Breathers by Justin Madson

Even when our own planet can no longer sustain us, humanity clings to life in this thoughtful dystopia where a single breath of “fresh” air can kill.

Follow the lives of a small cast of survivors as they struggle to keep going in a world where the air carries a fatal virus. A detective must battle his own demons; a pair of siblings question the supposed apocalypse when the impossible happens; a mother and daughter fight tooth and nail to stay together; and a traveling salesman peddles breathing masks, trying to do some good to make up for the sins of his past. In the wake of a growing movement that questions whether the virus in the air is real, they are all survivors—they are all Breathers.

Created, written, and illustrated by Justin Madson, the full nine-issue series and bonus issue #0 are now collected together for the first time, with an afterword by the creator and an extensive cover gallery featuring the Breathers #1 variant cover by Jeff Lemire and Matt Kindt.

Story Locale: A beautiful, poisonous dystopian world where the air itself is deadly

Series Overview: Collects Breathers #1–#9, previously published by IT’S ALIVE!

Justin Madson is the author of Breathers, Tin Man, and Carbon. 

Author Residence: Wisconsin