THE KILLER

The Killer Vol. 2

The Killer Vol. 1

Written by: Matz
Illustrated by: Luc Jacamon

A professional. A man of few scruples, nerves of steel and a steady trigger finger.

A man whose crimes might be catching up with him.

A man on the verge of cracking.

Archaia presents THE KILLER, a hardboiled, noir series chronicling one man’s journey through some seriously bad mojo.

The Killer Vol. 1

A brutal, bloody, and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass, this is a case study of a man alone, armed to the teeth and slowly losing his mind. This Eisner Award-nominated collection includes issues #1-4 of the series The Killer.

The Killer Vol. 2

While trying to avoid the kinds of personal entanglements that make the life of a professional assassin all the more difficult, our Killer exacts what he hopes will be his revenge on those that have sent his life and career into its long and downward spiral back into humanity. Collects issues #5-10 of The Killer.

The Killer Vol. 3: Modus Vivendi

A new story arc begins for this Eisner Award-nominated series! In Venezuela, the “sanctuary” that he chose to withdraw from the world for four long years, our Killer reappears on the scene. What brought him back? Boredom, fatigue, the need for action? His old friend Mariano recommends him for a quick-and-dirty freelance job. Except that the job, obviously, is worse than it seemed at first. Remove one banker and one international oil broker, sure, no problem. But why is his third and final target a nun, Madre Luisa, so devoted, selfless and invested in her ministry to the poorest of the poor in all of Latin America? A perfect jumping-on spot for readers new to the series!

Currently being released in single issue format.

SELECT REVIEWS

“4 (out of 5) stars. An intriguing look into the life of an assassin, The Killer delivers a sober tale of the risk and solitude faced by the protagonist.”
— Lance Eaton, Curled Up With a Good Book

“In the tradition of Jean-Pierre Melville, it captures a noir-infused Paris, with atmosphere to spare and enough sex, double crosses and hard-boiled attitude to leave you wanting more. Grade: A.”
—Mike Sebastian, Campus Circle

“Maddeningly enjoyable… Whether or not you traditionally enjoy graphic novels, the cinematic sensibility of The Killer makes the book as accessible as any film.”
—Erik Hinton, PopMatters

“A fresh breath in the noir genre with art that is terrific in its simplicity and writing that is engaging, intriguing, and gripping.”
—Newsarama’s Best Shots Team

“Matz and Jacamon have created a storytelling language that is immersive and riveting… A mesmerizing piece of work that thrills to the potential of the comic-book medium.”

—Jeff Jensen, Entertainment Weekly, The Best Comics of 2007

“The French have long been masters of moody noir films like Band of Outsiders or Le Samourai, so The Killer carries some heavy expectations. Fortunately, Jacamon’s art is more than up to the task. His layouts are exciting, equally adept at choreographing brutal action, placing the camera for maximum suspense, and playing with panel borders to convey the protagonist’s gradual mental breakdown.”
— Publishers Weekly (July 2007)

“A+… This is a modern work of art which has already immediately earned itself a place in the pantheon of respected industry works.”
—13 Minutes

“An A+ project. It’s the best thing on the stands right now. It’s just as smart as anything from Vertigo.”
— Dan Head’s “Stray Voltage,” Paperback Reader

http://www.paperbackreader.com/

“A provocative and intense read…. If you just like a good, well-told, nicely illustrated book you definitely need to pick this one up!”
— Brant Fowler, Silver Bullet Comics

http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/

“A dark, disturbing tale of rationalization, violence and death. If your comic book store doesn’t carry this import, tell them they are missing out.”
— Matthew McLean, The Comics Review

http://www.thecomicsreview.com/

“Looking into the head of a sociopath shouldn’t be this intriguing, and yet that’s exactly what Matz provides… Jacamon’s art is lovely, a lushly styled creation.”
— Greg McElhatton, www.readaboutcomics.com

