Legend


Legend Cover 1 dresed-rgb

 

Samuel Sattin and Chris Koehler
Legend
(Z2 Comics, May 2016)

 

Mental Floss 12 Most Interesting Comics of the Month
Vulture 8 Comics to Read this Month
A Diamond Book Distribution Featured Title
Exclusive new trailer debuted by Entertainment Weekly

 

From an acclaimed novelist and an award-winning illustrator comes the story of a devastated city where our domesticated animals work together to survive

In a city devastated by a bio-terror attack where the human population has been near-eliminated, only animals remain to pick up the pieces of what we left behind. Separated by species into tribes, each vies for power and safety in a hostile world.

Legend, a naïve but strong-willed English Pointer, is selected by an oracle to take control of the Dog Tribe after their leader is murdered by a creature called the Endark—a beast of such frightening make that animals can’t describe it the same way twice. As the Dog Tribe’s numbers dwindle, Legend vows to kill the beast and ensure their survival.

Aided by three close companions—a battle-worn pit bull, a brave, if melodramatic beagle, and a brainless but big-hearted Rottweiler—Legend sets out to discover the true identity of the beast. After consulting with the Cat Tribe, they are joined by elite Journey Cats who escort them across a perilous expanse called the Great Bridge. There they negotiate with a condescending Hawk for information on how to track and defeat their menace, even if it means discovering that menace is more human than beast.

From mutant creatures with tusk-like noses whose very scent sends animals into paralysis, to a garbage man in a gas mask with giant bunny ears, from dark science and underground cages to mutiny and insubordination, the Dog Tribe finds itself fighting evil forces to protect everything they hold dear. For ultimately Legend is the story of dogs, though small in number, attempting to restore the world their masters destroyed.

 

LEGEND cover 2    Cover 3    Cover 4    Cover 5

 

​Praise for Legend
“Just lovely. Legend is a haunting post-apocalyptic tale, set in a community of tails. This captivating, fully realized canine fable takes its place beside Grant Morrison’s WE3 and Brian K. Vaughn’s Pride of Baghdad, while creating its own new animist mythos. This is a title to watch for.”
—Mat Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of Loving Day​

“[LEGEND] will enthrall you…  combines the arduous paths of The Fellowship of the Ring with the detritus-based visual evocativeness of Mad Max to create a story that will make any pet-lover hold their furry buddy close for fear they might lose them when the world ends.
Vulture

“Superbly written and beautifully illustrated…It’s not simply a great what-if story, but a close examination of how societies evolve.”
Publishers Weekly

​“This gleeful genre mashup (featuring Lovecraftian monsters, armored cats, and so on) is captured by Koehler’s gorgeous, Rockwellian art – also designed to mimic dogs’ unique, chromatic vision of the world.”
Entertainment Weekly

“Legend #4 proves that apocalyptic tales can comment on a variety of social issues without lecturing or talking down to readers.”
—FreakSugar

“An action-packed epic, full of warriors and monsters, that surprises with its quieter moments and—yes—its humanity.”
—Robert Repino, author of Mort(e)

Legend is an incredible odyssey that will leave you breathless. With its gorgeous art and sharp dialogue, this post-apocalyptic fable is compelling and mesmerizing. Imagine Dark Knight Returns, Animal Farm, and Saga all rolled into one.”
—Peter Tieryas, author of United States of Japan

Legend is an endearing tale, filled with darkness and mystery, beautifully illustrated to capture every threat, every surreal horror, and every glimmer of hope.”
—Richard Thomas, author of Breaker

“Samuel Sattin and Chris Koehler’s Legend is a lot like what would happen if Harlan Ellison wrote Call of the Wild, while being possessed by Cthulhu. It’s an epic tale of loyalty, courage, and defiance.”
—David Gallaher, author of The Only Living Boy

“​A spectacular upcoming comic…the art is stunning, using colors to show us how our animal friends might see the world.”
—Heidi McDonald, The Beat

“Cormac McCarthy-meets-Watership Down.”
The Nerdist

“What happens when you combine the animalistic focus of Homeward Bound with the difficulty of forging a new world in the ashes of the old?”
Comics Alliance

“Dog religion, armored cats, and more.”
—io9

“A brutal saga of dogs and cats attempting to rebuild the world….I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the visceral, mature twist on The Incredible Journey I’ve been waiting for.”
The Nerdist

“You would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to check out Legend.”
Brutal Gamer

“A harrowing, imaginative new comic…. Sattin plays inventively with genre, plying anthropomorphic animals with survivalist fantasy. Koehler’s illustrations inject the most noble and amiable qualities of canines onto the page, cast with immaculate shading and detail recalling Jae Lee and Charles Burns. Legend is poised to join the company of such lauded animal epics as The Plague Dogs, Watership Down and Pride of Baghdad with its own distinct tone.”
Paste Magazine

“The artwork is created by the amazingly talented Chris Koehler….[Legend] leads you on a suspenseful journey that sometimes scares you but can’t escape your attention.”
The Mary Sue

“Gripping.”
Dogster

“Thought-provoking.”
Catster

“An action-packed epic, full of warriors and monsters, that surprises with its quieter moments and–yes–its humanity.”
—Robert Repino, Mort(e)

“Spectacular.”
COmics Beat

“Stunning.”

