about the book
It’s just an average day at Milwaukee’s Bay Point Preparatory High School. Clique’s gather and gossip, mean girls taunt and bully, athletes shove and swagger, top students cram and panic, the loners sulk and sneer, dweebs scuttle and shrink, teachers cajole and punish, the couch blusters, and the principle continues in his usual incompetent ways.
Then a mysterious glowing arrow-ish rock unearths itself near the school. With a loud crack, the school is suddenly teleported far across the universe, hundreds of light years away! Back in Milwaukee, the entire building, 437 students, 52 teachers, and 24 staff disappear, without a sign.
All 513 find themselves on an alien planet in the middle of a mysterious ancient primordial woods…and there are strange monsters here—extremely ravenous creatures! Everyone tries to fend for themselves, and to say that some behave badly is an understatement. When things settle down, it quickly becomes apparent that a power struggle is going to happen. With little food, no running water, and people on the verge of panic, someone has to take control!
Of course the adults think they know best, especially the coach, an ex-special ops type of guy. The principal thinks he has to be in control. And the student council is determined not to take a back seat.
Six of the students (the know-it-all Adrian, the tough girl screw-up Karen, the gentle giant Benjamin, the class clown Isaac, the control freak Sanami, and manic Calder) have a completely different idea of what needs to be done. Someone—or something—brought them here. They need to find out who that is and why they have been taken…and the only way to do that is to leave the school and strike out through the woods. But can they trust their leader? Adrian seems to be taking orders from someone. Maybe they aren’t the only sentient life here!
Some of these bewildered and terrified Earthlings are going to die—savagely. Some may survive. Some hopefully might even make it back home.
about the author
Milwaukee born James Tynion the Fourth was not into horror films or books at all when he was a kid. They scared him sleepless! When he got to Sarah Lawrence, he began to wonder why he was so afraid of these stories. To figure it all out, he watched over 170 horror films and actually discovered that he enjoyed the genre! He ended up doing his senior thesis on the subject.
In college James was mentored by famed comic writer Scott Snyder and interned for Vertigo editor Shelly Bond. There was no question whether or not he would make a career writing comic books.
Most days, you can find him in his New York City apartment, spread out over the kitchen table, curled on the couch, or hard at work at his desk, writing away. One of his biggest challenges is getting started. Once he has his story in mind it just flows. His other challenge is juggling all his projects. As a relative newbie to the field, he agreed to do far more than he has time for!
James was inspired to write Woods after Scott Snyder asked him what his most perfect comic would be. James realized it would be an adventure/horror/sci-fi story, and it would include experiences from James’s own life. That Milwaukee school was James’s old stomping ground. He hasn’t been to an alien primordial woods, but his imagination has! The good news is that Woods has been picked up and is slated for a cable television series. James thinks that is pretty darn cool.
James enjoys all forms of geekery. Although he is lousy at video games, he just might show up at your house for a night of multiple player role-playing games. Of course, comics are his king of geek entertainment, followed closely now by horror films.
James has worked with Scott Snyder on DC’s Batman, co-writing the back-up stories for the series, and was the showrunner for the Batman Eternal and Batman & Robin Eternal series. He became the writer for the massive cross-over project Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, one of the best selling comic issues of 2015. He has also written for Detective Comics, and the on-going series Talon and Red Hood and the Outlaws. His newest series is Memetic.
Sources:
Book page: Amazon
Author interview: Comic Book Resources
Author interview: Comic Vine
Author biography: Goodreads
Author interview: Batman News
Article on ‘The Woods’ heading to television: The Hollywood Reporter
Author video interview: YouTube
Also by James Tynion, IV:
Woods (Books 2-17). Boom! Studios. 2014-2015.
about the illustrator
An Athens based illustrator Michael Dialynas (pronounced “Thee-Alley-Nas”) has worked as a writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, and cover artist. Now he has taken on the role as artist on James Tynion IV scary and exciting adventure/horror/sci-fi series and graphic novel, Woods. His best monsters? Absolutely has to be his white blind-eyed, double-rowed fanged, six-winged vampire bat beasties.
In his native language, Michael worked on Trinkets: An Attic Full of Stories and the series Swan Song. He is probably best known for his work on Amala’s Blade and Spera. He is currently working on Superior Spider-man Team Up Special and IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Sources:
Illustrator blog: Wooden Crown
Illustrator biography: Malta Comic-Con
About illustrator: Deviant Art
Also Illustrated by Michael Dialynas:
Woods (Books 2-17) by James Tynion, IV. Boom! Studios. 2014-2015.
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