Writer Jordan Thomas and artist Daniel Gete have teamed up for a new series that Oni Press calls “one of the most ecstatically over-the-top series” they’ve published.
Skin Police, which debuts this fall, is a fast-paced, science fiction action thriller set in a future where black market clone babies are the norm, but one out of every four turns into a psychopathic killing machine. That’s where The Skin Police come in.
“Skin Police set up shop in my brain as a combination of my love for Blade Runner and my fear of having children,” Thomas said. “It was an idea that wouldn’t go away, which is always a sign that it is one of the good ones. I wanted to take the base human fear of not being able to protect our offspring as well as the general existential fears most of us have about the direction the world is heading and smash it together with adrenaline-fueled, violent, unforgiving action, so the audience gets carried away with the sheer thrill of what is taking place before closing each issue and finding themselves thinking deeper about the more human and terrifying themes that underpin the thrills.”
Here’s how Oni describes the series:
In the year 2142, fertility levels around the globe plummeted, and a black market for illegal clone babies emerged. Millions of parents used their own genetic material to welcome these new children, only realizing the horrific consequences far too late. At some point in their life cycle, three in four of these genetic duplicates transform into psychologically unstable killing machines known as “dupes.” Fortunately, the United Nations of Europe has decided to take an active role in containing the growing threat. Their specialized task force has taken up the unenviable task of hunting dupes before their violence can spread. To the government, they’re the Duplicate Identification and Capture Division. To everyone else, they’re the “Skin Police.” The worst part of the job? It’s always the one you least suspect . . .
Here’s a look at Gete’s interior artwork:
“The amazing team at Oni really bought into this meshing of visceral and cerebral, and in Daniel Gete I have an unbelievable creative partner who has taken my ideas for the future and developed them into an incredibly well-thought-out ecosystem of existence for the characters to inhabit whilst also delivering some of the most impressive action storytelling I have ever seen,” Thomas said.
The first issue will feature variant covers by Nick Pitarra, Adam Pollina and Shaky Kane:
The first issue of four arrives Oct. 2.