FALL 2003VOLUME ONE

LARRY & ANDY WACHOWSKI • GEOF DARROW • BILL SIENKIEWICZ

NEIL GAIMAN • TED McKEEVER • JOHN VAN FLEET • DAVE GIBBONS

DAVID LAPHAM • PETER BAGGE • TROY NIXEY • PAUL CHADWICK

RYDER WINDHAM • KILIAN PLUNKETT • GREGORY RUTH

based on concepts by Larry and Andy Wachowski

160 pages/12 stories

COMING TO BOOKSHELVES

THE MATRIX COMICS: VOLUME ONE PREVIEW All material copyright © 2003 Warner Bros. All rights reserved.All characters featured in this issue, the distinctive likeness thereof, and all related indicia are trademarks of

Warner Bros. The stories, characters, and incidents mentioned in this magazine are entirely fictional.Printed in Chicago (Universal Press).

TheMatrix.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The Matrix comics began in ����� online� at TheMatrix�com� We are into ourthird series� Up until now� but for a couple of free promotional books� theyhave been exclusively online� It’s about time for them to be in print and onshelves� The emails asking us to do just this haven’t hurt� either�

It was a heady time� back before the first film was released� We were contactingcomic writers and artists about a film no one had seen or even heard of� Noteveryone we approached was immediately receptive� However� those thatconnected with the script and storyboards saw the potential of what was comingon screen� and committed to the project� The forthcoming volume collectsfour stories from this first series� as well as four from each subsequent series�

All the stories bring a specific interpretation of THE MATRIX� Paul Chadwick’s�rd series entry� THE MILLER’S TALE� is no exception� delving into the hard�ships of living in the real world� If you’re not following this man’s career�you’re missing some wonderful storytelling and art� On the other talentsincluded in the forthcoming volume — all of whom I can say similar thingsabout� as we have been fortunate to gather such a high caliber ensemble —check the rear of this book for bios and story blurbs�

As to the future� new stories will continue to appear online� and will remainfree� Yes� completely free� Consider it the ultimate preview� because we’re notchanging our ways� From the initial ���� discussions of the site� free comicswere always the plan� The spirit of this touches all sections of the site� There’sTHE ANIMATRIX (where four of the nine episodes remain free downloads)�academic essays by noted philosophers� crew articles� games� hundreds ofinterviews� thousands of images� and of course� over two dozen comics�

With THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS coming in November� we also have a fewsurprises planned at TheMatrix�com� Stay alert�

Spencer LammJuly� ��

First Printing: July 2003

THE MILLER’S TALEwritten and illustrated by

PAUL CHADWICK

from concepts by

LARRY & ANDY WACHOWSKI

cover art

KAARE ANDREWS

book design

REDPILL PRODUCTIONS

inside cover art

GEOF DARROW

edits

SPENCER LAMM

THE MATRIX COMICSVOLUME ONE

TWELVE STORIES

ONE BOOK

THIS FALLIllustration by Gregory Ruth

BITS & PIECES

OF INFORMATION

STORY BY LARRY & ANDY

WACHOWSKI

ART BY GEOF

DARROW

Set during the pre�history of the Matrix� a robot butler is charged withmurder� Reference to this story is made in SECOND RENAISSANCE:PART ONE� from THE ANIMATRIX�

The Wachowski brothers have been working together for more than �years� They wrote and directed BOUND� and are now completing theirfourth film� THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS� Little else is known about them�

Geof Darrow’s career as a comic book artist includes such noted titles asHARD BOILED and BIG GUY AND RUSTY THE BOY ROBOT� both byFrank Miller� and ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT by AndrewVachss� Recently� Geof completed the massive task of conceptual designsfor THE MATRIX sequels� and is currently working on a new book�

SWEATING THE

SMALL STUFF

STORY & ART BY BILL

SIENKIEWICZ

Two gunrunners get a little too close to the reality of the Matrix�

Bill Sienkiewicz’s innovative use of collage and illustration methods totell a story have won him many major awards� including the ���� KirbyAward for Best Artist for the comic� ELEKTRA: ASSASSIN� He wrote andillustrated the critically acclaimed comic� STRAY TOASTERS� and hismost recently published work includes A RIVER IN EGYPT� and acollection of his non�computer�enhanced work entitled PRECURSOR� (Amore comprehensive art book retrospective on Bill’s work is forthcoming�)Bill has exhibited throughout the USA and the world� and has alsoproduced work for magazines� CD covers� and the US Olympics� He wasnominated for an Emmy® Award for production and character designon the television series “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”�

GOLIATH

WORDS BY NEIL

GAIMAN

A man is given the gift of knowing the Matrix� but at what cost?

