Ballistic

by Adam Egypt Mortimer, Darick Robinson (Illustrator), Grant Morrison (Foreword by)

Overview

Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan, The Boys) and Adam Egypt Mortimer's madcap, psychedelic, transreal, utterly-wacko buddy adventure about Butch and his best friend Gun, a drug-addicted, genetically-modified, foul-mouthed firearm, as they attempt to elevate Butch from air conditioner repairman to master criminal in the twisted, eco-apocalyptic Repo City State, a reclaimed trash island built from DNA-based, living technology with bad attitudes.

Ballistic marks Darick Robertson's return to the hard sci-fi worldbuilding of his classic Transmetropolitan, but mixed with The Boys' ultra-violence and the lunacy of Happy. Mortimer's mix of speculative science, pulpy noire, and drug-addled adventure cooks up a strange brew of Lethal Weapon by way of Cronenberg meets Dr. Who if written by Odd Future.

"This is some balls-out, gonzo worldbuilding and storytelling. Mortimer has laid out a crazy tangled yarn and Robertson is drawing his ass off. Holy hell, this book is a trip, to say the least." -Tony Moore (artist/co-creator The Walking Dead, Fear Agent)

Foreword by Grant Morrison, who called it "My favorite comic of the year."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628750287
Publisher:	Black Mask Studios
Publication date:	05/05/2015
Series:	Ballistic , #1
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

In New York City, I read books at Columbia University, played electric sitar in the subways, and explored various forms of art. Then I gave away my musical instruments and moved to Los Angeles to become a filmmaker. My feature DANIEL ISN'T REAL, produced by SpectreVision, premiered at SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST to amazing reviews. It was released in the U.S. on December 6th. 2019 by Samuel Goldwyn Films. In 2020, I again teamed up with SpectreVision to make science fiction / crime / psychedelic superhero movie ARCHENEMY, starring. The film was released in December of 2020. I was one of the directors on the anthology horror film HOLIDAYS, which was the opening film of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival’s midnight section. Other directors on the project included Kevin Smith, Gary Shore, and Sarah Adina Smith. My first feature, 2015’s SOME KIND OF HATE was called “The next contemporary horror classic” by Fangoria. 2015 also saw the release of my acclaimed graphic novel Ballistic, with art by Darick Robertson, published by Steve Niles’ Black Mask Studios. The graphic novel was praised by reviewers including USA Today and Ain’t It Cool News, and was called “The Best Comic of The Year” by several writers.

Darick Robertson is an American comic book artist, writer, and creator with a decades long career in the industry. Born and raised in the Northern California Bay Area and self trained as an artist, his notable works include co-creating the award-winning Transmetropolitan, The Boys, Happy!, and Ballistic. Darick has illustrated for both Marvel and DC Comics on characters including Batman, The Justice League, Wolverine, The Punisher, and Spider-Man.

Editorial Reviews

03/23/2015
Writer/filmmaker Mortimer (Liberator: Rage Ignition) and artist Robertson (The Boys) indulge every adolescent impulse in this gore-splattered tale of gangs, guts, and glory that is eager to shock. Butch, a wannabe gangster, and Gun, a sentient, psychotic firearm, fix air conditioners in Repo City State—where the trendiest dine on cloned human meat and have their faces eaten off by viruses accidentally downloaded into their brains. Butch is the best there is at tending to the techno-biological structure of this colorful hellscape, but he dreams of being a celebrated outlaw in the Butch Cassidy mold. After a drug-fueled bank-robbery attempt goes south, he and Gun find themselves entangled in the web of sex, drugs, and body modification that holds Repo City State together—and may break it apart. Robertson’s art is densely detailed and unabashedly gross, lingering on smashed-in faces and poisonous fumes. Paired with Mortimer’s purposefully schlocky writing, Ballistic is, at its best, a fun, brash blend of horror, crime, and science fiction. At its worst, it’s a queasy blend of machismo, gross-out humor, and B-movie violence. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Ballistic is such an original world. I haven’t seen bio-tech done this well since Cronenberg’s Existenz. I was in immediately.

Adam McKay (director The Big Short

"Most insane read of the year."

USA Today - Brian Truitt

"One of the most fun, unique sci-fi comics of the year."

io9 - Rob Bricken