Humanoids will publish the first graphic novel by Steven S. DeKnight, creator of the Starz show Spartacus and the showrunner for the first season of Daredevil. DeKnight worked with artist Leno Carvalho, colorist Bruno Hang, and letterer Troy Peteri on the book, Hard Bargain, which is set in Los Angeles in the 1940s and follows Frank Harding, a private investigator who battles criminals and demons in a city infested with both human and supernatural evildoers. The story revolves around a high-stakes case that delves into a dark past, both Frank's own history and that of the city itself. Hard Bargain will be released in August 2024 as a 184-page hardcover with an MSRP of $24.99.

“Hard Bargain has been a dream thirty years in the making,” DeKnight said in a statement accompanying the announcement. “An idea that sprang from my love of two-fisted, hard-boiled detective stories and matinee creature-features of days gone by.”

DeKnight was the creator and showrunner of Spartacus as well as the executive producer and showrunner of the first season of Daredevil (see “Netflix Renews ‘Daredevil’”). He was one of the initial executive producers of the Millarworld show Jupiter’s Legacy (see “Netflix Greenlights Millarworld Projects”) but Deadline reported that he stepped away during the first season due to creative differences. He was also the director of Pacific Rim: Uprising (see “‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Tops Weak Box Office”).

Click Gallery below for preview!