IDW has announced a new high fantasy comic book series The Hunger and the Dust from G. Willow Wilson and Chris Wildgoose set to launch this July. A self professed dream project for Wilson, this series promises heartrending drama, pulse-quickening romance, awe-inspiring world-building, and bloody carnage to satisfy every manner of genre fan. The series will be colored by MsassyK and lettered by Simon Bowland.
“During the pandemic, I thought a lot about the many different times in history when the world has come to an end. I was also revisiting the science fiction and fantasy comfort food that I grew up with, and bit by bit, almost like a bedtime story, this saga—with orcs and humans banding together in a world that is slowly becoming uninhabitable, with enemies facing the choice to stand together or die separately—began to take shape,” says Wilson. “Ordinarily, high fantasy is not something I write a lot of, but coming out of the pandemic, I thought, ‘To hell with it. Death is coming for us all. Do what you love. Write the hot orc saga.’ And here we are!”
So what’s The Hunger and the Dust about?
In a dying world, only humans and orcs remain, mortal enemies battling for territory and political advantage. But when a group of fearsome ancient humanoids known as the Vangol arrive from across the sea, the two struggling civilizations are forced into a fragile alliance to protect what they have built.
As a gesture of his commitment to the cause, the most powerful orc overlord, Troth Icemane, sends his beloved cousin, Tara, a high-ranking young healer, to fight alongside brash human commander Callum Battlechild and his company of warriors. With a crisis looming, the success of this unlikely pair’s partnership and the survival of their peoples will depend on their ability to unlearn a lifetime of antagonistic instincts toward one another…and rise above the sting of heartbreak.
“My emotions are running high as The Hunger and the Dusk gets closer to finally being out into the wild,” says Wildgoose. “From the start, Willow handed me this lovely, detailed lore bible of the orc dynasties, their marriage ceremonies, what animals the different tribes hunt, bits of their folklore, where they migrate in the winter. Then we have the humans. Again, she gave me their history, details on some of the cities we may or may not even see in the first series. It was everything I’d hoped for as a starting point, and from there, Willow has let me work in my own high-fantasy tastes. It feels like a seamless union of two nerdy fantasy fans, and I’ve loved every second of the collaboration so far.”
Chris Wildgoose will supply the main covers, while Cover B will spotlight the sensational art of Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Paper Girls). Rotating contributors will grace each Cover C month to month, with InHyuk Lee (Mighty Morphin, The Flash), Nick Robles (The Dreaming: Waking Hours), and Jessica Fong (Poison Ivy) assuming cover art duties for the first three issues, respectively.
“I burned through superlatives to describe The Hunger and the Dusk halfway through development, and nothing I say can match the experience of witnessing the work speak for itself,” says senior editor Maggie Howell. “The amount of thought and love that went into each page is loud and clear and almost unbelievable. This series is a passion project from a creative team at the top of their game, who have poured their hearts into telling a story both urgent and addictive and making Cal, Tara, Troth, and Faran every reader’s new favorite characters. IDW is immensely proud to be its home.”
For more on this news, read the official press release below.
SAN DIEGO, CA (April 19, 2023) – IDW is proud to announce The Hunger and the Dusk, an ongoing comic book series by Hugo– and World Fantasy Award–winning writer G. Willow Wilson (Ms. Marvel, Wonder Woman, Poison Ivy) and all-star artist Chris Wildgoose (Batgirl: Rebirth, Batman: Nightwalker). Debuting in July, Wilson’s self-proclaimed dream project is a high fantasy tour de force promising heartrending drama, pulse-quickening romance, awe-inspiring world-building, and bloody carnage to satisfy every manner of genre fan!
In a dying world, only humans and orcs remain, mortal enemies battling for territory and political advantage. But when a group of fearsome ancient humanoids known as the Vangol arrive from across the sea, the two struggling civilizations are forced into a fragile alliance to protect what they have built.
As a gesture of his commitment to the cause, the most powerful orc overlord, Troth Icemane, sends his beloved cousin, Tara, a high-ranking young healer, to fight alongside brash human commander Callum Battlechild and his company of warriors. With a crisis looming, the success of this unlikely pair’s partnership and the survival of their peoples will depend on their ability to unlearn a lifetime of antagonistic instincts toward one another…and rise above the sting of heartbreak.
“During the pandemic, I thought a lot about the many different times in history when the world has come to an end. I was also revisiting the science fiction and fantasy comfort food that I grew up with, and bit by bit, almost like a bedtime story, this saga—with orcs and humans banding together in a world that is slowly becoming uninhabitable, with enemies facing the choice to stand together or die separately—began to take shape,” says Wilson. “Ordinarily, high fantasy is not something I write a lot of, but coming out of the pandemic, I thought, ‘To hell with it. Death is coming for us all. Do what you love. Write the hot orc saga.’ And here we are!”
“My emotions are running high as The Hunger and the Dusk gets closer to finally being out into the wild,” says Wildgoose. “From the start, Willow handed me this lovely, detailed lore bible of the orc dynasties, their marriage ceremonies, what animals the different tribes hunt, bits of their folklore, where they migrate in the winter. Then we have the humans. Again, she gave me their history, details on some of the cities we may or may not even see in the first series. It was everything I’d hoped for as a starting point, and from there, Willow has let me work in my own high-fantasy tastes. It feels like a seamless union of two nerdy fantasy fans, and I’ve loved every second of the collaboration so far.”
Of their collaboration, Wilson says, “Chris is incredibly meticulous. There’s a reason for every little bit of decoration on every costume. He’s figured out how the armor fits over the clothing underneath. I try to avoid riding scenes when possible because horses tend to be difficult and annoying for artists to draw, but he went all-in and came up with entirely new types of riding animals. It’s just unreal. It’s a fully developed universe. His work on this book is on another level.”
The Hunger and the Dusk will be colored by MsassyK and lettered by Simon Bowland. In speaking of the final product, Wildgoose says, “Hoo boy! It is just everything I have ever wanted one of my books to look like.”
“I burned through superlatives to describe The Hunger and the Dusk halfway through development, and nothing I say can match the experience of witnessing the work speak for itself,” says senior editor Maggie Howell. “The amount of thought and love that went into each page is loud and clear and almost unbelievable. This series is a passion project from a creative team at the top of their game, who have poured their hearts into telling a story both urgent and addictive and making Cal, Tara, Troth, and Faran every reader’s new favorite characters. IDW is immensely proud to be its home.”
Each issue of The Hunger and The Dusk will be available with multiple variant covers for fans and retailers to enjoy. Each issue’s Cover A will feature series artist Chris Wildgoose, while Cover B will spotlight the sensational art of Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Paper Girls). Rotating contributors will grace each Cover C month to month, with InHyuk Lee (Mighty Morphin, The Flash), Nick Robles (The Dreaming: Waking Hours), and Jessica Fong (Poison Ivy) assuming cover art duties for the first three issues respectively.
For information on how to acquire copies of The Hunger and The Dusk and other original IDW comic books, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
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