Northern Noir #1 Launches on Kickstarter with Zayn Malik and Charlie Adlard Variants
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Independent publisher Riachbros Entertainment has officially unveiled the cover lineup for Northern Noir #1. It introduces two of the year's most exclusive variant releases to set off immediate buzz across the comic collecting world.
Debuting on Kickstarter, the 32-page historical crime thriller is created and written by Bradford filmmaker Anthony Riach. It features an ultra-rare variant cover by global music icon Zayn Malik. It also features a variant by legendary The Walking Dead illustrator Charlie Adlard.
Zayn Malik's Cover C features an original fine-art oil painting on canvas created specifically for the issue. Variant print runs regularly stretch into the tens of thousands. Riachbros has decided to cap the Zayn Malik Cover C at a strict single run of just 1,000 copies worldwide. There are no future reprints planned. That positions it as one of the rarest indie variant drops of 2026.
Complementing Malik's fine-art piece is Cover B by veteran comic artist Charlie Adlard. His iconic work on The Walking Dead helped define modern comic illustration.
"We wanted Northern Noir to feel like a true artefact for collectors from day one. Combining Charlie Adlard's legendary storytelling aesthetic with an original fine-art painting from Zayn creates a rare convergence of comic royalty and global pop-culture history."
Northern Noir is set against the gritty, rainy landscape of 1970s West Yorkshire. Detective Inspector Jim Hardcastle untangles systemic corruption and underworld crime during a decade of intense social shift.
Project Details & Specs
- Title: Northern Noir #1 (6-Issue Limited Series)
- Page Count: 32 Pages (Full Colour)
- Creative Team: Anthony Riach (Writer/Creator), Adam Tomkins (Interior Art), Roy Huteson Stewart (Colourist), Saida Temofonte (Letterer)
- Key Variants: Cover B (Charlie Adlard), Cover C (Zayn Malik - Capped at 1,000 copies globally)
- Release Platform: Kickstarter (Live November 3, 2026)
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