Did you guys notice that Image sort of had a big weekend? Friday night at Image Expo alone was about as big of a night in announcements as they’ve had since the inception of the company twenty years ago, throwing out projects with people like Grant Morrison, Steve Niles, Tony Harris, Brian Wood and more to go along with the laundry list of incredible creators already in business with them, like Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and a whole lot more.
As we said when we named them the publisher of the year in 2011, based on everything we’d heard, 2012 looks to be their year as well. With the impressive line-up announced this weekend, I can’t imagine 2013 isn’t going to be locked up now.
For today’s M101, I’m going to provide my take on each of the big announcements, in order from favorite to least favorite announcement. Of course, with the quality of books they shared, we’re talking about varying degrees of amazing, so even the lowest on this list still looks incredible.
You can find all of that after the jump.
Ken Garing’s Planetoid
What is it?: From Matt’s write-up on the book, this book stars “an ex-soldier turned space pirate (like all the best rogues) named Silas, the book finds Silas stranded on a mysterious planet, exploring the new terrain and fighting off ‘rogue mechanical creatures, roving cyborg militias, and a hostile alien military with a bounty on his head.'” It’s a five-issue mini-series starting in June.
Why I’m excited: The first reason is simply because this book is something from a mostly unknown creator getting his chance to make a name for himself. Image Comics to me is all about creators getting to tell original stories that they can’t tell anywhere else, and quite often, the books I am most excited about are the ones from people I hadn’t previously heard of. Plus, it’s about a space pirate doing amazing, rogue-like things. The art looks incredible, and it just looks like it will be an absolute blast. I’m extremely excited for the idea of something completely new from someone new, and you know it has to be good given that it made its way into Eric Stephenson’s keynote speech surrounded by the names of some of the giants of the industry. Well done.
Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo’s Bedlam
What is it?: Very little is known about this book, but we do know this: it’s Spencer, it’s Rossmo, it’s cover artist Walter O’Neal, and it’s horror.
Why I’m excited: Honestly, the teaser images by themselves have me sold. O’Neal’s covers look incredible, somehow negotiating the skill sets of JG Jones and Lee Bermejo into some sort of glorious blend of very realistic art. Then, you have Spencer’s completely palpable enthusiasm for the project, Rossmo’s gift for nightmarish art, and what comes out is a potentially spectacular package. I’m just worried Rossmo is going to die from being overworked.
Brian Wood and Ming Doyle’s Mara
What is it?: From Matt’s write-up, “The book stars the eponymous Mara, ‘a teenage celebrity whose life becomes chaotic when she manifests superpowers.’ Mara lives in a world obsessed with war and fitness, ‘where the angst and insecurity of average citizens is compensated with an extreme focus on sports and battle.’
Why I’m excited: To be honest, Wood had me when he said “I wanted to prove, if only to myself, that a story like this can be told without reducing it to or otherwise relying on these sorts of base depictions of women.” Brian Wood has always made comics with realistic and female characters, like DMZ’s Zee or Local’s Megan, so he doesn’t need to prove it to us. I just know that with Wood onboard and the prodigious talents of Doyle on art (not to mention Jordie Bellaire coloring it), this book will be a wonderfully crafted one. Plus, as a rule I buy everything Wood makes. Easy sell, right here.
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Steve Niles and Scott Morse’s Crime & Terror
What is it?: From my article about this from over a year ago, Scott Morse said “It’s filled with episodes detailing the events in the life of a detective named Mike Fallon who’s going through some serious personal problems. On top of THAT, we’ll be smacking you upside the head with a bunch of short, stand-alone stories: noir, horror, sci-fi, whatever we want. All drawn by me, some written by me, some by Steve. On top of THAT, we’ll be throwing in new prose stories with spot-illos by me. Seriously, monthly is the plan, and every month, you’ll cry with glee as you scream your face off.”
Why I’m excited: How awesome does that sound?! Granted, I’m biased because I think Scott Morse is an absolute titan of art and atmosphere and storytelling, but after Strange Science Fantasy the guy has my money forever. Plus, with him collaborating with Niles, we know this book will push the idea of creator-owned comics to the absolute limit and be a highly entertaining story at the same time. Take my money!
Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl
What is it?: It’s more Phonogram, ya mooks. Or, as Kieron Gillen says on his blog: “It’s about identity, eighties music videos and further explorations of Phonogram’s core “Music = Magic” thesis. There is horror. There are jokes. There are emotions. There may even be a fight sequence. It also takes A-ha’s Take On Me with far too much seriousness — which, for us, is the correct amount of seriousness.”
Why I’m excited: Am I listening to The Pipette’s “Pull Shapes” right now? Yes. Does that mean I am Gillen and McKelvie’s target market? Probably. However, I do want to say I like not love the first two volumes of this book, but the foundation of love is in those pages. I think Gillen and McKelvie have both grown as creators since The Singles Club, and I for one am quite enthusiastic at the prospect of them giving this another go AND this book selling way better thanks to the success of both of them on Marvel books recently. Both of the guys seem to be some of the nicer guys in the industry, and I genuinely hope this book earns Phonogram a far larger audience than before. Plus, it takes A-ha seriously. Sounds proper to me.
Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s Happy!
What is it?: Very little is known about it besides the fact it is titled Happy!, that Morrison and Robertson are teaming up, that it takes place around Christmas, and that it has a feather on the cover. Oh yeah, and that it confirms that we really should start paying more attention to what Image publisher Eric Stephenson tells us.
Why I’m excited: While I’m not as huge of a fan as Morrison as others on this site, Morrison at his best is about as good as anyone in the industry. Not only that, but it’s Morrison trying something he’s never done supposedly, and for someone that is as adventurous as anyone in fiction writing (not just comics), it’s impossible not to be incredibly curious about that. Who knows what is actually going to come from this, but I can say I will be buying it assuredly.
Steve Niles and Tony Harris’ Chin Music
What is it?: Very little is known about this book, except that it involves Tommy Guns, Tony Harris, and Steve Niles.
Why I’m excited: Continuing his run to being 100% creator-owned (which I believe he now is), Steve Niles adds this title with top notch artist Tony Harris. The only reason why this didn’t finish further up my list is because I know basically nothing about it. I love Harris’ work on Ex-Machina and other books, Niles is a killer, and the promo cover art we’ve seen looks superb. What’s not to like?
Just like with all of the rest, I’m really excited to hear more about this title. Here’s hoping we do soon.
