucking awesome. and i always wandered what would happen after the last zombie. cant wait.
Sweet!!
Great News! Can’t wait. Need to check with local store for Antarctic Press stuff
Nice!!
Congrats, Brian!
Hi there Brian;
I’m happy to hear about the new comic book. I would love to be involved with the cover art for the series. Let me know if you would like to chat about it.
Darren
This is wonderful news! I look forward to reading every issue. Thanks for writing comics and books I love to read.
AP put out some great books! This is awesome news.
You had me at Zombie but the Mad Max bit almost gave me wood
There’s no doubt we’ll all be buying this title. The one question I do have, and you may not be able to answer it yet, is … Does this publisher also put out trade collections? Or will we have to get the individual issues as they come out?
Mitch: It’s way too early to say for sure.
Would have been great if it had been a novel, but comics just don;t have the same impact in my opinion. Still love everything you do Brian, but was hoping for an epic novel.
Are you going for color or black and white? Tell me to fuck off if you need to.
sweet, sweet, and more sweet.
This is fantastic news! I remember sitting with you, Sheldon, J.F. Gonzales and many others and you talking about this concept after the Uniontown signing. I am extremely stoked about this And really happy for your to be able to get the project out there, the way YOU want it!
As a fellow comic geek, zombie.post-apocalyptic nut, I can’t wait!
While I am excited that you are delving back into zombies it pains me to see that its not going to be a novel. I have never been a big fan of comic books, but I understand why you would want to do this story in this format; it would draw more money then a couple of novels.
I am planning to give these comics a whole hearted try, but I would love to see an epic novel (LOtR or Dark Tower style!) from you in the future.
This is going to be FOOKING AWESOME!!!
Thanks Brian
Quote: “Would have been great if it had been a novel, but comics just don;t have the same impact in my opinion. Still love everything you do Brian, but was hoping for an epic novel.”
If you don’t think comics can have the same visceral, emotional impact as a novel, then you’re not reading the right comics. Give Preacher, Watchmen, The Walking Dead, Transmetropolitan, The Damned, Y: The Last Man, DMZ, or A Trip To Rundberg a try. You might be surprised.
As for hoping for an epic novel, that’s exactly what I’m writing. Seriously. Don’t judge it till you’ve read it. Again, you might be surprised.
Quote: “I understand why you would want to do this story in this format; it would draw more money then a couple of novels.”
Actually, that’s incorrect. I make far more from a novel, in terms of advance and royalties, than I do from an indie comic series. This isn’t about money. It’s about the STORY. The story is too long to do in novel format. I can do it in this format, or I can not do it at all.
I think you guys will enjoy it. It is everything you’ve been clamoring for. Again, don’t discount it simply because of the storytelling format. Give it a try. If you don’t dig it, no harm and no foul.
Chris W: Not sure yet.
Between this and Birdwatching From Mars I am going to have to start buying comics again.
Looking forward to this, couple of thoughts about it thou
1) You should ask your fans/readers, like myself, who wait for the trade paperbacks to getr their comic fix to seel out the floopies for the series.
2) Does this mean my hope to have you write an ongoing Dr Doom series at Marvel is now Kabooshed?
This is gonna be awesome!!! Drop everything else your doing and getting going on this!!
Totally awesome news. I’ve been pyshced about this for awhile now. Can’t wait for it to actually happen! It’s going to be awesome!
I haven’t read a comic book since I was a kid. This is definitely something that will get me back into it. I think it’s is a great idea.
Brian: I did not mean any disrespect about the money comment. Just wanted to clear that up.
Quote: I think you guys will enjoy it. It is everything you’ve been clamoring for. Again, don’t discount it simply because of the storytelling format. Give it a try. If you don’t dig it, no harm and no foul. – Brian
You can count on me giving it a try. I am just a little hesitant about he format you chose to do it in.
Just, keep doing good things and we will keep eating up every word you write! You can take that to the bank! LMAO!
Sean: No worries, man. I knew you didn’t mean anything disrespectful.
Sounds great. Can’t wait to check it out.
Another good zombie themed comic on the market is overdue. It’s a long wait between issues of ‘The Walking Dead’.
Yeeeees, finally. So excited for this!
awesome!!! can’t wait.