Uncanny Valley #1

History

Tony Fleecs had been developing the concept behind Uncanny Valley for years before it reached print; artist Dave Wachter confirmed that Fleecs had pitched him the core idea well before BOOM! Studios came on board, and both creators have cited the long gestation as part of what made the project feel personal. Series editor Jon Moisan guided the book through BOOM!'s flagship imprint, describing it publicly as 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit by way of Something Epic,' a framing that helped retailers and readers calibrate expectations for its unusual tone. The debut issue sold out at the distributor level shortly after its April 10, 2024 release, prompting a second printing — featuring new cover art by Wachter — that arrived May 15, 2024; notably, some copies of that second printing carried a documented ink-smear production defect on the cover. What was initially announced as a six-issue run was expanded: BOOM! announced in September 2024 that the series would continue with a second arc beginning at issue #7, ultimately concluding as a ten-issue story.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Issue #1 was written by Tony Fleecs, illustrated by Dave Wachter, and lettered by Pat Brosseau; it is a creator-owned original series published under BOOM! Studios' flagship imprint.
• The on-sale date was April 10, 2024 — not 2025 as the query states; the series ran through issue #10 (July 2025), which is likely the source of the '2025' date in the query.
• The title derives from the robotics/animation concept of the 'uncanny valley,' and Fleecs has explained that protagonist Oliver is designed as a living embodiment of that phenomenon — a boy who looks real but registers as subtly, unsettlingly 'off.'
• Issue #1 launched with a main cover by Dave Wachter and variant covers by Tony Fleecs, Brett Bean (I Hate Fairyland), and Dan Mora (Once & Future), plus retailer-incentive tiers at 1:10 and 1:25 ratios.
• The first printing sold out at the distributor level; a second printing with new Wachter cover art shipped May 15, 2024, and some copies of that second printing contain a documented ink-smear defect.
• The series was originally solicited and planned as a six-issue miniseries but was expanded to ten issues after strong early reception, with a second arc launching at issue #7 (December 2024).
• Uncanny Valley was nominated for a 2025 Eisner Award in the Best New Series category.
• A large number of store-exclusive and convention-exclusive variant covers exist for issue #1, including Francesco Mattina G.I. Joe homage variants (Captured Collectibles/NoMasss Comics, debuting at C2E2 2024), a Derrick Chew Dragon Ball Z homage variant (Rated Comics), a Jay P. Fosgitt virgin variant (eBay Collectors Live), and a Trish Forstner Stray Dogs #1 homage variant.