“[The Killer is a] tale of a contract-killer [that] forgoes the usual hyperbolic mix of adrenaline and testosterone for realism, patience, and introspection—and the results are terrific.”
—Blair Butler, “Fresh Ink” on Attack of the Show

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/index.html

“Matz has woven an intriguing and frightening look inside the mind of a murderer here, and it is as chilling as it is entertaining. Luc Jacamon’s art here is phenomenal, and really drives the book home… It takes a great artist to make the minute to minute activities of a man waiting seem interesting, but Jacamon does it perfectly, accenting each thought the killer has with his bored activities. Very impressive.”
—Dan Grendell, “Indie Jones” at Ain’t It Cool News, http://www.aintitcool.com/

“Jacamon’s gorgeous artwork… The Killer #1 is one of the best first issues I’ve read this year, a moody and intense character study that serves as gateway to a very intriguing new story.”
—Randy Lander, Comic Pants, http://www.comicpants.com/

“The Killer is, in fact, a lot like reading a movie. It plays like a French film, more elegant and heady than your typical American fare… The Killer is a small gem of a find… The Killer is 32 pages of ad-free, uninterrupted intrigue, and worth every penny of its $3.95 price of admission.”
—David Henry, Comixfan.com, http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/

“Really, truly excellent. It’s a Comic You Should Be Reading if you like hard-hitting comics that don’t dumb it down. Don’t miss it.”
—Dan Head, Paper Back Reader, http://www.paperbackreader.com

HONORS AND AWARDS

The 2008 Eisner Awards, Nominated: Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Newsarama’s Best Comic You Didn’t Read This Year (2007)

IGN.com: Best Indy Book of 2007

INTERVIEWS

NEW Peter Jaffe, It Came Out on Wednesday (Matz) podcast
Kevin Agot at Comic Critique (Matz) interview here
Frederik Hautain at Broken Frontier interview here
George Tramountanas at Comic Book Resources interview here
Richard Vasseur at Jazma Online interview here

REVIEWS

NEW Lance Eaton, Curled Up With a Good Book (The Killer, Vol 1) review here
Mike Sebastian, Campus Circle (The Killer, Vol 1) review here
Erik Hinton, PopMatters (The Killer, Vol 1) review here
Newsarama’s Best Shots Team review here
Jeff Jensen at Entertainment Weekly review here
Blair Butler at Fresh Ink online (The Killer #5 & #6) watch episode
Nathan Cain at The Independent Crime (The Killer, Vol 1) review here
Publishers Weekly, July 2007 (The Killer, Vol. 1) print review
Marc Mason’s Comics Waiting Room (The Killer #3) review here
Brant Fowler at Silver Bullet Comics (The Killer #3) review here
Chad Boudreau at Comic Readers review here
Van Jensen of Legion of Doom and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette review here
James Jobe at PopThought.com review here
Richard Vasseur at Jazma Online review here
Michael Vance’s Suspended Animation review here
13 Minutes review here
Chad Boudreau at Comic Readers (Issue #3) review here
Chad Boudreau at Comic Readers (Issues #1 & #2) review here
Greg Burgas at Comics Should Be Good (Issue #2) review here
Greg Burgas at Comics Should Be Good (Issue #1) review here
Dan Head’s “Stray Voltage” at Paperback Reader review here
Richard Vasseur, Jazma Online review here
Fletch Adams, Broken Frontier review here
Brant Fowler, Silver Bullet Comics review here
Marc Mason at Comics Waiting Room review here
Matthew McLean at The Comics Review review here
Variant Edition, Episode 34 review here
Greg McElhatton at ReadAboutComics.com

review here
Randy Lander at ComicPants review here
Matthew McLean at The Comics Review review here
Dan Grendell for the “Indie Jones” column at Ain’t It Cool News review here
David Henry of ComixFan.com review here
Richard Vasseur at Jazma Online review here
Dan Head at Paperback Reader.com review here
Fletch Adams at Broken Frontier review here