An Ape Biker Gang Roars into Town in March's THE HUMANS

‘70s counterculture with a twist in new $9.99 trade paperback from Image Comics

Bakersfield, California, 1970: The Humans (who happen to be apes) are the baddest biker gang of all. They deal out beatings, cook drugs, party endlessly, and struggle to keep their turf and status amongst the numerous outlaws, rival gangs, and bonafide killers — all of whom are trying to take their spot at the top of the heap. And then a member of the gang long thought dead returns… haunted by memories of hell on earth. Johnny is back in the fold in THE HUMANS, VOLUME 1 from Image Comics in March — but is his head where it needs to be to ride with The Humans again?

Writer Keenan Marshall Keller (Galactic Breakdown) and artist Tom Neely (Henry and Glenn Forever) team up on a high-octane, no-holds-barred, ape-biker-gang chopper ride into ‘70s exploitation genre bliss as Bobby, Johnny, and all the Humans fly down the road to oblivion on a ride filled with chains, sex, leather, denim, hair, blood, bananas, and chrome.

“I just love me some biker flicks and exploitation/genre in all forms,” said Keller in an interview with Comicosity. “It wasn’t like I was trying to do an ape project and settled on them being bikers… The Humans were bikers from the start. It’s my love affair with the fringe, with outlaws and no-good-doer’s and made me focus on biker culture.”

Neely, whose art captures the energy and abandon of The Humans’ life on the road, has relished the chance to draw full-time. “I get up and draw monkeys and motorcycles all day and it’s the best,” he said. “It’s also really great collaborating with another artist – Kristina Collantes is doing the coloring and I love to see how she transforms my pages. I love my black and white drawings for this book, but they really don’t come to life to feel like a real comic book until Kristina’s colors complete the picture.”

THE HUMANS, VOLUME 1 will be in comic book stores on March 11 and in bookstores on March 25. It is specially priced at just $9.99 and is available for pre-order now.

THE HUMANS, VOLUME 1 by Keenan Marshall Keller and Tom Neely (colors by Kristina Collantes)

• ISBN 978-1-63215-259-6
• Diamond Comic order code JAN150630
• 144 pages, paperback, full color
• $9.99
• Collects THE HUMANS #0-4
• Rated Mature
• In comic book stores March 11, bookstores March 24
• Retailers, librarians, and reviewers may request a PDF galley from Jennifer de Guzman, Director of Trade Book Sales, jenniferdeguzman@imagecomics.com

Praise for THE HUMANS:

“The Humans is absolutely unlike anything you’ll have read recently. Reading it is like listening to all of your favorite punk songs at once. Its roots are clearly in punk ethic, science fiction, and biker lore, and it’s a hell of a combination…. Neely’s art is wildly inventive and spastic here, with some mind-boggling layouts and great physical comedy bits.” –Tres Dean, IGN

“Much like the characters it depicts, The Humans is exactly what it wants to be, opinions of others be damned.” –Matt Little, Comic Book Resources

“The Humans is a balls-out, drug-fueled, psychedelic ride through exploitation-era cinema. The book has an old school look to it, like it was just discovered in the most awesome time capsule ever.” –James Ferguson, Horror Talk

“When you are holding The Humans, you can feel the work and energy that rests within its pages.” –Chase Magnett, Comicbook.com