In a statement accompanying the announcement, Kirkman denied that the news was timed to coincide with the election of the first pope from the South Side of Chicago. “I swear we had this planned months ago!” he said. “Full disclosure, we did try to time this announcement around the conclave but it happened so fast! And the first American Pope? Seems suspicious, right?... Battle Pope is where I first met and got to work with Matthew Roberts, Cory Walker and E.J. Su and all that work is collected here. The beginnings of The Walking Dead, Brit, Manifest Destiny, Invincible, Science Dog, Tech Jacket and Blood & Thunder... all started here... in this ridiculous comic.”
Kirkman’s new comic, Battle Beast #1, which launches a new Invincible storyline, sold out at the distributor level this week (see “‘Battle Beast’ Orders ‘Nearly 400,000’”).