Junkies, I bring you bad news. The INFECTED graphic novel is on hold indefinitely. Issue #1 of this 5-issue series is available in stores and online, but we have no date for when Issue #2 will be available. 

What's the deal, you ask? Well, the problem lies not with IDW Publishing, who have been fantastic throughout the process. Unfortunately, the problem lies with us. 

Artist Chad Minshew has yet to complete Issue #2. We're about three months late turning that in to IDW. We were already late with Issue #1, which caused IDW some level of embarassment with stores and their distributor. They extended the deadline for Issue #2, but when we missed that deadline as well, they had to make a business decision: they will wait until all four remaining issues are complete, and only then will they re-solicit the book and work to put it in stores.

Chad's work in INFECTED #1 is phenomenal. We've learned, however, that he works at a slower pace than we'd like. He is a perfectionist, doing both the art and the color. IDW gave us another colorist to help Chad catch up, but Chad did not like how that turned out and wanted to do it himself to make sure the series comes out the way he envisions it. 

So at the moment, the series is on hold. I'm busy working on PANDEMIC, and ARealGirl is busy working on bringing you eBooks for TITLE FIGHT, THE DETECTIVE and THE CRYPT:Book One, as well as managing paperback production of THE ALL-PRO and THE MVP. We've got full plates. At this point, we have to trust in Chad and hope he can get the word done sooner rather than later. 

Dark Øverlord is not making excuses here. We promised to deliver a product and failed on that promise. This is a black eye for us, and we will learn from it. INFECTED will not be the last comic that we do.

Awww, snap! Check out two full pages from the INFECTED graphic novel, available July 9. Published by IDW Publishing and drawn by the phenomenal Chad Minshew, this bad boy looks amazing. This is issue #1 of 5. Click on the images to see them larger on my Flickr page. 

What's that? You want it for your very own? The Diamond product code is MAY120450. Go to comicshoplocator.com, type in your zip code, find a store near you, then call and request it.

If you're asking, "hey Dark Øverlord, what's the best way for us to help you with this?" The answer is buy it in print from your local shop. Why? Because it increases awareness with the comic shop owners and workers, who are then more likely to hand-sell the book to others. The better the comic does, the more likely you are to see INFECTED as a movie. More and more, Hollywood makes movies from comic books. It makes sense, because it's a visual medium that they can instantly see as a movie. 

The INFECTED graphic novel should also be available electronically with the IDW Publishing app (the app is free, the comic will not be), and should also from ComixOlogy.