A new crime series combines the Neo-Noir tone and Deep South setting of True Detective and the claustrophobic horror of John Carpenter's The Thing, with a major Walking Dead alum along for the ride.
New horror series Of the Earth sees rebellious Tabby Black return to her Texas hometown, only to discover a horrific threat that's transforming her family and community.
The series describes itself as "eco-horror," with some truly impressive creators serving up a story of horror leaking out of the Texas oil industry. The series' tagline reads, "Home isn't what it once was... and neither is gramma."
Of the Earth Is a Neo-Noir With Close-to-Home Horror
Of the Earth is a new neo-noir series coming from Image Comics, courtesy of Chris Condon, Andrew Ehrich, Charlie Adlard, Pip Martin and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Comparing itself to John Carpenter's The Thing and Blood Simple, the series is set to combine crime and horror, as a woman with a chequered past attempts to take refuge in her hometown, only to come face to face with a monstrous threat. The first issue's summary reads:
Legendary artist CHARLIE ADLARD (THE WALKING DEAD) joins writers CHRIS CONDON (THAT TEXAS BLOOD) & ANDREW EHRICH, colorist PIP MARTIN (EVERYTHING DEAD & DYING), letterer HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU (ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS), and designer MIKE TIVEY (NEWS FROM THE FALLOUT) for his triumphant return to Image Comics in this neo-noir-tinged eco-horror miniseries that is Blood Simple meets John Carpenter's The Thing.
Tabitha 'Tabby' Black flees a sordid life for her quiet hometown of Solitude, Texas and the comfort of her Gramma's home where she was raised. Only home isn't what it once was.... and neither is Gramma.
Image is keeping the series' twists and turns under wraps with brief, evocative summaries (issue three's summary reads simply, "Tabby encounters something strange in the basement", however compelling covers from Adlard, Jeffrey Alan Love, Jacob Phillips and Dani imply that oil drigging has unleashed some kind of buried horror bound within the oil.
While the idea of a small town beset by a threat that transforms its victims is already a cool pitch, it's the creative team that really make Of the Earth so unmissable...
Of the Earth Is a Perfect Marriage of Creative Team and Story
One of the biggest indicators of 'must read' status for Of the Earth is the involvement of Charlie Adlard, who was the series artist for The Walking Dead, working alongside creator Robert Kirkman from issue 7 to the final issue 193, and introducing a score of iconic characters and settings.
Adlard is a master of grounded horror and compelling character acting, and Of the Earth's premise seems custom designed to play to his considerable strengths.
Likewise, Chris Condon is the writer behind Image Comics' critically acclaimed That Texas Blood - a neo-Western crime series in the same setting, which follows beleaguered Sheriff Joe Bob Coates as he attempts to protect Ambrose County from increasingly dire threats. Andrew Ehrich is making his comic debut with Of the Earth, coming from a background in independent cinema.
Finally, Pip Martin and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are industry vets, with work on projects including Event Horizon: Dark Descent and Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolf Man (Martin) and Poison Ivy, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees and All Against All.
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Condon's history depicting masked killers and maniacal cults and Adlard's experience with zombies, demons and the literal X-Files are the perfect combo for a crime/horror yarn about a small town fending off an oil-drenched horror, especially with a morally grey, gun-toting protagonist in the driving seat.
New six-issue comic Of the Earth will see a Texas rebel return home, only to find her grandma transformed by a supernatural threat with ties to a powerful oil company, with a creative team who couldn't be better suited to the task - fans of Walking Dead, John Carpenter's The Thing and True Detective shouldn't miss it.
Of the Earth #1 is coming May 20 from Image Comics.