Comic Book Veterans Joseph Illidge And Chriscross Team Up For Harlem Renaissance Crime Noir The Winterfields

Getting In Harm’s Way

Esteemed comic book writer and editor Joseph P. Illidge (MPLS Sound) and famed artist Chriscross (Thor, Blood Syndicate) are teaming up to craft a no-holds-barred crime noir story set during the historic Harlem Renaissance, titled The Winterfields…

The two creators, both Milestone Comics veterans, will debut their new historical project with a short story that opens the Expanded Edition of the bestselling FairSquare Comics anthology Noir is the New Black, which goes on sale on 31 January at comic book shops and February 14 at bookstores, in celebration of Black History Month. The short story serves as a prelude to the upcoming full-length graphic novel The Winterfields to be published in 2025 by FairSquare Comics, under the company’s Noir is the New Black imprint.

1920s Harlem: a time of culture, art and free enterprise. This is the backdrop for the saga of The Winterfields. Cain Winterfield is a former World War I soldier who returned home to a nation that discriminated against him, forcing him to fight once again to survive. Now he makes a living as a bodyguard, putting himself in harm’s way for whomever can pay his price. Taking punches and giving them back. Carver Winterfield is his 10-year-old son, a handsome boy with a good heart, bruised knuckles…and too many secrets for someone his age. When a client’s wife goes missing under Cain’s nose, her merciless husband wants answers, even if he has to get them through bloody violence.

“The Winterfields is the kind of Lone Wolf and Cub meets Road To Perdition father and son story I’ve been itching to do in comics for some time, so when I was asked if I would like to introduce the characters in a new edition of FairSquare Comics’ groundbreaking anthology Noir is the New Black, it was an automatic yes!” said writer Joseph P. Illidge. “Our short story, which serves as a prelude, gives readers a taste of the rough and tumble lives of Cain Winterfield and his son Carver.”

Continued Illidge: “What happens by the end will lead to the big story in the upcoming graphic novel, which will be a love letter to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. A time of artistic and philosophical innovation, cultural movement, and affluence in both human charity and entrepreneurial enterprise. Working on The Winterfields with artist extraordinaire and fellow Milestone Comics alumni Chriscross has been great and we’re not holding back, so get ready for a dose of crime noir, hard-boiled action, and steamy intrigue!”

“Joseph Illidge and I are creating a gritty story of the African-American experience in 1920s Harlem. The Winterfields is something I’d like to see more of in comics, especially as Joe and I plant the seeds for the characters’ future adventures in the upcoming graphic novel,” said artist Chriscross. “Exploring the visual aspects of that time period and setting the mood is a fun challenge and refreshing change of pace from superheroes and sci-fi. More shadows and light, drama, and grime. It’ll be as dynamic as we can make it, with our editor Fabrice Sapolsky at the helm. Cain and Carver will take you on a grunge-filled ride you won’t forget.”

The six-page prelude short story about the Winterfields, which will also feature colours by artist Morby, will be highlighted as the opening tale in the new Extended Edition of Noir is the New Black. The sold-out bestselling anthology is coming back to print with even more additional material, also including the new short story “Systemic Rise,” by Victor Dandridge (Vantage:Inhouse Productions) and Jean Paul Deshong (Sons of Fate), as well as additional pinups and behind-the-scenes content never seen before. The fan-favorite book will now feature 18 noir stories crafted by 47 of the finest Black creators from all around the world, such as Brandon Thomas (Excellence, Hardware) Gary Phillips (Angeltown, The Be-Bop Barbarians), M.D. Bright (Icon, Iron Man), Melody Cooper (Omni), Brandon Easton (Star Trek, Robotech), David F Walker (Bitter Root, Naomi), comedian Roxxy Haze, and many more, with a foreword by Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves).

