California Sunshine, Dark Noir And Humour: Image Comics Announces ‘Self Help’
by Olly MacNamee
Novelists and writing partners Owen King (Sleeping Beauties, The Curator) and Jesse Kellerman (The Genius, The Golem of Hollywood), along with artist Marianna Ignazzi (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, An Unkindness of Ravens), colourist Fabiana Mascolo, and designer/letterer Ian Chagren, are to produce a new five-issue comic book series, Self Help part of the Syzygy imprint line at Image Comics.
“A California noir story with a wicked sense of humor, Self Help is a surreal and colorful world populated with two-faced talk-show hosts, cheerful Finnish mobsters, bloodthirsty white supremacists, snide English butlers, and panther-wielding Euro-trash assassins.
In Self Help, readers are introduced to down-on-his-luck rideshare driver Jerry Hauser, whose existence is a bleak one…especially because every fare he picks up tells him how much he looks like ultra-successful self-help guru Darren Hart. But in a twist of fate, Jerry is given the chance of a lifetime…which, if he’s not careful, may well end his lifetime. So begins this rollicking and gleefully lurid pulp crime story.
From there the story races ahead at an ever-increasing speed, and with an ever-increasing body count, as Jerry assumes his rival’s identity, fights to keep a lid on the murder, fends off the Euro-gangsters to whom Darren was heavily indebted, placates Darren’s calculating assistant Cassandra, and rebuilds his relationship with his estranged ex-wife Michelle and daughter Amelia. Oh, and he also needs to avoid the white supremacists that hold Jerry’s personal marker—except to them, he’s Danny McClure—and keep up his Drÿvÿr rating.”
King said:
“I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Jesse Kellerman on Self Help. He’s one of my favorite novelists and one of my favorite people. We’re both incredibly lucky to have the brilliant Marianna Ignazzi bringing our sun-baked noir comedy to life.”
And Kellerman added:
“Writing Self Help has been nonstop fun—and the credit for that goes to my amazing co-writer, Owen King. This story is the product of two good friends cutting loose and letting our imaginations run wild. And we’re thrilled by the beautiful, stylish, vivid genius of Marianna Ignazzi. We can’t wait for you to get your hands on it.”
Plus, Ignazzi included the following statement about this new series:
“I am beyond thrilled to be part of the incredible team behind Self Help. Working alongside such talented individuals has been an absolute joy. Get ready for a wild ride as we dive into a gripping crime story filled with unexpected twists and turns.”
Self Help #1 will be available on Wednesday, June 19th with the following covers:
- Cover A by Ignazzi
- Cover B by Stephen Byrne
- Cover C (1:15 copy incentive) by Steven Russell Black
- Cover D (1:25 copy incentive) by Ashley Wood
