In a world where Liberty is Death and the only thing you can believe in is nothing at all, does the murder of one man really mean anything? In Nil, the only thing to believe in is Nothing. Angst drives citizens into deep unhappiness, but ennui numbs them into complacency, and all worship at the great altar of cynicism and disbelief. Proun Nul keeps the great bureaucratic morass free from ideology, idealism and ideas themselves in his job on the deconstruction ship the Derrida, which destroys beliefs systems before the harmful memes can infect the blank ranks of unbelievers. But when Nul is falsely charged with murder, he embarks on a journey that takes him to the front lines of the war with Nil's cheery neighbor country, Optima, and to the very brink of hope.

Nul must conquer love, war, and meaninglessness in Nil: A Land Beyond Belief by James Turner, available from SLG Publishing in April. In his graphic novel debut, Turner depicts what nihilism, writ large, becomes when taken to its darkest extreme. "There is, and can be, no hope," Turner said, describing the world of his graphic novel. "Not just in that there is the belief that there is no hope, but in that it is actually structured so there is no hope."

In writing Nil, Turner's intention was to address what he describes as the intellectual laziness of believing in nothing. "What I want is to show people who have been seduced by nihilistic chic and sophistry that the real con is nihilism itself," he said. "Belief in nothing is a cop out." 

Nil takes place in a world with monolithic architecture and steam-punk machinery, on-message but meaningless politics and vapid consumerism -- a world that that is at once utterly unique but unsettlingly familiar. Gaunt figures dominate the character design, and stark, lifeless forms create the setting. "The comic references the imagery of death cults throughout the ages, from the ancient Aztecs to modern goth," Turner said. "It also touches on the Socialist Realist poster style that dominated the art of twentieth century totalitarian regimes. Death graphics rather than graphic design. Nihilist chic, so to speak."

SLG Publishing's editor in chief Jennifer de Guzman called Turner's artwork in Nil "a marvel of vector-based graphics." "James gives you the whole vision with Nil," she continued. "In our conversations about what inspired this comic, he mentioned the slogan 'viva la muerta' -- 'long live death' -- that was used in Franco's Spain. James has complete understanding of the irony of that statement, and it's apparent in his writing and his art. Nil is masterful satire on every level."

Nil: A Land Beyond Belief is a 232-page black-and-white graphic novel, scheduled for release in April. It is available for pre-order now through Diamond Comics and other distributors.