Michael Moreci, a comic writer who recently wrote Barbaric, has announced a new comic series that riffs off of the Fantastic Four. The Joneses involves not just superheroes, but also domestic drama. This family will have plenty to deal with in their world when this series from AWA Studios begins publishing this spring.
Barbaric is an acclaimed comic series from Vault Comics from Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden that only took three issues to get the attention of comic fans and outlets. A fantasy series that subverts many tropes of the sword-and-sorcery genre, it centers around a barbarian named Owen who is forced to do good. While that series has wrapped up its first part in three issues, writer Michael Moreci already has a new comic series on the way. This one has very different themes and an incredibly different premise from his well-received 2021 comic series Barbaric.
Moreci shared an announcement for The Joneses on Twitter. The series will focus on a family of four who become superheroes following a major global event. It will be written by Moreci with art by Alessandro Vitti. It's described as being a riff that blends life struggles with a heroic family similar to Marvel's Fantastic Four. This may not be a Marvel comic, but fans of that kind of hero team could very well find something to enjoy about this upcoming genre-blending series that also has a theme that takes elements of Pixar's The Incredibles to a different level.
Spinning out of the pages of The Resistance, The Joneses focuses on a suburban family with a big secret: In the global pandemic known as the "Great Death," mother, father, sister and brother were all transformed into something superhuman. While the world embraces fascism born of fear, the Joneses realize they face grave consequences if they are exposed as "Reborns." Do they keep a low profile and hide in plain sight...or use their powers for good and risk exposure?
The Resistance is a six-issue series that was published by AWA Studios in 2020. It was followed up by the one-shot The Resistance: Reborns, and a six-issue sequel series, The Resistance Uprising, both of which were published in 2021. Now, the world of The Resistance - the Upshot Universe - is growing with a new super family who must decide what to do with their new powers when the world won't accept them for who they are. Like the Parr family in The Incredibles, the Joneses have abilities that are frowned upon and not accepted. As a family they will likely struggle with who they are independently, how to function as a super family, and the moral dilemma of should they risk themselves by saving the world when it could just as quickly turn against them?
The first volume of AWA Studios' The Joneses will span five issues. Comic readers who haven't yet dived into The Resistance still have plenty of time to get caught up, since the series will begin in a few months. Like Marvel's Fantastic Four, they are a family of four heroes who have more than crimefighting and world-saving to contend with on a regular basis. Fans of family dynamics, domestic issues, and superhero teams will likely find a lot to be intrigued about with this new series. Comic readers and fans of Moreci's past work like Barbaric, can begin keeping up with The Joneses when the AWA Studios series' first issue releases on April 6.
Source: Michael Moreci, AWA Studios