Filmmaker Ridley Scott is entering the world of graphic novels via his production company Scott Free, which is partnering with the studio Mechanical Cake on three graphic novel projects: Modville, a crime drama set in New Orleans and featuring humans modified with artificial intelligence; Hyde, in which Doctor Jekyll’s alter ego conducts sinister experiments under the streets of London; and Nick, a Yuletide war story that draws on Norse legend.  Dave Elliott, founder of Atomeka and later co-founder and Editor in Chief of Radical (see “Radical Publishing’s Ambitious Agenda”) will be the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of the projects.  Artists involved with the project will include Bill Sienkiewicz, Chris Weston, Dan Panosian, Brian Rood, Hendry Prasetya, and Eko Puteh.

In the announcement, Jesse Negron, CEO of Mechanical Cake, said that Scott will “lend his meticulous eye and unmatched world- building skills” to the projects.  Tom Moran, Senior VP Development & Production at Scott Free, is overseeing the joint venture.

The first volume of Modville, by Negron, Prasetya, and Puteh, will be available for pre-order in March 2025; the series is expected to be eight volumes in total.

Negron is the creator of Dravn, which was published as a full issue of Heavy Metal magazine (#262).