Writer Joe Casey and Boom! Studios are ready to give fans the plague--The Black Plague, that is. The latest in villain-centric books to hit the market this year, The Black Plague follows the one-shot’s title character as he battle, not only the super-villain organization S.L.A.S.H., but also the mob.

Black Plague wages a war against both crime syndicates, while they battle each other for dominance in criminal underworld. The concept, according to Casey, will incorporate the perspectives of crime bosses, members of S.L.A.S.H., and supporting cast, as well as Black Plague, and is meant immerse the reader into the world created in the one-shot.

“The concept is meant to contain and easily manage all of [the] elements,” said Casey. “The Black Plague is the main character, but this is a story about the super-villain underworld in its totality.”

Boom! Studios, which has released several sleeper hits over the past year, was more than happy to pick up the concept after Marvel turned down the original pitch from Casey.

“I approached Marvel with a similar concept, a reworking of their 70’s-era character, the Shroud,” explained Casey. “When the editor I was talking to didn’t quite seem to get what I was going for, I pulled the basic plot I’d come up, changed the main characters into original ones, and took it straight over to Ross Richie [and Boom! Studios].”

Boom! Studio has made several positive business moves over the last year, and picking up The Black Plague may prove to be there smartest yet. According to Casey, he and Richie have several mutual friends in Los Angeles and working together was ultimately inevitable.