Image is pushing its upcoming TV adaptations really hard, but it’s good to remember that Image also publishes comics. In fact, this seems like a good time to check in with all sorts of long-running series that have been absolutely crushing it, so consistently that we may take them for granted. Sure, there are a few exciting new series, but I declare January a month for returning favorites.
As always you can get the full solicits on the Image website.
10. With friends like these, who needs airships?
At this point I think it is safe to say that “Cemetery Beach” has become a Multiversity favorite. It’s one of those comics that’s utterly unique but demands to be compared to a thousand other things in an “X meets Y” sorta way. So without further ado: it’s Warren Ellis’ entire bibliography meets Kurt Russel meets Mad Max: Fury Road meets John Carpenter meets Borderlands meets Dune meets Star Wars meets steampunk meets the French Foreign Legion. And that’s just what we thought of the first two issues. Number 5 (of the planned seven issue run) looks ready to flip the script. Punk rock psycho rebel Grace has seemed like the real wild card, but if the solicit is to be believed, Mike’s the one you gotta look out for. Hell yeah.
CEMETERY BEACH #5 (OF 7)
WRITER: WARREN ELLIS
ARTIST / COVER / VARIANT COVER: JASON HOWARD
JANUARY 09 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99Mike and Grace have been separated by Drum’s military airboats, and he doesn’t have a prayer of getting back to Earth without her. But what happens next teaches Grace something about Mike that’s frightening enough to make her rethink going anywhere with him. Ever.
9. Your princess isn’t in any castle, because Maika burned all the castles down
Hey, remember when “Monstress” won all those Eisners? That was way cool. Well deserved too. Revisionist feminist takes on fantasy is all the rage at Image, but “Monstress” isn’t quite that. It’s darker. It’s weirder. It’s got a sky choked with the corpses of dead gods (I love writing that sentence). It’s got gorgeous art, and difficult protagonists. It’s got cute fox children who may actually have destruction in their souls. Make me a promise. Go get the first couple of trades of “Monstress.” You’ll fall so deeply in love, that all this nonsense in the solicit about Kippa facing monsters will take your breath away. I’m really worried about Kippa you guys.
MONSTRESS #19
WRITER: MARJORIE LIU
ARTIST / COVER: SANA TAKEDA
JANUARY 23 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99Five-time Eisner Award winner for 2018 As Maika and Corvin search for Kippa through a warped and lethal land, Kippa herself will face her own terrible monsters…
8. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life
Another long-running, deeply weird series. Since “East of West” has started, Hickman has launched a slew of creator own worked, led Marvel comics into madness, left Marvel to pick up the pieces of its shattered multiverse, and whatever the “Black Monday Murders” is. Through all of that, “East of West” has rode steady, a pre-apocalyptic Western about the horsemen of the apocalypse, cyborg samurai warlords, and American Civil War-era mysticism. I think. Like I said, it’s another really weird one, and it’s also a series coming to the end. Looking back, I am certain “East of West” will be regarded as a classic, an epic comic series celebrated by comic fans. Why don’t you go be that cool person and get into the comic before the TV show comes out. Even if the show is great, it will never match the infinite effects budget of Nick Dragotta’s irrepressible art.
Continued belowEAST OF WEST #42
WRITER: JONATHAN HICKMAN
ARTIST / COVER: NICK DRAGOTTA
JANUARY 30 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99“RISK” Things draw to a close on the Earthly plane. Hollywood News: Amazon Studios has put in development as an hourlong genre drama series from Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta. They are teaming with Robert Kirkman who will executive produce via Skybound Entertainment’s first-look deal. The show will be created and executive produced by Hickman and Nick Dragotta and written by Hickman. Also executive producing alongside Skybound’s Kirkman will be Dave Alpert, Sean Furst, and Bryan Furst (Dice).
7. WE ARE the superstitious and cowardly lot
Oh hey, “Criminal” is coming back. You’ve read “Criminal” right? That’s the quintessential Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips collaboration, where they tell a series of loosely connected stories about regular crooks committing low-fi crimes. Plus they had that one story where Archie married Veronica, but realized he always loved Betty, so he murdered Veronica, framed Jughead, and took all her dad’s money and had really steamy shower sex with Betty. I swear it was a thing. That’s the thing about “Criminal” it comes and it goes in the form of short lived miniseries. Wait, what’s that you say? This time it’s coming back as an ongoing? Holy sh-
CRIMINAL #1
WRITER: ED BRUBAKER
ARTIST / COVER: SEAN PHILLIPS, JACOB PHILLIPS
JANUARY 09 / 48 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99THE RETURN OF THE MOST ACCLAIMED CRIME COMIC OF THE 21ST CENTURY! Hot off their bestselling series KILL OR BE KILLED and their original graphic novel MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, crime comic masters ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS finally return to their most-demanded title—as a new MONTHLY SERIES! In this double-sized (at no additional cost!) debut issue, Teeg Lawless is back in town. But he finds himself in more trouble than ever, thanks to his delinquent teenage son—and this time, fists and bullets may not be enough to solve his problems. A perfect introduction to CRIMINAL and its dark, exciting world, this series will also include back page art and articles to bring readers more fully into the noir experience.
6. All the stars are closer, all the stars are closer, all the stars are closer
Having read the first issue of “Infinite Dark” I can promise that it lives up to its potential. It’s bleak- really bleak. Truthfully, it’s about bleakness. But I think it’s the kind of horror we need right now. It’s not violent (well it is a little bit, but not just that). It’s existential. The whole universe has blinked out. One big spaceship is all of humanity that’s left. The ship itself is mostly empty. There are mandatory counseling sessions to deal with the epic survivor’s guilt. One critical mistake means the end of life, the universe, and everything. What’s even the point of continuing on? What’s the point of anything? Oh, and there’s a murder mystery. And… a Cthulhu? There are plenty of questions that need answering between the nihilistic dread, and somehow you’ll come out the other side with a catharsis for all your end of the world angst. I promise, you’ll cathart so hard. That’s a Multiversity guarantee!
