TOOTH & CLAW, the exciting new fantasy epic from bestselling writer Kurt Busiek (Marvels, Astro City), artist Benjamin Dewey (I Was the Cat, Tragedy Series), Eisner-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, PRETTY DEADLY), and letterer John Roshell of Comicraft will feature a very special variant cover by artist Alex Ross of Marvels and Kingdom Come fame.
In TOOTH & CLAW, a secret conclave of wizards brings a legendary champion forward through time from the forgotten past to save the world—with disastrous consequences. Featuring swords, sorcery, beast-wizards, gods, vast animal empires, golems of radioactive decay, crystalline badlands, con women, ancient armories, young love, mystery, blood and death and treachery and destiny… TOOTH & CLAW is the sprawling, world-building fantasy series readers won’t want to miss out on.
Ross’s creative process was immediately inspired by TOOTH & CLAW’s fantasy-feel when approaching his variant cover. “The world in TOOTH & CLAW is kind of a quasi-medieval fantasy, joined with classical designs,” said Ross. “That made me think of paintings like The Raft of the Medusa, and I wanted to capture that feeling, with the characters and situations from the series. Although really, the only reference I had was the Pogues album, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash, so in a way, that was my reference and my inspiration.”
“It’s an unusual subject for Alex,” added Busiek. “But he’s painted such a wild range of stuff for Astro City that I was sure he’d do something amazing. So I showed him the art to the first issue, and he was glad to join in. And he really outdid himself, I’d say—it’s a gorgeous, moody cover that really encapsulates what’s going on in this world.”
Ross was also influenced by Dewey’s caliber of artwork. “At this point, we all know what great work Kurt can do, but look at this awesome artwork by Ben Dewey!” said Ross. “This is some of the most impressive and elaborate illustration you can find in comics. How often do you see a world of animal protagonists in a comic story related with such realism and pathos? This book looks damn unique to me, and isn’t that what we should all be looking for?”
TOOTH AND CLAW #1 (Diamond Code SEP140540) will be available on 11/5 as a double-sized 44 page issue with no ads for only $2.99.
TOOTH AND CLAW #2 (Diamond Code OCT140609) Cover A by Benjamin Dewey will be available on 12/3. Cover B by Alex Ross will be available with Diamond Code OCT140610.
