Exclusive first look at the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS back-up story

If you’ve been following T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, you’ve been reading the gripping story by Nick Spencer and have been seeing art by some of the industry’s top talent including Walter Simonson, Jerry Ordway and Wes Craig. And if that’s not enough T.H.U.N.D.E.R. for you, the final two issues of this six-part miniseries will include a new backup story. Written by Michael Uslan (BATMAN: DETECTIVE NO. 27, THE SPIRIT) and illustrated by Trevor McCarthy (BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM, NIGHTWING), the back-up story will focus on the Undersea Agent, a new member of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. organization. “First appearing in the Silver Age of comics with artwork by such legends as Gil Kane (GREEN LANTERN, THE ATOM) and Wally Wood (EC Comics to designing Daredevil's red costume to ALL-STAR COMICS), Undersea Agent makes his first splash in the 21st Century and he is NOT your father's Undersea Agent,” Uslan exclusively told THE SOURCE. “Some may call this a super-hero adventure, others may refer to it as a spy story, but, in fact, these are the opening chapters of nothing short of a tale of abject HORROR! With cursed power comes grave responsibility.” “Going into the story, my idea for Undersea Agent began in a very different place than Michael's,” McCarthy continued. “Based on what I learned about the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, I had more of a classic 1960's archetypal character in mind, so I worked up those designs initially. But after having a very interesting phone conversation with Michael, my direction changed drastically. Michael envisioned this more along the lines of a horror comic, and that the transformation and look of the character need to be incredibly dramatic and horrific. That really got me interested! We batted around a few ideas and then I got to work. Michael suggested that since the human body is 2/3 water, what if that fact was represented more literally? As if the 2/3 water was redirected outwardly and all that remained was 1/3rd of flesh and bone? The end result is something I think is very unusual and certainly horrific – taking the flayed torso of a man and suspending it inside of a liquid humanoid form. In the end, it turned out to be a very complicated and color-heavy character, but it’s something that I'm really excited about!” Below, take an exclusive first look at Undersea Agent by checking out McCarthy’s character design and some interior art from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #5, which hits stands on March 21st. [gallery link="file" order="DESC"]

Walter Simonson on the cover for THE JUDAS COIN

This fall, DC Entertainment will be releasing THE JUDAS COIN, an original 94-page hardcover graphic novel written and illustrated by industry legend Walter Simonson. THE JUDAS COIN features characters from all across the DC Universe. Today, take an exclusive first look at the book’s cover based on a featured showdown between Batman and Two-Face. “The cover for THE JUDAS COIN was designed and drawn with inspiration provided in part by movie posters from the ‘60s and ‘70s,” Simonson exclusively told THE SOURCE. “In particular, I was thinking of the posters of Bob Peak, who did such beautiful work back then with montage. Peak was a master at creating a strong central image and surrounding it with smaller, often fairly loose images derived from various scenes in the movie. I make no claims to Peak’s draftsmanship, but for a work like THE JUDAS COIN, comprised as it is of six separate but related stories, I wanted a cover that would provide both a strong visual image at its core, and a series of small drawings that would reflect the structure of the book’s interior. Batman and Two-Face, eternal enemies, provided a good focal point. The vignettes around them echo the individual stories within the book.” Look for THE JUDAS COIN in bookstores everywhere on September 18th and be sure to keep checking THE SOURCE as more details about the book become available.

Nick Spencer on Walter Simonson and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #3

The last issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS featured a sequence illustrated by fan-favorite artist Jerry Ordway. This time around, series artist Wes Craig is joined by industry legend Walter Simonson for issue #3.

“If it weren’t for Walter Simonson, I wouldn’t be writing (or maybe even still reading) comics -- and that’s no overstatement,” series writer Nick Spencer exclusively told THE SOURCE. “He’s been my favorite creator pretty much the entirety of my life, so please believe me when I say working with him on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #3 was the biggest honor of my career so far.”

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS #3 also features inks by Bob Wiacek and a cover by Dustin Nguyen. For a sneak peek at Simonson’s art, check out the first page of the below exclusive preview of the issue.

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