A new comic book named Scrapper is coming from Cliff Bleszinski. In what will be Gears of War designer Bleszinski's first comic book, he and co-writer Alex De Campi will be mixing sci-fi action with the story of a stray dog battling against totalitarian forces. Scrapper will be published by Image Comics as a six-issue miniseries, with art supplied by DC Comics Bombshells and Batman '66 artist Sandy Jarrell.
Bleszinski is best known for his work in the video game industry. He's played key roles in the creation of Gears of War, Unreal Tournament, and even Fortnite. But after leaving Epic Games, Bleszinski took his talents in interesting new directions. He opened two bars, launched an independent game studio, and invested in theater production. He even recently published his memoir, Control Freak: My Epic Adventure Making Video Games.
The next project that Bleszinski is taking on is an original comic book named Scrapper. In Scrapper, a stray dog and his friend Tank are said to be fighting for justice in a post-apocalyptic domed city named New Verona. In the effort, Scrapper appears to discover a terrifying truth. Image Comics describes the book as Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad, the story of a group of captain lions escaping a Baghdad zoo, meets the noir sci-fi film Blade Runner.
But Scrapper is apparently also a personal story for Bleszinski. He says that the choice of a dog protagonist ties into his feelings over the loss of his dog Teddy, as well as his feelings about adopting his new dog Lady. He describes the story of Scrapper as "deeply personal work," and that it's an honor to write it with Eisner-nominated comic veteran Alex De Campi.
De Campi's recent work includes a variety of digitally-published independent comic work in recent years, including Bad Karma, Mayday, and The Brandenburg School for Boys. She's also worked on Wonder Woman, Judge Dredd, and Archie vs. Predator, between writing for television like Blade Runner: Black Lotus and directing her own films. De Campi teased this new comic project with Cliff Bleszinski at the end of March.
The Gears of War designer has undeniably left a significant impact on the video game industry, and Bleszinski may yet return to video game development yet. But that he's now exploring comics is an interesting and exciting direction. With the support of a talented co-writer like De Campi, and an exceptional up-and-coming artist like Jarrell, Bleszinski is positioned to thrive. Hopefully, Scrapper is just the first of Bleszinski's comic book efforts.
The first issue of Scrapper will be available starting July 19.