Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees creator Patrick Horvath is turning his attention to eating the rich in his next project, titled Free for All. Debuting from Oni Press in March, the sci-fi satire imagines a world where society’s wealthiest are given an ultimatum: donate half their money to charity, or fight for their fortune in a gladiatorial arena. In particular, the series will follow one billionaire, who finds his ruthlessness tested when he discovers he’ll be facing his ex-wife during his next fight to the death. Read the official synopsis, and check out the gory cover for the first issue below:
In the future, the World Finance League exists to benefit all, randomly choosing those from among the billionaires and trillionaires of the world and presenting them with a choice: either donate half of their assets to the common good — or defend them in ritual combat. Reigning champion and real estate magnate Ted Brooks has 22 victories under his belt — defending the wealth he schemed and stabbed to get — when he is forced to face his ex-wife, Luella Dominguez, in a fight to the death. Luella has been training, waiting for this moment. But will she have what it takes to defeat the man who would do anything — absolutely anything — to keep his fortune?
Horvath originally intended to release the comic via the crowdfunding platform Zoop. The Zoop page for the comic describes it as “an older project,” that “was previously only ever available digitally,” and which would be “remastered with new lettering and coloring.” He says in the press release, “I’m thrilled that Free for All has found a home with Oni Press. The idea for it came from an immense frustration with the state of society almost a decade ago, and with the issues of the world as they stand now, it’s only become more relevant. I’m so glad this book has a chance now to reach a wide audience.”
Oni Press president and publisher Hunter Gorinson comments, “With Beneath the Trees, Patrick Horvath has proven himself to be the rare breed of creator who can show up entirely fully formed with their debut work, while simultaneously presenting an entirely new point of view – in this case, one that that is enthralling and entertaining as it is disturbing and confrontational.”
He elaborates, adding, “Free for All has all of those same qualities in spades – including Horvath’s signature vivisection-rich violence and correspondingly pernicious sense of humor – with a dystopian science-fiction edge that one-part cultural commentary, one-part battle royale. It’s an honor for Oni to publish the next work in the growing library of titles from such an immense talent, and there’s little doubt that readers will be dueling to get their hands on it this March.”
Free for All #1 will be retail for $7.99 in March. It will be one of five new books debuting from Oni next year, which will all be revealed in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can read a preview below:
