The secrets of a new superhero universe will be told in an upcoming prequel to upstart publisher InterPop's new Emergents universe, The Nine #0. In The Nine, veteran superhero writer Will Pfeifer and artist Steve Ellis are exploring the Emergents universe from the viewpoint of a journalist/detective/superhero known as the Crime Blotter.
"How does a street-level vigilante function in a cosmic world? It's been years since the superteam known as the Upstarts failed, but the Crime Blotter, AKA Denny Goodwin, crime-fighter and award-winning journalist, is still wondering what went wrong," reads InterPop's description of The Nine #0. "His detective work unearths terrible secrets beyond imagination. Who are the Nine and how will the Crime Blotter grapple with these cosmic mysteries?
Here's a preview of The Nine #0 by writer Will Pfeifer and artist Steve Ellis:
"When the concept of The Nine came together, I knew we had to have something special for the #0 issue, and what could be more special than nine variant covers?" InterPop's group editor for this line Rachel Gluckstern says. "Each member of the Nine has their own spotlight cover, and then we also have a group shot of everyone assembled.
Steve Ellis has drawn the main cover for The Nine #0, with variant covers by Michael Allred/Laura Allred, Amanda Conner/Alex Sinclair, Bill Sienkiewicz, Collen Doran, Adriana Melo, Yuko Shimizu, Marcus To/John Kalisz, and David Lapham.
"I absolutely loved matching artists to the characters, keying in on what made the hero special and how an artist might be drawn to them," Gluckstern continues. Shimmerstorm was a match made in Allred heaven, and Mike and Laura just knocked her cover out of the park."
The Nine is the flagship title from the new comics publisher InterPop and their superhero line, the Emergents Universe. InterPop plans to release their comics digitally, and also offer interactive elements for fans where they can choose the direction of storylines. This new upstart company also plans to roll out games set in the Emergents universe, and NFTs of its comics using the blockchain technology Tezos.
"We are so excited to be launching an NFT line of comics and we could not be prouder to do so with The Nine #0, which we're giving to everyone who attends our Block Party event on July 17," says InterPop's president/publisher Brian David-Marshall.
"From the moment Steve Ellis's cover for the giveaway version of the comic came in, we knew this book was going to be special - and just wait until you see the interior work he did. I think it is among the very best work of his career."
The Nine will be the first InterPop ongoing series followed by an anthology title called Emergents Presents, and then a third series, #ZoeMG.
The Nine #0 will be made available July 17 as a free comic during InterPop's virtual Block Party, and then be free-to-read on InterPop Comics website.
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