Skybound X 1 by Ryan Ottley Columns 

Soliciting Multiversity: Image’s Top 10 for July 2021

By | April 29th, 2021
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Ah, summer. The birds are flying high, the clouds are parting, and the sun is coming out to give everybody a healthy tan. As the summer of 2021 looks to bring back some sense of the new new normal (thanks to the increasing accessibility of vaccinations), Image is harnessing the joy of healthy living with some comics that’ll make you want to kick back and relax under the protection of a beach umbrella. So while we get our sunscreen ready and hope for a vivacious summer, let’s take a look ahead at some of the hottest books coming from Image Comics this July.

10. Hark, the Herald Angel

“The Good Asian” is a perfect book for right now. The series focuses on a self-loathing Asian-American detective named Edison Hark who is on the hunt for a serial killer in Chinatown, during the height of the Asian Exclusion Act. Given the heightened racial tension that has gripped much of the globe in recent times, this book’s unique perspective on embracing and also resenting one’s own culture is sure to live in shades of grey and strike an emotional chord with many readers. All of the previews for this series look incredible, with beautiful art from Alexandre Tefenkgi and Lee Loughridge. Add to that the tremendous talent of variant cover artist Jen Bartel and this is one book I know I have to have.

THE GOOD ASIAN #3
WRITER: Pornsak Pichetshote
ARTIST: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lee Loughridge
COVER A: Dave Johnson
COVER B: Jen Bartel
JULY 07 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
The surprises really begin as Hark encounters Lucy Fong’s completely different perspective on Chinatown—one pivotal to stopping the hatchetman on the loose.

“The gripping story of a detective who knows he’ll have to lose a few battles if he’s going to win a war.” —Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars)

9. Get Your Ass to Mars

Writer/artist EPHK, otherwise known as Electric Pink, will be bringing his graphic novel “Mawrth Valliis” to Image Comics this July. The book was previously available in small quantities through the artist himself and Kickstarter, but this new edition will help expand his work in greater markets. The book is simple enough and follows a fighter pilot who faces off against an opposing Martian army, but what sells it is the fun and risqué art style of EPHK. For anybody who isn’t familiar, I’d suggest checking him out on Instagram, but I feel like the best way to describe him would be like a Heavy Metal Magazine version of Norman Rockwell’s painting. If that doesn’t sell you on this book, I don’t know what will.

MAWRTH VALLIIS OGN
WRITER / ARTIST / COVER A: EPHK
JULY 21 / 128 pages / FC/ T+ / $14.99
TRIM SIZE: 5.315″ x 7.559″
During a skirmish with an opposing Martian faction, a fighter pilot disobeys orders to pursue a fleeing foe.

Guided by her determination and curiosity, she is led into a dangerous chase through Mars’s forbidden valley where she will be confronted with the red planet’s darkest of secrets.

A fast-paced, 128-page, full-color, pocket-format, sci-fi adventure through Mars’s mysteries all told in its original Martian form.

8. Baby Boom

“Stillwater” is one seriously messed up series. I recently took the time to dive into the first paperback collection of the book and was stunned by how thoroughly unnerving it was. Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K. Pérez’s story about a town where nobody ages is consistently unsettling. The true psychological horror of the series is on display in the cover of the latest issue, which shows an infant with strange horror behind its eyes. Imagine living a lifetime in the body of a baby. Couple that with the solicit text that teases the arrival of new visitors and it is clear that something awful lies just beyond the horizon.

STILLWATER BY ZDARSKY & PÉREZ #9
WRITER: Chip Zdarsky
ARTIST: Ramón K. Pérez, Mike Spicer
COVER A: Ramón K. Pérez
JULY 21 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Ted loves to welcome new visitors to Stillwater and show them around. That’s too bad for Faith.

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7. Family First

A good-hearted young man makes a bad deal and winds up becoming a hitman in the pages of “Bliss.” All eight issues of the series are being collected in one sweet package from Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky. This series has a strong emotional core and promises to focus on tragedy, triumph, and family. I greatly enjoyed Lewis and Yarsky’s previous book, “Coyotes,” and I’m excited to finally dive into Bliss to see if it lives up to the hype it has garnered over the last year. Given how much both creators profiles have grown lately, I expect great things.

BLISS TP
WRITER: Sean Lewis
ARTIST / COVER A: Caitlin Yarsky
JULY 21 / 184 pages / FC/ T+ / $19.99
There’s a drug called Bliss wiping away memories in Feral City. But a good-hearted young man with a deathly sick child makes a horrible deal. He will become the hitman for the gods providing the drug—and possibly lose everything in the process. A critically acclaimed examination of forgiveness and family that’s rarely seen in comics.

