Heat. Whenever I think of August, I inevitably think of the blistering heat that comes with it. This summer though, the hottest thing around won’t be the blazing ball of fire in the sky – it’ll be the blistering books coming from Image Comics! August looks to be another stellar month for the premiere indy publisher, who have a plethora of hits on their hands from a mix of established creators and new voices. So, with honorable mention to the first paperback collections of “Radiant Black” and “Helm Greycastle,” let’s see what books from Image Comics will make me melt this August!
10. Looks Can Kill
A good noir adventure is steeped in atmosphere, with an engaging (but flawed) lead, some dangerous stakes, and somebody who needs protecting. Watching the story come together and reveal itself is what makes the genre so engrossing. Given all of that, I really don’t know much going into “The Good Asian” #4. The solicit barely says a word about what to expect. But based on how much I enjoyed the first issue, I know that I’m in for the ride. Edison Hark has proven to be an immediately intriguing lead who is torn between his occupation and his ethnicity as he struggles to survive in San Francisco. All I can say about this book is that you should read it, because telling you too much about the plot would ruin the appeal.
THE GOOD ASIAN #4 (OF 10)
WRITER: Pornsak Pichetshote
ARTIST: Alexandre Tefenkgi, Lee Loughridge
COVER A: Dave Johnson
COVER B: AwanqiAUGUST 04 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Hark suffers a devastating blow as Chinatown’s Hui Long killer hits closer to home, leading Hark to begin peeling back the layers of his family’s chilling secrets.
“This is absolutely the best kind of comics noir.” —KIERON GILLEN (DIE)
9. Proxy
The first movie I hated as a kid was A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The story of a young robot being adopted by a family and being taught how to love those around him left me feeling unnerved and unrewarded, as the film’s final act took a turn for the surreal and left me with more questions than answers. So with that memory firmly in my mind, I’m shocked by how much I have been attracted to the similarly-themed “Made in Korea.” Writer Jeremy Holt and artist George Schall have created a vivid and fleshed out world in which the traditional perception of family has irrevocably changed. The Norman Rockwell aesthetic has been tossed out the window in favor of found family. In every way that A.I. Artificial Intelligence failed me as a kid, “Made in Korea” succeeds, showing that using technology as a means of showcasing family can be both profound and emotional.
MADE IN KOREA #4 (OF 6)
WRITER: Jeremy Holt
ARTIST / COVER A: George SchallAUGUST 25 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
PROXY DOESN’T UNDERSTAND OR RESPOND TO YOUR PROMPT
To fix issues with your Proxy not responding:
Make sure you’re using the power adapter that was included
with your child.
Check that your child isn’t muted.
Speak naturally and clearly.
Rephrase your prompt.
Try, “Did you hear me?”
8. Rise and Fall
And thus, the saga of both “Descender” and “Ascender” reaches its conclusion. The complicated story that began with a boy and his robot in 2015 has evolved into a sprawling space fantasy, with magic and science clashing while the fate of our eclectic cast of characters hangs in the balance. “Ascender” #18, which doubles as issue #50 of the combined story, is sure to pull on some heartstrings. Nguyen’s scenic watercolors have made this one of the prettiest comics on the shelves for the better part of the last six years and Lemire’s ability to imbue his characters with the spark of life is unparalleled. I’m sad to see this one go, but I’m eternally thankful for having experience it.
Continued belowASCENDER #18
WRITER / COVER B: Jeff Lemire
ARTIST / COVER A: Dustin NguyenAUGUST 18 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
“STAR SEED,” Part Four
Concluding the sci-fi/fantasy epic that began in the pages of DESCENDER, JEFF LEMIRE and DUSTIN NGUYEN present the final account of one young robot’s struggle to keep his friends alive as the forces of magic and science meet in a climactic fashion.
7. Don’t Turn the Lights On
A few years ago, I moved from Brooklyn to upstate NY, hoping to find a quiet life for my fiancé and I where we could more earnestly pursue our passions. As such, the premise of “The Me You Love in the Dark” immediately stood out to me. A young artist named Ro moves from the city to a small town hoping to find a place where she can follow her creative ambitions. It’s a tale as old as time, but in this instance it may prove to be a bit more complicated than Ro imagined. The series promises to be dark and disturbing, with terror and love on the agenda. Given how dark we’ve seen Skottie Young get in the past and how quirky Corona’s art has been on books like “Middlewest” and “We are Robin,” I am wholeheartedly intrigued to see how this plays out.
