We have had the privilege of being able to talk with Steve Niles on many occasions. He was easily one of my favorite writers even before I met him. With stuff under his belt like 30 Days of Night, “I Am Legend” (Graphic Novel), “Bad Planet”, “City of Others”, and most recently Wake the Dead was optioned to become a film, Steve is very quickly becoming one of the hottest writers out there. Just recently Steve partnered with Microsoft to pen a comic for their Zune Arts division called “The Lost Ones.”

The comic is basically about four friends who travel to different planets, only to end up having to run for their lives from angry aliens. What they come to find out though, is that the aliens destroyed their home planet and they have nowhere to go. Niles teamed up with artists Dr. Revolt, Gary Panter, Kime Buzzelli and Morning Breath. Each artist took a different chapter and Steve had this to say about his partners: “Working with these four talented artists on this project was a delight, Zune Arts was the gateway that allowed us to show what’s possible when artists of different backgrounds and unique styles collaborate to create something larger than the sum of its parts.”

Now to the part that you have all been waiting for…the free part. According to Microsoft – “In early July, 42,000 paperback editions of the novel will be available free at select comic book and retail boutiques nationwide. In addition, 1,250 signed limited-edition collector’s copies with silk-screened covers packaged with artwork from the novel will be produced for select distribution.” We don’t know which comic book stores will feature The Lost Ones, but if you are a comic geek like me…I’m sure you will be going into your local store on a weekly basis no matter what.