GEORGE RR MARTIN'S WILD CARDS: THE HARD CALL #1

[MattBrady]

Dabel Brothers Productions has provided Newsarama with a five page, lettered preview of this week's George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards: The Hard Call #1 (of 6), the start of an all-new storyline in the popular alternate reality series.

The publisher describes the book as:

Written by Daniel Abraham
Art and cover by Eric Battle
Incentive Cover by Arthur Suydam

In 1946, an alien virus was unleashed that changed the world forever, and people who were affected made their draw. Most drew the Black Queen and died horribly. Almost everyone who survived drew the Joker, and became deformed, broken, hated and feared. But a handful drew the Ace, and gained super powers that allowed them to achieve almost anything the mind can conceive – both in dreams and in nightmares.

Sixty years later, an ace named Croyd Crenson, better known as "The Sleeper," is framed for the murder of a young nurse in Jokertown. And as it turns out, the killer is another ace, with the ability to walk through walls!

Meanwhile a group of teenagers in Colorado accidentally activate the dormant Wild Card Virus, causing the entire town of Whiteoak to experience the effects of the virus. Most draw the Black Queen, but emergency crews will find themselves faced with two people who have drawn the ace…

Set in the world of the long-running series of popular Wild Card novels edited by George R. R. Martin, Wild Cards: The Hard Call is written by Daniel Abraham (author of The Long Price Quartet and the Nebula nominated short story Flat Diane) with art by Eric Battle (DC's Tales of the Unexpected and Batman) Featuring beloved characters from the original stories, this six issue limited series also introduces us to an entirely new generation of aces and jokers sure to change the Wild Card universe forever!
On sale April 9 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

[Janin]

Very cool! I'm a huge fan of the novels! They're brutal beyond imagining, and yet they have some of the most funloving characters in them too. The Great and Powerful Turtle was always one of my favorites.

Wow ... my first first post.

[Blackbeard]

I'm definitely gonna check this out. I agree with Janin, the novels are fantastic.

[vbartilucci]

The novels were a great example of starting a universe from scratch. They weren't afraid to have the characters affect the great moments of history either.

I recall a character who can walk through walls. She was a sneak thief, and always wearing next to nothing because she could only carry so many pounds of other stuff with her.

The Turtle was a great character, lots of ups and downs with him.

Several of the books are back in print IIRC, haven't kept up to know if the've done new ones. Anyone know?

[johnnyrocket]

There was like a ten year gap after the Card Sharks Trilogy (Books 13 -15?) but are now back with three new books in the last few years. Deuces Down which was a book totally devoted to the Deuces (Aces with trivial powers) and then Death Draws a Five which is out of stock at the book stores... but you can get on Amazon which features some of the old favorites like Fortunato, Billie Ray and some others. A brand spanking new novel called Inside Straight just got published in hard cover and I just found it by accident at Barnes and Noble two weeks ago. I haven't read it yet becasue it picks up from Death Draws a Five... so I ordered that over the weekend and will read them in order when it comes in.

Also this was a great source on all the books:

www.wildcardsonline.com

but the site seems to be down right now.

This sooo should be a series on HBO.

[octothorp]

I'm very excited about this series! I was a big fan of the original books, and although I missed the book on the deuces and the next one, I did get a copy of Inside Straight, and the slams on reality TV were spot-on. Sign me up for a long-term series, please!

[DrunkJack]

Jennifer Maloy/Wraith was the Kitty Pryde As A Thief character, she ended up with Danial Brennan AKA Yeoman the Viet Nam vet bowman.

Edit: I loved the series so much when I first started reading it, it was all I liked about super hero comics AND it was more 'mature' in that it didn't shy away from things that normal super hero comics did. There was sex, heroes that didn't continually lock up bad guys who would escape (if Batman was sane, he would have killed Joker YEARS ago. You do not keep locking up a rabid dog, you put it down).

And I still think it's better than post-deconstructionist super hero comics, because the writers didn't feel a need to piss on their protagonists, they allowed them to be heroic, and exist in a realistic world where death usually meant something and killing was an option, even for a hero.

[TheMightyGeek]

HELL YES!!!

This is a nice spot of news after an immensely crappy weekend.

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I'm very excited about this series! I was a big fan of the original books, and although I missed the book on the deuces and the next one, I did get a copy of Inside Straight, and the slams on reality TV were spot-on. Sign me up for a long-term series, please!

Coming later this year (I think) is BUSTED FLUSH, and SUICIDE KINGS will be the 3rd in the series. Daniel Abraham, the writer of the Wild Cards comic, is also one of the authors in this new arc. Looks like it is going to be a fun ride.

TRUTH-IN-ADVERTISING NOTE: My characters Digger Downs (who has been in several of the previous books) and Brave Hawk (new for this arc) are in this arc.

You might also want to check out the americanhero.wildcards.com website, as well.

[Jim Mayniam]

huge GRRM fanboy...i'd buy a math book if he was credited with writing it. loved all the old novels, inside straight was awesome and i'll be getting this as well

[Mycroft]

The link for the first page is down.

[ArchonComics]

Woohoo! Count me in. Gerorge R.R. Martin rocks!

[tunabeard]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Dabel Brothers Productions has provided Newsarama with a five page, lettered preview of this week's George R. R. Martin's Wild Cards: The Hard Call #1 (of 6), the start of an all-new storyline in the popular alternate reality series.

Is this the first time the series has been in comic book form?

[DrunkJack]

Originally Posted by tunabeard

Is this the first time the series has been in comic book form?

No, Marvel/Epic did a 4 issue prestige format anthology in the late 80s/early 90s, had art by Butch Guice and Larry Stroman and some others.

I have most if not all of it. Format is odd, some new stories, some adaptations of the more self contained tales from the books.

Man, I'm really itching to read the original books again now.

[Derek Ruiz]

Wild Cards appeared in Epic Anthology. I think that's what it was called it's been a long time.

This is an all new tale...made for comics.

Just recently released was the book George R. R. Martin's WILD CARDS: INSIDE STRAIGHT.

[Charlie Hustle]

This looks really good, i like the concept.