AfterShock Comics is setting up its next project with writer Steve Orlando after Dead Kings and Kill A Man with the April 7th, 2021 debut of Project Patron. With this series, he’s working with artist Patrick Piazzalunga and colorist Carlos Lopez. The main cover is being produced by David Talaksi while an incentive cover is being produced by Aaron Lopresti.
“PROJECT PATRON asks a simple question,” said Steve Orlando. “What if the death of the world’s greatest superhero was a con job? Thirty years ago, the world watched as its greatest defender, the Patron, fought for it all against Woe, a primordial creature that last popped up to kill the dinosaurs. It was the greatest superhuman fistfight the world had ever seen, and at the end, but Woe and the Patron fell dead…but soon after, the Patron rose again! Or did he? PROJECT PATRON is the answer. When the world loses its greatest hero, those in power fear what we’ll do without him, so they bring him back to life the best they can and replace him with a Reploid. This is the story of the team that pilots that Reploid, the people secretly behind the Patron’s continued heroism, and the incredible sacrifices they make. Piloting the Patron Reploid might be the greatest thrill in history, but it comes at a price: total anonymity, and a gig where every flight knocks a year off your life. The pressures on the team are enormous…so when a tragedy strikes at the heart of Project Patron, the world hangs in the balance as the greatest secret in modern history trembles on the brink of revelation.”
Plot Concept: Thirty years ago, the world watched in horror as THE PATRON, a hero sent as humanitarian aid from a different dimension, went punch for punch with WOE, a primordial beast and a perfect match for our mighty protector. In the end, hero and villain alike fell…but the Patron returned – and continues to defend us to this day!
At least, that’s what we’ve all been told.
The truth is, the Patron died that day along with Woe. The UN replaced the Patron with a Reploid, designed to mimic the real Patron and continue on his mission of protection.
Today, the Patron Reploid is secretly piloted by an elite team – a team prepared for anything… except for the death of one of their own.
