Retailer Advisory: Oni Press and EC Comics Invade Comic Shops with Bloody New Posters & Pre-Order Materials for EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1
PORTLAND, OR (May, 2nd, 2024) – Attention, comic shoppers: GET THOSE EC PRE-ORDERS READY…OR ELSE! The no-holds-barred return of the most influential and infamous publisher in comics history – the immortal EC Comics – is coming soon to comic shops everywhere…and Oni Press is tenderizing retailers nationwide for the torments yet to come with the first wave of bloody promotional and pre-order materials supporting the comics event 70 years in the making: the jugular-pumping resurrection of EC Comics in the pages of EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 (on sale July 24th) and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 (on sale August 7th)!
(And, yes, we said first wave…!!!)
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 – Double-Sided Promo Poster
Art by Lee Beremjo & Adam Pollina | Design by Rian Hughes
Arriving at the end of May, select Diamond retailers will receive a killer suite of Direct Market-exclusive promotional materials showcasing the release of the all-new EC’s twin titans of toxic delight – EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 and CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 – with double-sided and super-sized 24” x 36” promotional posters revealing the heartstopping artwork of Eisner Award-winning cover artists Lee Bermejo (Batman: Damned, A Vicious Circle) and Greg Smallwood (The Human Target, Moon Knight) with design by Rian Hughes (The Multiversity) in all of the resplendent glory!
CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 – Double-Sided Promo Poster
Art by Greg Smallwood & J.H. Williams III | Design by Rian Hughes
Plus, also arriving in the same shipment: The most gruesome, grisly, and incredibly effective retail tool in all of existence – THE OFFICIAL EC COMICS PRE-ORDER POSTCARD! Coming to stores in shrink-wrapped bundles of 20 cards per bundle (with more available upon request), this is your permission slip to let your discerning horror aficionados, your science-fiction sycophants, and weekly comic shop weirdos know the truth: MISSING OUT ON EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 AND CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH! Simply encourage shoppers to complete the required information, check the designated boxes for their title(s) of choice, and prepare for the EC-induced adrenaline rush that will soon come crashing in your customer’s pull boxes this summer.
Just remember, dear retailer: There are only two kinds of comic book reader – Those who love EC Comics…and those who don’t love EC Comics yet!
EC COMICS PRE-ORDER POSTCARD
Art by Adam Polina
First: EC’s relentless resurrection begins with an extra-sized, 40-page dose of fear in EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1 – on sale July 24th! Beginning right here, witness shocking tales of torment and tension in the eternal EC tradition—as wrenched from the grave by the vile intentions of acclaimed writers Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned, 100 Bullets), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, Night People), J. Holtham (Night Thrasher, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale), and Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Grim) and realized into bloody reality by “all-slaughter” artists Jorge Fornés (Rorschach, Danger Street), Phil Hester (Family Tree), Peter Krause (Irredeemable), and Vlad Legostaev (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). What the Comics Code Authority couldn’t kill has only made it stronger… EC Comics enters the 21st century with a jugular-pounding horror milestone that not only features four self-contained exercises in adrenaline from Brian Azzarello & Vlad Legostaev, Chris Condon & Peter Krause, J. Holtham & Jorge Fornés, and Stephanie Phillips & Phil Hester, and more — but also the first glimpse of EC’s new cast of horror hosts…and a razor-sharp gallery of covers inspired by the eternal artistry of the EC’s infernal legacy with talents including Lee Bermejo (Batman: Damned, A Vicious Circle), Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls, Batman: The Imposter) with Dave Stewart (Hellboy), Jay Stephens (Dwellings), Rian Hughes (The Multiversity), and Dustin Weaver (Avengers, Paklis).
Then, on August 7th: Compelled to OBLIVION, driven to ENTROPY, all life in our cosmos can only end in one place: COMPLETE ANNIHILATION! For the second time in 70 years, the limitless fury of EC Comics rages back to life to shred the very fabric of the universe itself … and wrench bizarre tales of time and space into our dimensional plane in CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 – 40 all-new pages of destructive wonder with cosmic implications featuring A STAR-SPANNING CAST OF SHOCKING TALENTS SOON TO BE REVEALED…
IN 2024, EC COMICS LIVES AGAIN!
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #1
WRITTEN BY BRIAN AZZARELLO, CHRIS CONDON, J. HOLTHAM & STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
ART BY JORGE FORNES, PHIL HESTER, PETER KRAUSE & VLAD LEGOSTAEV
COVER A BY LEE BERMEJO
COVER B BY ANDREA SORRENTINO WITH DAVE STEWART
EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS
B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY RIAN HUGHES
HORROR HOST VARIANT (1:100) BY DUSTIN WEAVER
FOIL COVER (GOLD) BY LEE BERMEJO
FOIL COVER (SILVER) BY ANDREA SORRENTINO WITH DAVE STEWART
BLANK COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
ON SALE JULY 24TH | $4.99 (STANDARD) | $7.99 (FOIL) | 40 PGS | FC
IOC: 05/30/2024
FOC: 07/01/2024
CRUEL UNIVERSE #1
WRITTEN BY TO BE REVEALED!
ART BY TO BE REVEALED!
COVER A BY GREG SMALLWOOD
COVER B BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS
B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
TOP-SECRET VARIANT (1:100) BY TO BE REVEALED!
FOIL COVER (SILVER) BY GREG SMALLWOOD
FOIL COVER (GOLD) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
BLANK COVER ALSO AVAILABLE
ON SALE AUGUST 7TH | $4.99 (STANDARD) | $7.99 (FOIL) | 40 PGS | FC
IOC: 06/27/2024
FOC: 07/15/2024