Mike S. Miller and Alias Entertainment has provided Newsarama with the full issue of Deal with the Devil #1, one of the publisher’s debut titles, shipping in April for $0.75. The five issue miniseries is written by Miller, with art by Sherwin Schwartzrock.

For fans of the creator, yes, it is familiar – Deal with the Devil, in a black and white form, was included previously with issues of Comic Book Digest.

Previously, when Newsarama spoke with Miller, he described the story as:

“It’s kind of a psychological murder mystery, where you never know if you’re empathizing with the killer, or the victim, and sometimes you’re not sure who is whom. Not really in a ‘shades of gray’ sort of way, but more of a ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ sort of way.

”It’s about an agent with the FBI homicide division who was at the top of his game when the killer he’s been trailing sets him up in a trap that ended with the killer blowing his leg off, forcing him into retirement. He loses not only his leg, but through his own self-pity, his faith, his friends, his family, and his job, never mind his dignity and self-respect. He spends each day drinking his life away and waiting to die, when one day a knock comes at his door, and he’s surprised to find that self-same killer standing there with his own gun pointed at him.

”The biggest surprise is that the killer isn’t there to harm him, but to ask him for his help! His sister, all that has mattered to him in his entire life, has been kidnapped and he can’t go to the cops or the feds, or they’ll just bust him for being what he is. So the only person he can go to for help in saving the life of the one he holds most dear… is the guy who has the most reason in the world to want him dead.”

As for putting it all out there, as he is, Miller said, “Normally I wouldn't put up an entire issue of a comic book as a preview, because I know that many people, having read it, won't bother buying the issue. But this is a special case, seeing as how Deal with the Devil #1 is only 75 cents, and the fact that by the time readers finish the 5th and final issue of Deal, they're going to want to go back to the first issue to see what clues they missed... on top of the fact that this book came out in black and white through the Comic Book Digest (www.thecomicbookdigest.com)... Well, there was really no good reason not to let people read the whole first issue!”

For more info about Deal with the Devil and other Alias books, visit: www.aliasenterprises.com