TreesTrees. It is an ominous title with an equally ominous cover. This new comic from Warren Ellis and James Howard graces the back cover to today’s Previews catalog. From what we know of the comic? The simple title might just be the perfect way of describing it. Set for release this May from Image Comics, Trees is solicited as such: Ten years after they landed. All over the world. And they did nothing, standing on the surface of the Earth like trees, exerting their silent pressure on the world, as if there were no-one here and nothing under foot. Ten years since we learned that there is intelligent life in the universe, but that they did not recognize us as intelligent or alive. Beginning a new science fiction graphic novel by Warren Ellis & Jason Howard.

In Warren Ellis’ Orbital Operations, his irregular newsletter, he shared more on the series, stating that “while that may well be NYC on the cover, the book is largely set in Italy, (technically) Norway and China, with side trips to Brazil, Somalia and, yes, NYC. In the department of Killing Your Darlings, I had to cut out a planned skein in the Amazon basin, but I may be able to get that back one day.” Warren went on to say that he is currently finishing up the script for issue #4 of Trees, which he and Jason Howard have been working on since early autumn of 2013. They hope to have 6 fully finished issues ready to go before issue #1 hits stands. Right now the series is open ended, with plans for at least 8-issues. The eighth issue is designed to wrap up the opening storyline and, as Warren puts it, “they open up the world to the extent that we could continue to tell Trees stories for a good few years. And if the book doesn’t crater on impact, and if Jason doesn’t kill me for the hyper-detailed full-page panels I’m making him draw right now, then we hope to.”

Check out a 3-page preview of issue #1 from the Diamond Previews Catalog below along with the cover to issue #2, released originally in Warren’s most recent Orbital Operations.