AfterShock Comics is lining up a new series for the spring with the announcement of Lonely Receiver. The new work comes from writer Zack Thompson and artist Jen Hickman. It’ll feature a main cover by Hickman while Elizabeth Torque is providing the incentive cover. The first installment is set for a May 6th, 2020 debut priced at $4.99.
“This is by far the scariest and weirdest thing I’ve ever created,” said Thompson. “If you loved my previous work on titles like Come Into Me, The Replacer, or The Dregs – you’ll be right at home here. If you’re a freak like me and adore the work of David Cronenberg or Clive Barker you’ll find something to love in Lonely Receiver. A horrifying look at the lengths we’ll go to avoid being alone. It’s a book about losing yourself to heartbreak and descending into technological depravity. You’ll confront the fetishization of voyeurism, violence and manipulation. We’ll lay bare the psychology behind how far we’re willing to go to please ourselves in a space where nothing is off limits.”
“The mood of Lonely Receiver is both familiar and warped—modern, sleek, and fashionable but dark and unsettling as well, just below the surface,” said Hickman. “I’m letting the colors carry a lot of that mood, but I’m also pushing the character acting a little farther than I usually do. Heartbreak is a lot of intense emotion, and if I can get a reader to recognize their own experiences in our protagonist, Catrin, then I’ll be greatly pleased.”
Plot Concept: Catrin Vander, a lonely video producer, buys an Artificial Intelligence partner that’s meant to bond for life. After ten years together, her holographic wife suddenly disconnects without a warning. The breakup drives Catrin to the point of near insanity. She’s alone for the first time in years and reeling from a loss she can’t comprehend.
Set in the new future, drenched in pastels and sunshine, LONELY RECEIVER is a horror/breakup story in five parts. Written by Zac Thompson (UNDONE BY BLOOD, THE REPLACER, HER INFERNAL DESCENT, No One’s Rose, X-Men) and illustrated in color by Jen Hickman (MOTH & WHISPER, Test).
