23 January 2008


Matt Maxwell, longtime comics commentator (Broken Frontier, Highway 62, and The Comics Waiting Room) officially launches the online preview of his upcoming original graphic novel STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON (JAN083670 F STRANGEWAYS MURDER MOON GN). Not content to sit on the sidelines, Maxwell has tossed his creative hat into the ring with this 144-page black and white tale of western horror; cowboys and werewolves if you like. Originally slated to be published by Speakeasy Comics, STRANGEWAYS and the publishing company parted ways, and Maxwell abandoned the idea of publication in a monthly format in favor of an OGN presentation.


"I really wanted to make sure that the audience had a chance to get the whole story," Maxwell says. "Smaller publishers were spending a lot of money trying to keep a string of monthly-style comics going. And the reality of Diamond's minimums made publishing in an OGN format a lot more attractive. I didn't want to be presented with the very real possibility of having the story cut off midstream, which is why the first issue was never published by Speakeasy. The whole point of this is storytelling, and if you're only getting through the first two acts, your audience is going to be disappointed."


Featuring writing by Maxwell and stark artwork by Argentine artist Luis Guaragña, STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON is the story of former army officer Seth Collins adrift in a haunted, post-Civil War frontier west. Answering an urgent letter from his estranged sister in the town of Silver Branch, Collins finds himself under attack by a strange creature that is neither man nor wolf. When his friend and partner Webster is accused of being the beast, Collins must track down the real threat. But which will kill him first: the Wolf, or the secret that the sheriff of Silver Branch is trying to keep buried?


The cover for STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON was drawn by Steve Lieber (CIVIL WAR, WHITEOUT). Gallery pieces by Guy Davis (BPRD, SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE), Fábio Moon (CASANOVA, SMOKE AND GUNS), and Gabriel Bá (CASANOVA, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY) were specially commissioned for the book. "I've been very lucky with STRANGEWAYS," Maxwell said "in that it gave me an opportunity to work with these very talented artists, in some cases before they were really known in the U.S. And really, if you're going to have a monster designed, you go to Guy Davis. As for Steve Lieber's work, he's really an unsung hero in terms of comic storytelling. That cover was everything I could ask for, both evocative and arresting."


The first chapter of STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON is currently available as a PDF file by way of the following link:


http://www.highway-62.com/Strangeways/2008/01/strangeways_murder_moon_previe.html


"My intention was to give people an idea of what they're getting into, both retailers and readers. Simple as that."


STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON will be supported by promotion in both the horror and comics fields, in print and on the internet. Matt Maxwell, creator and writer of the STRANGEWAYS series, is available for interviews from interested parties. He can be contacted at maxwellm@pobox.com or via the Highway 62 website at highway-62.com.


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Publisher Information
Highway 62 Press
Matthew Maxwell, Publisher
maxwellm@pobox.com

ISBN-10: 0-9796957-0-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-9796957-0-4

144 pages, 7x10 trim size
black and white with color covers

Distributed by Diamond Comics
Street date March 26, 2008

"Is Maxwell bringing back the Western AND Suspense-Horror at the same time? Then I'm on board, riding shotgun. Strangeways, here I come!" -- Jeff Parker (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS and THE INTERMAN)


"MURDER MOON is a thoughtful, intelligent story of brooding werewolves and tough-as-nails cowboys that never lets up the pace, full of action, pathos, and downright fun." -- David Wellington (MONSTER PLANET and 13 BULLETS)


“I’m not sure why ‘cinematic’ is the first word to come to mind as I think about STRANGEWAYS. Maybe it’s the easy flow of the story, which takes its time in introducing and developing characters and setting up the werewolf-Western scenario so naturally and believably.” -- Michael May (Comics World News)


“STRANGEWAYS is definitely not camp; it’s also more horror than western, at least in this debut issue. Writer Matt Maxwell is plainly working to set up a thorough backstory, one deeply rooted in that connecting tissue mentioned above, and keenly aware of the interactive possibilities between various genre mechanics.” -- Joe Mac (Joglikescomics.blogspot.com)