Broken Frontier

With the success of books like THE WALKING DEAD, the imminent debut of destined to be classics like SEA OF RED and the return of DEADWORLD, Image Comics is positioning itself at the top of the horror comics heap.

This April, a new chapter in terror will be added to that growing legacy, when Mike Baron and Mike Norton's THE NIGHT CLUB makes its debut.

The Night Club is the story of four unlikely heroes who are drawn together to save the world from an unspeakable evil. A clairvoyant runaway, a down-on-his-luck drummer, a handyman who can talk to machines, and a battle-trained preacher who lives in a junkyard must find a way to stop the devil from taking claim to the world and ending life as they know it.  As Boston prepares for the 4th of July, these four gather together in the NightClub, an old, odd bar underneath the freeway, and begin their training under the guidance of the preacher.

The mini-series mixes superhero and horror influences into a darkly adventurous tale. According to co-creator Mike Norton (Queen and Country,Closer, GI Joe, Jason and the Argobots), the idea for THE NIGHT CLUB has been with him for a long time.

"The idea's something that's been sitting in my head for years," says Norton.  "It was something I had always planned on eventually doing once I started doing more creator-owned projects. I could never figure out what I wanted to do with the story though, and that's where (Nexus and Badger co-creator) Mike Baron came in. We had been talking about doing something together again, and after throwing several ideas into the air, I told him about this. He came back to me with a newer, better idea that was equal parts Norton & Baron. He added the right air of dark twist and insanity to what had originally been a quirky superhero idea in my head."

Ultimately, the story is of four misfits who become heroes in the face of horrific circumstances. In a recent interview, Baron stated his goals for the book.

"Our first goal is to entertain," said Baron. "I want the characters to speak in distinctive voices, and I think I've succeeded. I want the characters to stay with the reader long after he puts down the comic."

Image Executive Director Eric Stephenson is excited to have Baron and Norton aboard.

"I've been watching Mike Norton develop as an artist for years now," says Stephenson. "And while he's done great work in the past, this is easily his most fully realized work.  And you can't go wrong with a veteran like Mike Baron.  These two guys are really clicking together on this book."

THE NIGHT CLUB is a four-issue mini-series written by Baron, with art by Norton, and colors by Rauch.

A four page preview of THE NIGHT CLUB can be found in the February issue of Diamond PREVIEWS.  THE NIGHT CLUB is solicited on page 140 and will be on stands April 13.