INFINITE DARK #4
WRITER: RYAN CADY
ARTIST / COVER: ANDREA MUTTI
JANUARY 16 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99It’s everyone’s life on the line as Deva Karrell comes face-to-face with the Entity from beyond and learns the terrible truth behind the Orpheus’ recent deaths.
5. Neon Tiger is weak to the Tornado Fang
Yay! “Isola” is back! That makes me really happy. Which is weird, because “Isola” is kind of melancholy. It’s the typical story of a queen, turned into a psychedelic tiger, journeying with a knight to the promised land. It’s a sad and quiet adventure, especially because one of the protagonists can’t really talk. Death is never far, and yet “Isola” is the kind of book I’d recommend to mature, thoughtful kids. It’s one of those books. The art is stunning, and I promise you’ll get lost in a comic book fantasy world in a way that no novel can capture you. “Isola” is the real deal.
ISOLA #6
WRITER: BRENDEN FLETCHER, KARL KERSCHL
ARTIST: KARL KERSCHL, MSASSYK
COVER: KARL KERSCHL
VARIANT COVER: JEN BARTEL
JANUARY 16 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99Olwyn has returned from the land of the dead, but did she return alone? The journey to Isola continues… NOW BI-MONTHLY!
4. Mangeuses d’Hommes? Oui Mademoiselle
As the comic book industry attempts to do Chelsea Cain dirty once again, it is our obligation to support her genius work. I was lucky enough to speak to Cain, and not only was she enthusiastic (and just a little bit caustic), she was also the most thoughtful creator of comics I’ve talked to in a long time. She’s coming from the outside of the industry, but instead of taking shortcuts, she wants to think harder than anyone about visual storytelling, and it shows. Buy this book. Buy this goddamn book. I swear to Alanis Morissette y’all this is the bloody feminist masterpiece you are looking for. “Man-Eaters” is such good comics.
Continued belowMAN-EATERS #5
WRITER: CHELSEA CAIN
ARTIST: KATE NIEMCZYK
COVER: LIA MITERNIQUE
JANUARY 30 / 24 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99“RAGTIME GOSPEL” Twelve-year-old girls fight the patriarchy. Because someone has to.
3. We ride and we ride and we’ll never subside, and we’ll ride till the planets collide
I expected to like “Murder Falcon” a great deal. I didn’t expect it to… make me so sad? But in a good way? For a book about a metal guitarist and his sexy monster-fightin’ bird friend (he only murders monsters), there’s a lot of gentle regret in this series. Daniel Warren Johnson is probably the most exciting new comics creator of the last couple of years, and I thought this was gonna be his book for goofin’. And while there is a lot of fun to be had, it’s actually a really personal story about a guy who’s been scared of the world finding solace in his hobbies. It’s a story I think a lot of comic fans can relate to. It’s also a modern take on the Autobiography of John Stuart Mill but with entities called Brooticus and Magnum Khaos. So you know, high art.
MURDER FALCON #4
WRITER: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON
ARTIST / COVER: DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON, MIKE SPICER
JANUARY 09 / 32 PAGES / FC / T / $3.99The reunion tour of Brooticus gets off to a rough start as Magnum Khaos unleashes his monstrous minions on Chicago. Only the mighty musical attack of Murder Falcon and the band can turn the tide… but where is Jake when his friends need him the most?
2. Only this time their thoughts turned to an escape whose name we dare not speak
So it looks like Gillen and Hans realized that “Goth Jumanji” was a great pitch, so they’re sticking with it. And they’re right. This series hasn’t started yet, but I could not be more excited to dive right in. Look at that character design. What’s up with the bear on that variant cover? I just failed my saving throw to keep my chill.
DIE #2
WRITER: KIERON GILLEN
ARTIST / COVER: STEPHANIE HANS
VARIANT COVER: JANA SCHIRMER
JANUARY 09 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99“FANTASY HEARTBREAKER,” Part Two Remember last time, when we said “Goth Jumanji”? As the bleak, austere fantasy-horror ramps up, we start underlining the word “Goth” in black marker until we cut a hole through the page.
1. Bad Girl, Good Girl
We must really like the whole “hot girls who fight evil” thing, because every comic publisher has at least two versions of that story. And hey, I won’t front, I’ve read ’em all! That’s why I was so excited by “Exorsisters.” It has a level of irreverence you can only bring to the table when the genre tropes are very well-worn, but also a big heart that helps the book transcend the laughs. Most of all though, there was the twist at the end of the first issue. I’m not going to spoil it here, but I got got hook, line, and sinker. Would the series work without the twist on the formula? Definitely. It’s fun and stylish. Does the story work better with the twist. Hell yeah. I can’t wait. Do I think there are more fun subversions in the future? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see (YES! YES! A MILLION TIMES YES!).
EXORSISTERS #4
WRITER: IAN BOOTHBY
ARTIST / COVER: GISÈLE LAGACÉ, PETE PANTAZIS
VARIANT COVER: TY TEMPLETON
JANUARY 23 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99Cate and Kate learn that the only thing worse than selling your soul to the Devil is selling it to someone you thought was the Devil. Can they save a soul from being saved? Also, their Mother returns, bringing the first-ever evil along with her.