Neil Gaiman is likely best known as the creator/writer of the monthlycomic series SANDMAN for DC Comics� SANDMAN �� won the ����World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story (the first comic ever toreceive a literary award)� Neil’s three part comic series� DEATH: THEHIGH COST OF LIVING was published in February ����� and DEATH:THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE was released in March ����� winning theGLAAD award for Best Comic� Outside of comics� Neil has written theEnglish language script for Hayao Miyazaki’s PRINCESS MONONOKE�and is now a best selling novelist� penning such titles as STARDUST�AMERICAN GODS (winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel)� andCORALINE� which has been optioned for film and is in preproduction�Neil returns to the world of comics in �� with ENDLESS NIGHTS� anew Sandman anthology� and the series ��� for Marvel�

A LIFE LESS EMPTY

STORY & ART BY TED

McKEEVER

When given the choice between the red and the blue pill� what of thatperson who chooses the blue? Find out here�

Ted McKeever’s published career began in ����� when he wrote andillustrated the comic� TRANSIT� During ���� and ����� Ted penned anddrew METROPOL� and in ����� he and writer Peter Milligan brought thecomic EXTREMIST� into being� while in ���� he wrote and illustrated theproject FAITH� Ted’s next undertaking� the graphic novel WONDERWOMAN: THE BLUE AMAZON� reteams him with writers Randy andJean�Marc Lofficier� concluding the trilogy of reinterpretations ofclassic DC Comics characters begun with the books BATMAN: NOSFERATUand SUPERMAN: METROPOLIS�

I s u p p o s et h a t I c o u l dc l a i m t h a t Ih a d a l w a y ss u s p e c t e dt h a t t h ewor ldwasac h e a p a n ds h o d d ys h a m �a b a d c o v e rf o r s o m et h i n gd e e p e r a n dweirderand

BURNING HOPE

STORY & ART BY JOHN

VAN FLEET

A group of rebels on assignment to retrieve one little girl from theMatrix encounter Agents� The little girl� however� is nowhere to befound� Find out why�

John Van Fleet’s first award came on June �st� ��� � when he washanded a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the Pratt InstituteSchool of Arts and Design� He has been an active artist in the comicindustry since ����� when he did the contents page art for DARKSTORMILLUSTRATED ADVENTURE series �� In the following years he hasdone interior art and covers for numerous comics� including: TYPHOID(����)� written by Ann Nocenti� BATMAN: THE CHALICE (����) andBATMAN: THE ANKH (��)� both written by Chuck Dixon� You canalso see John’s work in magazines� on magazine covers� on posters�cards� and on book covers such as CLAN NOVEL: GANGREL� and collectedin the art book� THE ART OF JOHN VAN FLEET�

BUTTERFLY

STORY & ART BY DAVE

GIBBONS

Agents and serenity do not often mix� though you’ll find both in thisstory of guns and butterflies�

Comic industry veteran Dave Gibbons has been involved in the comicworld for the last �� years� While residing in his native UK� his work hasbeen published throughout the Americas� Europe and Japan� Dave was aco�creator of ROGUE TROOPER for �AD� as well as the MARTHAWASHINGTON series with Frank Miller� Probably his most popularwork is the award winning comic series� WATCHMEN� His oeuvre canalso be seen in issues of BATMAN� SUPERMAN and DR WHO� amongothers� In addition to collaborating with Stan Lee on a reinterpretationof the character Green Lantern� Dave’s latest work includes the forth�coming DC Comics / Vertigo graphic novel THE ORIGINALS�

GET IT?

