January 3rd, 2008 - To coincide with the release of First Born trade paperback, Top Cow Productions will release First Born: Aftermath in March. The special one-shot issue will serve as an epilogue to the 2007 event and set the stage for events in Witchblade, The Darkness, and the Top Cow Universe as a whole.

First Born: Aftermath will feature stories by Ron Marz (Witchblade, First Born) and Phil Hester (The Darkness, Superman: Confidential) and art by Ryan Sook (X-Factor, Hawkman) and Lee Moder (Painkiller Jane, Highlander) along with a special painted sequence by First Born artist Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade). Marz and Sook will focus on telling a special Magdalena tale while Hester and Moder introduce a new villain for The Darkness. The issue will coincide with the release of the First Born trade paperback, which collects all three fully-painted issues of the event series along with the three tie-in issues of Witchblade (#110-112). The six issue trade paperback features work by Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic, Stephen Sadowski, Luke Ross, Rick Leonardi, Kevin Nowlan, Mike Mayhew, Marc Silvestri, and Dale Keown.

“Ryan Sook is absolutely one of the best artists in the business, and one of the most in-demand cover guys out there. He's also someone I've been wanting to work with since I first saw his stuff. So getting Ryan for some interior work, plus a cover, is a real treat.” stated writer Ron Marz. “I feel doubly blessed, because we're collaborating on a story featuring Magdalena, who is one of my favorite characters. Don't tell anybody, but this is one of those jobs I'd do for free.”

“I'm so happy Top Cow asked me to participate in FB: Aftermath. I'm the new guy here, so getting to help out with the big company-wide crossover is exciting. I think I'm taking the readers in an unexpected direction with my story and Lee Moder will knock the art out of the park,” commented writer, Phil Hester. “Don't skip this one, it's not filler. We're introducing a new villain that will haunt Jackie Estacado in The Darkness for a long time to come.”

“People always talk about crossovers being bloated, overhyped disappointments. I tend to agree. But now I can hand those same naysayers First Born and dare them to tell me it’s not a lean, mean, ground floor reading machine,” added VP of Editorial for Top Cow, Rob Levin. “And for anyone who didn’t get their fill… Well, that’s why we have the Aftermath.” First Born: Aftermath will feature covers by Stjepan Sejic and Ryan Sook and carry an SRP of $3.99. First Born trade paperback will feature a cover by Stjepan Sejic and carry an SRP of $14.99. Additional information regarding First Born can be found at www.firstborncomic.com and www.topcow.com.


First Born First Look

First Born #2 (Cover B - Sejic)

First Born #3 (Cover A)

First Born #3 (Cover B)