Viz had some interesting announcements at their NYCC panel. And this is the biggest: a new print edition of Homestuck, Andrew Hussie’s cult webcomic/interactive experience. The strip has already had print collections from Hussie, but the new editions will be very extensive, with animated content rendered as frames on the printed page. And commentary on EVERY page by Hussie.
A vast, media spanning experiences that ran for years and captivated a mainly teen audience, HOMESTUCK is a unique experience in comics. But a mass market editions from Viz could find a whole new audience. Great pick up.
More in the PR!
Created by Andrew Hussie, HOMESTUCK BOOK 1: ACT 1 & ACT 2 is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens and will be published in April 2018. Future books in the series will be released by VIZ Media on a quarterly basis. Each volume will be a deluxe hardcover, full-color edition of roughly 400 pages in length and will feature new cover art and other exclusive content. Animated content in the web comic will be rendered as frames on the print page, and every page will feature commentary from Andrew Hussie. Digital editions of each volume will also be available through partner storefronts.
VIZ Media’s HOMESTUCK publishing acquisition complements the recent announcement of thelong-awaited release of HIVESWAP: ACT 1 by game development studio What Pumpkin Games (WPG). WPG and Homestuck, Inc. (Homestuck) also announced a strategic partnership with VIZ Media to develop a comprehensive array of additional entertainment content and licensed merchandise based on the HOMESTUCK universe, including both the original web comic and the HIVESWAP game series.
In the HOMESTUCK comic, on his 13th birthday, John Egbert starts playing a mysterious videogame called Sburb. Unfortunately, this triggers the apocalypse. Fortunately, he and his friends can create the universe anew – if they can beat the game. But there’s another group of players trolling them to unknown ends, and a big bad who might be impossible to defeat. They’ll need a lot of teamwork, a little luck, and some inspired shenanigans along the way to make it through this mind-bending, genre-defying adventure.
“We’re very much looking forward to publishing these deluxe compilations of HOMESTUCK. These books are not replacements for the web comic (unfortunately, we couldn’t devise a way to embed the music in paper) but rather companions to it. We hope that they’ll provide both existing fans with an opportunity to re-appreciate the work—especially guided by Andrew’s commentary—and new readers with another gateway to enter this rich universe,” says Leyla Aker, Executive Vice President and Publisher.
Written, illustrated and animated by creator Andrew Hussie, HOMESTUCK is one of the most spectacular pop-culture phenomena of the past decade, a unique and massive internet-based hybrid work consisting of web comics, chat logs, gifs, video games, animation and music. Launched in 2009, HOMESTUCK comprises over 8,000 pages encompassing such diverse genres such as action/adventure, sci-fi and fantasy, comedy, romance, and drama. Beloved by legions of devoted fans for its extensive world-building and engaging characters, it’s a coming-of-age story about a group of friends who start playing a mysterious new videogame that triggers the apocalypse. They can’t save the world, but they can work together to create a new universe–if they can beat the game. Additional information on HOMESTUCK is available at: Homestuck.com.
