The Corten-Steel Phoenix – Spy Seal Gets His TPB

You may recall a few months back Rich Tommaso was concerned about the initial orders for his Spy Seal comic from Image.  The collected edition is out in January.  Let’s get you a little more information than the somewhat sparse press release.  The full title is Spy Seal, Volume 1: The Corten-Steel Phoenix and it’s an anthropomorphic spy adventure where the MI-6 agent from the title is a seal.  Tommaso, you may recall, is an Eisner Award winner for Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow in 2008.  This volume will collect #1-4 of the Spy Seal comic.

Apparently this is a high end edition, as the sub-headline of the press release reads: “Collecting issues #1-4 in an oversized deluxe format.”  Unfortunately, the body of the press release doesn’t mention anything about the book’s format.  The Barnes & Noble website lists the dimensions as “6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d),” which is probably a typo, so your guess is as good as The Beat’s as to the actual size.

Official PR follows:

Critically acclaimed cartoonist Rich Tommaso (SHE WOLF, DARK CORRIDOR) will release a trade paperback collection of his espionage tale SPY SEAL this January.

Visually reminiscent of such classic comics as The Adventures of Tintin and Usagi Yojimbo, SPY SEAL welcomes readers into the thrilling world of international espionage.

One of Britain’s most covert MI-6 divisions, the Nest, has recruited a brand-new secret agent to their team: Spy Seal! Follow the newbie spy and his furred and feathered colleagues on exciting train rides, high-speed car chases, high-flying air adventures, and down secret underground tunnels, all in an effort to hunt down a dangerous British-turned-Soviet double agent—a slippery spy who poses as an upscale art dealer while covertly killing off important figures of Parliament.

SPY SEAL, VOL. 1 (Diamond code: NOV170686, ISBN: 978-1-5343-0479-6) hits comic book stores Wednesday, January 24th. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, December 11th.