Titan Comics has added yet another interesting English translation of a bandes dessinées to the lineup for their newly minted imprint Statix Press. Last month The Beat gave you an exclusive, 13-page look at the first title to debut under that imprint, Doctor Radar, in all it’s fully English-translated glory. This month we’ve got an exclusive announcement of, and first look at, another French series due to be translated for Statix: Factory.
Factory comes from the brain of writer/artist Yacine Elghorri, whose work you’re likely already familiar with even if his name doesn’t ring any bells. Elghorri has served as a character designer for Futurama, and before that he worked as a conceptual artist for animated science fiction film Titan A.E.. His first US publication credit, however, was in Heavy Metal Magazine. As the artist explains:
The first time I was published in the USA was in the magazine Heavy Metal. I was 22 years old. Years later and after working on movies and TV shows in Los Angeles I briefly worked for Marvel and IDW. However, my French albums have never been translated into English. Today I am excited and happy to have the opportunity to be read by a wider audience thanks to Titan comics. My work is very different from the usual Anglo Saxon publications and I hope that the American public will see something artistically attractive or interesting in the spirit of my mentor Jean Moebius Giraud.
So what is Factory? According to Titan’s pitch, the series is where “Mad Max meets Fallout in the nightmarish vision of life on a dystopian planet.” Well okay then! You had me at “nightmarish vision of life on a dystopian planet.” But lest that leave you thinking this a contemporary series, the book actually takes place on a desert planet–following a group of militants weathering the harsh environment looking for the titular Factory, known as “the last semblance of civilization left among the wasteland.”
We’ve got a look at 3 pages from the series, which is due out on March 21, 2018. In addition, we’ve got a few covers for you, one by artist Simon Bisley of Lobo fame who Elghorri has cited as one of his main influences. Statix brand press manager Chris Thompson explained how excited he was to help bring Factory to the English-language market, and how this series fits with the overall mission of Statix:
“As a lifelong fan of Moebius, who was already familiar with Yacine’s work, it’s a privilege to finally bring FACTORY to the US market. At Statix Press mandate we try to team international creators with artists that readers are already familiar with, which is why Simon Bisley was a no-brainer for this first issue cover. His stunning art complements Elgo’s [Elghorri], and gives fans an idea of what to expect from the series.”
So let’s give you a look at this series and those covers!