Harvey Slater is a homicide detective for the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1950s. He smokes, he drinks – and he removes ‘untouchable’ criminals in his off hours.
Throw in a blonde bombshell from his past and competition for the imprisoned Mickey Cohen’s mob and you’ve got Hit 1955. If noir’s your thing, this Harvey Award-nominated BOOM! Studios graphic novel – from writer Bryce Carlson and artist Vanessa R. Del Rey – may just be up your (back) alley.
The graphic novel collection of Hit 1955 features an introduction by American crime author Duane Swierczynski (the Charlie Hardie Trilogy) and will be in stores on December 10th. For further details, follow the jump.
Relive the Darker Side of Los Angeles with the Harvey Award-Nominated ‘Hit: 1955’ Trade Paperback
November 11, 2014 – Los Angeles, CA – Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce the December debut of the Hit: 1955 trade paperback. The collection includes all four issues of the Harvey Award-nominated, gritty crime noir story that explores the darker side of the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1950s. Writer Bryce Carlson teams up with Russ Manning Award for Most Promising Newcomer and Harvey Award nominee Vanesa R. Del Rey (The Empty Man) for a story that looks at the twisted history of the LAPD and the policemen who did a little wetwork under the table in the name of cleaning up crime.
“Hit is one of my favorite books we’ve ever published,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Bryce and Vanesa arrived on the comic book scene lightning-fast last year. It was a groundbreaking debut for two creators that took us to Los Angeles in 1950s and delivered a gem of a noir story. This collection is a must-have for fans of beautiful art, great writing, and comics that add a little something new to the industry. Plain and simple, Hit delivers.”
In Hit: 1955, they say the eyes are the window to the soul. You look at Harvey Slater and you’ll see a homicide detective chasing cigarettes with a few fingers of bourbon. You look into his eyes, and you’ll see a hitman who spends his nights making “untouchable” criminals disappear for the Los Angeles Police Department. But all it takes is a blonde bombshell from his past and a crime syndicate trying to muscle in while Mickey Cohen’s in prison to open Slater’s eyes to who he really is. This book collects the complete four-issue limited series, features the never-before-seen prose short story, “Bonnie,” and includes an introduction by American crime author Duane Swierczynski.
Praise for Hit:
“A violent piece of 1950s noir…comics’ next big ‘Hit’.” – USA Today
“Loved Hit…dark, twisted noir.” – Scott Snyder (Batman, Detective Comics)
“Man, this is good stuff… Suspensful and quirky without being hard to read or impenetrable. Art’s great, too!” – Mark Waid (Irredeemable, The Flash)
“Writer Bryce Carlson has a skill for heightened noir dialogue and creates a strong hook…but the main draw of Hit is Vanesa R. Del Rey’s atmospheric, expressive artwork…“ – The A.V. Club
“The story is compelling, the flawed, gruff human at the center of the action is compelling to read and the plot itself feels fresh and new despite the 60-year-old setting. … This is a fine bit of noir and it makes me itch for more.” – Comic Book Resources
“…one complicated slice of nasty noir during the golden age of Los Angeles…” – Newsarama
“Thanks to a fresh approach to the detective genre and great art, Hit #1 really packs a wallop. Looks like BOOM! Studios has another hit on their hands. Pun intended.” – IGN
“…Hit gets at the heart of what makes noir so compelling, and plays out the formula in all its glory.” – Multiversity
“The story is compelling and keeps you engrossed, living up to its name many times in the first issue alone.” – Graphic Policy
“Carlson and Del Rey have put together a book that captures a long-past era, but still manages to feel fresh and new, while containing many of the conventions that make stories like this so compelling in the first place.” – The MacGuffin
“Sometimes you just need a meat-and-potatoes detective pulp story to just immerse yourself into, and Hit is perfect for that.” – All-Comic
“It’s clear that a lot of research and love for the crime genre went into this project, and it shows.” – Comic Bastards
The Hit: 1955 trade paperback arrives in comic book shops on December 10th with a cover by series artist Vanesa R. Del Rey for the price of $14.99 under Diamond Code SEP141119. The Final Order Cutoff date for comics retailers is November 17th. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one! It’s also available for pre-order directly from boom-studios.com.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent. BOOM! Studios is comprised of four distinct imprints. The original Studios imprint is home to Mike Carey’s Suicide Risk; James Tynion IV’s The Woods; Mark Waid’s Irredeemable; Sons of Anarchy; and Big Trouble in Little China. Steven Grant’s graphic novel 2 Guns was released as a feature film from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. BOOM!’s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ Peanuts; Jim Davis’ Garfield; Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time, Regular Show, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Steven Universe; Mike Kunkel’s Herobear and the Kid; and Natasha Allegri’s Bee and PuppyCat. BOOM!’s experimental imprint BOOM! Box publishes The Midas Flesh and Lumberjanes. In June 2013, BOOM! acquired Archaia Entertainment (archaia.com). Archaia is the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel publisher of Mouse Guard, Cow Boy, Gunnerkrigg Court, Rust, and Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand. In October 2013, BOOM! Studios entered into a unique first-look relationship with 20th Century Fox, giving the studio access to its library of titles and giving the publisher access to Fox’s vast catalog of films. In August 2014, BOOM! Studios began a similar first-look relationship with 20th Century Fox TV to develop properties for the small screen.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
BOOM! Studios Twitter = @boomstudios
Facebook = facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
Instagram = boom_studios
Tumblr = boomstudios.tumblr.com
Bryce Carlson Twitter = @brycercarlson
Vanesa R. Del Rey Twitter = @VDelRey
Hit: 1955 TP Cover by Vanesa R. Del Rey