THE ME YOU LOVE IN THE DARK #1 (OF 5)
WRITER: Skottie Young
ARTIST / COVER A: Jorge CoronaAUGUST 04 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Writer SKOTTIE YOUNG (I HATE FAIRYLAND, Deadpool, Strange Academy) and artist JORGE CORONA (NO. 1 WITH A BULLET, Super Sons, Feathers) follow up their critically acclaimed series MIDDLEWEST with a brand-new haunting tale. An artist named Ro retreats from the grind of the city to an old house in a small town to find solace and inspiration without realizing the muse within is not what she expected. Fans of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman will enjoy this beautiful, dark, and disturbing story of discovery, love, and terror.
6. Long Live The King
It’s finally here! After what feels like an eternity of hype, the wider world of Spawn’s Universe begins to take shape with the release of “King Spawn” #1. This book spins out of the events of both “Spawn” and the “Spawn’s Universe” one-shot, as it attempts to put Spawn on the same level as Batman and Superman, with Al Simmons starring in a second ongoing series. Admittedly, I feel like I would have preferred if one of the other spin-offs had been released first instead, but I am intrigued to see how this book distinguishes itself from the main “Spawn” title. Adding on co-writer Sean Lewis is a great start, with Lewis coming off of the success of multiple ‘Future State’ books for DC, and the book’s promise of art from Javier Fernandez, Brett Booth, Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, and Philip Tan means that this will be very easy on the eyes.
KING SPAWN #1
WRITER: Sean Lewis, Todd McFarlane
ARTIST: Todd McFarlane, Javier Fernandez, Brett Booth, STEPHEN SEGOVIA, Marcio Takara, Philip Tan
COVER A: Puppeteer Lee
COVER B: Todd McFarlane
COVER C: David Finch
COVER D: Sean Gordon MurphyAUGUST 11 / 56 pages / FC/ T / $5.99
A historical NEW ongoing SPAWN series begins!
The launch of this book, nearly three decades in the making, further expands the SPAWN UNIVERSE with a growing presence of Hell, Heaven, and Heroes here on Earth.
A classic villain from Spawn’s past has begun asserting his powers on Earth by corrupting as many souls as possible. And only Spawn knows that he even exists. Continuing the dramatic battles from SPAWN’S UNIVERSE #1, this is where it all begins!!!!!
Don’t miss out…the last time a new ongoing SPAWN series launched was in 1992.
5. Silver Lining
Just what is the secret behind the Silver Coin? After four issues of watching people suffer at the hands of the mysterious metal, “The Silver Coin” #5 looks to reveal the origins behind the coin and how its curse came to be. It was recently announced that the anthology series will now be an ongoing title, so this issue could prove to be key towards understanding the larger narrative at play. This story is also written by artist Michael Walsh, who spearheaded the book, which makes me eager to see how he interweaves his different skills to create one cohesive product. The solicit text hints that this issue will involve a young woman being accused of witchcraft, so I expect this comic to be especially cruel.
Continued belowTHE SILVER COIN #5
WRITER / ARTIST / COVER A: Michael Walsh
COVER B: Maya McKibbinAUGUST 11 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
NOW AN ONGOING SERIES
For the fifth installment of horror anthology THE SILVER COIN from MICHAEL WALSH, CHIP ZDARSKY, KELLY THOMPSON, ED BRISSON, and JEFF LEMIRE, the story reaches back to when the coin’s cruel curse was first minted. In a small New England village, a woman has been accused of witchcraft.
4. Little Red
Regardless of what the pitch for the series is, I know I have to read “Echolands” #1 because it is being made by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, and Dave Stewart. The creative team behind “Batwoman” has an incredible track record and their creative energy alone is worth the price of admission. So with that in mind, what is “Echolands” about? Well, it looks like the book will be a fantasy sci-fi hybrid, with folktales of yore being reimagined in a futuristic setting. Admittedly, this idea doesn’t immediately spring out to me as groundbreaking, but I trust that the true vision of the series will become clear with time as these dynamic creators build up their world of story. And who wouldn’t be interested in Little Red Riding Hood facing off against Roman demigods?
