| Section Zero | |
|---|---|
 Cover toSection Zero #1, art byTom Grummett andKarl Kesel | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Image Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Publication date | June–September 2000 |
| No. of issues | 3 |
| Main character(s) |
|
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Karl Kesel andTom Grummett |
| Written by | Karl Kesel |
| Penciller(s) | Tom Grummett |
| Inker(s) | Karl Kesel |
Section Zero is anAmerican comic book series, published in 2000 byGorilla Comics, a minorcomic book company that also acted as animprint ofImage Comics. It was written byKarl Kesel with artwork provided byTom Grummett.
The series featured afictional covert organization working for theUnited Nations. Their mission being the investigation and containment of unexplained phenomena from around the world.
At its startSection Zero was intended to be anongoing series, but due to financial problems experienced by Gorilla Comics, only three issues were published.
The three published issues ofSection Zero were dated June 2000, July 2000 and September 2000. A fourth issue was solicited but never published.[1] Gorilla Comics was intended to be a creator-owned company financed by a comics-related website, eHero.com.[2] The website proved a financial failure, leaving the creators to personally finance their own books. Along with the other Gorilla Comics creators, Kesel and Grummett attempted to continue the series they started, but these efforts were unsuccessful.[3] In January 2012, Kesel announced that he and Grummett would be relaunchingSection Zero as a webcomic on the Mad Genius Comics website.[4][5] The previously published stories are being posted on the site and new material will be added as it is completed.[6]
Kesel and Grummett launched a Kickstarter project in May 2017 to collect all Section Zero work and complete the storyline.[7] The Kickstarter was successfully funded, and the book premiered at the Baltimore Comic Con 2018 (September 28–30).[8] The book and related items began shipping out shortly afterwards.
Kesel and Grummett launched a new website as part of the Kickstarter project, which replaced the older Mad Genius Comics site. The new Panic Button Press site includes information for Section Zero material, and an online store for people to purchase the Kickstarter book, mini-prints, and a full-color print from Adam Hughes.[9]
In December 2018, Kesel teased a new project, which would be officially announced asSection Zero 1959 to the original Kickstarter backers in January 2019.[10] The Kickstarter for this project is expected to launch in Q1 2019.
In the first issue, after rescuing Thom Talesi from a murderous mob in theSoutheast Asian country Siatok, Sam Wildman, Titania Challenger, and Tesla recruit him into Section Zero. Shortly after returning to the abandonedAir Force base that serves as Section Zero's HQ, the team is sent to investigate a series of livestock killings inAustralia. After they leave, A.J. Keeler contacts the Ghost Soldiers and orders them to follow.
Issue #2 finds the team discovering and rescuing Sargasso from a cave insideAyers Rock. Not long after this, they find themselves in a fight with asaber-toothed tiger that ends when it drags Titania Challenger though a portal shaped like a ring of fire.
In the third issue, after attempting to seek the Ring of Fire, the team journeys to its last known stable location, the abandoned subway tunnels beneathNew York City. There they face the forces of the Rat King. After defeating their foes, the team is confronted by the Ghost Soldiers.
Although it was never released, issue #4 had a brief plot teaser at the bottom of issue #3's letters page:
Doc Challenger fights alone in a forgotten land of monsters, myths and legend—uncovering an important clue to the unexplained phenomena that haunts our world. But will she live to use it? Also: is she friend or foe? Introducing the fiery femme fatale known as—Lava!