If you have seen writer, artist, and director Joël Dos Reis Viegas’ viral animated short Urbance–and if you haven’t, check it out here–you know that Viegas’ work nothing short of kinetic, experimental, and simply gorgeous. Exploring a world where a mysterious virus has infected all humans at birth, sexual contact leads to death. Urbance explores everything from fashion to tribal identity to the isolation of illness, all set under the umbrella of a Romeo & Juliet-inspired tale.
Anyone who’s followed his work wouldn’t be surprised at Viegas’ phenomenal work on Urbance, though, as Viegas’ talent spans a whole host of deservedly-lauded media such as the video game Batman: Arkham Origins, the animated series Black Dynamite, and the 2014 Godzilla film.
And now fans old and new alike are about to be able to experience a deeper dive into Viegas’ work with Urbance, a manga-inspired cyberpunk graphic novel series that spins out of the aforementioned animated short. Partnering with Magnetic Press and Oni Press, Urbance is coming soon to Kickstarter. As part of the Kickstarter campaign, Magnetic will be publishing a 10th Anniversary edition of the sold-out 168-page Genesis of Urbance Production Art Book. We’re thrilled to be able to share an exclusive preview of the art book! Check out the preview below, then take a look at the prelaunch page to be notified at the Kickstarter’s launch!
The Urbance Kickstarter launches soon from Magnetic Press and Oni Press.
From the official press release about the book and Kickstarter:
DISSIDENT TEENS UNCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT A CYBERPUNK SOCIETY ON THE VERGE OF IMPLOSION. Oni Press and Magnetic Press – the Eisner Award-winning publisher celebrating prestige graphic novels from around the globe since 2013 – are proud to announce the Kickstarter campaign for URBANCE, a sci-fi adventure series by Internationally acclaimed writer, artist, and director Joël Dos Reis Viegas, the co-founder of Steambot Studios whose media credits include include work on video games like Batman: Arkham Origins, Brink, and Thief; tv series including Black Dynamite and Siren; and the 2014 film Godzilla. Fans can sign up on the Kickstarter prelaunch page to receive an email when the campaign for URBANCE launches.
“URBANCE is a bio-punk ROMEO & JULIET in the neon-lit style of AEON FLUX in a JET SET RADIO future city,” says Magnetic Press’ Director of Publishing, Mike Kennedy. “A kinetic fusion of urban cyberpunk, gender‑charged tension, and high‑style action, it’s a story about rebellion, identity, and the dangerous power of connection in a world designed to keep the population divided.”
URBANCE began as a high‑style, hyper‑urban adult animated project created by Joël Dos Reis Viegas and developed at Steambot Studios. Following a smash-hit Kickstarter campaign backed by thousands of fans worldwide, Steambot partnered with Yapiko Animation in Tokyo in 2015 to complete the 8-minute animated short film. The animated pilot’s strong visual identity, worldbuilding, and fan response helped propel URBANCE into its next phase: a four‑volume comic series fueled by Joël himself. While the animation established the universe and characters, the comics expand and solidify the narrative, deepening the political tensions, youth‑clan dynamics, and the mystery surrounding the virus and the underground drug. This transition from animation to comics allowed Joël to fully explore the world of Neopolis and develop the long‑form story that the pilot only hinted at.
“While the animated pilot only scratches the surface of what rules Neopolis, the graphic novel series dives much deeper into the dark side of the society and human tensions,” explains URBANCE creator Joël Dos Reis Viegas. “Keeping the core elements — the virus, N-Dorphin, the protagonists, and Coevo — and reimagining a story about two youngsters, shaped by division, who are forced to come together against adversity. So I chose a more aggressive and dark visual treatment to better match the story’s more mature tone. URBANCE is a reflection of my passions, my art style, and my fears.”
URBANCE welcomes readers to Neopolis, a futuristic neon‑drenched city where physical desire has become deadly. A mysterious virus has infected every human at birth, making intimate contact between the sexes instantly fatal. To survive, society enforces absolute abstinence and segregation: boys and girls are raised apart, conditioned to fear, even hate, one another. A colossal wall cuts the city in two, and entire youth cultures have evolved in isolation, fueled by tribal identity, coded fashion, and explosive street‑clan rivalries. But a new underground drug, N‑Dorphin, which is rumored to bypass the virus’s lethal effects, begins circulating through the streets and destabilizes the fragile balance of power in Neopolis, igniting turf wars and paranoia as factions scramble for control. Kenzell and Lesya, two teens from opposite sides who defy the rules and risk everything to cross the divide, are caught in the crossfire. Together, they uncover a conspiracy far bigger than any clan feud, and their forbidden alliance becomes a spark in a city ready to explode.