03/24/25 - A Young Girl, A Deadly Spy, and a Choice! 🤖

THE EXPLOSIVE DOUBLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE!

AFTER HER MAD-SCIENTIST FATHER IS KILLED BY THE WORLD'S GREATEST SPY, 13-YEAR-OLD ANNALISE IS LEFT ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD. SORT OF. HER DEAD DAD'S ROBOT BODYGUARD IS FOLLOWING HER AROUND FOR SOME REASON. NOW ANNALISE HAS A CHOICE: TRY TO LEAD A NORMAL LIFE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER... OR SEEK REVENGE AND MAYBE OVERTHROW THE WORLD ORDER IN THE PROCESS.

IMAGE COMICS PROUDLY PRESENTS A JOURNEY OF REGRET AND RETRIBUTION, SUPER SPIES AND PSEUDOSCIENCE, GROWING UP AND GLOBAL DOMINATION FROM BRILLIANT ARTIST STEFANO LANDINI AND OKAY WRITER MATTHEW ROSENBERG.

Check out this exclusive interview that Uncanny’s own Steven Spevak conducted with We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us writer, Matthew Rosenberg, about the first issue and what you can expect from this thrilling new series!

SS: As a Philadelphia-area comic shop, we've seen how our local indie comic scene has evolved and influenced so many creators and readers over the years. How important was your local comic shop growing up, and how does that influence your approach to launching new series like this one?

MR: My local comic shop growing up was my whole world. I grew up in New York City, and the shop was literally on my block, upstairs from an excellent hamburger joint. So it was the first place I ever went on my own, because my mom could watch me cross the street from our apartment and make sure I didn't get run over. It was the first place I ever spent my own money. I had a giant pull list of superhero comics, and the guys who worked there would lovingly bully me into buying stuff like Eightball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hate, Love & Rockets, Reid Fleming: World's Toughest Milkman, Fish Police, and books like that. I wouldn't be the fan or the creator I am today without them. Shoutout to Big Apple Comics.

SS: For those of us who love our local shops: What's the weirdest or most memorable interaction you've had at an indie comic shop that made you think "this is why these places matter"?

MR: The weirdest was definitely watching a guy quietly tear pages out of a book piece by piece and eat them. Not sure that explains why comic shops matter though. The most memorable for me was doing a signing, and as I finished up, a dad came up to me and said his son is very shy and wasn't really good at sports or video games or any of that stuff but wanted to maybe get into comics. He asked if I could talk to him, and I said of course. I went over and introduced myself. He was incredibly shy and nervous and didn't know anything about comics really, but I could tell he was hoping there was something in the shop he could care about. I told him about some of the things I worked on, and none of it seemed to spark anything. Finally, I asked if there were characters he liked, and he said he wanted to get into Venom. I've written one Venom comic in my life, but I went into the back issues at the shop, found it, signed it, and bought it for the kid. He was so incredibly excited, and I could tell how much it meant to him and his father. And that's sort of what comic shops mean to me. A place where everyone can find something for themselves, no matter what they're into. Even if it's Venom.

SS: Your solicitation describes you as an "okay writer," which feels like a classic bit of self-deprecation. What's the story behind that line, and what aspects of your writing are you actually most proud of in this series?

MR: Doing self-promotion is very much the least favorite part of the job. I understand why people make big, grandiose claims about themselves and their work, but that's just not me. So the "okay writer" thing is something I put on my banner at a con once, and it made a lot of people laugh and made a lot of people mad at me for some weird reason, so now I just drop it in when I can. As for things I'm proud of with the book? I really do love the characters. That's as much Stefano's doing as mine probably, but I care about them a great deal. And that is exciting to get to work on something where you care about it on that level. Also, a couple of the jokes made me laugh out loud on rereads, which is obviously embarrassing, but they're pretty good jokes.

SS: With We're Taking Everyone Down With Us, you're back at Image Comics. What made Image the right home for this particular story?

MR: Image is simply the best partner you can have in comics. Heck, not just comics, in the arts in general. I don't think there is a record label, film studio, gallery, or book publisher that gives you the freedom, the control, the platform, and the ownership that Image does. In comics specifically, they are a very incredible machine. So much of publishing has been taken over by companies whose interest is not directly comics. Comics are a small part in a much larger machine that owns cruise ships and theme parks, or makes video games, or runs film studios, or even just people who want to use comics as a backdoor to make movies. Image is a comics company. I am a comic book writer. There is no better home.

