Berger Books, the imprint started by former Vertigo chief Karen Berger at Dark Horse, will publish an “innovative expansion” of James Romberger’s Post York in September.
Post York was originally published by Uncivilized Books in 2012, Romberger said the idea for the story came to him when he attended Columbia University. “I wrote a few stories and made some paintings and prints, all attempts to depict what New York City would look like after the ice caps melt and the water finds its level,” Romberger told Alex Dueben back in 2012. “It seemed to me that we would become more like Venice. However, as we can see from Hurricane Sandy, most of New York is not built to withstand the strain that so much water would put on it, the old tenements would collapse and the infrastructure would fail. But, any survivors left in the city would find ways to deal with it as best they could — New Yorkers are hardy and tenacious.”
He teamed up with his son, Crosby, on the project; his son recorded a song for it that was included in the original publication as a flexidisc.
“Post York’s hero is my son Crosby and the story is my apology to him for the mess my generation has left the planet in” said Romberger, whose credits include 7 Miles a Second and The Late Child. “The book is created in an experimental way; it is improvised directly onto the art boards without script or preliminary layouts. The alternative endings came about this way, as did certain narrative twists that grew from my conversations with Crosby, and from his rap song.”
Here’s how Dark Horse describes the project:
The polar ice caps have melted, and New York City is flooded beyond recognition. Amidst the ruin, an independent loner along with his cat and only friend, navigates the submerged city as he tries to live another day. But everything changes when he encounters both a mysterious woman and a trapped blue whale. Will they be each other’s salvation… or destruction?
Their paths intertwine surprisingly, daringly, dangerously with others from this makeshift community– from outsiders like himself to the depraved and ruthless elite; all struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy in a city drowned in its past.
“When James told me he was expanding Post York into a graphic novel, I leapt at the chance to publish this singular and riveting story of daily survival in a not-so-far-fetched NYC,” said Berger. “It couldn’t be more timely nor terrifying.”