This July, writer Ed Brisson and artist Damian Couceiro will launch Beyond the Breach, a new Aftershock Comics ongoing title that draws on elements of classic fantasy adventure movies with a splash of sci-fi.
Beyond the Breach follows Vanessa, a young woman whose dream vacation is ruined by a strange cataclysm that alters the world forever, and puts Vanessa on a path to adventure.
"Life sucks for Vanessa. Her mother just died and her boyfriend is cheating on her (with her own sister!). To clear her mind, Vanessa is taking the California road-trip that she’s been dreaming about for years," reads Aftershock's official description of Beyond The Breach. "Her postcard-perfect drive through old growth forests quickly turns when the Breach hits. A bizarre anomaly in the sky plunges California into a nightmare-world populated with strange, extra-dimensional creatures."
"Now Vanessa, along with Dougie, an orphaned child, and Kai, a strange, fuzzball of a beast, must fight to survive if they ever hope to make it back home. If there's even a home to return to," the description concludes. "Written by Ed Brisson (Uncanny X-Men, Ghost Rider, Old Man Logan) and illustrated by Damian Couceiro (Old Man Logan, Iron Fist, X-Force), Beyond the Breach is a fantastical sci-fi road trip adventure about perseverance and finding family in unexpected places."
Brisson himself chimes in on the series announcement to expand on the plot of Beyond the Breach, which has a few thematic elements that echo cult classic '80s fantasy movies – including ones Brisson himself cites such as Time Bandits, The Neverending Story, and even Beastmaster.
“The book follows the fall out of a cataclysmic event, called The Breach, that knocks the population of earth unconscious. When they wake, they find that all electronic devices have been rendered useless and huge swathes of the planet overwritten with alien landscapes and creatures - creatures both friendly and deadly," Brisson explains of the series' plot.
Here's a gallery of interior pages, along with covers from Coucerio/Paricio Diepeche and Declan Shalvey:
"Our protagonist, Vanessa, had hoped to embark on a weeklong road-trip along the California Coast. Her mom has just passed away and she just discovered that her boyfriend is cheating on her with her own sister," Brisson continues. "Things suck and this trip was supposed to be about her leaving her troubles behind and seeing redwoods and old-growth forests, but instead, she finds herself plunged into a nightmare world of human-eating aliens. Vanessa, along with a small group of survivors - a small child and a dimensionally-displaced fuzzball - set out to find out what the hell happened and if there's any way for them to undo it."
Things will only escalate from there, with Brisson describing an expansive cast of sci-fi and fantasy-esque creators and concepts.
"As the series unfolds, we'll meet more dimensionally displaced survivors as they embark on a journey to find answers. Every day brings a new threat and new answers. This is a story about finding family in the strangest of places and the most trying of circumstances," Brisson concludes.
"I'm excited to be working with Damian on a creator-owned project again. We've done a few things together at Marvel over the last few years, but it's been about 4 or 5 years since he and have the opportunity to build our own world together. Thrilled to have Patricio Delpeche on board to grace us with his otherworldly colors and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, who I've been working with a lot lately."
Beyond the Breach #1 goes on sale on July 14.
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