MOTH & WHISPER #1
Written by Ted Anderson.
Art by Jen Hickman.
Letters by Marshall Dillon.
Cover A by Jen Hickman.
Cover B by Jorge Corona.
“When your face is just another commodity to be bought and sold, the most dangerous person is the one wearing a mask.” That’s the hook to Moth & Whisper #1, an all-new cyberpunk thriller from Ted Anderson, Jen Hickman, and Marshall Dillon, set for release by AfterShock Comics this fall.
Moth & Whisper tells the story of Niki, whose quest is to ensure the legacy of the Moth and Whisper, two legendary thieves who’ve maintained their secret identities in a future where anonymity is little more than a fondly recalled novelty. After her infamous parents mysteriously disappeared six months ago, Niki has made a dangerous decision — she’ll take on the roles of both the Moth and the Whisper.
“Moth & Whisper is a story about identity: who we are and who gets to decide that for us,” series writer and co-creator Ted Anderson says. “Our protagonist, Niki, is a genderqueer teenager trying to fill their parents’ shoes while also trying to establish their own identity.”
“[This series] combines a character-driven coming of age story with a good heist/spy story,” adds Moth & Whisper artist Jen Hickman. “So far it’s been wonderful! I love Ted’s writing; the two of us have worked together on a couple of other projects and I find that we click as a creative team really well. Marshall Dillon has really taken Moth & Whisper to the next level with his lettering — I feel very lucky to have him on this book!”
A thrilling story with progressive themes and a top-tier creative team is the hallmark of AfterShock Comics, and true to form the publisher has assembled an impressive project with Moth & Whisper. Hickman says: “[AfterShock Editor-in-Chief] Mike Marts is an incredibly supportive editor and has done an amazing job bringing this all together.”
That’s a sentiment shared by Anderson. “They love these big, weird ideas — genre stories with a fresh twist,” he says of the publisher, while adding praise for his co-conspirator. “[Jen] is a good friend of mine who also happens to be amazingly talented… We’ve been looking for a project to do together for a long time, and I’m so happy I get to work with them on a story that means so much to both of us.”
And Anderson has nothing but kind words for Moth & Whisper‘s letterer, Marshall Dillon. “[Marshall] has done a lot to establish the “sound” of different voices in the book — his work is really distinctive and adds a whole other layer to the book. I’m really proud of the whole team, and I can’t wait for people to see what we’ve put together.”
Enjoy this unlettered three-page preview, which puts Jen Hickman’s astonishing panel work and color use on full display, courtesy of AfterShock. And be sure to pick up Moth & Whisper when it hits shelves September 12!
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | SEPTEMBER 12
From AfterShock Comics: NEW SERIES!
Everyone knows that the two greatest thieves in the city are the Moth and the Whisper. Very few know that the Moth and the Whisper disappeared six months ago. And what nobody knows is that the new Moth and Whisper are actually one person pretending to be both of them. One supremely skilled but uncertain young genderfluid thief: Niki, the child of the Moth and the Whisper.
Niki has been trained by their parents in the arts of stealth and infiltration, but they’re still just a teenager, and now they’re alone, searching for their parents in a hostile cyberpunk dystopia. Corporations run the streets while crime lords like Ambrose Wolfe run the alleys—identity is a commodity and privacy is impossible. The truth about Niki’s parents and their disappearance is out there, but can Niki survive long enough to find it?
A Young Adult cyberpunk thriller starring a genderqueer super-thief, MOTH & WHISPER is the brainchild of Ted Anderson (My Little Pony, Adventure Time) and Jen Hickman (Jem and the Holograms, The Dead), that just HAD to be told at AfterShock!
