It’s the end of the year! The eggnog is in the fridge, the dreidels are spinning, and Image is having a relatively slow month for new releases. Let’s get to it!
10. Could they not call it the Super Bowl?
I must admit, I am not a Mark Millar guy. I’m such not a Mark Millar guy that I didn’t realize that Millar did a mashup of the Millarworld titles in a crossover called “Big Game.” While, again, this is not my jam, if it is yours, this seems like it’s probably awesome.
BIG GAME TP
WRITER: Mark Millar
ARTIST: Pepe Larraz
DECEMBER 20 / 152 pages / FC/ — / $17.99
Collecting the smash-hit crossover event of 2023, where over twenty Millarworld franchises are brought together for the first time and chaos ensues. This is Nemesis versus Kick-Ass, Kingsman, Superior, the Magic Order, Huck, the Night Club and all your favorite characters from Millarworld’s comic books, movies, and TV shows. Proudly presented by superstar writer MARK MILLAR (Civil War, Old Man Logan) and Marvel superstar artist PEPE LARRAZ (X-Men) on the 20th anniversary of Millarworld’s first ever book, WANTED. Collects BIG GAME #1-5
9. Fractional
Matt Fraction was one of the creators of the late 00s/early 10s, but has taken what appears to be a purposeful step backwards, doing less work but seemingly doing the things he wants to do. Fraction and the Dodsons return for a new “Adventureman” series, which should be a celebratory moment for comic fans of all stripes, because these are three powerhouse creators.
All of that said? Someone should let Fraction write a big comic again. We never really got Fraction’s DC big moment aside from his excellent “Jimmy Olsen” series. Make it happen, Jim Lee.
ADVENTUREMAN: GHOST LIGHTS #1
WRITER: Matt Fraction
ARTIST: Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson
COVER B: Joshua “Sway” Swayby
DECEMBER 20 / 32 pages / FC/ — / $3.99
NEW STORY ARC When the Good Guys of the Golden Age come back, all their ghosts follow—now Claire, the new Adventureman, and her maybe-beau Chris, the new Crossdraw Kid, defend peace on earth from a phantom empire of crime! By MATT FRACTION (SEX CRIMINALS, Hawkeye) and TERRY & RACHEL DODSON (RED ONE, Harley Quinn).
8. [John Belushi in a ‘Shrouded College’ Crew New Sweatshirt]
There’s been a run of books lately that see a writer, in this case Charles Soule, create a universe with one artist, but see spin-off minis from other, equally cool artists. Much like Jeff Lemire and “Black Hammer,” Soule’s “The Shrouded College” is a sprawling series of interconnected stories. In addition to that, having a solicit that reads “Apollo 13 meets Blade” is basically targeted directly at me.
But, this does have the stink of Seth MacFalrane’s adaptation hanging over it. That’s why this is down at #8.
THE BLOODY DOZEN: A TALE OF THE SHROUDED COLLEGE #1 (OF 6)
WRITER: Charles Soule
ARTIST / COVER B: Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque
COVER C: Will Sliney
DECEMBER 13 / 32 pages / FC/ — / $3.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE SPACE VAMPIRES! In this new installment of THE SHROUDED COLLEGE, CHARLES SOULE & WILL SLINEY’s supernatural horror-adventure saga, three down-and-out astronauts are tasked with the ultimate heist—breaking a group of deadly vampires out of a space prison orbiting the Sun. Apollo 13 meets Blade in this killer thriller!
7. Speaking of Charles Soule…
How Charles Soule, a lawyer and a major comics writer, finds time to sleep is always a question that must be asked. But with “Curse Words” having wrapped up (at least for now), hopefully Soule can take a nap now and then.
For those that didn’t read it, “Curse Words,” a collaboration between Soule and Ryan Brown (“God Hates Astronauts”), was a hilarious, really fun comic. This compendium also features an unpublished epilogue, which is an enticing reason to pick up a collection of a book that you might have already read.
