Broken Frontier

Aspen MLT Inc. is ready to expose their fans to an entirely new world of possibilities with the release of their latest original series Shrugged in early 2006.  Created by Michael Turner (Soulfire, Fathom, Superman/Batman), the psychological adventure series Shrugged will be different in scope than any of Aspen’s previous comic book properties.

“Shrugged is a psychological adventure focusing on the choices made everyday, right or wrong, by its main character Theo.  The tale examines these choices and the voices in Theo’s head dictating his every decision.  Only this time, one part of Theo’s conscience isn’t merely satisfied being just a bystander.  That’s when all hell breaks loose! It’s a series that is a departure from the Fathom or Soulfire universes, but one that I’m extremely excited to be introducing to our line of comic books,” Michael Turner stated.  

The new series features a creative team ready to jump into the unpredictable world of mind-bending action and adventure.  Written by Michael Turner and Frank Mastromauro, Shrugged will feature artwork by Micah Gunnell (Soulfire: Dying of the Light), with inks by Jason Gorder (Fathom) and colors by Beth Sotelo (Fathom, Soulfire: Dying of the Light).  

“Micah Gunnell’s penciling style is a perfect fit for the theme of Shrugged, and the overall look of the new universe the book exists in.  Micah brings a fresh style that will definitely capitalize on the uniqueness of the property.”  Says Frank Mastromauro, co-writer on the book.

Micah Gunnell first displayed his dynamic art style on Aspen’s 2005 mini-series Soulfire: Dying of the Light.  A spin-off from the original Soulfire series, Dying of the Light was one of Aspen’s most popular titles throughout much of last year.  A big reason for the popularity of that book was due to Micah’s energetic art, which gave the series a distinctive look apart from other Aspen titles.

Aspen is excited to bring that style to Shrugged, a book that explores the erratic and sometimes even deranged process of Theo’s decision-making.  While the series’ storyline concentrates on the philosophy of those choices, and their dangerous effect on both worlds, there are also lighter moments planned for the series.

“Shrugged tells the story of our main character Theo, but you also get to see the back-and- forth between his right and wrong side, so to speak, and those moments will provide some comedic opportunities as we explore both sides of the coin.  And make no mistake; we have huge plans in store for the ‘other world,’ where Theo’s decision-makers inhabit, and where the real perils of the story begin to take shape.” Turner states.

The psychological action adventure series takes center stage for Aspen in 2006 with the world debut of Shrugged at Wizard World Los Angeles 2006, featuring the release of the Shrugged Preview.  In addition to the launch at Wizard World, over 100,000 copies of the Shrugged Preview will be inserted in Wizard Magazine: The Comics Magazine #175, which will be in stores March 29th, The Shrugged Preview will be followed by Shrugged Beginnings in April, and Shrugged #0 in May, leading up to the release of Shrugged #1 in June 2006.