Scout Comics launches RantCPUa new comic series that Nobody is safe Transmedia Universe, which will also include a video game, a board game, trading cards and other products, will be released in late November. The IP will be launched by Liithos in collaboration with comedian Joe Machi, who will serve as the voice actor for the video game.
Michael Mumbauer, founder and CEO of Liithos, which will publish the video game, explained the concept.
“In everything we do, we imagine that everything that LIITHOS does basically comes from the head of this AI, RantCPU,” he said. “The entire brand of Nobody is safe is Rant’s simulation of what he observes in humanity and what is important to them. The comic will illustrate all of this, it is the story of the birth of this mischievous bot. So all the things that LIITHOS produces are the simulations carried out by Rant or they are about Rant and his journey among the humans.”
The comic is written by Ken Kristensen (screenwriter at Echo, Author of Todd, the ugliest child in the world) with works of art by his long-time collaborator MK Perker (Air; Todd, the ugliest child in the world). Six issues are currently planned, with an extension planned depending on sales. The Scout release follows a limited direct-to-consumer release of an earlier issue of the comics.
The comic book story follows RantCPU, an AI robot created by a hormonal and hyperactive 13-year-old and powered by an alien energy source, as it follows a dysfunctional family as they face typical challenges while battling secret agents, fugitives from Colombian drug cartels, middle-class thugs, self-help gurus and tobacco executives.
The following turn-based strategy party game will send players on a celebrity-driven quest for world domination, featuring famous figures reimagined as AI faction leaders, caricatures amplified by RantCPU’s misunderstandings and misinterpretations, using outlandish weapons and strategies. The caricatures include famous figures from politics (Dumpster Donny), history (Siggy Fraud), and pop culture (Ariel Venti), all portrayed with heavy MAD-style satire and parody.
Trading cards are also part of the first products, with the boxes currently available from Leaf. “We worked with Sideshow to produce die-cut trading cards in wax packs that completely replicate the packs of the ’80s and ’90s,” Nate Murray, vice president of IP and world-building at Liithos (a name you may recognize from a side job, see “Nee, IDW Vets Form Company”), told ICv2. “Sideshow is a US company and they hand-assembled and sorted these packs. It was a pleasure working with them.”
This first trading card issue has not yet gone into distribution, but Liithos Vice President Licensing & Brand Marketing Zvee Geffen (formerly of MLBPA and The Topps Company) told ICv2 that the company has plans with GTS Distribution for the next RantCPU And Nobody is safe card sets.
The company is also developing a board game, Murray explained. “It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but we’re working on a board game now with Nate Weisman,” he said. “It’s a fascinating entry-level game that can be played in under an hour; it’s set in the same realm as Concordia or Catan. There are a lot of great systems in the game that fit together in interesting ways. I’m working on the prototype now and will start testing and planning for production shortly.”
Other products and media usage are also planned. Geffen has “…got us a number of announced deals, like the weekly drops with Leaf, and we’re currently negotiating with some other big partners that we hope to announce soon,” Mumbauer told us.
Geffen mentioned some of those potential partners. “We’re in deep discussions right now about a network TV deal that we hope to announce soon,” he said. “I also like working with Quidd, who are a great partner for digital collectibles.”
Click on “Gallery” below to view comic covers and promotional artwork!
