Writer Kelly Thompson and artist Mattia De Iulis are teaming for a new creator-owned series. The Cull is a five-issue series set to launch from Image Comics in August. Co-created by Thompson and De Iulis and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the series follows a group of five young friends in which one of the kids is harboring a potentially deadly secret.
Here’s how Image describes The Cull:
Something is Killing the Children horror vibes mix with The Goonies-style adventure as five friends set off to shoot a short film on a forbidden rock near their home the summer before they all go their separate ways. But that’s not really why they’re there. One of them has lied… and it’s a lie that will change their lives forever.
The Cull is the latest collaboration between Thompson and De Iulis. The writer and artist initially teamed up for a pair of Jessica Jones series for Marvel. Thompson initially announced The Cull on her Substack newsletter back in September of 2021. Here’s how Thompson described the story at the time:
A sci-fi fantasy adventure following a group of high school friends who venture to a forbidden local rock to make a short film, only to find themselves in another world…and when they return home, everything has changed and it’s been years, not days.
In the statement from Image announcing the series’ release, Thompson and De Iulis described reteaming for their first creator-owned collaboration:
“When Mattia reached out to partner on something creator-owned together, I was over the moon,” said Thompson. “What we came up with for The Cull is both horrifying and delightful, and of course stunningly gorgeous thanks to Mattia’s mind-blowing visuals.”
Mattia De Iulis added: “I made my debut as a comic book artist with Kelly (on Jessica Jones), and I can’t believe I’m here now after five years working on the most beautiful project I could ever imagine! The Cull grabbed me inside from the first pages, horror and mystery come together to create a fantastic adventure!”
The first issue of The Cull will feature a main cover by De Iulis, as well as a whopping seven variant covers by artists including Lorenzo Ceccotti (open-to-order), Michael Walsh (open-to-order), Andrew J. Seles (open-to-order), Chris Shehan (open-to-order), Meredith Mcclaren (1:10 ratio), Dike Ruan (1:25 ratio), and Tula Lotay (1:50 ratio).
You can check out all of those covers, as well as a five-page preview of The Cull #1 below. The first issue of the five-issue series will arrive in stores and digitally on Wednesday, August 16th. The issue will also release simultaneously on Thompson’s Substack.
