Soliciting Multiversity: Image’s Top 10 For May 2017

Another month, another new batch of solicits to dive through and pick out a top ten. This month, we’re looking ahead to what Image Comics has in store for us in May and it looks like this will be a pretty big month for Image as this list is primarily new first issues that all look really sick. I barely had enough space to talk about anything that wasn’t a new #1.

So without delaying any further, let’s dive into our Top 10 for Image’s May 2017 solicits. As always, Image’s full solicits can be found over on their website.

10. It’s Been A Long Time, Gettin’ From There To Here

I don’t like to point fingers much (a total lie, by the way), but do you think Jonathan Hickman tends to stretch himself a little too far with this projects? By the time “The Dying And The Dead”‘s fourth issue releases in May, the series will have released only four issues in more than a year’s time. That’s… not great, guys. I even really liked the first issues of this series, but I don’t know how much enthusiasm for the creators or the concept can buoy a schedule like that.

And I don’t even want to know what happened to “The Manhattan Projects”.

THE DYING AND THE DEAD #4
STORY: JONATHAN HICKMAN
ART / COVER: RYAN BODENHEIM
MAY 24 / 32 PAGES / FULL COLOR / T+ / $3.99
In this issue, we flash back in time to witness the final mission for the Colonel and his team.

9. Emo Album Of The Year 2016

Sina Grace is becoming a master of the graphic memoir. While his “Iceman” series with Alessandro Vitti is apparently locked in stasis because Marvel doesn’t want to ruin their white supremacist thing they’ve got going on, Grace is back at Image with another chapter of his life translated and explored through comics. If you haven’t read “Self-Obsessed” or “Not My Bag”, do yourself a favour and read them before May so you’re ready when this hits.

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
STORY / ART / COVER: SINA GRACE
JUNE 07 / 176 PAGES / FC / M / $14.99
Cartoonist SINA GRACE returns with another chapter in his growing library of reflective memoirs, producing his strongest and most compelling tale to date. Chronicling a year of heartbreaks, writer’s block, career highs, emotional lows, and the emergence of a mystery illness, NOTHING LASTS FOREVER is Grace’s unflinching exploration of how to pick up the pieces and find hope when absolutely everything falls apart. If life’s a show, GRACE makes certain that it’s worth every pay-per-view.

8. Beware The Ides Of… May?

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I really dig that Image is a platform that lets creators experiment with form. This isn’t “The Wicked + The Divine”‘s first one-shot, but the idea that the series can branch off into these sidestories that explore the world of the series while showcasing different artists is really, really cool.

Plus, Andre Lima Araujo is an instant buy for me. I want to read every comic that guy makes.

THE WICKED + THE DIVINE: 455 AD #1 (ONE-SHOT)
STORY: KIERON GILLEN
ART / VARIANT COVER: ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO
COVER: JAMIE MCKELVIE, MATT WILSON
MAY 17 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
“CITY OF GOD” Nothing lives forever, be it man, god, or empire, but that doesn’t mean you have to go quietly. Join us as Lucifer refuses to fiddle while the Roman Empire burns. The critically acclaimed THE WICKED + THE DIVINE inevitably vandalizes history as it turns to the Sack of Rome. Showcasing the epic art of ANDRÉ LIMA ARAÚJO (Avengers AI, Man Plus), the special is NOT included in the forthcoming fifth volume of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE.

7. The Hero 2017 Needs

Renato Jones is basically the Punisher if he only targeted multi-billionaires. It’s maybe the best idea anyone has ever had in the history of the world? And, thankfully, we’re getting more. I love the idea of Kaare Andrews embracing the concept of seasonal comics. Instead of hedging his bets on an ongoing series, he’s dropping the story in chunks that will build on one another and could be the theoretical end at any point should the comic become unsustainable.

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It’s a move that I think a lot of other comics should consider adopting.

RENATO JONES: SEASON TWO #1 (OF 5)
STORY / ART / COVER: KAARE KYLE ANDREWS
MAY 10 / 48 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
“THE FREELANCER,” Part One Mysterious vigilante Renato Jones showed the One% that, for all their money, for all their power, they are not untouchable. But now they’re pushing back, and the resulting class warfare may be more than even Renato can handle. When full-time villains control the whole world, the only hero who can take on the job is self-employed…a Freelancer. KAARE KYLE ANDREWS proudly presents Season Two of the most dangerous comic on the planet!

6. *Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kinpin Voice*

This is one of those comics where the solicit text is interesting, but doesn’t necessarily hook me all the way. This is a comic that seems like it could be very interesting and the solicit text has at least bought my curiosity for the first issue and I can only hope that the first issue will give me a reason to stick with the rest of the series.

I’m mostly just here for more anti-establishment comics from Image.

SAMARITAN #1
STORY: MATT HAWKINS
ART / COVER: ATILIO ROJ
MAY 24 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99
A woman with a vendetta decides she’s going to take down the largest military contractor in the world and has the means and a plan that just might work. How do you bankrupt one of the richest, most technologically advanced and successful companies in the world? You steal all their research and give it away to everyone. Can she survive long enough to pull it off with the entire U.S. government trying to kill her?

