New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill reunites with IDW Publishing this December for the new comic book miniseries Dying is Easy, which introduces the character of Syd “Shit-Talk” Homes, disgraced ex-cop, bitter stand-up comic, and wanted felon.
Dying is Easy takes place in the dimly-lit venues and grimy back alleys of the comedy world, where every stand-up is looking out for themself, making enemies left and right. When an upstart comedian with a particularly ugly past achieves stardom by stealing jokes, he quickly earns a target on his back. It’s not long before the laughter stops… and the gunplay begins.
“Both as a writer and as a reader, nothing turns me on like that jolt of discovery, of revelation, when the scattered parts of a narrative suddenly click together to make an unexpected picture,” says Hill. “That’s the thrill of a fair-play mystery, where all the clues are there if the reader is clever enough to spot them, and there’s a chance to match wits with the detective.”
“Dying is Easy gave me a chance to try my hand at a genre I love… and also allowed me to pay tribute to the poets of pulp, guys like Larry Block and Walter Mosley and Elmore Leonard, who have been inspiring me and blowing my mind for decades,” he continues. “And I get to do it alongside Martin Simmonds, whose exacting pencils and vivid colors bring to life a whole neon-blurred world of heart-broken chumps and leg-breaking creeps. To think I get paid to do this!”
Dying is Easy #1 will go on sale in December.