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| Strange Fruit #1 Main Cover by J.G. Jones |
Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce
the July debut of prolific creators’ J.G. Jones (52, Wanted, Y: The Last Man)
and Mark Waid’s (Irredeemable, Superman: Birthright, Kingdom Come) deeply
personal passion project, Strange Fruit. Beautifully hand-painted and set
during the historic Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, Strange Fruit is a
provocative examination of the heroic myth that confronts themes of racism,
cultural legacy, and human nature through a literary lens, drawing from Southern
folklore and tradition.
It’s 1927 in the fictional town of Chatterlee, Mississippi,
and the rain is heavy. The Mississippi River is rising, threatening to break
open not only the levees, but also the racial and social divisions of this
former plantation town. A fiery message from the skies heralds the arrival of a
visitor, one that will rip open the tensions in Chatterlee. Some will see him
as a savior, others will see him as a threat. All the while, the waters are
still rapidly rising…
“J.G. Jones and Mark Waid are two of the most beloved
creators in our industry—working with them on a passion project of this
magnitude is such an honor,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon.
“This is a complex, challenging narrative that’s pushed both creators to
deliver their best work. Anytime creators this talented crank their craft in
overdrive it’s truly something to behold.”
“I have always had a passion for history, as well as the
tales told by the old folks when I was a kid growing up in Louisiana,” said
J.G. Jones. “The River usually figured in there, somewhere. It was the
lifeblood of the Delta, as well as the sleeping giant you hoped would never
rouse. When I tossed out the idea for a historical drama to BOOM!, I was half
expecting them to say, ‘Interesting... what else you got?’ Instead, they were
really excited about the concept of Strange Fruit. Since I was batting pretty
well at that point, I figured I’d buttonhole my old pal Mark Waid, a fellow
Southerner, and bring in one of the finest writers in comics to help steer this
little boat through the swamp with me. I couldn’t be happier with the results,
and I’m thrilled to have such a great team to bring Strange Fruit out into the
world.”
“I’ve been listening to J.G. tell me about his fascination
with this chapter in Southern history practically since the day I met him, and
I guess he finally got tired of me yelling at him to write it down. But he
knew, quite rightly as a fellow Southerner, that I was just as spellbound by
the true story of what was, at the time, the greatest natural disaster ever to
hit North America,” said Mark Waid. “Together, J.G. and I have introduced a new
element to this historical drama that turns it into what we hope becomes a
timeless tale. It’s a very risky venture, creatively—and BOOM! has backed us
right down the line.”
Strange Fruit #1 arrives in comic shops on July 8th with a
main cover by series artist J.G. Jones for the price of $3.99. Also available in a limited quantity are a Jackpot
variant cover (1 in 100 intermix), a BOOM! 10 Years incentive cover, and a
retailer incentive cover, all illustrated by J.G. Jones.
