We at Comics Experience would like to offer up congratulations to Creators Workshop member Phillip Kennedy Johnson on the release of Last Sons of America from BOOM! Studios. Philip is joined by Matthew Dow Smith and Doug Garbark on art, Tom Napolitano on letters, and Tonči Zonjić on covers.
The four-issue miniseries dissects the question of what would happen if Americans suddenly lost their ability to reproduce, spinning a horrifying sci-fi hypothetical into an intelligent, scathing commentary on the wrenching relationship between human trafficking and adoption agencies.
“What the adoption agents, kidnappers and traffickers do in our story happens in real life. The big difference in our story is that because of the insane demand, it’s legitimate, it’s standard practice,” Phillip told IGN in an October interview.
“There are tons of real-life documented cases of Americans adopting kids that still have families overseas, and the new families usually don’t know. The kids are given away, bought or kidnapped, sold to orphanages for a couple hundred bucks, and then sold overseas for way more.”
In its first week of release, Hannibal Tabu at Comic Book Resources placed Last Sons of America in the #1 slot on his Buy Pile – calling it “very savvy” and placing it ahead of Kieron Gillen’s critically-acclaimed Darth Vader! He goes on to rave, “The tense, intimate visuals from Matthew Dow Smith, Doug Garbark and Jim Campbell excellently depict Philip Kennedy Johnson’s claustrophobic script, and when the meetings to option this start happening, it will lead to an electrifying screenplay. Thought provoking, compelling work all around.”
Phillip is a longtime member of the Creators Workshop, crediting founder Andy Schmidt‘s book The Insider’s Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels with motivating him to begin making comics of his own.
“I watch every live seminar, read the comment threads, read a lot of scripts that people post, and always try to find other CE members at conventions,” he says. “It’s inspiring to be a part of such a creative community. Many of the stories I’ve read on CE have pushed me to step up my game.”
He also credits the Creators Workshop community with helping him constantly grow and refine his writing acumen. “In my opinion, the pro crits are one of the most valuable resources on CE. Reading pro crits, every week I find answers to questions I haven’t thought of yet,” Phillip says. “It’s a window into the ‘brains’ of the comics industry. I’ve gotten editorial comments from people who edited books I’ve read for years. That is the coolest, coolest thing.”
Last Sons of America from BOOM! Studios is now available in stores and online at ComiXology.
Congratulations on a successful launch, Phillip!
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Posted by Meredith Nudo