Select praise for BLISS:

“A slow burn fueled by plenty of raw emotion to get readers quickly invested.” —Comic Book Resources

“A multi-generational narrative that is so much more than meets the eye.” —ComicBook.com

“Anchored by strong writing and elevated by moody art direction.” —Multiversity Comics

“There has never been a book like BLISS before…and there probably never will be again.” —Bleeding Cool

Collects BLISS #1-8

6. Red in the Ledger

When “Radiant Black” first began, I was shocked by the revelation that our new hero already had a dangerous doppelganger in the form of the mysterious Radiant Red. I’m a sucker for masked men who serve as a dark reflection of our heroes (I credit my childhood love of Power Rangers for this) and I’m very interested in learning more about this vile fiend. Joining regular writer Kyle Higgins for this issue are co-writer Cherish Chen and artist Darko Lafuente, so I know that the issue is in good hands. I also appreciate this new age of comradery with Image books, where writers welcome in some pals for a guest issue. It ramps up the excitement and makes me even more curious than I already was.

RADIANT BLACK #6
WRITER: Cherish Chen, Kyle Higgins
ARTIST / COVER A: Darko Lafuente
COVER B: Kira Okamoto
COVER C: Doaly
JULY 21 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
Who’s under the helmet of RADIANT RED? Writer KYLE HIGGINS, guest co-writer CHERISH CHEN, and industry legend DARKO LAFUENTE (Ultimate Spider-man, Superman) join forces for a story that challenges everything you think you know about the man behind the mask!

5. Chump Change

Thus far, “The Silver Coin” has lived up to its premise of horror and tragedy with an eclectic group of writers showcasing their skills with different stories set in the past. However, the latest adventure brings the story to the future of 2467, where the old world has been buried deep. Writer Jeff Lemire joins artist Michael Walsh here and I expect this to be one of the most intriguing issues of the series. Lemire has shown off his versatility as a writer with work on “Descender,” “Ascender,” and “Sentient,” so I know that this book is in good hands. As “The Silver Coin” races towards its exciting finale, I’m very interested to see where the coin goes next.

THE SILVER COIN #4 (OF 5)
WRITER: Jeff Lemire
ARTIST / COVER A: Michael Walsh
COVER B: Christian Ward
JULY 14 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
The cycle of horror travels far into the future for the fourth issue of THE SILVER COIN by all-stars MICHAEL WALSH, CHIP ZDARSKY, KELLY THOMPSON, ED BRISSON, and JEFF LEMIRE. The year is 2467, and the old world has been buried beneath the junk of a new civilization. From the trash, a scavenger discovers ancient treasure—a coin. The price it carries, however, is unimaginable.

4. Pain or Pleasure

Empathy is a hell of a thing. While it can help people share the burden of responsibility in small doses and allows some to enjoy mutual success, it can also be crippling and leave people beaten and downtrodden, emotionally spent. “Syphon”‘s premise focuses on a fast-living EMT with the power to siphon pain from others. Given that this series is only three issues long, I expect said EMT to live up to his fast-living ways and for this to be an action-packed ride. Jeff Edwards’s art looks sharp too, and if the cover is any indication, it is sure to be an immersive experience.

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SYPHON #1 (OF 3)
WRITER: Patrick Meaney, Mohsen Ashraf
ARTIST / COVER A: Jeff Edwards, John Kalisz
JULY 21 / 32 pages / FC/ T+ / $3.99
When a fast-living EMT is entrusted with the power to sense and siphon pain from others, Sylas is presented with a new purpose: to ease the misery of those around him. But the more he uses this gift, the more it curses him with carrying the burdens of others’ pain. And it soon attracts the attention of mysterious forces who covet the power for themselves, forcing Sylas to decide whether he will continue his mission or revert to his old ways.

Comic book documentarian PATRICK MEANEY (Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods, The Image Revolution) teams up with artist JEFF EDWARDS (G.I. Joe) with a story by MOHSEN ASHRAF for a creator-owned noir fantasy.

3. God Help Us

Death and reincarnation lie at the heart of “Ordinary Gods,” a new series from writer Kyle Higgins and artist Felipe Watanabe. The book focuses on Christopher, a 22 year old who is secretly a god trapped in a mortal body who wants to escape the cycle of death. Admittedly, this series sounds like a more action-packed version of “The Wicked + The Divine,” but I LOVED that series so any comparison is a high compliment. I also trust that Higgins will pull out some interesting twists and turns along the way, like with the aforementioned “Radiant Black.” Add on the incredible art of Felipe Watanabe, and you have a recipe for success.