Continued belowCURSE WORDS: THE HOLE DAMNED THING COMPENDIUM TP, VOL. 1
WRITER: Charles Soule
ARTIST: Ryan Browne
DECEMBER 20 / 744 pages / FC/ — / $49.99
From the creative team that brought you EIGHT BILLION GENIES! HERE AT LAST from CHARLES SOULE (Star Wars) and RYAN BROWNE (GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS): CURSE WORDS: THE HOLE DAMNED THING is the complete collection of the magical, hilarious, oddly moving story of an evil wizard named Wizord, his talking koala sidekick Margaret, and their journey to be good (or at least slightly less bad) in this dark, unforgiving world of ours. Collects all 28 issues originally published by Image Comics and the previously unpublished full-length epilogue issue CURSE WORDS: AFTER WORDS. This is the definitive collection of the series that JOE HILL (JOE HILL’S RAIN, Locke & Key) calls a “terrific, terrific comic.” Collects CURSE WORDS #1-28 and CURSE WORDS: AFTER WORDS Epilogue Special
6. Bloody Bloody Andrew Krahnke
Andrew Krahnke, Kubert School graduate and artist on “Tartarus,” has a new three-part miniseries that, honestly, I don’t have a ton to say about. The reason it is this high on the list is because I am a huge fan of Krahnke’s art and I want to support his work. Check out his Instagram for some super cool stuff.
BLOODRIK #1 (OF 3)
WRITER / ARTIST: Andrew Krahnke
DECEMBER 06 / 40 pages / FC/ — / $3.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE Bloodrik is angry, confused, and starving. Unable to achieve success in his usual hunting grounds, he stomps his way into unfamiliar woods in an attempt to feed his stomach and heal his ego. What he finds will lead him on a journey of madness, violence, fire, and BLOOD!
5. Continuing the long tradition of Christmas horror
From Silent Night, Bloody Night to Krampus, mixing Christmas and the macabre has been a wonderful pairing. While both of these stories seem like your boiler-plate horror comic dressed up in a Santa hat, it still looks like a lot of fun.
CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2023
WRITER: Daniel Kraus, James Asmus
ARTIST: Letizia Cadonici, Jonathan Wayshak
COVER B: Jonathan Wayshak
COVER C: Jorge Corona
DECEMBER 06 / 32 pages / FC/ — / $3.99
CREEPSHOW is here to put the fear in your cheer! You’ve heard of Santa, you’ve heard of Krampus, but have you ever heard of “The Christmas Man”? Witness the birth of a new horrifying holiday classic from DANIEL “DON’T CALL ME SANTA” KRAUS (The Shape of Water) and jolly JONATHAN WAYSHAK (Skin Crawl)! Then, jovial JAMES ASMUS (Survival Street, Rick & Morty) and lively LETIZIA CADONICI (House of Slaughter) deliver a cautionary tale about stealing the wrong parcel in “Package Thief.”
4. A spot of massive radiance
Kyle Higgins has created, I think undoubtedly, the most successful shared universe at Image since the original era. Sure, other books have crossed over a bit, but the Massive-Verse has done this on a scale that feels very Wildstorm/Extreme. “Shift” is a quasi-one-shot, but is really a collection of shorter tales by different artists that appeared in the “IMAGE!” anthology and a new story. Despite it being made up of mostly pre-existing material, this feels like an essential piece of the Massive-Verse.
SHIFT (ONE-SHOT)
WRITER: Kyle Higgins
ARTIST: Chris Evenhuis, Geraldo Borges, Danilo Beyruth, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Francesco Manna
COVER B: Daniele Di Nicuolo
DECEMBER 20 / 56 pages / FC/ — / $5.99
He’s tangled with Radiant Black and fought alongside the Dead Lucky—but who’s the man in the suit, and how did he assemble his team of mercenaries? This extra-length one-shot contains the four eight-page SHIFT stories originally released in IMAGE!, plus a brand-new five-page story by SHIFT creators KYLE HIGGINS & DANIELE DI NICUOLO, ahead of SHIFT’s appearance in RADIANT BLACK’s “The Catalyst War”! SHIFT is a Massive-Verse title.
3. More of the good stuff
It’s somewhat not fair that this is #3 on this list, because a new Brubaker/Phillips OGN is always a delight. However, because we get at least one of these a year, it doesn’t feel as momentous as it maybe should. But don’t let its lack of the top spot fool you: this will be dope.
