Press releases

A Primal Killer is Humanity’s Last Hope in DARK ENGINE

This woman is a force of nature in December graphic novel from Image

In desperation, alchemists on a cracked and ruined Earth—where dead men’s ashes rain down and a plague of spore-beasts terrorize the living—create Sym. She is their last hope, their Savior. The mysterious figure at the heart of the Image Comics graphic novel DARK ENGINE by Ryan Burton and John Bivens is a primal force. Her story begins in DARK ENGINE VOLUME 1: THE ART OF DESTRUCTION, due in stores this winter.

Sent back in time to save humankind, Sym is a relentless killer, with gore in her long hair, ribsword in her hand, and a skull as her helmet. But what her creators do not realize is that, though they created her, Sym will not necessarily do their bidding.

“I wanted a female Beowulf…a Gilgamesh…a Kratos that didn’t shy away from her instincts, that was violent, that was fury-born,” said Burton of his fierce protagonist in an interview at Women Write About Comics. “That wasn’t afraid to get hurt or make a incredibly violent gambit in order to cut down her enemy. I believe that all women are a force of nature — they are capable, they are adaptable, they are scary smart. So with all that, it felt natural to make Sym a woman.”

With visceral, hard-etched art and action spanning epochs, DARK ENGINE is a graphic novel experience that artist J.H. Williams III (Sandman: Overture, Promethea, Batwoman) describes as “an otherworldly horrific poetic movement that is immediately immersive.”

Praise for DARK ENGINE:

“…there’s no denying the uniqueness of this concept and the flair with which it’s being executed. There’s nothing like watching a vicious character set history on fire; and even if that’s an itch you don’t think you have, you’ll get it scratched when you read Dark Engine.” – Michelle White, Multiversity Comics

“Dark Engine is hauntingly beautiful and unique. It beckons you in with poetic dialogue and captivates you with visceral force.” – Zack Thompson, Bloody Disgusting

Interviews with creators Ryan Burton and John Bivens:

Multiversity Comics:

“…there is really no other medium where one or as small a handful of people can create something so large in scope.”

Comic Book Resources:

“She is battling ever-changing environments that bring about a variety of predators. Some of the threats are prehistoric, some are human and some are — other.”

DARK ENGINE VOLUME 1 will be in comic book stores on December 24, 2014 and in bookstores on January 6, 2015. It is available for pre-order now.

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DARK ENGINE VOLUME 1: THE ART OF DESTRUCTION by Ryan Burton and John Bivens, colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick

  • ISBN 978-1-63215-176-6
  • Diamond Comic order code OCT140619
  • 128 pages, paperback, full color
  • $9.99
  • In comic book stores December 24, bookstores January 6
  • Rated Mature
  • Collects DARK ENGINE #1-4