Code 45

Code 45 is an urban fantasy graphic novel that explores mental health through the lens of dragons, drugs, and underground raves. Uncover the truths buried beneath the city streets.

A subway driver named Vanessa discovers a terrifying world of dragons, drugs, and underground raves lurking beneath the streets of Montreal. Transferred to the night shift, she must fight to uncover what's real, what's not, and how it ties into a dark family secret about mental health.  

How much longer can she deny what’s right before her eyes? Especially as the disappearances begin to multiply and even her own friends aren’t safe from the forces stalking the tunnels. Follow Vanessa deep into the belly of the beast as she struggles to put the pieces together in time to save both herself and those she cares about the most from the relentless menace of Code 45. 

Benjamin Hunting (Writer): Benjamin Hunting is a freelance writer and comic creator who spent his formative years performing under the hypersaturated strobe lights of a booming rave stage. Benjamin said, "I wanted to tell a story about the mental health burden so many of us face, infuse it with the energy of the early-2000s electronic music scene, and challenge the idea of a shared, objective reality in the vein of Cronenberg and Dick."

Joe Ng (Artist): Joe Ng has been the artist for franchises as diverse as Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Street Fighter, while also tackling video game properties such as Soulcalibur, Dark Stalkers, and Overwatch. Joe said, "I'd been itching to do something in my own style. This was the first time in my career where I had the challenge of building a living, breathing visual world for my own characters to inhabit."

ISBN: 9781639691906
Format: Paperback
Pages: 128
Publisher: Scout Comics
Published: December 26, 2023

"The art is really fantastic -- it has great layouts and flow, the characters are appealingly rendered, the backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, and it's all gorgeously coloured, with a powerful use of lighting. You really get a sense of space and presence, feeling like you're right there, in the scenes!""Joe Ng's artwork is well complemented by colorist, Josh Perez's, vibrant palette, especially in the second half of the issue...If you like to have a dose of reality to go with your fantasy, this a book to pick up and read."