Black Gate

“Koehler’s artistic style sets a moody stage, with panels colored in unexpected hues, representing a world that’s no longer seen through human eyes.”
—CNET’s Crave

“A tale of pets and wildlife fighting back against Lovecraftian horrors.”
—NPR

“This is high-quality graphic storytelling, with writer and artist working in near-perfect tandem to produce an engrossing new fictional mythology using comics’ unique tools…. Thanks to remarkable world-building and a dynamic collaborative effort, Sattin and Koehler have crafted a fantastic adventure”
Broken Frontier

“Like a fever dream mashup of Frazer Irving’s artwork covering Beasts of Burden…. Spooky [and] soulful. Impressive.”
Newsarama

“If you enjoy stories in the vein of the comics We3 and Pride of Baghdad and Orwell’s novel Animal Farm—all tales that use anthropomorphic animals to comment on society—Legend is a book to watch.”
Freak Sugar

“Touching…profound…fascinating.”
Ominicomic

Legend easily maneuvers through multiple storytelling genres”
Fanboy Comics

“Chris Koehler is a drawing maniac. Readers are invited to see the world through a dog’s perspective. We feel like one of the pack. We can smell the smoke, taste the grit in the air, and feel the sun at our backs.”
—Owen Smith

“Fascinating.”
The Nerd Machine

“In a scant 21 pages, Sattin and Koehler have made me care more about a new cast of characters than those in long-established series on the newsstands in quite some time. And I want to know ‘what’s next.’”
FreakSugar

“Sam Sattin and Chris Koehler’s Legend is sort of like a post-apocalyptic Watership Down, except somehow even weirder than that elevator pitch sounds.”
—io9

“One of the most interesting storylines I’ve read in years.”
GeekDad

“I could say that Legend is a post-apocalyptic Watership Down with dogs and cats and that might be enough. Instead I’ll say that the story is fun, scary, and poignant, and the art absolutely gorgeous, melancholy, and menacing. I’m utterly and hopelessly hooked.”
—Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock

“LEGEND combines unforgettable characters, exceptional world building, and delivers an unforgettable, bittersweet read first page to last… Special.”
Good Men Project

“Captivating…. [with] amazing art.”
Sci Fi Pulse

 

 

 

Read the Publishers Weekly review of Legend
Read the FreakSugar 10/10 review for Legend #4
Watch the COCOA video review and round table discussion on LEGEND
Read the Comics Alliance interview with Sattin and Koehler + exclusive preview pages of Issue #1
Read The Comics Beat preview of Legend
See the exclusive trailer reveal for Legend on Nerdist
Read Paste‘s announcement on Z2’s upcoming slate
Read about Legend on Adventures in Poor Taste
Read the Fanboy Comics interview with Sattin and Koehler
Read about Legend and see a preview on Comic Bastards
Read about Legend on Tripwire
Read the Comic Book Resources preview of Legend
Read some selections of post-apocalyptic fiction from Sattin at 13th Dimension
See the trailer and preview on First Comic News
See the trailer and preview at Fangirl Nation
Read about Legend on The Mary Sue
See the trailer and preview on Comic Bastards
See the trailer on Omnicomic
See the trailer and preview on Comic Crusaders
See the trailer and preview on Multiverse
See the trailer and preview on Forces of Geek
See the trailer and preview on Rebelmouse
See the trailer and preview on Freak Sugar
See the preview on First Comic News
Read the Comic Crusadaers review of Legend
See Legend‘s process art on Bleeding Cool
Read the Omnicomic review of Legend
Read the Black Gate interview with Sattin and Koehler
Read the Nerd Machine review of Legend
See an exclusive preview of Legend on Paste
Read the Dogster interview with Sattin
Read an interview with Sattin and see the exclusive cover reveal at Comics Beat
Read the Freak Sugar interview with Sattin
Read the Sci Fi Pulse interview with Sattin
Read the Freak Sugar interview with Koehler
Read the CNET’s Crave interview with Sattin
Read the Freak Sugar review of Legend
Read the Newsarama review of Legend
Read about Legend and see a preview on From the Hip
Read Sattin’s essay on being a novelist learning to write comics on Brooklyn Vol. I
See an exclusive preview of Issue #2 on Crave Online
Read the Broken Frontier review of Legend
Read an interview with Sattin and see the cover of Issue #5 and process art at io9

 

​Samuel Sattin is a novelist, cultural critic, essayist and comic book creator. He is the author of The Silent End and League of Somebodies. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, Salon, io9, Kotaku, San Francisco Magazine, Publishing Perspectives, LitReactor, The Weeklings, The Good Men Project and elsewhere. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College and an MFA in Comics from CCA. He’s the recipient of NYS and SLS Fellowships and lives in Oakland, California​.

Artist Chris Koehler is an award-winning illustrator. His work has appeared everywhere from The Los Angeles Times to Wired. He also has corporate clients, regularly shows in galleries, and teaches in the Illustration and MFA in Comics Programs at California College of the Arts.