This August BOOM! Studios will be launching a brand-new series titled Red Before Black from the minds of Grim writer Stephanie Phillips and Y: The Last Man’s artist Goran Sudžuka. Red Before Black is pitched to be “a violent, hyper kinetic, women-led Florida crime thriller in the tradition of 2000s-era Vertigo.” That is expanded on in the the solicitation for Red Before Black #1:
A disgraced army veteran, Val, arrives in everyone’s favorite state: Florida. Her goal? Hunt down an infamous drug runner named Leo. But soon she finds that the pair have an unexpected enemy in common, turning the time-honored game of cat and mouse into something far more sinister!
Joining Phillips and Sudžuka will be colorist Ive Svorcina and letterer Tom Napolitano. Additionally, the main cover will be done by Sudžuka with Ive Svorcina along with variants by artists Dave Johnson, DANI, Cliff Chiang, and Toni Fejzula. You can check out the covers and four-page preview below:
Speaking on the idea behind Red Before Black and what readers can expect from this new series, Phillips had the following to say:
“For me, Florida is like that relative that you make fun of but become defensive about the minute you hear someone else making fun of them. I grew up there…I’ve been chased by water moccasins, had to call someone about alligator removals, thrown more than one hurricane party, and dressed like a pirate for the annual invasion of Tampa’s bay…..There is truly no better place I could think of to set Red Before Black–a weird crime story with an even weirder setting. Val and Leo might be our main characters, but Florida is ever present and Goran truly draws the s*** outta this curious place that will forever feel like home for me, no matter where I live.”
Red Before Black #1 is scheduled to be released in comic book shops and digital store fronts on August 7th. Learn more about BOOM! Studios upcoming series below.
Grim Writer Stephanie Phillips and Artist Goran Sudžuka Team Up for RED BEFORE BLACK at BOOM! Studios
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 20, 2024) – RED BEFORE BLACK is a violent, hyper kinetic, women-led Florida crime thriller in the tradition of 2000s-era Vertigo from Grim’s superstar writer Stephanie Phillips, the acclaimed and beloved artist Goran Sudžuka (Hellblazer, Y: The Last Man), colorist Ive Svorcina (Thor: God of Thunder, Secret Wars), and letterer Tom Napolitano (Grim, Justice League). Coming to BOOM! Studios in August 2024.
A disgraced army veteran, Val, arrives in everyone’s favorite state: Florida. Her goal? Hunt down an infamous drug runner named Leo. But soon she finds that the pair have an unexpected enemy in common, turning the time-honored game of cat and mouse into something far more sinister!
“For me, Florida is like that relative that you make fun of but become defensive about the minute you hear someone else making fun of them. I grew up there…I’ve been chased by water moccasins, had to call someone about alligator removals, thrown more than one hurricane party, and dressed like a pirate for the annual invasion of Tampa’s bay,” said acclaimed writer Stephanie Phillips. “There is truly no better place I could think of to set Red Before Black–a weird crime story with an even weirder setting. Val and Leo might be our main characters, but Florida is ever present and Goran truly draws the s*** outta this curious place that will forever feel like home for me, no matter where I live.”
RED BEFORE BLACK #1 features main cover art by Goran Sudžuka with Ive Svorcina and variants by Dave Johnson (100 Bullets), DANI (Catwoman), Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), and Toni Fejzula (Rumble).
RED BEFORE BLACK is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; The Neighbors by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Letizia Cadonici; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph; Coda by Simon Spurrier and Matías Bergara; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; and Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross.
The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Corrino from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Simone Ragazzoni; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle, Rubine, and Francesco Pisa.
RED BEFORE BLACK #1 will be available in comic shops August 7, 2024. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play.
For continuing news on RED BEFORE BLACK and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on X.
About Stephanie Phillips:
Stephanie Phillips is an American writer known for comics and graphic novels such as Harley Quinn, Spider-Gwen, Phoenix, and GRIM. Stephanie has worked with top publishers, such as Marvel, DC, Boom! Studios, Image, and more, and she also holds a PhD in rhetoric and composition.
About Goran Sudžuka:
Goran Sudžuka began working for DC Vertigo in 1999, co-creating Outlaw Nation with writer Jamie Delano, for which he won the Russ Manning Award for the Most Promising Newcomer at the Eisner Awards of 2001. He stayed with Vertigo for ten years working on some of their flagship titles like Y: The Last Man and Hellblazer. Later on he worked on superhero comics, most notably on Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman and Charles Soule’s Daredevil. He moved on then to work with Garth Ennis on creator-owned books A Walk Through Hell and Marjorie Finnegan – Temporal Criminal.