Top Cow is adding a new miniseries to its roster of offbeat stories starting April 13, 2011 with Netherworld, from writers Bryan Edward Hill and Rob Levin, as well as illustrator Tony Shasteen and colorist JD Mettler.

Netherworld tells the story of one long night in a city following private detective Ray Parker as he searches for an 18-year-old girl named Madeline. The story promises to be dark and feature deep, layered characters. The city itself is seedy and full of criminals, and other unsavory types. If there’s good in this city we aren’t likely to see much of it along Parker’s path.

The writers take great inspiration from Frank Miller’s Sin City. While that world was the inspiration for the writers, Shasteen believes only Miller could create that particular city. He instead goes for something much more realistic and akin to films such as Se7en and Blade Runner. Shasteen’s references to Blade Runner meld well with his ideas for creating a city that is both familiar and foreign. He used images of densely populated Asian cities to help him craft the unique look of Netherworld. Shasteen also looked to Hollywood when designing the characters. Parker for example is based on a mix of Russell Crowe and Clive Owen while Avril Lavigne and Blake Lively inspire Madeline.

Could he already be planning for this series to get optioned? Probably”¦

Throughout the book, images featuring the slogan “˜We Are All Lost” appear — sometimes standing out and other times hidden. Top Cow is using this phrase as part of the marketing for the project. While it’s unclear what the phrase means or how much weight it carries in the story, it does in just a few words say volumes about the city and people that reside in it.

The writers and artists are still keeping quiet about the supporting cast and much of the story, so we’ll just have to wait until April 13th to delve into Netherworld.

Visit USA Today to learn more about the upcoming series, and for more preview panels from the book.