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Jim Alexander and Will Pickering’s SF project “Savant” lands in Dark Horse Presents

By John Freeman on February 1, 2017

Savant, a comic strip originally published by British small-press publisher Planet Jimbot, is to be serialised from March onwards in multi-Eisner award-winning Dark Horse Presents.

Introducing Lode from the planet Savant, having gone walkabout around the universe, she chooses to chronicle the lives of the dying. As a result seeks out war zones. She is not a harbinger of death; but it is death nevertheless that draws her like a moth to a flame.

Savant – art by Will Pickering and Fin Cramb

Her travels bring her to Hubris, a planet ripped apart by war. There, she is recruited by local government forces to help hunt down a war criminal. It is a journey that will take her to the mouth of madness. The End of Days itself.

Writer Jim Alexander (Metal Hurlant Chronicles), artist Will Pickering (Burke and Hare) and colourist Fin Cramb (Mono) are all Scottish, but it was at the 2012 Kapow comic convention in London where they came together for the first time. Jim Campbell (Scottish name, English by birth) was brought in as letterer and the team was complete.

I’ll confess to my enthusiasm to see this project get wider exposure through Dark Horse Presents, since it was a story first commissioned by me, back in 2010 as a possible story for the short-lived STRIP Magazine with a different art team. To my dismay, the creator-owned project foundered through no fault of those involved on the creative side. Jim went ahead with a new version of the story and the comic was launched by Planet Jimbot at Plan B in Glasgow on October 2013.

In no time at all, Savant garnered some notable small-press reviews. Big Comic Page said, “Yes, it’s a small-press comic, but this is a title that would more than hold its own – excel, even – in any line-up of comic books from any publisher in the world.”

Geek Pride said, “I haven’t felt this gripped by a sci-fi story since the first time I read William Gibson.”

Dark Horse publisher Mike Richardson got in touch in 2014 to express an interest in acquiring the strip as a creator-owned series for his company’s flagship book. A six-part series was agreed, 48 pages in total, adapting the first 24 as appeared in the Planet Jimbot book, plus 24 all-new pages to finish the story.

The series is scheduled for Dark Horse Presents #32-37, March through August 2017. The creative team is hopeful of more stories in the future, but for now looking forward to see Savant in print courtesy of a world-class publisher in Dark Horse Comics.

In the meantime, Planet Jimbot is still going strong with award-nominated Wolf Country., also written by Jim, with art by Will Pickering and covers by Luke Cooper. Issue Seven is due out soon.

• Issues 32 (March) and 33 (April) of Dark Horse Presents are already solicited and can be bought through your local comic shop

• Buy Wolf Country through the Planet Jimbot online shop

Dark Horse Presents #32: The Full Line-Up – on sale 15th March 2017

Paul Levitz (Writer), Carla Speed McNeil (Writer/ Artist), Michael Walsh (Writer/ Artist /Cover), Jim Alexander (Writer), Shannon Wheeler (Writer/ Artist), Chad Lambert (Writer), Patrick Alexander (Writer/ Artist), Tim Hamilton (Artist), Will Pickering (Artist) and Apri Kusbiantoro (Artist)

This month’s Dark Horse Presents offering is full of fresh, new stories, featuring Shannon Wheeler’s “Too Much Coffee Man”, Jim Alexander and Will Pickering’s “Savant” and Chad Lambert and Apri Kusbiantoro’s “The Jock”! Plus, a new chapter of Carla Speed McNeil’s “Finder: Chase the Lady,” the penultimate chapter of Paul Levitz and Tim Hamilton’s “Brooklyn Blood” and more!

Dark Horse Presents #33: The Full Line-Up – on sale in 19th April 2017

Ron Randall (Writer/ Artist), Carla Speed McNeil (Writer/ Artist), Ryan Browne (Writer/ Artist), Jim Alexander (Writer), Shannon Wheeler (Writer/ Artist/ Cover), Paul Levitz (Writer), Will Pickering (Artist), Fin Cramb (Artist), and Tim Hamilton (Artist)

Mercy St. Clair returns to DHP this month with Ron Randall’s “Trekker: The Volstock Payoff”! Paul Levitz and Tim Hamilton’s “Brooklyn Blood” concludes! Plus, Ryan Browne contributes the hilarious one-shot “There’s a Gorilla on the Cover!” Carla Speed McNeil’s “Finder”, Jim Alexander and Will Pickering’s “Savant” and Shannon Wheeler’s “Too Much Coffee Man” round out this issue.

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.