| Apparat Singles Group --> | |
| 1Shot: | Y |
| Titles: | Angel Stomp Future Frank Ironwine Quit City Simon Spector |
| Publisher: | Avatar Press |
| Startmo: | November |
| Startyr: | 2004 |
| Endmo: | December |
| Endyr: | 2004 |
| Issues: | 4 |
| Artists: | Juan Jose Ryp (Angel Stomp Future) Carla Speed McNeil (Frank Ironwine) Laurenn McCubbin (Quit City) Jacen Burrows (Simon Spector) |
| Colorists: | Greg Waller (Frank Ironwine & Simon Spector) |
| Editors: | William A. Christensen |
| Creators: | Warren Ellis |
| Tpb: | Apparat: The Singles Collection |
| Isbn: | 1-59291-032-7 |
| Subcat: | Avatar Press |
| Sort: | Apparat Singles Group |
"Apparat Singles Group", a.k.a. "Apparat", is a fictional comic book line and a label used to publish four one-shot comic books created by Warren Ellis and published by Avatar Press.
The premise behind the line was that each one-shot represented a first issue of a comic published in an alternate reality where pulp stories made a direct transition into comics without spawning superhero comics. Each one-shot came with an essay explaining the premise of the label and a detailed behind-the-scenes explanation for the ideas that led to the creation of each comic. To help maintain the premise, each one-shot had an Apparat label, with the Avatar Press label appearing only on back covers.
Genre: Science fiction
Doctor Angel Antimony takes the reader on a tour of her very weird future. Rampant body modification, black comedy and memetics fill out the pages.
Genre: Detective
Frank Ironwine is a middle-aged homicide detective with a low-key investigative style, focusing on character and motivation instead of forensics.
Genre: Aviator adventure
The story follows a woman pilot who dropped out of the Aeropiratika group of adventurers and returned home to San Francisco, where she deals with the unfinished business from her past.
Genre: Pulp vigilantes
Modeled after Doc Savage and The Shadow, Simon Spector is a wealthy man who apparently lives in a skyscraper in Manhattan. He has been trained to kill barehanded and makes use of drugs which make him "super-sane" with advanced cognitive abilities, at the cost of cutting his life expectancy with each dose.
The four one-shots have been collected into a trade paperback:
Warren Ellis has recently announced plans to return to Apparat label to publish the original graphic novellas Crécy, Aetheric Mechanics, Frankenstein's Womb, and the ongoing monthly Doktor Sleepless.