ECHOLANDS #1
WRITER: J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman
ARTIST: J.H. Williams III, Dave Stewart
COVER A / COVER B: J.H. Williams IIIAUGUST 25 / 44 pages / FC/ M / $4.99
A MAJOR IMAGE COMICS 2021 EVENT! The story of Earth’s last war starts with Hope’s sticky fingers…The multiple award-winning Batwoman team, J. H. WILLIAMS III (Promethea, The Sandman: Overture, Batman) and W. HADEN BLACKMAN (Star Wars, Elektra), reunites for an all-new ongoing series! They’re joined once again by colorist supreme DAVE STEWART and master letterer TODD KLEIN.In a bizarre future world that has forgotten its history, a reckless thief, Hope Redhood, holds the key to excavating its dark, strange past—if only she and her crew can escape a tyrannical wizard and his unstoppable daughter. But fate will send them all on a path leading to a war between worlds.ECHOLANDS is a landscape format, mythic-fiction epic where anything is possible—a fast-paced genre mashup adventure that combines everything from horror movie vampires to classic mobsters and cyborg elves, to Roman demigods and retro rocket ships. It’s going to be a helluva ride! Each issue of the series will offer a Raw Cut edition, featuring the art from J. H. WILLIAMS III as it looked leaving his work studio.Early praise for ECHOLANDS:“It’s every fictional world, each with its own artistic style, intersecting and exploding with JHW3 magic and crackle. I can’t wait to see where he and Haden Blackman are taking us—into a world in which anything can happen, and undoubtedly will.” —Neil Gaiman”So complex and unique and expertly executed it pushes the medium forward in new directions and leads to invigorated interest in the medium of comics itself.” —Robert Kirkman”A dazzling, kinetic ride through an exquisitely realized fantasy world, bursting with graphic energy and excitement.” —Dave Gibbons“Echolands’ fallen fantasy San Francisco is painted as a monstrous blend of magic and technology, and reads like a blockbuster car chase.” —Kyle Shutt (The Sword)“Getting an eyeful is a massive understatement. I love looking at the drawings as they expand with more details emerging every time I look.” —Debbie Harry (Blondie, Face It: A Memoir)
3. Take a Chance On Me
In theory, everybody deserves a second chance. However, the harsh reality of life is that its hard to come by an opportunity to actually start over. In “Second Chances,” a man named Leblanc runs a hotline where people can get a new identity if they have money, a good reason, and a proper referral. When Leblanc comes across an amnesiac in desperate need of protection, he’ll break all of his rules to save a life. The book comes from a young creative team and sounds incredibly ambitious, but a quick look at Bertolini’s art on social media shows that he can definitely deliver on the psychedelic premise. I’m curious to see how this unfolds and I think it could be a real coming out party for these emerging voices.
Continued belowSECOND CHANCES #1
WRITER: Ricky Mammone
ARTIST / COVER A: Max BertoliniAUGUST 18 / 32 pages / BW/ M / $3.99
Second Chances Hotline—call now and get a new identity! All you need is some cash, a proper referral, and a very good reason to start over. When Leblanc, the man behind the hotline, is approached by a shady figure from his past, he’s forced to accept a new client who doesn’t meet any of the requirements—a client with chemically induced amnesia in desperate need of protection. Up-and-coming writer RICKY MAMMONE and artist MAX BERTOLINI (The Witcher, Nathan Never) explode onto the scene with this psychedelic, action-packed, bizarre noir that feels like John Wick punching through an existential French New Wave fever dream.
2. Courtside with the Count
Kyle Starks is delightful, so let’s just get that out of the way. He’s funny, wacky, and inventive. Take that kind of creative chaos and put it on a book that features a basketball player feuding with Dracula while his mother gets caught in the middle and you have a recipe for success. “Old Head” sounds like the fun, breakneck adventure that comics needs every now and then. Going off the cover alone, the book looks to be filled with visual gags and remarkably distinct characters. I’m confident that it’ll be memorable and perfect to hand off to a friend for a quick laugh.
OLD HEAD OGN
WRITER / ARTIST / COVER A: Kyle StarksAUGUST 25 / 136 pages / FC/ M / $16.99
Space Jam meets Fright Night in this hilarious action-horror as a former basketball star returns home to bury his mother only to learn of her mysterious past, his destiny, and to find himself embroiled in a decades-long blood feud with actual Dracula.
1. That Time Again
The first issue of “Time Before Time” was my favorite start to a new series in a long time. Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, and Joe Palmer have created a vibrant and distinct world in which time-travel is used to smuggle people out of the present and into new lives in the past. But as the first issue finished up, things had already gone horribly wrong for Tatsuo, who was thrown into a new relationship with the mysterious Nadia. Now, as the book marches on, that tenuous relationship becomes the focal point of “Time Before Time” #4, as the pair have to stay alert in order to stay alive. I wholeheartedly recommend this series and can’t wait to see where it goes from here, as all of time is plausibly on the table for the book’s future. The pacing, the visuals, and the outrageous premise have helped this series stand out and I expect big things from its future.
TIME BEFORE TIME #4
WRITER: Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey
ARTIST: Joe Palmer
COVER A: Declan Shalvey
COVER B: Rachael StottAUGUST 18 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
A startling discovery threatens Tatsuo and Nadia’s fragile alliance, while a deadly trap begins to close around them.