Chris Roberson, Paul Maybury Launch Sovereign in March at Image Comics

Edison Rex

writer Chris Roberson and Aqua Leung creator Paul Maybury will come together in March to launch Sovereign from Image Comics. Described by the publisher as "[a] Tolkien-esque story of war, magic, and the humanity that co-exists in both," the book tells the story of masked undertakers facing the undead with swords while civil wars threaten the delicate balance between colliding cultures. But out of the ashes of history rises a new threat and the promise that magic has not yet faded into mere memory. "So many of the fantasy stories I encountered growing up were set in worlds that were largely modeled on medieval Europe, in one way or another," Roberson explained. "Lots of white folks in feudal societies, castles and kings, that kind of thing. And I love a lot of those, but I thought it would be more interesting for me personally to look to other cultures for inspiration. "Sovereign is set in a world in which there are a number of cultures in the mix, and all kinds of ethnicities and types, and the drama comes as much from the cultural interactions as it does from the monsters invading from another dimension." The first issue of the series will be in stores and available digitally through the Image Comics website on March 19, and while Maybury's name might not be a household name among mainstream, superhero audiences like Roberson's is, he was the only choice for the title, said the writer. "Paul's was the first name that occurred to me when I started thinking about what artist would be a good fit for the story, and the work that he's done on the book so far suggests that I was right on the money," said Roberson. "It looks amazing, and isn't quite like anything else out there." While regular readers will be familiar with Roberson (because of our series of Edison Rex commentary track interviews), please enjoy this hilariously old and embarrassing video interview performed with Maybury by yours truly.