Steve Thompson and Gonzalo Ruggieri make their Comixology Originals debut with their upcoming graphic novel, Ill Vacation. A psychological thriller set in the South Pacific in the 1940s, the graphic novel will be available digitally on June 17th, and we have the first details, along with a preview you can read right now!
Written by Thompson, with captivating art by Ruggieri, Ill Vacation also features letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and edits by Rebecca Stone, and is a "haunting, hallucinatory, and mind-bending trip into the effects of war and peace":
"Ill Vacation is about monsters, ghosts, and fear-–things that grip the imagination and Gonzalo has created some of the most unique imagery to bring those elements to the page,” says writer Steve Thompson.
Told over the course of four chapters, Ill Vacation follows protagonists Bob and Mary, two young soldiers who want to help their country and its war effort. When they volunteer to take an experimental drug and are left behind to defend an island in the Pacific, things take a terrible turn. Instead of negating their fears, it turns their past trauma and nightmares into reality. Now, strange lights appear in a blood-red sky, a giant eye floats in the air and unearthly creatures emerge from the sea to haunt them inside an ever-growing maelstrom of terror. Can they survive?
Thompson continued, "When Bob and Mary are given the experimental drug-–something designed to make soldiers lose all inhibitions and fear—those drugs have the opposite effect and open their minds to all their fears instead. A dream made real!"
Ruggieri deftly illustrates the fear, confusion, and unease of the protagonists and creates an atmospheric and dreamlike setting that is palpable throughout the story. As we learn of the personal tragedies affecting Mary and Bob, what we see is through their eyes—sometimes it is what’s really there and sometimes it’s an illusion.
Take a look at our preview from the first chapter below, and don't forget to keep an eye on Comixology for all of their current and upcoming original digital comic books and graphic novels.
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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