Minor Threats Volume 1: A Quick End To A Long Beginning

Illustrated by Scott Hepburn
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Paperback
$19.99 US
6.65"W x 10.16"H x 0.33"D   | 12 oz | 42 per carton
On sale Jul 11, 2023 | 136 Pages | 978-1-5067-2999-2
| Rated T
FOC Mar 6, 2023 | Catalog February 2023
A new original comic series from Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum - showrunners of Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K on Hulu - and superstar artist Scott Hepburn!

In the vein of Sin City, Watchmen, and The Boys, this noir-ish superhero caper, focuses on a lower-class kind of criminal, similar to the Coen Bros' most pulpy films, but set in a high concept world of heroes and villains.

“I was hooked from the first page!" — Taika Waititi


It’s hard out there for a supervillain. Not the world conquerors, chaos engines, or arch-nemeses, but the little guys, the career criminals. The ones who put on uniforms, knock over jewelry stores, and get tied to telephone poles before the hero swings off to face the actual big bad. Times are tough for costumed crooks…and they’re about to get much worse. 

The psychotic Stickman has done the unthinkable and murdered Kid Dusk, sidekick to Twilight City’s premier crime-fighter, The Insomniac. The Insomniac’s teammates, The Continuum, are tearing Twilight apart, turning it into a terrifying police state—desperate to capture the Stickman and stop the Insomniac from “crossing that final line” in which he may never come back from. 

Caught in the middle are the small-time C-list villains, finding it impossible to pull jobs or even walk down the street without being harassed by these heroes. With a bounty on the Stickman’s head, former villain Playtime decides to put together a ragtag team of equally disgruntled supervillains to take down the Stickman and kill him themselves, leading her on a dark journey into the criminal underbelly she’s tried so hard to escape.

This graphic crime drama is about superheroes and villains and the last gasp of the colorful, innocent days of the silver and bronze age...before they’re dragged into the grit-soaked modern era.

Features a bonus pinups section with art by Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Francesco Francavilla (The Black Beetle), and David Aja (Hawkeye).
Patton Oswalt is a comedian, actor, author, and screenwriter. Oswalt is perhaps best known as the voice of Remy the rat in the film, Ratatouille, but he also gained prominence during the '90s as one of the premier West Coast stand-up comedians. Oswalt's albums Feelin' Kinda Patton, Werewolves and Lollipops, and My Weakness Is Strong are staples of the genre. Oswalt has also been featured in The King of Queens, Big Fan, Young Adult, and The Goldbergs.  View titles by Patton Oswalt
“I was hooked from the first page! Minor Threats is delicious, villainous dark pop that churns up the world of the marginalized and serves up a decadent and dangerous feast, all presented in glorious bombastic visual eye-fuckery that has re-ignited my love of comics. At last, something cool in a world where nothing is cool.”—Taika Waititi

"Minor Threats is exactly what one would expect from Patton Oswalt—it's intelligent, funny, and twisted.  I’m also worried about him."—Judd Apatow
 
"Minor Threats is a hardcore blast from the bad brain of Patton Oswalt. I love the full-on collision of his grimy, superhero underworld; with eye-poppingly gorgeous splash pages of art by Scott Hepburn. A naughty peek under the cape that you'll devour like contraband."—Edgar Wright

About

A new original comic series from Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum - showrunners of Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K on Hulu - and superstar artist Scott Hepburn!

In the vein of Sin City, Watchmen, and The Boys, this noir-ish superhero caper, focuses on a lower-class kind of criminal, similar to the Coen Bros' most pulpy films, but set in a high concept world of heroes and villains.

“I was hooked from the first page!" — Taika Waititi


It’s hard out there for a supervillain. Not the world conquerors, chaos engines, or arch-nemeses, but the little guys, the career criminals. The ones who put on uniforms, knock over jewelry stores, and get tied to telephone poles before the hero swings off to face the actual big bad. Times are tough for costumed crooks…and they’re about to get much worse. 

The psychotic Stickman has done the unthinkable and murdered Kid Dusk, sidekick to Twilight City’s premier crime-fighter, The Insomniac. The Insomniac’s teammates, The Continuum, are tearing Twilight apart, turning it into a terrifying police state—desperate to capture the Stickman and stop the Insomniac from “crossing that final line” in which he may never come back from. 

Caught in the middle are the small-time C-list villains, finding it impossible to pull jobs or even walk down the street without being harassed by these heroes. With a bounty on the Stickman’s head, former villain Playtime decides to put together a ragtag team of equally disgruntled supervillains to take down the Stickman and kill him themselves, leading her on a dark journey into the criminal underbelly she’s tried so hard to escape.

This graphic crime drama is about superheroes and villains and the last gasp of the colorful, innocent days of the silver and bronze age...before they’re dragged into the grit-soaked modern era.

Features a bonus pinups section with art by Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Francesco Francavilla (The Black Beetle), and David Aja (Hawkeye).

Creators

Patton Oswalt is a comedian, actor, author, and screenwriter. Oswalt is perhaps best known as the voice of Remy the rat in the film, Ratatouille, but he also gained prominence during the '90s as one of the premier West Coast stand-up comedians. Oswalt's albums Feelin' Kinda Patton, Werewolves and Lollipops, and My Weakness Is Strong are staples of the genre. Oswalt has also been featured in The King of Queens, Big Fan, Young Adult, and The Goldbergs.  View titles by Patton Oswalt

Praise

“I was hooked from the first page! Minor Threats is delicious, villainous dark pop that churns up the world of the marginalized and serves up a decadent and dangerous feast, all presented in glorious bombastic visual eye-fuckery that has re-ignited my love of comics. At last, something cool in a world where nothing is cool.”—Taika Waititi

"Minor Threats is exactly what one would expect from Patton Oswalt—it's intelligent, funny, and twisted.  I’m also worried about him."—Judd Apatow
 
"Minor Threats is a hardcore blast from the bad brain of Patton Oswalt. I love the full-on collision of his grimy, superhero underworld; with eye-poppingly gorgeous splash pages of art by Scott Hepburn. A naughty peek under the cape that you'll devour like contraband."—Edgar Wright