Broken Frontier

Oni Press is pleased to announce the September release of PENG, a new one-shot comic from Corey Lewis “The Rey.” Lewis, who took the comic industry by surprise with his breakout hit SHARKNIFE, turns his unconventional eye to the world of professional kickball, with high octane results.

For Rocky Hallelujah and his friends, ADV Kickball is the meaning of life. It’s all they talk about, practice, and play. It’s not just a sport, it’s a way of life, and there’s no one better at it than Rocky Hallelujah. He’ll have to prove that, however, against three fierce teams at the ADV Kickball finals.

“Kickball, for those who don’t know, is played like baseball, but instead of a bat, you kick a large, inflated rubber ball with your foot,” Lewis explained. “In PENG, the game is Advanced kickball, which has more of a martial arts style, combined with sports rules and points and innings.”

Rocky Hallelujah heads up the Foot Knux, a team made up of diversely talented players, including Sassy Elmetto and Ven Morcada. They’re joined in the climactic playoffs by two rival teams, and the villainous team known as the Aroura Skeddos, fronted by the evil Jeeyuh Yeeauh.

Fans of Lewis’ SHARKNIFE may find Rocky’s name familiar, and there’s a reason. “Rocky is the little brother of Ceasar Hallelujah, who is Sharknife,” Lewis explained. “Sharknife himself will be making an appearance, as well as old-school characters of mine who make up the team Apollonia NO!. People familiar with my self-published work should be excited to see Aves Ives in soccer shorts, and there may be some other guest appearances as well, you’ll just have to read and see!”

PENG promises the same kind of “arcade logic” that made SHARKNIFE a fan favorite. “The first half is kind of comedic/fun/statistical, and the second half is the kickball finals, and that’s when stuff goes ballistic,” Lewis commented. “It has its own feeling and flow that is very PENG. It takes some things that were stylistically established in SHARKNIFE and brings them to a new level. Once again, its light on story, heavy on motion and technique, but it also delves a little deeper into character quirks.” 

“Corey has a style all his own, a sensibility that’s different than anything out there right now. It’s great to see him develop that further in PENG,” Oni editor in chief James Lucas Jones added.

Lewis concluded, “I call PENG a ‘comics confection.’ At its core it’s meant to be fun.” 

PENG will feature 64 pages of black and white story and art. With a cover price of $5.95, it will ship to comic book stores in September 2005.