Chad Burdette
James Tynion IV, the current scribe of Batman, also has another big project where he is the publisher for his Tiny Onion Studios. This latest project is the digital, “pay what you want” horror anthology Razorblades: The Horror Magazine launching today.
Razorblades, which Tynion curates with writer/editor Steve Foxe, was assembled in secret ahead of the title’s launch. The first issue not only includes stories by Tynion, but also includes contributions from creators such as DaNi (Coffin Bound), Ram V (These Savage Shores, Justice League Dark), Marguerite Bennet (Animosity), and Trung Nguyen (The Magic Fish). The series, along with the comics, will mix prose, illustrations, and features. The first issue also contains an interview between Tynion and DC collaborator Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Dark Nights: Death Metal).
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, writer/editor Steve Foxe said about the time leading up to the release,
“We were impatient about getting Razorblades into readers’ hands, especially after such a tumultuous summer for the industry.,” Foxe explained. “A surprise launch — a jump scare — felt right.”
In the introduction of the issue, Tynion writes about the project,
“Our goal was to focus on the rising class in the comic book industry. Young creatives, starting to make their name in horror, or in comics in general. We’ve asked them to bring us their most frightening work, grounded in the modern world, not trying to evoke something from decades past.”
As part of contributing to the new anthology, each creator maintains full creative control of their contributions, with the ability to republish or build upon concepts and characters featured in the issue; multiple stories in the issue, including Tynion’s own Killboy, created with Ricardo Lopez Ortiz, are intended as serialized or recurring pieces.
While the series is primarily a digital magazine, Razorblades No. 1 will receive a limited edition print run of 500 copies, available for pre-order now at ReadRazorblades.com, where the digital release is also available as a pay-what-you-want download. The second issue of the series, intended as a quarterly, is planned for a release around Halloween.
