Heavy Metal has announced that Cold Dead War#1, the first issue of the zombie war series from writer George C. Romero, penciller Germán Ponce, inker Gabriel Rearte, colorist Protobunker, and letterer Saida Temofonte has sold out and will return for a second printing. The new printing of the issue will feature brand-new cover art by D•MINT•ID and Albert Alvarado, and today The Beat can exclusively reveal the cover artwork, which will be available in a few different variations.
Here’s how Heavy Metal describes Cold Dead War:
Cold Dead War follows the zombie crew of a B-17 bomber who continue their mission to fight and kill enemies of American democracy and freedom, even long after they’ve already given their lives to the cause. In this epic Horror-War series set across the past, present and future, a freak occurrence reanimates an island of freshly killed soldiers in the wake of the Battle of Midway in World War 2.
The cover art for the second printing of Cold Dead War #1 depicts a traditional pin-up, typically seen on the side of a bomber. Variations on the cover, all of which are shown below, include logoless ‘virgin’ versions, ‘zombie’ variants, and topless variants (presented censored below). The standard version will be available to order through Diamond, while all the other variants can be ordered by retailers and individuals alike directly from Heavy Metal.
In a statement announcing the new printing, writer Romero expressed his enthusiasm at seeing the issue go back to press:
“Getting to play in my favorite slice of all of the Heavy Metal metaverse while working with and alongside legends in the comic space has been a venture into some of the most rarefied air of my entire career. To hear that Cold Dead War #1 is going to a second printing is one of the best things a writer can hear, as well. It’s really humbling to see our series that so many worked hard to create resonate so widely with our audience and I’m looking forward to working hard to make sure I don’t let that audience down!”
Cover artist D•MINT•ID said he jumped at the chance to create the covers for the new printing:
“When Heavy Metal asked me to do a design for the Cold Dead War second printing cover, I jumped at the chance. It’s a thrill to do art for this epic Nazi-slaying zombie series. I have to say though, this pinup model was pretty…lifeless.”
The main cover of the second printing of Cold Dead War #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday, September 29th; the final order cut-off date through Diamond is Monday, September 6th. Retailers ordering directly from Heavy Metal will receive the main cover, as well as all of the variant covers, on Wednesday, September 8th; pre-order cut-off for the variant covers from the publisher is next Wednesday, August 4th.