Painkiller Jane fans can take heart, because this unkillable superhero is finally returning to the stands for the first time since 2014.
Writer/co-creator Jimmy Palmiotti is teaming with artist Romina Moranelli (Sex and Violence) and designer John J. Hill (Crossover) for a new 48-page graphic novel called Painkiller Jane: Heartbreaker. IGN can exclusively reveal several covers for this story, so check them out in the slideshow gallery below:
Heartbreaker sees Jane play a difficult new role as bodyguard to the sole survivor of a series of grisly murders. The reluctant Jane will be tasked by her friend Maureen with ferrying this young woman across the Atlantic to the relative safety of her extended family – who just happen to be mobsters. Even for an assassin who can heal from any wound, this is shaping up to be one difficult mission.
"Faced with a dangerous and unique transport job, Painkiller Jane is faced with an action-packed adventure overseas. Her mission is filled with excitement, romance, espionage and twists for our hero as she navigates the dangerous twists of the assignment," Palmiotti tells IGN. "Painkiller Jane: Heartbreaker is a self-contained story that captures everything you have grown to love with Painkiller Jane."
Originally created by Palmiotti and future Marvel Comics EiC Joe Quesada, the Painkiller Jane franchise has shifted between multiple publishers over the years. It originally made its home at Dynamite Entertainment before shifting to Marvel's now-defunct Icon imprint. Currently, Palmiotti self-publishes Painkiller Jane through PaperFilms, a company he formed with his wife and frequent collaborator Amanda Conner.
In this case, Heartbreaker is being released as a Kickstarter-exclusive project. The Kickstarter drive is live now and will run until early November 2021.
Painkiller Jane was previously adapted as a live-action movie and TV series on Syfy, though the series was canceled after one season in 2007. More recently, we learned Jessica Chastain is attached to star in and produce a Painkiller Jane movie reboot, though there's been little word on the status of that project since 2016.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.