Continued belowWHERE THE BODY WAS HC
WRITER: Ed Brubaker
ARTIST: Jacob Phillips, Sean Phillips
DECEMBER 13 / 144 pages / FC/ — / $24.99
ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS, bestselling creators of PULP, RECKLESS, and CRIMINAL, are back with a new original graphic novel that readers will be obsessed with… A boarding house full of druggies. A neglected housewife. A young girl who thinks she’s a superhero. A cop who wants to be left alone. And a private detective looking for a runaway girl. These stories collide one fateful summer in WHERE THE BODY WAS, a tale of love and murder in the suburbs, told from a dozen different points of view. All the neighbors on the block have an opinion about the murder and how it happened, but which of them is telling the truth? WHERE THE BODY WAS is a tour-de-force from grandmasters ED BRUBAKER and SEAN PHILLIPS. Starting with a map of the crime scene, this murder mystery follows the ripples of this killing as they echo through decades of love and loss and passion and violence. Like a true crime podcast crossed with a long-lost diary, WHERE THE BODY WAS is unlike anything BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS have ever done and a must-have for all their avid fans!
2. [Synthesizer looping sounds]
It is important to note that there were allegations made against writer/artist James Harvey a few years ago, and any discussion of his work needs to be couched in that way. But this was chosen not because of anything to do with the comic itself, but rather what the comic represents. What eventually came out as Who’s Next started as Lifehouse, a Pete Townshend project that was supposed to be a record and a film. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of The Who, but I love an ambitious project that never really comes together. This is like Brian Wilson’s SMiLE, four years later.
The resurrection of this project as a comic feels like something that couldn’t have happened twenty years, thirty, or especially fifty years ago. We’ve seen things like this before, with films and television series getting wrapped up in comic form. It is unknown how the book will incorporate the music, but I would be very interested in how to read this while also getting the full musical experience.
LIFE HOUSE HC
WRITER: James Harvey, David Hine
ARTIST: James Harvey, Max Prentis
DECEMBER 20 / 172 pages / FC/ — / $49.99
An original graphic novel based on rock music legend Pete Townshend’s 1970 screenplay of the same name, which inspired The Who’s 1971 globally bestselling and universally beloved album, Who’s Next. Set in a dystopian future where music has been outlawed, LIFE HOUSE follows a small band of rebels who stage an underground concert in an effort to undermine a tyrannical leader…and free Britain and all of humanity. This graphic novelization is co-written by Doom Patrol’s JAMES HARVEY and Spider-Man Noir’s DAVID HINE, with art by both HARVEY and Australian visual artist MAX PRENTIS, lettering by MICAH MYERS, and inks by Eisner Award-winning artist MICK GRAY. It is edited by the former Dark Horse editor, HANNAH MEANS-SHANNON, and features a massive vinyl LP format (12.25″ x 12.25″). This is a must-have for any serious music collectors, rock fans, and pop culture aficionados! Originally envisioned as a sci-fi rock epic to follow up The Who’s chart-topping rock opera Tommy, and put aside 50 years ago—in favor of Who’s Next songs like “Baba O’Riley,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Behind Blue Eyes”—LIFE HOUSE will finally take center stage. Also available in a SLIPCASE EDITION, featuring a vegan leather-bound slipcase!
1. Dust to Dust
Ben Stenbeck first came to my attention as a Mike Mignola collaborator and, like so many Mignola artists, blew me away. This book is pure, uncut Stenbeck, taking his cues from Mignola and creating something of his own. Mignola is the best example, to me, of a creator controlling their own destiny outside of the Big 2, but making space for collaboration within there. But at times, he would just do his own work, beholden to no one else. That’s what this feels like for Stenbeck, and it’s damn exciting.
OUR BONES DUST #1 (OF 4)
WRITER / ARTIST: Ben Stenbeck
COVER B: Mike Mignola
DECEMBER 06 / 32 pages / FC/ — / $3.99
A feral child equal parts predator and prey, navigates a nightmare landscape of brutality and blood inhabited by scattered cannibal tribes. An interesting place to poke around for a curious Artificial Intelligence. A four issue mini-series by long time Mike Mignola collaborator Ben Stenbeck (Baltimore, Frankenstein Underground, Koshchei)
Read the full solicits at the Image website.
