Whenever Doug Wagner and Daniel Hillyard team up, readers know to expect something gleefully twisted. The duo behind Plastic, Vinyl, Plush, Narco, and I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer have built a reputation for mixing horror, dark comedy, and unforgettable characters. Now, they’re taking things even further with I Love Apocalyptic Zombie Misfits, a new original graphic novel launching the brand-new Fourth Leaf imprint from Clover Press.
Today, AIPT can exclusively reveal the Murder Chickens Card Game, an original tabletop game that will be available as part of the Kickstarter campaign alongside the graphic novel.
Check it out below!
The 240-page deluxe hardcover follows a nerdy pacifist who is resurrected in a vat of holy motor oil and awakens trapped inside the body of a hulking supernatural slasher. Suddenly thrust into a war between Heaven and Hell, he’s tasked with protecting a psychic child while navigating cultists, monsters, and, naturally, an army of homicidal chickens.
The graphic novel blends supernatural horror, outrageous action, and the offbeat humor that has made Wagner and Hillyard fan favorites, while introducing a cast of wonderfully bizarre characters caught in an apocalyptic conflict.
“People often tell me I write weird books. I don’t. I write stories about friendship, family, loyalty, and wonderfully broken people that just happen to feature serial killers, cannibals, homicidal furries, and, in the case of I Love Apocalyptic Zombie Misfits, murder chickens,” said writer Doug Wagner. “Somehow, Daniel and I managed to make our previous books look almost responsible, and Clover Press encouraged us every step of the way. Together, we’ve created a wonderfully weird beast that I absolutely cannot wait to unleash on the world.”
Artist Daniel Hillyard said the project pushed their creative partnership into even stranger territory.
“I never could have imagined that mine and Doug’s love of the quirky and horrific would bring us to a place of crazed cultists, a Frankenstein-esque serial killer, immortal murder chickens and a zombie-driven-apocalyptic-death truck! I mean… WHAT!?”
Clover Press publisher Hank Kanalz admitted the pitch didn’t take much convincing.
“When Doug and Daniel first pitched me on this, I pretty much greenlit it when they said ‘Murder Chickens,'” Kanalz said. “But at the heart of this story is the family Doug and Daniel have crafted. This is about what and who you’d die for. And Murder Chickens.”
The Kickstarter campaign marks the launch of The Fourth Leaf, Clover Press’ new creator-owned imprint dedicated to original comics and graphic novels. Alongside the hardcover, backers can pick up an exclusive Chris Bachalo dust jacket edition, a deluxe slipcase edition, art prints, and the newly revealed Murder Chickens Card Game, giving fans another way to embrace the comic’s wonderfully absurd world.
With over 400,000 copies of their previous collaborations sold worldwide, Wagner and Hillyard continue to prove there’s always room for horror that refuses to take itself too seriously.
The Kickstarter campaign for I Love Apocalyptic Zombie Misfits is live now. Fans can check out the exclusive Murder Chickens Card Game above and back the project before the campaign ends.
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