STORY & ART BY PETER

BAGGE

Not everyone gets THE MATRIX� A humorous take on just this�

Peter Bagge’s debut comic strip was seen in The East Village Eye in ����and he continued to be published regularly in other periodicals� such asHigh Times and Screw� In ���� Peter’s first self written and illustratedtitle came into being: NEAT STUFF� That was followed in ��� withHATE� a semi�autobiographical comic series set in Seattle� written andillustrated by Peter� A voracious artist� Peter has completed comic stripsand other works of art including� DONNA’S DAY: MISSIVE DEVICE� a ��page color mini comic� and gag panels which appear in KUTIE� Otherworks can be found in YEAH!� DETAILS� and the one�shot look atMarvel’s favorite web�slinger� STARTLING STORIES: THEMEGALOMANIACAL SPIDER�MAN� In addition to more HATE� besure to check out Peter’s monthly comic SWEATSHOP from DC Comics�

THERE ARE NO FLOWERS

IN THE REAL WORLD

STORY & ART BY DAVID

LAPHAM

His ship attacked by Sentinels� one rebel is left with no way to jack out�His body dying on the ship� and with little hope� he visits his home town�only to discover home is not what it once was�

Writer and artist David Lapham began work at �� as a layout artist forthe Ocean County Observer� He began his career in the comic industryat �� illustrating and helping create many original titles at ValiantComics� including SHADOWMAN and HARBINGER� The independentpublishing company� EL CAPITAN BOOKS� was co�founded in ���� byDavid and Maria Lapham� under which they began publishing David’scomic series� STRAY BULLETS� David won an Eisner award in ���� forBest Writer / Artist� he has been nominated five times in that category�David is also the creator of the comic novel� MURDER ME DEAD�

THE MILLER’S TALE

STORY & ART BY PAUL

CHADWICK

In the real world� amidst the chaos of Zion� the once taken for grantedact of breaking bread finds new dimensions� But then� best to read thestory right here in your hands� yes?

American Writer and Artist Paul Chadwick is most well known for hiswork on the critically acclaimed comic series CONCRETE� published byDark Horse Comics since ����� Other works by Paul include DEADPOOL� issue numbers � to �� THE WORLD BELOW� a four issue seriespublished from March to June ����� and GIFTS OF THE NIGHT� Inaddition to writing several stories for Dark Horse's STAR WARS line�Chadwick will be returning to his signature character Concrete with anew six�part mini�series THE HUMAN DILEMMA� currently scheduledfor release in the fall of ���

A SWORD OF A

DIFFERENT COLOR

STORY & ART BY TROY

NIXEY

A lone survivor of a crashed ship gets help from a very strange� andperhaps insane� character — one who should not even be alive in theuninhabitable wastelands of the real world to begin with�

Troy Nixey has illustrated a number of notable creators’ work� Theyinclude Mike Mignola who wrote: BATMAN: THE DOOM THAT CAMETO GOTHAM and BATMAN: THE GASWORKS� Neil Gaiman who wrote(with P� Craig Russell adapting): IT’S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLDAGAIN� and Matt Wagner who wrote: GRENDEL: BLACK� WHITE &RED� Troy co�created the comic mini series JENNY FINN with MikeMignola; he created the BACON comic as well as the critically acclaimedcomic� TROUT� His favorite project to date was a story he wrote anddrew in BART SIMPSON’S TREEHOUSE OF HORROR �� Future projectsinclude a chapter in X�MEN UNLIMITED ��: SACRIFICIAL WORLDS�written by Kaare Andrews… and there will� of course� be more TROUT!

ARTISTIC FREEDOM

STORY BY RYDER

WINDHAM

ART BY KILIAN

PLUNKETT

A brush with a child potential shows an artist that some nightmares arebest left unsculpted�

Ryder Windham worked as a graphic designer and comic book editorbefore he switched to freelance writing� His experience editing STARWARS titles for Dark Horse Comics led to many assignments forLucasfilm licensees� including comic scripts�

Since breaking into the comics industry with the art chores on ALIENS:LABYRINTH for Dark Horse� Kilian Plunkett became known for hisuncanny skill at rendering facial likenesses� landing assignments onlicensed comics based on SMALLVILLE and STAR WARS�

HUNTERS & COLLECTORS

STORY & ART BY GREGORY

RUTH

Two rebels go on a trek beyond Zion in search of relics� Is a piecefrom man’s past worth dying for? Is this even the real reason fortheir journey?

Greg Ruth’s versatility is seen within the three Matrix stories he’s done�and also on display in M�A�R�S� and SUDDEN GRAVITY� For the NewYork Transit Museum� Greg also recently produced an installation seriesof eleven murals that were displayed in the heart of NYC Grand CentralTerminal for the �� winter season� His latest offering is the five partmini�series FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND� in conjunction with writerSteve Niles