Image Comics And Tiny Onion Announce New Crime Thriller Graphic Novel ‘Humbucker’

by Olly MacNamee

Director of Narrative & Editor-in-Chief at Tiny Onion Eric Harburn is making his graphic novel writing debut with the upcoming New York-set crime thriller Humbucker, from Image Comics and James Tynion IV’s Tiny Onion. Joining him is artist Simon Gane (Ghost Tree, They’re Not Like Us), colourist Jordie Bellaire (Exquisite Corpses, The Nice House series) and letterer Aditya Bidikar (In Your Skin, The Department of Truth).

“Humbucker follows Denny, the owner of a new indie record label who is drowning in debt trying to make his music dreams come true. He tracks down the influential underground musician Connor Markes, who fell into obscurity decades ago, and bets all he has left on finally recording the musician’s mythical debut album. He sets up a session at a fabled NYC studio where everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Blondie to The Rolling Stones made hits, but tensions rise quickly as Connor struggles to perform. And when Denny’s loan shark crashes the session, all bets are off, and it’s sink or swim for the two troubled leads.”

Harburn speaks of the origins iof this new graphic novel:

“As an editor, I’ve been lucky enough to work with the best creators in our medium, on incredible projects that have always scratched the creative itch. But during a recent visit to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, an idea struck me like a power chord: a pressure cooker of crime and creative ambition, Martin McDonagh meets Elmore Leonard, all set within a legendary recording studio. This was a story I had to tell, and I’m still pinching myself that Simon, Jordie, and Aditya agreed to join the band. Humbucker is a debut album twenty years in the making, and I sincerely hope you’ll give us a spin.”

Gane added:

“I’ve wanted to collaborate with Eric for a very long time now. Who knew it would be in his new role as author rather than editor, but as soon as I started reading the script for Humbucker, I knew I wanted in. That I’d also get to link up with Aditya and reunite with my old partner in crime, Jordie, just sealed the deal. The characters were so fleshed out and alive, I just knew—as an artist—that I would feel for them and want to spend time with them. We hope readers will too. Yes, the story moves from coast to coast and there is drama and tension, but it’s also intimate and personal. It covers themes surrounding creativity. Putting your head above the parapet can leave you exposed and vulnerable. As our characters will find out, very, very vulnerable.”