A comic book creator once asked me what was the best way to keep a project they were working on secret. Easy, I said, don't tell anyone.

It's a little harder when there are fifty of you working on a project for a year and you still manage to keep it a secret though. And I'm only finding out about this now because William Christensen of Avatar told me they're about to announce it.

Stitched is a new supernatural horror war film written and directed by Preacher, Crossed and Boys creator Garth Ennis.

Yes, that's right, directed. Look, it says so on the poster and everything. Now he gets to hang with Frank Miller, Kaare Andrews and John Cassaday in the comic-creators-who-have-actually-directed-something room.

And it will premiere San Diego Comic Con on Thursday, July 21st at 8.15pm in Room 6DE. Garth Ennis will be there, as well as cast and crew from Avatar Press and Mischief Maker Studios. This is the first time San Diego Comic Con has premiered such a film, on site.

Stitched stars Tank Jones, Lauren Alonzo, and Kate Kugler and was produced by Brian Pulido, Francisca Pulido, and Ed Polgardy, with Adam Goldfine as Director of Photography and William Christensen, the founder of Avatar Press, serving with Garth Ennis as Executive Producers.

The film sees "three survivors of an American helicopter crash struggle across the high mountains of Afghanistan. They're injured, without food, water, or medicine, and moving through Taliban-controlled territory. Among the sun-bleached rocks, they discover something worse than enemy fighters: an ancient supernatural power – murderous, unstoppable, and serving a twenty-first century evil."

Garth Ennis is quoted as saying, regarding the opportunity to direct a film, "I've been thinking about it for a number of years now, ever since the interest in a Preacher film became more solid, and the options on it and The Boys were picked up. I've written screenplays and treatments for things like Crossed, but I haven't really devoted myself to a film project before, not the way I have with Stitched. I've always loved movies; my comics are much more heavily influenced by film and TV than they are by other comics. So having a go at this seems quite natural."

"Stitched began as little more than a series of images, really – three little figures stumbling across a barren landscape, exhausted people struggling to survive, blood on the rocks of the mountains, and lots of frantic, close-in combat."

And as production got underway, "you're watching Taliban fighters, SAS troopers, and a U.S. helicopter crew wandering around in full uniform and equipment, AKs and M4s slung, Berettas holstered. It all started as words on the page and then translated to so much hard work and commitment."

The film, seventeen minutes in length, is the beginning of a planned full-length feature film. The completed screenplay of which is the basis of the first arc in the new ongoing Stitched comic from Avatar written by Garth Ennis and drawn by Mike Wolfer.

The first issue will launch in November, alongside a DVD release of the film in comic stores. But Avatar will be sending copies of the DVD out in August if you order here. But attendees to San Diego Comic Con can order copies now and pick up the DVD at the show, with a ticket to get them, and whatever else you brought with you, signed by Garth Ennis. Retailers may start complaining… now.

You can find out more at Fear The Stitched. And I need to find some better sources…