Kill or Be Killed (comics)

Kill or Be Killed
Cover to Kill or Be Killed #1, art by Sean Phillips
Publication information
Publisher	Image Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Genre	Crime
Publication date	August 2016
No. of issues	10
Creative team
Created by	Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips
Written by	Ed Brubaker
Artist(s)	Sean Phillips
Colorist(s)	Elizabeth Breitweiser
Editor(s)	Eric Stephenson
Collected editions
Vol One (#1-4)	ISBN

Kill or be Killed is an American comic book series created by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips. Elizabeth Breitweiser is the series colorist and it is published by Image Comics. The series was announced at Image Expo in April 2016, and published by Image Comics beginning on August 3, 2016. The series has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

The story is about Dylan, a depressed college student who attempts suicide. He survives due to unlikely events, but is soon visited by a demon who explains he spared Dylan's life. In exchange, Dylan will be allowed to live one more month for every person he kills. Brubaker said he chose to make the character young because he wanted to include the optimism of youth. The comic examines the consequences of vigilante violence and its effects on Dylan’s loved ones. The story debuted to mostly positive reviews. Some reviewers felt it was too similar to Brubaker and Phillips' previous collaborations.

Kill or Be Killed is the sixth collaboration between Brubaker and Phillips, who had previously created other crime comics like Criminal, Fatale, and The Fade Out together. They first announced this series in April 2016 at the Image Expo, which was held during the Emerald City Comicon. They promoted the series being "unlike anything [they have] done before" because it will be set in the present day and is designed as an ongoing series instead of a limited one with a predetermined course. Image partner Robert Kirkman suggested Brubaker aim for at least 50 issues.

The concept stemmed from Brubaker's effort to channel his feelings about the state of the world and take them to the extreme. Recent news reports made him feel "that there is no justice. Everybody gets away with everything. The world being at the edge of falling apart is where the whole story sprang from." He hopes the story taps into the "generational anger" he has observed. He describes the story as Death Wish meets Breaking Bad with the adventure of The Amazing Spider-Man comics from the 1970s.