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Elsewhere on Popverse, we talk to Mike Zagari and Dagen Walker of new comic publisher The Lab Press about the company’s origins and ambitions. But what if we just wanted to share an exclusive look at The Lab’s first release, the graphic novel Essentials? And what if that look was a six-page preview at the bottom of this post?

Yeah, we thought that might seem like a good idea.

Written by Luke Arnold and Chris 'Doc' Wyatt, Essentials — launching next week on Kickstarter — is an ambitious graphic novel that asks what if the world we live in isn’t real, but instead tailor-made for us and based on our hopes, memories, and fears? And what does it mean on the larger scale if we get lost in that world? It’s a heady idea, and one that takes no less than seven artists to bring it to life… and what a line-up of artists it is: behind a cover by Bill Sienkiewicz, the story is illustrated by M.K. Parker, Andrea Mutti, Brendan McCarthy, Vince Locke, Glenn Fabry, DaNi, and Trees, Big Girls, and The Astounding Wolf Man veteran Jason Howard, who illustrates the excerpt we have below.

Talking about the book, Arnold told Popverse, “For the last few years, I’ve been writing novels, and I’ve gotten very used to being the sole contributor to what I put on the page. But when it came to Essentials - and the huge collaboration that it’s become – I couldn’t have hoped for a more imaginative and joyous partner than Doc Wyatt. In the animated world, Doc has written for Spider-Man, The Avengers, Transformers and Ninjago but I feel like he really got to let loose when creating the worlds you see in Essentials. This book traverses many realities, so we were able to draw from all Doc’s experience then play with the expectations of those established genres.”

Wyatt was equally enthusiastic about the collaboration, adding, “Apart from being a master of plotting urban-fantasy/mystery novels, Luke Arnold just thinks deeply. He’s like the modern-day version of the gentleman philosopher. I believe if he were born during the Renaissance that he’d’ve run salons of thinkers and wild young artists, like the Medici did. He brings all of that to Essentials.”

Curious to read part of the book yet? Well, you don’t have to wait any longer: here’s your first peek into the world(s) of Essentials.

The Essentials kickstarter campaign begins next week, and updates are available here.

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.