David Lloyd’s ‘Kickback’ set for digital release

By John Freeman on 23 February 2012

Digital publisher Panel Nine will be releasing its second deluxe graphic novel in March for the iPad: Kickback by V for Vendetta co-creator David Lloyd.

First published in 2005 in French by Carabas and in English in 2006 by Dark Horse, Kickback is about a corrupt detective in a corrupt force and how and why he decides to change direction.

“He’s a tough cop, but in all other aspects a regular guy,” David Lloyd explained in an interview for downthetubes in 2006, “and he’s corrupt because everyone else around him is on the take. He’s just going down the same road as everyone else because it’s easier to do that than face up to his moral responsibilities.

“It’s something we all do in life, I’m sorry to say – in little ways or big ways. If we didn’t, we’d have a much better world to live in.”

The app has the full graphic novel as previously released by Dark Horse but supplements it with a host of unseen extras, including production sketches, thumbnails and cover roughs.

“There’s also an explosive interview with David Lloyd exclusive to the app, in which he has some choice words on the comics industry and one publisher in particular,” publisher Russell Willis tells us.

“As a special extra Lloyd has provided page-by-page commentaries on each page of Kickback — providing a masterclass in the making a graphic novel.”

Headquartered in Tokyo, Panel Nine publishes graphic novels exclusively for the iPad and has two lines: one which publishes some of the best comics work already existing as deluxe digital graphic novels for the iPad – they released Eddie Campbell’s Dapper John last year — and another which will publish new work that is created with the iPad in mind from the beginning.

• Panel Nine official site: www.panelnine.com

• Read our 2006 interview with David Lloyd about Kickback

• Read David Lloyd’s Kickback pages on his own official web site

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as 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.