Writer David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley) and his frequent producing partner Leah Kilpatrick (Headless Horseman) will reteam at Dark Horse Comics on Kingdom of Earth, a monstrous post-apocalyptic comic starting this summer. Featuring art by Soo Lee (Carmilla), and lettering by Frank Cvetkovic, the four-issue series imagines a world overrun by every kind of monster imaginable, where one young human goes on the run after being designated as food by the fiends.
2036. Two years ago, hordes of monsters rose from the earth and sea, devouring everything in sight. Much of mankind was massacred before the monsters realized they needed humans. In this new world, humans have two options: service or slaughter. When a young child named Frankie narrowly escapes their fate as livestock, they soon realize that their fight for survival has only just begun.
Dastmalchian states, “It’s tempting to abandon hope when the world is dominated by monsters… right?! But thanks to the incredible passion of my creative partners on this book, we created a terrifying world where a small flicker of hope burns amidst an apocalyptic landscape. I love mash-ups and this series is the ultimate mash-up. Every monster you’ve ever seen, read or studied battles for supremacy while a small movement of humans plot survival and rebellion.”
Kilpatrick adds, “I love monsters. Every culture has its own folklore, fables, and ghost stories that terrify people in their own unique way. Kingdom of Earth gives us the chance to mine from all of it. I’ve never seen a story, aside from one of my favorites, Cabin in the Woods, where every monster imaginable collides in one world of horror, chaos, and ambition. In KOE, nothing is off-limits. The fun is getting to know these creatures and giving them personality, fears, and motives of their own.”
Lee also states, “I love being able to draw monsters and creatures that go bump in the night. It’s so much more different than what I’ve been working on lately and thanks to my collaborators, I’m able to test myself by making this dark and terrible world beautiful in my own way. I hope everyone is captivated by the world we have developed in Kingdom of Earth.”
Issue #1 will be released on July 15. Another Dastmalchian and Kilpatrick series starring monsters, The Accessories, will begin beforehand at Panick Entertainment on June 3, and in the meantime, you can keep up with Dastmalchian on his coffin-themed video podcast, Grave Conversations.
