Stephanie Phillips, Peter Krause, Ellie Wright, and Troy Peteri are teaming up for a brand new ComiXology series called We Only Kill Each Other, which follows a group of warring gangsters joining forces against evil as the American Nazi movement grows within the United States just before World War II. Even though We Only Kill Each Other being set in the late 1930s, it's set to be an extremely relevant tale about fighting back against fascists.
Stephanie Phillips is a rising star in the comic book industry, as she's worked on several projects, including the critically acclaimed Harley Quinn ongoing series with Riley Rossmo. In addition, Phillips is set to write the upcoming Wonder Woman: Evolution alongside Mike Hawthorne. Phillips has also tackled a number of creator-owned projects, including Butcher in Paris, Artemis & The Assassin, and Red Atlantis. Meanwhile, Peter Krause is best known for his work on The Power of Shazam and Irredeemable with Mark Waid from BOOM! Studios. The new story will see the pair work alongside colorist Ellie Wright (Batman The Shadow) and letterer Troy Peteri (Astonishing Tales).
We Only Kill Each Other stars Jonas Kaminsky, a small-time gangster who's on the rise and in conflict with Levi Solomon, a mob boss who's been in the game for a very long time. While the two gangsters are actively fighting against each other, they will join forces against a common enemy: the rise of the Nazi sympathizers in the United States. Check out the cover for We Only Kill Each Other from Dave Johnson, which features the two main characters.
We've got a first look at three uncolored and unlettered pages for the comic, where a bar fight breaks out.
Phillips revealed We Only Kill Each Other is exactly the story she loves telling, as it's based on real-life history while also being relevant to today's political landscape in the United States.
"We Only Kill Each Other is the kind of story I love telling,” says Phillips. “It's got a historical setting and flawed heroes, in this case Jewish gangsters who are opposing Nazis in New York City in the 1930s. It's based on actual events but, at the same time, it unfortunately feels very contemporary as America wrestles with division in our streets. This feels like the right time to tell this story, and I couldn't be happier to team with Peter, Ellie, Troy, and Dave to tell it."
Krause said readers were in for a treat, as he loved Phillips' script and the work from Wright, Peteri, and Johnson.
“This is an era I love to depict—the cars, the fashions and a New York City with more grit than sheen,” says Krause. “Jonas and Solomon are two complex characters fighting a larger evil that comes vividly to life in Stephanie Phillips' script. When the writing is this good, it’s a dream job to draw. With colors by Ellie Wright that invoke a bygone time, wonderful lettering by Troy Peteri and knockout covers from Dave Johnson—well, I think the readers are in for a treat.”
The first of five issues of We Only Kill Each Other will arrive digitally on ComiXology on November 16, 2021. The book will later be collected in its entirety in print by Dark Horse Comics on April 19, 2022. You can purchase the book here and here.