A Facebook connection made during the early days of COVID was the beginning of a life-changing opportunity for Louisville writer Rock Jerome. When the world stopped movingâor at least dramatically changedâfor nearly everyone in the spring of 2020, Jerome happened upon a new opportunity that led to the release of his first comic book.
GHOST Agents: Apocalyptico launched in February 2023 and is designed to appeal to those who are devoted to comics as well as new readers and everyone else in between. The curated collection of original stories written by Jerome features the work of 20 up-and-coming artists from across the world.
âItâs clear from Hollywood that comic stories have great universal appeal,â said Jerome. âGHOST Agents is intended to recapture the energy that some comics had in the mid-â60s and throughout the â70s. GHOST Agents is a very art-forward project, while also being simple enough that anyone could take something away from it and find the storytelling to be accessible.â
In GHOST Agents, the clandestine Global Hierarchy of Secret Tactics sends its agents to combat threats with bad intentionsâlycanthropic drug addicts, demons from the netherworld tearing into the space/time continuum, and the nihilistic, fashion-obsessed terrorists collectively known as Apocalyptico.
Printed on newsprint, the 8.7 x 13.3-inch oversized comic book was designed to be an object that is collected and displayed, Jerome said.
âWith only 1,500 copies made, GHOST Agents is a unique piece of art and entertainment,â he said. âIf you never thought youâd like comics, try this bookâI bet you will change your mind. If it looks cool or intriguing to you, it is!â
GHOST Agents is available online (GHOSTAgents.net) and at several Louisville retailers. The Great Escape, a Louisville comic book shop, offers special pricing on GHOST Agents and also sells posters featuring art from the book.