5. Dustin Weaver, The Overachiever

Never would I have ever thought that I’d see the day where Image solicits an anthology comic written and illustrated by one person. Dustin Weaver is dunking on everyone right now. His work on “Infinity Gauntlet” during “Secret Wars” and with Hickman during “Avengers” and “New Avengers” was what introduced me to his art and now he’s writing and illustrating his own anthology series? And we’re getting to see “Amnia Cycle” in print? Heck to the darn yeah!

PAKLIS #1
STORY / ART / COVER: DUSTIN WEAVER
MAY 31 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $5.99
Do you accept the life you’ve been handed, or do you step into the unknown, even as it leads you into the shadows? In this new anthology series from writer/artist DUSTIN WEAVER, the characters in three mind-bending stories find themselves faced with this question. In “MUSHROOM BODIES,” Greg struggles with knowing what’s real and fears becoming complacent in a world of human insects. In the first installment of “SAGITTARIUS A*,” war hero Linus Rad is on a mission to the center of the galaxy to learn the dark secrets of his dead father’s scientific experiments. In the first chapter of “AMNIA CYCLE,” Tara, a young Jet-Wing pilot, goes AWOL in the war against the Nuriel in order to help Amnia, a mysterious alien with no memory of where she came from and a desperate need to stop a terrible disaster! When Amnia disappears, it sends Tara on an adventure into the Shadow Zone. Step into the unknown. Journey into the shadows. There you’ll find PAKLIS.

4. Mahfood’s Back, Baby, And 2017 Is Good Again

I haven’t read “Grrl Scouts” before so I’m not really going to comment on it’s return except to say that Jim Mahfood is one of my favourite artistic talents in comics and that I will definitely be picking this up and then looking to go back and read the original. The idea of getting a new monthly Jim Mahfood comic is almost enough to make 2017 seem worth it.

GRRL SCOUTS: MAGIC SOCKS #1
STORY / ART / COVER: JIM MAHFOOD
VARIANT COVER: SKOTTIE YOUNG
MAY 17 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
JIM MAHFOOD (Tank Girl, Clerks) debuts his first new creator-owned work in years with the glorious return of GRRL SCOUTS! Join Gwen, Daphne, and Rita as they reunite for a pulse-pounding psychedelic adventure through the streets of Freak City. This first issue is stuffed to the gills with an action-packed story, bonus art, soundtrack, sketchbook, and a behind-the-scenes comic thingy. Plus, a variant cover by the one and only SKOTTIE YOUNG! Pure fun! Pure flavor!

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3. Not Quite “Alex + Ada 2”, But Close Enough

Joanthan Luna and Sara Vaughn pretty much bought the rights to my $3.99 whenever they release a new comic with “Alex + Ada”. It was hauntingly beautiful in a way that few stories really nail and the idea of those two joining forces once again for a fantasy epic? Insert tired and overused Futurama joke here.

Seriously, though, if you haven’t checked out “Alex + Ada” or any of Luna’s previous work with his brother, Joshua, you’ve been missing out.

ETERNAL EMPIRE #1
STORY: JONATHAN LUNA, SARAH VAUGHN
ART / COVER: JONATHAN LUNA
MAY 03 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99
JONATHAN LUNA (ALEX + ADA, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (ALEX + ADA, Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Ruined) return with ETERNAL EMPIRE, a fantasy epic! The Eternal Empress has waged war against the countries of Saia for over one hundred years and now her sights are set on the last country standing. Within the brutal Empire’s workforce, a young woman receives strange visions that give her the courage to escape her fate…or run straight toward it.

2. The True 90s Returneth

So, this is super cool. Multiversity alumini and one of the hosts of the sorely missed The Hour Cosmic, Chad Bowers, is going to be writing the return of “Youngblood”! It was cool enough to see him writing over at Marvel on “X-Men ’92”, but this is some real big league shit.

Keep an eye on Chad because he is a talent to watch and I sincerely hope he becomes a big name in comics.

YOUNGBLOOD #1
STORY: CHAD BOWERS
ART / COVER: JIM TOWE
VARIANT COVER: CHRIS DAUGHTRY, DAVID FINCH, ROB LIEFELD
MAY 03 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99
“YOUNGBLOOD REBORN,” Part One DEBUT ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! 25 years ago, YOUNGBLOOD launched the Image Revolution and turned the comics world on its head! Now the original blockbuster hit series returns with an all-new cast and a brand-new mission! When a young hero goes missing, his friend’s search for answers leads to some unexpected allies. Together, they’ll do whatever it takes to find him…even if it means resurrecting the world’s most infamous super-team. Gear up, strap in, and get ready to rediscover comics’ most extreme universe with creators CHAD BOWERS (X-Men ‘92, Deadpool: Bad Blood) and newcomer JIM TOWE!

1. When You Can Sell A Comic On The Cover Alone

So… I’m not sure if this is like a misprint or something? But in both Image’s and Newsarama’s posting of these solicits, “Regression” doesn’t have any solicit text beyond the title and the creators.

And you know what? It’s still getting the number one spot here. Why? Because of that goddamned cover. Look at that. I haven’t seen a cover give me that kind of a must-buy feeling since “Colder” #1. I’m all about this issue just based on the cover alone.