The R.I.P.D., or Rest In Peace Department (not to be confused with Dark Horse’s other classic group, the B.P.R.D.), is a group that first appeared in a Dark Horse comic of the same name back in October of 2000. The comic was written by Peter M. Lenkov, with art by Lucas Marangon, and ran for 4 impressive and humorous issues. Sometime after, director Robert Schwentke signed on to make a movie based off the comic, starring Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Bacon, and Jeff Bridges. The story of R.I.P.D. revolved around officer Nick Cruz, who died an untimely death at the height of his personal and professional life. Now he has join the R.I.P.D., a fraternity of devoted, yet dead, officers of divine law enforcement. Cruz’s reasons for joining are a bit interesting though. Not knowing the identity of his killer has left his soul a bit. . . restless. Now he hunts some of the most fiendish creatures, hoping for the chance to find out who set him up so he can get into heaven. The movie is set for a July 19, 2013 release, but Dark Horse is reminding fans how great the original series was through a prequel set to come out November 28th of this year.

Written by Jeremy Barlow (Dethklok, Star Wars Adventures) and drawn by Tony Parker (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Dead Man’s Run), R.I.P.D. City of the Damned will be an exciting new mini-series that serves as a prequel to the upcoming film. Roy Pulsipher and Nick Walker are dead, but that doesn’t mean their time in law enforcement is over. Both Roy and Nick are officers in the Rest in Peace Department, sworn to serve the Almighty and protect the living from evil’s foul corruption. Their current case has them chasing a ghostly fanatic determined to undo all of creation—a threat with very personal connections to Roy’s past, stretching back a hundred years into a weird, Wild West and Roy’s first day on the job. It’s a twisted history that Nick is only starting to uncover, and one that could have him reconsidering ever joining the R.I.P.D.! This is hardly Barlow’s first rodeo…or western story atleast, having worked with Dustin Weaver on the great “They’ll Bury You Where You Stand!” back in 2009, and it will be great to see him return to such themes. Check out a great 6 page preview below, and remember that R.I.P.D. City of the Damned #1 will be in stores next month, November 28th!