SS: You've written iconic characters for the Big Two, but I've always dug your creator-owned stuff the most. What can readers who love your work on books like What's the Furthest Place from Here? expect from this new series?

MR: I think there are some similarities to my other creator-owned books. Young people figuring out who they are. Character-focused stories. Big, strange worlds to be explored. A mix of weird comedy and brutal tragedy. But also, I like to think one of the biggest things that make books like What's the Furthest Place from Here? or 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank or We Can Never Go Home work is how excited I get about trying new things and pushing myself. I think that comes across on the page, so I hope people who liked those books check this one out. But also, for people who didn't like those books, there might be something for you in this one. Or not. You may just think I suck. That's fine too.

SS: For readers who might only know you from your Marvel or DC work, what would you tell them about We're Taking Everyone Down With Us to convince them to step outside the superhero comfort zone?

MR: Absolute Batman appears in issue 3 of our book.

SS: I feel like there's a DIY spirit that runs through both your Marvel/DC work and your indie comics. How does that background influence the way you approach writing across different publishers?

MR: Well, that's very flattering. Thank you. I spent a long time working in punk and hardcore music, so doing things for yourself is sort of baked into how I approach everything. I don't know that I can really quantify it exactly, more than just saying I try to make things that are true to what I believe and who I am. Not always easy when you work for AT&T or Disney, but you still try.

SS: As someone who also grew up in the DIY/punk scene myself, I'm curious—what punk ethos do you think shows up most in your storytelling approach? Is there a particular band or album that captures the spirit of this new series?

MR: I think a lot of my characters have a healthy attitude toward questioning authority and doing things for reasons, not rules. And I don't know that it will mean anything to anyone else, but I made Gang of Four the sort of unofficial soundtrack to the book. Maybe that won't make sense to anyone else, but it's what I hear when I look at the book.

SS: From 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank to this new series, you seem drawn to stories about young people making dangerous choices. What keeps pulling you back to these coming-of-age tales with an edge?

MR: I spend a lot of time working on my creator-owned books, and I pour a lot of myself into them. And with that comes a lot of catharsis, self-discovery, and just generally figuring a lot of stuff out about myself and the world. And then a little while passes, and either the world has changed or I have, and I find I have more to say or different things to say. So all these books are sort of in conversation with each other in that way.

But more than that, I am fascinated by that moment in a person's life where they are crossing the threshold to adulthood, where other people are no longer going to protect them from their actions. For some folks, that may not be a clearly defined moment. But for others, it is. It was for me. So that is something I go back to after major points in my life as I try to understand them better.

SS: In your new series, Annalise faces a choice between normalcy and potentially overthrowing the world order. Have you faced similar pivotal decisions in your own creative career?

MR: Haha. I don't think I ever had the option of overthrowing the world order. If I did, and I just wrote some Hawkeye comics instead, I'm sorry, everyone.

SS: As a fellow creative, I'm always interested in the collaborative process. How did you and Stefano Landini develop the visual world for We're Taking Everyone Down With Us, and what unique elements does he bring to the table?

MR: This book actually started with Stefano. He came to me knowing he wanted to make a comic about robots and espionage and make it feel like a '70s spy thriller. So some of that was locked in when we started. But more than that, I think we've both just been pushing ideas back and forth, trying to find the right mix of all this stuff we love.

The thing about Stefano is that he really is a master at three special things, any one of which would make him a great comic artist. He handles action perfectly. The blend of kinetic energy and style is really mesmerizing. But he also is a master of acting. His body language, his facial expressions, all of it. It means he can handle comedy and drama equally well, and that the emotional moments will hit just as hard as the action. And he is a master storyteller. Everything he draws is clear, easy to understand, and immersive.

SS: As we wrap up, what's your ultimate pitch for why comic fans should commit to We're Taking Everyone Down With Us right now? What promise would you make to readers who add this series to their pull list that they won't get anywhere else on the shelves?

MR: Well, there aren't a lot of spy books these days. Or comedies. Or books with the children of supervillains and their psychotic robot sidekicks.

But I think the pitch that I'd make is that for me, Stefano, and everyone who works on the book, we're pouring our hearts into this to make something special. It's got some real emotional weight, but it's also got some decent jokes. It's got characters you can fall in love with, but it's also got some wild action. It's got thoughtful exploration on the themes of violence, generational trauma, growing up, the power of revenge, and familial regret, but it's also got sexed-up superspies and single-parent mad scientists.

And most importantly, it's got robots, and I think we're the first comic to ever feature a robot. So you should buy a lot of copies for that. It will put your kids through college someday.

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