Bedlam Finds an Image

Nick Spencer does write things other than Morning Glories you know. He probably takes walks, plays video games and teams up with Riley Rossmo for other books from Image Comics. Books like Bedlam, a new series set in a city terrorized by a maniacal killer and crime boss called Madder Red. The killer has been rehabilitated and has reclaimed his given name, Filmore Press, but the city of Bedlam is still soaked with the blood and madness he left in his wake.

"It's a scary world these characters live in. A desperate one. It's brutal what we put them through," says writer Spencer. "The shocks aren't confined to the last page, they're peppered throughout. There are a lot of 'shift in your seat uncomfortably' moments. You don't get Riley Rossmo to draw your book and not heap on the horror and violence."

Rossmo's art is in a moody wash of muted tones, with shocks of stark red.

"Bedlam's art is pulling a bit stylistically from my last three books," said Rossmo. "I'm trying for a cleaner line, lots of spotted blacks, and strong well-designed color palettes. The Film 'M' and David Mazzucchelli are big visual influences. I'm super-happy with the pages I've finished so far."

The first issue hits stores on Halloween and it's being hoped that it's the first of many.

"There's a long-form, big commitment story here, that we will hopefully tell for years to come," said Spencer. "It's like Morning Glories in that sense. The book's not going to be around a little while then vanish. The goal here is to build a mythology around a modern American metropolis, with Madder Red as our guide. It's exhilarating, starting down the path of something like this."

The double-sized first issue features a cover by Frazer Irving and is available for preorder now.

Full press release below.
A CITY OF TERROR IN BEDLAM
New series by Spencer and Rossmo from Image Comics

Berkeley, CA - August 23, 2012 -- BEDLAM, the new Image Comics series by Nick Spencer (MORNING GLORIES, THIEF OF THIEVES) and Riley Rossmo (GREEN WAKE, DEBRIS), is set in a city that has been terrorized by a maniacal killer and crime boss called Madder Red.

The killer has been rehabilitated and has reclaimed his given name, Filmore Press, but the city of Bedlam is still soaked with the blood and madness he left in his wake. 

"It's a scary world these characters live in. A desperate one. It's brutal what we put them through," says writer Spencer. "The shocks aren't confined to the last page, they're peppered throughout. There are a lot of 'shift in your seat uncomfortably' moments. You don't get Riley Rossmo to draw your book and not heap on the horror and violence."

Rossmo's art is in a moody wash of muted tones, with shocks of stark red.

"Bedlam's art is pulling a bit stylistically from my last three books," said Rossmo. "I'm trying for a cleaner line, lots of spotted blacks, and strong well-designed color palettes. The Film 'M' and David Mazzucchelli are big visual influences. I'm super-happy with the pages I've finished so far."

BEDLAM's first issue is to be released on Halloween, and the creative team anticipate that it will be the first of many.

"There's a long-form, big commitment story here, that we will hopefully tell for years to come," said Spencer. "It's like Morning Glories in that sense. The book's not going to be around a little while then vanish. The goal here is to build a mythology around a modern American metropolis, with Madder Red as our guide. It's exhilarating, starting down the path of something like this."

At 48 pages, BEDLAM #1 (AUG120461) is a double-sized introduction to a cityscape of murder, mayhem and mystery with a cover by Frazer Irving (Xombi) . It is available for pre-order now.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

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