Robert Kirkman has a new comic coming this year, as The Walking Deadco-creator is bringing the new series Blood & Thunder to a comic book store near you. Kirkman has mastered horror and superhero fiction with blockbuster franchises like Walking Dead and Invincible – now the celebrated writer is looking to conquer the cyperpunk world with a new series focusing on a bounty hunter in a far-future world.

Announced via Skybound, the new series is based on a story by Robert Kirkman, who will be acting as a creative consultant for the new series to be published by his Image Comics imprint, Skybound Entertainment. Blood and Thunder will be written by Benito Cereno and drawn by E.J. Su.

Blood & Thunder #1 (2025)

Release Date:
May 7, 2025

Writers:
Benito Cereno, Robert Kirkman

Artists:
E.J. Su

Cover Artist:
E.J. Su

Variant Covers:
E.J. Su (main), David Lopez (variant), Andy Tong (variant), Bernard Chang (variant)

Set in a far future where Earth has integrated alien species into a new society, Blood & Thunder plays by a whole new set of rules… and a whole load of new crimes to solve. Bounty hunter Akeldama “Blood” Bledsoe and her cantankerous talking gun, Thunder, are the best there is at bringing in the bad guys. However, when the galaxy’s most dangerous criminal breaks out of prison, Blood’s hunt delivers her down a path that will unlock secrets about her past, present, and future… and that’s when things get REALLY BAD.

Arriving in comic shops this May, Blood & Thunder will hopefully take the comics world by storm in the same way that previous series like The Walking Dead, Invincible, Outcast and Oblivion Song achieved. If so, an adaptation surely won’t be too far behind, given how successful Kirkman’s other projects have been. In a genius detail, a preview of the comic (below) reveals that much to Blood’s irritation, her gun has a conscience, refusing to let her kill her targets.

Blood & Thunder #1 Is Robert Kirkman’s Latest Blockbuster

The Sci-Fi Story Has the Same Genre-Aware Humor as Invincible

The preview for the issue displays the kind of high-octane action and self-aware genre savvy fans love in Invincible, as Akeldama “Blood” Bledsoe brings in an alien bounty. Blood’s talking gun Thunder is a neat concept, and the fact that she can request different types of ammunition should make for a fun sci-fi action comic – especially considering that Thunder can disagree. Benito Cereno’s script hits the right comedic beats to balance the action, and E.J. Su’s kinetic artwork makes it look better than many Hollywood blockbusters.

Robert Kirkman expresses his excitement for the project, highlighting how Cereno and Su are the perfect creative team to bring his initial ideas to life:

Blood & Thunder is a concept I’ve been dying to share with the world for quite some time. I’m so thrilled to be on the cusp of debuting what Benito Cereno, E.J. Su & I have cooked up… Monsters! Aliens! Space! Talking Guns! I dare you to find a comic that’s more exciting! Blood & Thunder! Shut up!

Writer Benito Cereno provides a little more context for what readers can expect from Blood & Thunder, highlighting Blood’s central character arc that will be the crux of the series:

What happens when the best fighter in the colony finally finds something to fight for? That’s what we’re hoping to find out in Blood & Thunder, a book where E.J. Su and I have been given room to stretch our legs in exploring strange new worlds and the people who inhabit them. I can’t wait for everyone to see the vibrant and explosive energy E.J. brings to each new environment, alien and familiar all at once.

The preview shows off some clever ideas, such as Thunder shooting the alien perp with “expando” rounds, which cause the alien to grow tumor-like orbs where he’s been shot, resulting in some gnarly, cyberpunk body horror. The moment brings to mind classic comic Judge Dredd, but at a breakneck pace and with quippier humor.

Is Blood & Thunder Kirkman’s Next Hit?

The Creator Has Proved He Knows What Genre Fans Are Looking For

Skybound has been on something of a roll in recent years, with the publisher’s revamp of G.I. Joe and Transformers in the Energon Universe currently burning up the sales charts. Skybound has also found success with its recent adaptations of the classic Universal Monsters, reinterpreting classic horror icons for a new generation. With hits like The Walking Deadand Invincible under his belt, Robert Kirkman has established himself as a major comics creator, so hopefully Blood & Thunder will unleash the same level of success for this cyberpunk, sci-fi world.

Blood & Thunder #1is available May 7 from Skybound Entertainment