Welcome to another episode of BEYOND THE SYNOPSIS!
In this feature, we interview comic book industry professionals via Zoom about their latest projects. For episode ten, I spoke with the co-creators of DEATH SENTENCE – writer/artist Monty Nero and artist Mike Dowling.
Here’s a look at their amazing original graphic novel DEATH SENTENCE: The Complete Collection!
DEATH SENTENCE: The Complete Collection
Written by Monty Nero
Chapter Art by Mike Dowling (Chs. 1-6)
Chapter Art by Martin Simmonds (Chs. 7-15)
Chapter Art by Monty Nero (Chs. 16-18)
Letters by Comicraft‘s Jimmy Betancourt
Hardcover, 464 pages
Full Color, $49.99 (SRP)
On sale July 1, 2025
Collected together for the first time, all three volumes of the irreverent, no-holds-barred graphic novel about an STI that grants superpowers at a cost of only 6 months to live…
Death Sentence is an adult story featuring swearing, drug-taking, sex, violence and it’s blackly funny too. Snort your coffee across the room funny!
SEX, SUPERPOWERS AND SIX MONTHS TO LIVE!
Verity: frustrated artist. Weasel: struggling guitarist. Monty: rogue media icon. Three people infected with the G+ virus, which grants them incredible powers – but will kill them in six months! Will they fade away – or go out in a blaze of glory? From the streets of London to the North Atlantic, from muses lost to futures thrown away – Death Sentence is the jaw-dropping next step in superpowered storytelling! Funny, fearless and frightening, this collection of the hit series is an unforgettable comics debut.
More than any other series Death Sentence predicted the world we now live in, one of the reasons it was named Dreamcage Comic of the Decade (beating Umbrella Academy into second place). Work is underway to turn the comic into a major TV series, but nothing beats the magic of reading the original comics first.
This incredible collection sees all three graphic novels brought together for the first time in marvellous mayhem!
Time for the interview… enjoy!
I’d like to send a very big thank you to Monty and Mike for taking the time to speak with me and discuss DEATH SENTENCE. And a special thanks to Titan Comics, and especially Julia Oprzondek, for setting up this interview for us. Be sure to follow the creators and publisher online (links below)!
And be sure to grab DEATH SENTENCE: The Complete Collection to add to your bookcase. You can pick up a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Bookshop.org, and Forbidden Planet, as well as online comic book retailers and your local comic shop!
About Monty Nero:
Monty is a writer and artist specialising in graphic novels, after a career making computer games such as Need for Speed and SSX. His credits include writing The Hulk and X-Men for Marvel, as well as stories for 2000AD, DC’s Vertigo imprint, and Delcourt in France. He’s currently writing and drawing Book 2 of his original hand-drawn cyberpunk series Chrome Roses, after the first book raised $35,000 on Kickstarter. Monty lives in Scotland and his agent for written work is James Wills at dWatson Little Ltd.
About Mike Dowling:
Mike Dowling is a comics artist in pencils, ink and colour – drawing for creator-owned, independent and mainstream comics, both sides of the pond. After Death Sentence, he co-created Unfollow with Rob Williams for Vertigo, and worked on Safe Sex with Tina Horn for Image. At Marvel, Mike has done stints on Alien, Amazing Spider-Man and Black Cat amongst other titles – and Judge Anderson and Judge Dredd at 2000AD.
About Titan Comics:
Titan Comics offers astounding creator-owned comics and graphic novels from new and world-renowned talent, alongside the world’s greatest licensed properties and classic graphic novels remastered for brand-new audiences. Titan is one of the most successful independent publishing operations in the US, with a recent six-week run at #1 in the New York Times bestseller list.
