NYCC 2025: Frank Quitely Joins Derek Kolstad and Robert Venditti on Bad Idea's 'Warbird'

The Kolstad and Venditti combo is unstoppable!

PLANET DEATH broke records with over a million copies & counting of the first issue.

ORDAINED (in stores December) is already heading the the big screen.

And now, WARBIRD adds Frank Quitely (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN).

Taking center stage on the BAD IDEA panel at New York Comic Con was WARBIRD, the spiritual successor to PLANET DEATH. Co-writer Derek Kolstad (JOHN WICK film franchise) revealed that legendary artist, Frank Quitely was stepping into the cockpit and joining him and Robert Venditti (SUPERMAN '78) on the much-anticipated project. 

Quitely first takes off on WARBIRD with designs. Two of his non-spoiler designs are below. There you can see Cole, the hero of the story. Very much in the model of the classic Hollywood action heroes -- a helping of Steve McQueen, a dash of Clint Eastwood, even a little younger Brando, Connery and James Garner! 

Quitely has also already provided cover art for WARBIRD. You can see one of his pieces above. Cole in action with just a glimpse of the Russian next generation fighter jet the story revolves around.

WARBIRD "Cole" Character Design - Face Study  by Frank Quitely

WARBIRD "Cole" Character Design - Full Body Study  by Frank Quitely WARBIRD is face meltingly good. As a follow up to PLANET DEATH it elevates. If PLANET DEATH was Mean Streets, WARBIRD is Goodfellas. If PLANET DEATH was Reservoir Dogs, WARBIRD is Pulp Fiction. If PLANET DEATH was Thief, WARBIRD is Heat. And we're hitting top speed to get there! So…what is WARBIRD? Well, it’s got a killer premise: Cole is a repo man of the highest caliber, repossessing heavily guarded mega yachts from billionaires, private planes from captains of industry, and everything in-between. If it’s got an engine, he can drive it, ride it, or fly it straight out from under the nose of an army of guards. But now he’s handed the job of a lifetime. The impossible job. One that will bring him face to face with the highest stakes. The Russians have stolen aeronautical military secrets from China, France, Germany, The UK, and the US to “Frankenstein” together the ultimate bleeding edge, next-gen fighter jet: The Warbird. There are only three of them in existence. They are a force of absolute nature—$1.4 billion apiece—dominating every global hotspot from Syria to Ukraine. And Cole’s been hired to steal one… and destroy the other two. His fee? 10%. A cool $140 million. But this isn’t a repossession job. This is outright theft. And failure doesn’t mean jail time and fines—it means a bullet to the back of the head.  WARBIRD is a rocket of a comic. A white-knuckle, globe-spanning action/spy thrill ride. Think Bond. Think Bourne. Think Mission: Impossible. But altogether its own thing. A new take on the global-stakes, espionage, action-adventure story. And Quitely is just the start. Just wait until you see who else has come to play on WARBIRD. It’s insane! Courtesy of Bad Idea