Contraband (www.contrabandcomic.com) a new graphic novel by Canadian writer Thomas Behe and UK illustrator Phil Elliott arriving in bookstores February 6th is available for pre-order at Amazon.
A near-future tale revealing an all-too-possibly-real world of underground video, violence and crime on cell phone networks, Contraband follows a young man's journey into a new "voyeur underground", where profit-hungry youths prowl streets secretly filming radical events with mobile devices to satisfy society's demand for sensational on-the-go content.
Last year, fiction became reality when UK co-creator Phil Elliott was approached on the street by a teenage girl asking for money. When Elliott refused, the situation became something much different from anything he'd experienced.
"A younger kid -- he must have only been about 10 -- started swearing at me, demanding I give him money," he recalled. "I was then aware that there was another girl filming all this on her mobile phone. What was going on here? Were they trying to provoke me? What happened to the video?"
The incident took on a greater significance when writer Thomas Behe contacted him to draw a story he'd written. Behe was inspired to write Contraband after he had noticed people's concerns relating to cell phones had shifted from physical dangers (ie..radiation, tumours) to cultural in nature.
"These new issues were social-related," he said. "Mobile ad spamming. Kids receiving intimidating texts from aggressive class bullies. A mate of mine was even propositioned to subscribe to some sort of spy-cam exhibitionist mobi-blog. I had no idea why these folks were secretly filming everyone, but there was a ton of stuff on there."
In the near-future society of Contraband, Toby, a self-styled "citizen journalist," is documenting this underground when he is discovered by agents for a cell-phone channel called Contraband. Forced to work for them, Toby is assigned the task of finding a female activist set on sabotaging Contraband and must navigate a difficult path where he must choose between his own safety and the greater good.
Contraband is a 144 page graphic novel written by Thomas Behe and illustrated by Phil Elliott. Published by SLG Publishing and due for release in February 2008, Contraband (Isbn #978-1593621018) is available from www.amazon.com.
About TJ Behe: Canadian writer TJ Behe has twelve years experience developing wireless content for global entertainment companies including BBC, Playboy, MTV and T-Mobile. For more information go to www.contrabandcomic.com.
About Phil Elliott: UK Artist Phil Elliott's graphic novels include Illegal Alien (Dark Horse) and Tupelo (Slave Labor) and he has over 20 years experience working with publishers including Marvel, DC, Image and Fantagraphics. For more informaton go to www.elliott-design.com
About SLG Publishing: San Jose-based Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) Publishing was founded by Dan Vado in 1986. Over its twenty-year history, SLG has remained true to its roots as a publisher of great diversity. Along with publishing top-rated products from global brands such as Disney, SLG excels in discovering and fostering new talented individuals in the comics industry including Gene Yang, Jhonen Vasquez, Evan Dorkin and Roman Dirge. For more information, go to www.slavelabor.com.
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