ORDINARY GODS #1
WRITER: Kyle Higgins
ARTIST: Felipe Watanbe
COVER A: Felipe Watanbe, Dan Panosian, Declan Shalvey, Nicola Scott, Matt Wilson, Rod Reis, Tula Lotay, Dave Johnson
JULY 07 / 40 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
For fans of THE OLD GUARD and GOD COUNTRY comes the extra-length first issue of a centuries-spanning action epic from writer KYLE HIGGINS (RADIANT BLACK) and artist FELIPE WATANABE (The Flash)!

The Luminary. The Prodigy. The Brute. The Trickster. The Innovator. Five gods from a realm beyond our own, leaders in the “War of Immortals.”

At least, they were—before they were trapped, sent to a planet made into a prison, forced into an endless cycle of human death and reincarnation.

Christopher is 22. He’s got two loving parents and a 12-year-old sister. He works at a paint store. He’s in therapy. He’s one of the Five.

Which means, in order to save everyone he cares about, Christopher will have to reconnect with his past lives and do the unthinkable: become a god again.

2. Mother Knows Best

First off, I have to say that I was skeptical when I first heard this series announced. When it comes to celebrities and comics, I often expect that they get involved as a way to test out a project that they’d like to adapt elsewhere eventually. For me, this hinders how much I can enjoy the comic, since it feels hollow. However, in the case of “Mother of Madness,” the series sounds like a lot of fun, with comedy and chaos a plenty. I’ve been a huge fan of Marguerite Bennett in the past, so I’m hoping that her involvement with Emilia Clarke and Isobel Richardson will ensure a certain level of quality that I can get behind.

M.O.M.: MOTHER OF MADNESS #1 (OF 3)
WRITER: Emilia Clarke, Isobel Richardson, Marguerite Bennett
ARTIST: Leila Leiz
COVER A: Jo Ratcliffe
COVER B: Jen Bartel
JULY 21 / 48 pages / FC/ M / $5.99
Game of Thrones superstar EMILIA CLARKE debuts an EXTRA-LENGTH, THREE-ISSUE MINISERIES! The mayhem begins with Maya, under-the-weather scientist by day, over-the-top superhero by night, and badass single mom 24/7. Deadpool action and Fleabag comedy collide when Maya activates her freakish superpowers to take on a secret sect of human traffickers. Mature readers only! Comedy and chaos await in the first of three 40-page issues by the glamorous artist of Horde, LEILA LEIZ!

1. X Gonna Give it to Ya

Well, never let it be said that Robert Kirkman doesn’t know how to celebrate. To recognize ten years of the Skybound imprint at Image, Kirkman has teamed up with some of the best and brightest in comics, including James Harren, Chip Zdarsky, Joshua Williamson, Daniel Warren Johnson, Erica Henderson, and more. Plus, Ryan Ottley returns to Skybound with the vaguely “Walking Dead” themed ‘Rick Grimes 3000,’ and I’m sold. “Skybound X” is an anthology that should help platform some of the exciting work being done at the imprint, which has created some of my favorite Image books of all time like “Invincible,” “Murder Falcon,” and “Ultramega.” It is one of the most exciting books that Image has announced all year and the fact that it’ll be unfolding over five consecutive weeks means that I have something to look forward to every Wednesday in July.

Continued below

SKYBOUND X #1
WRITER: Tillie Walden, Robert Kirkman, James Harren, Chris Dingess
ARTIST: Tillie Walden, James Harren, Matthew Roberts, Ryan Ottley
COVER A: Ryan Ottley
COVER B: James Harren
COVER C: Tillie Walden
COVER D: Charlie Adlard
JULY 07 / 52 pages / FC/ M / $4.99
Celebrate a sensational 10 years of Skybound with a cavalcade of your favorite creators and all-new stories of your favorite series past, present, and future! Each issue of this oversized, weekly series will kick off with a new chapter of a serialized THE WALKING DEAD story—RICK GRIMES 2000—by ROBERT KIRKMAN & RYAN OTTLEY!

In addition, we’ll be debuting all-new series and characters every issue, starting with the first appearance of the most requested WALKING DEAD character of all-time: Clementine, star of the bestselling Telltale’s The Walking Dead video game series!

Did we mention new ULTRAMEGA and MANIFEST DESTINY stories?! If you want to know what to expect in Skybound’s next 10 years, it all starts here!


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Henry Varona

Henry Varona is a writer and comic book connoisseur who never seems to take himself too seriously. He's passionate about wrestling, comics, action figures, and pineapple pizza. You can find more of his opinions @HAVcomics.

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