Carlos Morales
R(ender); lets a picture tell a story when the dead can’t speak for themselves.
Lions Forge isn’t afraid of what death has to say, but they should be terrified of what it has to show and their new book R(ender); is how we find out. In R(ender); mystery and photography come together in a neo-noir comic that creators Leah Williams and Lenka Simeckova’s know we will all love
R(ender); is a 10 issue story about Emie Ocampo, a photographer who can share the last images from the eyes of the dead — a skill that detective Natalie Bixel can use (even if she’s not entirely convinced by Ocampo’s abilities) to find the truth behind a series of unsolved murders in the neo-noir world of New Delith, the setting for the comic book series.
Williams spoke with The Hollywood Reporter: “I joke about R(ender); being ‘X-Files, but with lesbians and magic’ or ‘seapunk tech noir,’ but really it’s a cyberpunk neo-noir story that takes place on the fraying edge between magic and technology,” Williams goes on to say that it’s “the one story I’ve been desperately hungry to tell ever since I was a teenager. The main character’s unique magical prowess is literally a dream I had when I was 14, and just never stopped thinking about.”
Marvel, Boom! Studios and Dynamite Entertainment are some of the places Williams has written for and shared on the process that has led her to this point: “Every step of this process has felt like I’m working with a partner-in-crime or a co-conspirator with Jasmine as my editor — locked step, in complete agreement, and Jasmine’s ideas get me hyped and give me new inspiration all over again because of how well she understands this universe. And now that Lenka Simeckova is working with us as the artist, I feel even more spoiled. And lucky. This easily feels like the most self-indulgent creative venture of my entire life and I honestly can’t believe it’s real or that any of this is happening. I’ve been subtweeting my own happiness about it for months.”
Lion Forge editor Jasmine Amiri said the new series “is mesmeric, it’s alluring, it’s going to dig its claws into you and suck you into a rich, twisted story where magic is real and anyone can turn on anyone. I’m very much looking forward to readers joining us on this ride.” And we don’t have to wait too long for this one with a release date of April 2019.
