It’s hard out there for a supervillain. Not the world conquerors, chaos engines, or arch-nemeses, but the little guys, the career criminals. The ones who put on uniforms, knock over jewelry stores, and get tied to telephone poles before the hero swings off to face the actual big bad. Times are tough for costumed crooks…and they’re about to get much worse. The psychotic Stickman has done the unthinkable and murdered Kid Dusk, sidekick to Twilight City’s premier crime-fighter, The Insomniac. The Insomniac’s teammates, The Continuum, are tearing Twilight apart, turning it into a terrifying police state—desperate to capture the Stickman and stop the Insomniac from “crossing that final line” in which he may never come back from. Caught in the middle are the small-time C-list villains, finding it impossible to pull jobs or even walk down the street without being harassed by these heroes. With a bounty on the Stickman’s head, former villain Playtime decides to put together a ragtag team of equally disgruntled supervillains to take down the Stickman and kill him themselves, leading her on a dark journey into the criminal underbelly she’s tried so hard to escape. This graphic crime drama is about superheroes and villains and the last gasp of the colorful, innocent days of the silver and bronze age...before they’re dragged into the grit-soaked modern era.

Spinning out of the world of the hit Minor Threats superhero series created by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, and Scott Hepburn comes a new tale of costumed underdogs—featuring a support group for superheroes, struggling to reclaim their mediocre lives after tasting their true potential. Mary the Multi-Monster! The Tripper! Crab Louie! Kid Curious! Persona! These offbeat b-list superheroes, formerly known as The Alternates, seemingly sacrificed themselves to stop an invasion from another dimension. Instead they were transported to a mirror reality where they lived complex lives in a more four-dimensional existence—expanding both their powers and consciousness. Five years later they've returned to Twilight City, struggling to reacclimate to their old lives in a traditional two-dimensional superhero world—in withdrawal from the vivid ones they left behind. When elements from this alternate reality turn up as a dangerous new street drug, some of the heroes band together to destroy it, while others succumb to its temptation. Illustrated by Tess Fowler ( Rat Queens ) and Christopher Mitten ( Hellboy, 30 Days of Night ) and featuring pinups by Fabio Moon, Tony Fleecs, Ryan Browne, Martin Simmonds, and more! Collects The Alternates #1–#4.