Vault Comics announced today “in an industry-shaking move,” that they are making Unnatural Order #1 completely free to retailers. The book marks writer Christopher Yost’s return to comics after being a staple MCU/Star Wars screenwriter. Yost is joined by artist Val Rodrigues on the title, which blends fantasy, science fiction, and high-stakes action.
Read the details below:
In ancient Britain an unstoppable evil known only as the Druid plunges the world into an age of horror, fire, and sacrifice. But there is one man even the Druid fears. A soldier from another time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.
“Unnatural Order #1 comes out in October from Vault Comics,” said Yost. “It’s 30 pages of fantasy/sci-fi/action with a story by me and art by the amazing Val Rodrigues. We’re all very excited about it… I’ve loved comics all my life, but I haven’t had a comic in stores in a while… I was just psyched to be back. And then the gang at Vault ran an idea by me. ‘What if we gave away the first issue to retailers for free?’ I laughed at the obvious joke because certainly, our Corporate Overlords wouldn’t allow that.”
“But this is Vault,” the writer continued. “They don’t do Corporate Overlords. Vault really wants to do something BIG for the retailers who support all of our work. I don’t pretend to understand the business of it, but they LOVE comics. They love their partners. They want all of us to succeed, to celebrate comics.”
Unnatural Order #1 is due out in October. The standard cover will be offered to retailers in free bundles of 25 copies. The issue will retain its $4.99 SRP, and retailers will be free to sell, discount, or freely distribute copies to their customers.
In addition to the standard cover, Vault will offer net-priced, open-order premium variants from Tula Lotay and Maria Wolf.
“Local comic shops are the reason we still have comics,” said Vault CEO, Damian Wassel. “They’re the reason we have an MCU. It’s not just fans, creators, and publishers who are indebted to comic shops, it’s the whole entertainment industry.”
“We know this has been a tougher-than-expected year for retailers. So, we’re making a game-changing move. We’re taking our biggest book of the year and giving it to you for free. Give it away or sell it. It’s up to you. What do we ask in return? Simple. Make this the best-selling comic of 2023. Get every copy you order in the hands of a customer within a week. And then, heck, maybe we’ll keep up this crazy gambit with all our new comics,” Wassel said.
Retailers can contact [email protected] for more information.
Check out some preview pages here!