Hype
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Art by Javier Pina
Colors by Alessia Nocera
Letters by Bill Tortolini
Cover by Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
Special cover by Dave Johnson
PaperFilms &
Adaptive Studios
Release Date: January 24th, 2017
Cover Price: $12.99

Scientist Amanda Marr is kidnapped and threatened by the military to understand and humanize their best weapon… HYPE. A superhuman who can only be conscious for 45 minutes per day, Amanda must teach HYPE aka Noah how to be still and feel and learn. His powers are amazing, overwhelming to him. He is so hyperaware, he can hear a fly buzzing in a car in a parking lot below.

Such is the story of Hype, a crowdfunded 65-page full-color graphic novel by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray that’s now been released to the public.

Can you believe it? Harley Quinn (or Harleen Quinzel) of the DC universe has been in existence for 25 years, and she’s more popular than ever. In a panel on Friday, October 7 at New York Comic-Con, fans were treated to a celebratory session delving into the iconic character. Harley Quinn comic book writers Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, along with Tor.com staff writer Emily Asher-Perrin, led the discussion. The room was a sea of Harley Quinn cosplayers, including myself!

Read here below for highlights from the panel…

You want to give me the chance to interview Jimmy Palmiotti? Um, how about “Hell, yeah!” That’s pretty much what went through my head when GoD’s Dave3 sent me the email about it last week.

I knew going in that the point was to talk about the comics creator’s current Kickstarter campaign for his graphic novel Denver, but I found it difficult to resist asking a few non-comic questions, too. Have you ever wondered if Palmiotti is secretly a Backstreet Boys fan? Or maybe if he ever dreamed of being an X-Wing pilot? I wonder these things, too! But unfortunately, I didn’t inquire about that. So what did I ask? Well, you’ll just have to keep on reading to find out. But I bet he did want to fly an X-Wing, just saying…

If you are like me and you see Jimmy Palmiotti‘s name, you probably get excited and start thinking of all the great comics he’s written over the years. Because, let’s be honest, the dude kicks major ass at everything he does. So when I saw that his newest Kickstarter campaign Denver was up and running, I almost immediately jumped at the chance to write it up. This is an exclusive to Kickstarter project, meaning it will only be available to backers of this campaign. And with a story like this one, it’s surely going to be one of the year’s best graphic novels. It’s all about mankind after a disaster, but it’s not your typical post-apocalyptic story…it’s far more than that.

The premise of this graphic novel is that a meteor has struck the Earth and has caused a shift in water levels. Well, actually, the vast majority of land sank beneath the seas and what little land is left is fiercely defended. That’s where our buddy Max Flynn comes in. He’s part of the group that monitors and protects the city (city state) of Denver from anything and anyone going in or out. With a finite amount of land mass, it stands to reason that only a certain quantity of people can be sustained. Armed with that knowledge, Max and the rest of the Coast Border Guards are tasked with controlling the flux of wanderers and marauders who seek entrance. This story is all about Max and how he is forced to reassess his worldview and the realization that not everything is as he thought. Sounds intriguing, yes? I would be remiss if I didn’t also say that this is a mature graphic novel and most likely not suitable for children.

Continue below for more information and to check out a Kickstarter video to see what the book is all about.

This week marks the release of Harley Quinn #1, an ongoing series featuring the titular star from DC Comics as part of The New 52. While Harley is currently part of two team books already – Suicide Squad and Injustice: Gods Among Us – her solo book will focus on her new life as a resident of New York City and the day-to-day escapades she finds herself in.

The series is being written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (Conner will also provide the cover art) and features art by newcomer Chad Hardin. In an interview with USA Today, Conner noted that “even though it’s still fairly early, it is beginning to look like Looney Tunes meets a Quentin Tarantino movie” which sounds quite promising for those who are a fan of Ms. Quinzel.

Check out a preview here below of Harley Quinn #1.