Heavy Metal Magazine Publishing Florescent Black
Written by MF Wilson (illustrated by Nathan Fox and colored by Jeremy Cox), Florescent Black is set in the future of South East Asia where the human race has been divided in two. On one hand is the rich and healthy Superiors while on the other side are the sick and crazy Inferiors. A superior named Nina is the test model for new genetic designs until she's kidnapped by a street gang and taken to the Inferiors side of town. Tourist attractions on that side of town include man-made splice animals, psychopathic hookers, drug addled freaks, deadly insects, poisonous ecosystems and abandoned tenements.
As a result of the Superior/Inferior dichotomy, the future is both utopian and dystopian simultaneously and the work deals with themes such as public healthcare, gene patenting, eugenics, bio-artistry and the limits of body modification. The work is already being praised by biotechnology web rings and counter-culture magazines as a seminal “bio-punk” novel. For those unaware, "bio-punk" is a new genre has been making a name for itself in the literary marketplace.
“We are very excited to be publishing Fluorescent Black. This book is like nothing else out there! It’s crazy, original and totally punk,” says Kevin Eastman, Editor-in-Chief of Heavy Metal Magazine.
A hardbound limited edition of the 200-page book will be sold at San Diego (Booth # 1629) and New York Comicon. Full press release after the jump.
MF Wilson’s Graphic Novel FLORESCENT BLACK to be Published & Distributed by Heavy Metal Magazine in July 2010
Hardbound Limited Editions to be sold at New York and San Diego Comicon Conventions
Los Angeles, July 9, 2010....Heavy Metal Magazine will publish and distribute MF Wilson’s graphic novel Fluorescent Black in July of 2010. A hardbound limited edition will be sold at San Diego (Booth # 1629) and New York Comicon. The novel is nearly 200 pages long and was written by MF Wilson, illustrated by Nathan Fox and colored by Jeromy Cox. Fluorescent Black is one of the most popular stories featured in the adult illustrated magazine and has a massive cult following. “We are very excited to be publishing Fluorescent Black. This book is like nothing else out there! It’s crazy, original and totally punk,” says Kevin Eastman, Editor-in-Chief of Heavy Metal Magazine.
The novel takes the reader into the hard-hitting dark future of South East Asia where gene-tech has divided the human race into two races. A particularily unique element of the story is the way in which a utopian and dystopian future exist in near proximity; it seems to draw inspiration from a lot of the border disputes going on in politics today. The story plays with other hot-button themes like public healthcare, gene patenting, eugenics, the dangers of bio-artistry, and the limits of body modification. Known for it provocative ideas and scientific accuracy, Fluorescent Black has been praised by biotechnology web rings and counter-culture magazines as a seminal “bio-punk” novel, a relatively new genre which has been slowly working it’s way into the literary and cinematic marketplace.
MF says, “I wanted to write this story for all the things it is guilty of; it’s hard-core, violent, sexual and frightening. It’s venereal horror, bio-punk and psychadelic science fiction all rolled into one.”
It seems to be the perfect material for an illustrator like Nathan Fox who has built a fan base out of his featured work in rock-and-roll magazines and adult comic books, and who is known for his kinetic freehand and raucus style. Every panel is a work of art, with hidden (sometimes blush-worthy) details that only become apparent on a second or third read. “I wanted this book to be wild and colorful; it had to be a living, moving thing.”
The collaboration between these artists has produced a one-of-a-kind novel that is well worth the pricetag. It is available through heavymetal.com
MF Wilson was born and raised in Los Angeles. During his childhood, he witnessed the wonders (and dangers) of the big city. He found himself drawn to the counter-culture elements around him. Punk rock shows, horror movie conventions, underground art galleries and skate parks were MF’s haunts throughout his teenage years. Meanwhile, he immersed himself in visual arts and filmmaking classes at Crossroads high school and at the University of California at Santa Barbara (Where he received the Corwin Award for his short horror movie “Lullaby” starring Tobin Bell (Saw).
Over the years, MF has written and directed several award-winning short films that have gone on to establish him as a unique visionary. His stories are noted for their offbeat characters, living on the fringe of strange and dangerous worlds beset with violence. The heroes of his stories are never uniformally good or bad, but rather have a pragmatic outlook on life and death or right and wrong. In this age, where people are constantly exposed to the harsh realities of a world overrun by the human animal, the question is: “What are the limits of the human capacity for cruelty and compassion?” MF’s answer: “There are no limits.”
MF is developing several original projects at this time, all bearing his unique spin on the world. He is currently on the Van’s Warped Tour (traveling to all 43 concerts) making a documentary about the punk rock scene today.
Fluorescent Black was concieved somewhere on Hollywood Blvd. between Las Palmas and Orange. As MF sat on the sidewalk and watched the people go passing by, he began to wonder what would happen if the differences in these people became exaggerated through years of genetic modification. As an avid fan of the often overlooked “Biopunk” genre, MF jumped head-first into creating the near future world of Fluorescent Black, a world polarized by genetech. He hopes it will be as vibrant and dark as the namesake implies.
Synopsis
FLUORESCENT BLACK - The Graphic Novel MF Wilson - Creator/Writer Nathan Fox - Artist (PIGEONS FROM HELL, DMZ, Dark Reign: Zodiac & more) Jeromy Cox - Colorist (NEW MUTANTS, DMZ, AMAZING SPIDERMAN, TEEN TITANS, VAMPYRATES, PROMETHEA & more)
A visceral ride through a bio-punk future where life is cheap and death is the only way out.
Welcome to 2085, the year of the rabbit.
Fluorescent Black takes the reader into the hard-hitting dark future of South East Asia where gene-tech has di- vided humankind into two races: the rich, healthy Superiors and the sick, crazy Inferiors. These two races live in neighboring cities separated by a heavily fortified border.
A superior named Nina is the test model for cutting edge genetic designs. She is a paragon of physical and mental health: her brain and body represent billions of dollars worth of corporate research and development. During a bio-terrorist attack, Nina is kidnapped by a street gang and taken across the border into a ghetto full of man-made splice animals, psychopathic hookers, drug addled freaks, deadly insects, poisonous ecosystems, and abandoned tenements.
When the corporations tighten their dragnet, the gang quickly discovers that this is no ordinary captive... but she may be the key to solving all of their problems.
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