Image is all about pushing all sorts of boundaries. There's a lot going on over there that really makes you enjoy being a comic book reader. Things are about to get a little stranger though, thanks to the duo of Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin throwing their talents behind a brand new series called
Satellite Sam debuting in July.
"It's a detective story, a history of television, and a record of addiction, sex, and depravity during a time when the antiseptic shine off Ozzie and Harriet obscure what was really happening in the world,” said Fraction. "And these are just a few of the many joys that come from telling a story about television while it was being invented as a mass medium in New York City.”
The book takes a look at the darkness behind the small screen when, in 1951, Carlyle Bishop, the star of the beloved serial "Satellite Sam” turns up dead in a filthy flophouse. Carlyle's son Michael has a hunch that his father's death was anything but natural, but the only clue is a box full of photographs of women in various states of undress — and Mike can't bring himself to stay sober long enough to make any sense of it.
The creative team researched television's early days in preparation for the series, getting a feel for the era and for the people who lived real lives while inventing an idealized — and fictionalized — image of families and relationships.
"We'd been talking about SATELLITE SAM for a while, but what really got it going was a long Winter's day Matt and I spent wandering New York, feeling the city's ghosts, its lost and found architecture, ending up at the Paley Center, where we watched kinescopes of long dead men and women, acting out children's fantasies, while living complex lives off-camera,” said Chaykin. "To say that I'm both having the time of my life collaborating on this project, and getting my ass kicked in the process, is to grossly understate the case.”
The ongoing black and white series will see its first issue hit shelves on July 3. Full press release below.
