They’ve been teasing it for days on Twitter, and today comiXology stealth-released a new title as part of their Originals line — Stone Star, by Jim Zub and Max Dunbar.
The science fiction story is set on a nomadic space ship called Stone Star that provides entertainment/arena-style combat to various planets, and stars a young thief, Dail, who gets in over his head — as young thieves tend to do.
It’s a solid first issue from two guys whose work you may recognize from recent issues of Champions and of course Dungeons & Dragons. They are joined by colorist Espen Grundetjern, letterer Marshall Dillon. The series will run for five issues.
Update: Zub shared some more details on the project via email. Here’s the official description:
Stone Star is a mobile asteroid where entertainment abounds, and competition and celebrity are intertwined. Gladiators fight to find their fortune, but there are other secrets lurking beneath the surface as a new season of competition begins. It’s space-fantasy with modern-day sports entertainment that follows the story of Dail, a teenage thief pulled into the arena who has to decide where his loyalties lie.
“Yup, we just pulled off a bit of a Beyoncé Drop, cutting through pre-hype and ordering hassles by making the announcement our simultaneous launch,” Zub said. “Max, Espen, and Marshall are delivering their very best on every page and that momentum has helped push me to give them crazy and fun stuff to illustrate. It’s classic teen adventure in a vibrant setting, filled with twists and turns.”
And from the official press release, here’s Chip Mosher:
“It’s exciting to surprise fans with a new series no one knew was coming,” said comiXology Originals Head of Content Chip Mosher. “We love Stone Star. Zub and Dunbar have really delivered the goods and we know that new and existing comic fans will enjoy the heck out of this rollicking sci-fi adventure. And with digital distribution we can surprise and delight readers everywhere with new content they didn’t know was coming. It’s a blast!”
Check out a few preview panels below, and of course you can buy it now from comiXology. Both Zub and Dunbar will be at WonderCon this weekend to talk about the project.
