Comic creator Zac Thompson joins the Capes and Tights Podcast for Episode 180 on August 14, 2024. To prepare for the conversation, we have compiled nine comics by Thompson you should read.
Zac Thompson often writes about nature, the horrors of the human condition, and everything in between. He is the writer of books such as The Dregs at Black Mask Studios; Nature’s Labyrinth and Project Riese at Mad Cave Studios; Cable, Ka-Zar Lord of the Savage Land, and Yondu at Marvel Comics; Hunt for the Skinwalker and Blow Away at BOOM! Studios; Cemetery Kids Don’t Die at Oni Press; and various other books at publishers like DC Comics.
In September, Thompson’s newest comic hits shelves in the form of The Body Trade at Mad Cave (FOC August 19) and he is super excited for Alien: Romulus in October from Marvel.
Yondu (Marvel)
Is the galaxy big enough for two Yondu Udontas? Cosmic scoundrel Yondu Udonta is about to hit the biggest payday of his life! But when the artifact known as the Herald’s Urn turns out to be deadlier than he bargained for, the risk may – just this once – outweigh the reward. With a chaos-crazed mercenary on Yondu’s tail, he barely has time to plan his next move – and things get wilder when his enlightened, spiritual descendant from the 31st century arrives to help!
Can the future Guardian of the Galaxy and the modern day Ravager set aside their differences long enough to survive – or will their divisiveness let the savage Sav’rkk pick them off one by one? The fate of the universe hangs in the balance – but when the smoke clears, only one Yondu will be left standing!
Hunt for the Skinwalker (BOOM!)
Unidentified flying objects. Animal mutilation. Terrifying otherworldly cryptids. Countless strange phenomena. For more than 50 years, a remote ranch in the Uinta Basin has been the most significant nexus for the paranormal. Inspired by one family’s confrontation with the unexplainable and terrifying… and what happened when they invited the largest scientific investigation of the paranormal to their ranch.
Based on the 2005 groundbreaking, electrifying nonfiction book by Dr. Colm Kelleher and veteran investigative journalist George Knapp that revealed the captivating true history of Gorman Ranch for the first time, seizing mainstream imagination and inspiring high profile investigations, documentaries, and genre fiction in various media.
Now, working hand-in-hand with Kelleher and Knapp, and incorporating never-before-seen new revelations, writer Zac Thompson (X-Men Unlimited, Undone By Blood) with Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds) adapts the category-defying tale in a series perfect for fans of I Hate This Place and The Low, Low Woods!
Project Riese (Mad Cave)
Sam Safdie and his intrepid group of treasure hunters set out to uncover the secrets that lie within the massive Nazi complex built underneath the Owl Mountains… Project Riese. Though they’re hoping to find a fortune in missing gold, but the truth of the complex is much more complex. At their backs is an awful German Archeologist known only as The Baron who will stop at nothing to steal the secrets of Project Riese for himself. But little do either of them know – the complex houses strange secrets that skirt the edges of known science. Secrets that are dying to escape the abandoned facility….
Cemetery Kids Don’t Die (Oni Press)
The twenty-first century sucks hard, but it’s been made somewhat tolerable by the latest media innovation to finally unseat the iPhone. Enter the Dreamwave: the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep.
Now the obsession of millions around the globe, it’s also the one point of solace for four friends whose lives have been marred by trauma and dysfunction. Together, this group of ultra-online “Cemetery Kids” spend their nights roaming the open world of the most immersive and brutal horror game ever created: “Nightmare Cemetery.” Together they seek to dethrone an enigmatic humanoid monster known only as the “The King of Sleep.”
Which was fun–until one of them doesn’t wake up . . . and finds their consciousness locked inside a horror game that is anything but imaginary. Now, the three remaining Cemetery Kids must navigate the game’s forbidden landscape to rescue their friend . . . and pray that the secret lurking at its center doesn’t follow them home.
Experience an exhilarating, terrifying adventure downloading from the cortexes of critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker, The Dregs) and blockbuster artist Daniel Irizarri (XINO, Judge Dredd)!
The Dregs (Black Mask)
A gentrified city. Its homeless population restricted to six square blocks called The Dregs. When people start disappearing, a drug-addled homeless man obsessed with detective fiction becomes addicted to solving the mystery. Equal parts Raymond Chandler and Don Quixote set in a thriving metropolis that literally cannibalizes the homeless, The Dregs is the first homeless meta noir ever made.
Blow Away (BOOM!)
Tenacious wildlife videographer Brynne Brautigan witnesses something she’s both unsure of, but can’t unsee. Was it a murder? Or is her mind playing tricks in the midst of frozen isolation? Worst of all, the secrets have an easy time hiding in the snow… After witnessing a violent argument between two hikers on remote Baffin Island, Brynne has to be sure, and the footage on her camera will tell the truth soon enough. But the thing is, what will she do with the truth when she discovers it?
Hit writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker, Cemetery Kids Don’t Die) and star artist Nicola Izzo (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer) team up for this neo-noir crime thriller rife with murder and paranoia, in the tradition of Fargo and Rear Window!
Nature’s Labyrinth (Mad Cave)
In the middle of the ocean lies a remote island complex lined with traps and an ever-changing landscape. Created by a mysterious man known only as “Ahab”, the island was designed to test the wills of the world’s most notorious criminals. In a battle royale style game, eight violent felons will fight for survival and to the death over the course of three days of relentless action. The winner receives a wealth or riches and complete anonymity, but at the cost of keeping their silence about the island’s existence. What Ahab doesn’t know is that someone is on to him. Someone has infiltrated his island with the intention of revealing the truth about this twisted game.
Into the Unbeing (Dark Horse)
A group of climate scientists working in a remote base camp on the Australian outback discover an impossible landform. They venture inside expecting the unexpected, and the titular Unbeing delivers. True to the traditions of cosmic horror, they discover an anomalous environment that defies everything they think they know about the world. From critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson and visionary artist Hayden Sherman.
The Body Trade (Mad Cave)
Kim Krilic is a divorced ex-con who’s trying to atone. However, his short temper tends to get the best of him. When he returns to Florida to bury his estranged son. He’s sickened to find an empty grave. His son’s remains were sold into “The Body Trade”. Armed with righteous fury, Kim sets out to reclaim his child’s corpse. But one act of vengeance causes everything to spiral out of control.
The Body Trade is an unrelenting revenge story set against the backdrop of America’s aftermarket for dead bodies. Critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Blow Away, Into The Unbeing) and star artist Jok (In Hell We Fight) team up for this neo-noir crime thriller rife with bloodshed and brutality, in the tradition of Blue Ruin and Hell or High Water!
