PORTLAND, Ore. 2.19.2021 — From the bestselling writer/artist Declan Shalvey (Bog Bodies) and Write It In Blood team Rory McConville and Joe Palmer comes an all new science fiction story in Time Before Time. This ongoing time travel series will launch from Image Comics this May.
Best described as Criminal meets Back to the Future and Looper, this high octane, extra-length debut issue will feature an alternate cover by artist John Paul Leon.
"I loved what this team did on Write It In Blood so I'm really excited to take that crew and work on something more ambitious," said Shalvey in an exclusive scoop on the announcement at IGN. "This is a book with miles of potential, brilliantly realized by Joe Palmer and Chris O'Halloran. Their work to me, looks like the baby of Aeon Flux and Hellboy. I think readers will enjoy the gorgeous pages, but also the core story that follows Tatsuo into a more and more complicated set of troubles. With Time Before Time, Rory and myself get to write a crime drama that's injected with even more dramatic twists and the compelling visuals that sci-fi provides."
In Time Before Time, it’s the year 2140, and to escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate, a criminal organization who, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to a better life. After working for the Syndicate for years, Tatsuo and Oscar decide to steal one of their boss’s time machines—but soon find that the one thing you can’t run from is your past.
McConville told IGN: "It’s been great to reunite with the Write It In Blood team, as well as collaborating with Declan, whose work I’ve been a huge fan of for years. Time travel stories are my favourite type of sci-fi and getting to write one with so many twists and turns is incredibly thrilling. Joe and Chris continue to be a fantastic combo and I can’t wait for people to see some of the eye-popping pages they’ve been working on."
"In Time Before Time, Declan and Rory have written a time hopping adventure in which the past can’t be altered, so the emotional stakes are always high," said Palmer. "The whole team has put a lot of love into this book, and I’m really excited for readers to be able to get their hands on it. Buckle up, because this wild ride goes all over the place."
Time Before Time #1 Cover A by Shalvey (Diamond Code MAR210037) and Time Before Time #1 Cover B by John Paul Leon (Diamond Code MAR210038) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 12.
Time Before Time #1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.
Early praise for Time Before Time:
"Achingly good. This book crackles with the unique energy of a creative team that knows exactly what it's trying to do, and pulls it off with exhilarating levels of skill. Time-traveling criminals fighting gang wars across millennia, done in the smartest possible way. Love it." —Charles Soule, Undiscovered Country, Curse Words
“The most fun, inventive, razor sharp crime adventure I’ve read in years. Jump in and hang on, it doesn’t get better than this.” —Darcy Van Poelgeest, Little Bird, forthcoming Precious Metal
"A unique, high-concept mash-up of time travel and crime story, with beautiful craftsmanship from the entire creative team. If you love comics like Criminal and movies like Looper, run don't walk to your local comic shop to grab this book!" —Robbie Thompson, Meet The Skrulls, Suicide Squad
“Right up there with Looper, Primer and 12 Monkeys—whip smart, engaging and timeless.” —Kyle Higgins, Radiant Black, Ultraman
"A time travelling crime thriller with an endearing protagonist caught in machinations bigger than himself. Declan, Rory and Joe have crafted a timeless crime story set across all of time and told with style and panache!" —Ram V, Swamp Thing, Blue In Green
“Shreds the tropes of time travel down to the raw bone and gives you a lean and mean corkscrew tale of hardbitten survival through centuries, where years act like stash houses and the future and past bleed together into a harrowing present that marches ever forward, forever unforgiving.” —Christopher Cantwell, Iron Man, Halt and Catch Fire
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