Sneak Peek: Mythic #1 by Phil Hester & John McCrea

Mythic #1

 

 

Science is a lie, an opiate for the masses. The truth is, magic makes the world go ’round. And when magic breaks, Mythic fixes it. Apache shaman Waterson, Greek immortal Cassandra, and cell phone salesman Nate Jayadarma are the crack field team assigned with keeping the gears of the supernatural world turning, and more importantly, keeping you from ever knowing about it…

That’s the premise of Mythic, a new series from Phil Hester (Green Arrow) and John McCrea (2000AD, Hitman) that launches today in comic shops and looks absolutely terrific – although I’m not surprised, given I’m a huge fan of this dynamic duo’s work. Right from the get go, this is a PG-action oriented, horror-tinged tale, with great looking monsters, mad magic and more to savour on every page.

John McCrea is a respected illustrator and comic book artist who has worked for many of the major publishers, including Marvel and DC, and I felt privilged to work with him and Phil on STRIP Magazine (I do hope Warpaint will be completed one day). He’s illustrated iconic characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Wolverine, Star Wars, Judge Dredd and The Simpsons – to name but a few.

In addition, he works as an illustrator in book, record and magazine publishing and undertakes design and story boarding work for multimedia and the entertainment industry including being a Lucasfilm accredited artist – and is immensely supportive of aspiring comic creators in the Birmingham area, working on various projects to encourage them.

“It’s a team book,” says John of Mythic, talking to PREVIEWS. “The characters get fleshed out slowly as they are a backdrop to the big story to start with. We have our leader Watterson, who has a monstrous side to him, Cass the immortal who predicts the future and Nate the completely regular Joe who is out of his depth … but as this is written by Phil Hester, I think things will shift and mutate as we roll along.”

Matteo Scalera's variant cover for Mythic #1

Matteo Scalera’s variant cover for Mythic #1

“The truth is, magic breaks down all the time,” writer Phil Hester says of the book’s central premise. “That’s why Mythic was formed. Instead of one rational, unified, logical, cosmos-wide system, the universe is actually governed by a jumble of folklore, old wives’ tales, legends and myths.

“For example, the sun is actually pulled across the sky by a god-piloted chariot. If humans actually knew this they would lose their minds. So, if the wheel of the chariot should break, or one of the horses get dysentery, Mythic troubleshooters drop in, fix the problem, and bug out before common folk even know something went awry.

“The real trouble begins when Mythic itself comes under attack by a force that is not only aware of the illogic running the universe, but wants to end it, bringing a deathly, stilted order back to the universe…”

Although some of the previews have hinted at gory moments, John assures potential readers the book is not as horrific as it seems (although there is some strong language). “There will be horrific elements to the story, but it’s also very action-orientated, so more earth-shattering than vein-puncturing a lot of the time. Plus some humor, too. Think Kirby with the occasional exploding eyeball!”

“It’s always a real pleasure to be working with Phil Hester and with Mythic he’s provided some big, exciting themes for me to sink my teeth into,” says John. “We’ve assembled a crack team of international comic operatives to insure that this is top drawer comic experience! With Mike Spicer on colours, my Hitman letterer Willie Schubert and Rian Hughes providing the award winning design for the book, Mythic is a visual feast!”

“I think John is a singular talent and has a tremendous gift for pathos, comedy and horror,” Phil enthuses of the project’s co-creator, “so Mythic has been tuned to fit all those abilities. I can’t think of another book quite like it on the stands, but if you enjoy Kirby-style action and high concepts combined with creepy horror and irreverent humor, you found your comic book.”

Mythic isn’t the only project in the works from John. He’s also working on DC Comics Section Eight, written by Garth Ennis, which launches next month (10th June), in which the greatest super heroes of all time, from the hit series Hitman, have returned for the greatest super hero story ever told! Befuddled hero Sixpack returns to Gotham City, desperate to rebuild the all-star team known as Section Eight in the face of a deadly threat. He gathers old friends Bueno Excellente, Baytor and the seemingly reborn Dogwelder, along with some new faces – but he still needs that elusive eighth member. That’s when the Dark Knight Detective gets an offer he can’t refuse in part one of this unforgettable six-issue miniseries…

Check out some preview pages below – and my thanks to John for letting us run them.

• Check out the Mythic web site at www.mythiccomic.com

• Follow Phil Hester on Twitter @philhester | Read an interview with Phil about Mythic on Newsarama

• John McCrea’s Web Site is at www.johnmccrea.com | Read an interview with John about Mythic on PREVIEWS

• Among other promotional events, John will be signing at Big Bang, Dublin on 10th June and the Birmingham Forbidden Planet Megastore at 1.00pm on Saturday 13th June to launch the first issues of Section 8 and Mythic. Check out the Events page on the Forbidden Planet web site for more information

• Don’t just take my word for it! Read a review of Mythic #1 on NerdSpan

“Phil Hester has been consistently putting out good comics since we were all five years old. Drawing, writing, the whole shebang. In this case, we’re looking at Mythic #1, a comic he’s writing at Image. He collaborates here with John McCrea, and the result is something quite wonderful; one of the most auspicious debuts of the year.”

Mythic #1
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist: John McCrea
Colours: Mike Spicer
Letters: Willie Schubert
Book Design: Rian Hughes
Publisher: Image Comics
Out: Now

 

Mythic-01_Page_01

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Mythic-01_Page_04 Mythic-01_Page_05

 

 



Categories: Comic Previews, downthetubes Comics News, US Comics

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