Noir is the New Black Expanded Edition cover

“Our Noir is the New Black anthology is the backbone of FairSquare Comics. It was our first ever graphic novel and our biggest hit to date—we have sold over 5,000 copies. For its third printing, we are featuring extra content, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Joe Illidge and Chriscross as creators for this new trove of Black noir stories and art,” said Fabrice Sapolsky, CEO & Founder of FairSquare Comics. “TC Harris, my co-editor, and I immediately fell in love with The Winterfields and its portrayal of the Harlem Renaissance era. The Winterfields will be published alongside our other titles Watson & Holmes and Little Rock Files as full-fledged graphic novels under our Noir is the New Black imprint in 2025. We’re kicking off the celebration of FairSquare Comics’ fifth anniversary in 2024 by developing our flagship graphic novel imprint and will be shining a spotlight on The Winterfields. Per our motto, we’re showing how relevant ‘comics from the rest of us’ are, more than ever.”

The Expanded Edition of Noir is the New Black goes on sale on 31 January at comic book shops and 14 February at bookstores. Orders are now open and the Final Order Cut Off is on 8 January 2024.

To learn more about FairSquare Comics, visit fairsquarecomics.com and follow the publisher on Facebook and Instagram @fairsquarecomics. To learn more about Joseph P. Illidge, visit josephillidge.com and follow Joe on X @JosephPIllidge and Instagram @illmasterone. To learn more about Chriscross, follow Chris on X @chryslus and Instagram @chriscrosserx.

About FairSquare Comics:

Founded in 2019, FairSquare Comics LLC is the first family, immigrant and minority owned publisher of comic books and graphic novels in America. FairSquare Comics’ mission statement is to promote and give more exposure to immigrants, minorities, LGBTQ+ and, more generally all under-represented creators of the world; an objective emphasized in our company’s mantra: “Comics from the rest of us.”

FairSquare Comics is the brainchild of veteran comic book creator Fabrice Sapolsky, writer and stand-up comedian Kristal Adams Sapolsky and Sales Executive Ethan Sapolsky. The publisher is also very invested in defense of creators’ rights and has designed a transparent and virtuous ecosystem that both works for independent creators and publisher.

About Joseph P. Illidge:

Illidge is the writer of the newly-announced HARRIET TUBMAN middle grade graphic novel for Harper Collins, co-author of the JUDGE KIM AND THE KIDS COURT series of children’s graphic novels from Simon and Schuster, and the MPLS SOUND historical fiction graphic novel about Prince and 80s music, published by Humanoids. Joseph’s production company, ILLUMINOUS, announced a deal with 50 Cent’s G-Unit Film and Television company for a film franchise based on XERO, the DC Comics spy series created by BLACK PANTHER writer Christopher Priest.

Joseph started his editorial career at influential comic book publisher Milestone Media, known for creating the teenage superhero “Static Shock” and many other iconic comic book characters of color. Joseph recently spoke about his experience at Milestone in the HBO Max documentary MILESTONE GENERATIONS. At DC Comics, he had a groundbreaking editorial run on the BATMAN line of comic books as the franchise’s first editor of color. He also led Lion Forge’s CATALYST PRIME superhero imprint, as well as editing for a number of high-profile publishing companies.

Joseph has been profiled several times in The Hollywood Reporter, speaking to his expertise in curating inclusive hero fiction and genre fare in the publishing and entertainment industries. He was also featured in the History Channel documentary series, SUPERHEROES DECODED, discussing popular heroes from Superman to The Black Panther. He has been writing a series of opinion columns about the comic book industry for entertainment news site Popverse, utilizing his experience in the business to educate and inform comic book professionals. Joseph’s next project is THE WINTERFIELDS, a crime noir following a father and son during the Harlem Renaissance; the graphic novel will be published by FairSquare Comics.

About Chriscross:

Chriscross is an American illustrator whose work spans 31 years in the field of comics.  His career introduction was working with the African-American owned company Milestone Media where he illustrated both iterations of BLOOD SYNDICATE and THE WORLD NEEDS HEROES. Chriscross has worked for the top publishers of comic books, including Marvel and DC Comics on series ranging from XERO (announced for film adaptation) to BATMAN/SUPERMAN, CAPTAIN MARVEL, JUSTICE LEAGUE, SUPERGIRL, and GREEN LANTERN.

His latest projects are Marvel’s EDGE OF THE SPIDERVERSE where he co-created a new character for the franchise, and STAR WARS on a new Mace Windu adventure, based on the character portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson in the films. Chriscross is the owner and CEO of ETERNAL KICK, the company and home for his creator-owned works.