Lots of confusion in this month’s new Image comics. Also, a lot of adversity. But those are the sorts of things that are great for exciting stories, so I ain’t worried. Check out some classic revivals and some brand new potential faves coming from your favorite creator-owned comics publisher next November. I got ten exciting titles for you right here!
As always, check out the full solicitations on the Image Comics website.
10. I didn’t ask for the darkness
All things considered, I don’t go that hard for early Image stuff. “Spawn,” “Savage Dragon,” the early Liefeld stuff, I’ve read a lot of it and most of it ain’t great. But then you start busting out “Witchblade” and “Artifacts,” and those 90s Silvestri books and my nostalgia goggles snap into place. It’s hard to explain why certain things are your trash, but it is my trash. That being said, there’s actually a lot of great stories in the early run of “The Darkness.” As much as anything from this era holds up, I think it holds up! (OK, the fridging is rough). If you want to fill a gap in your comic book history, especially to compare what Image was to what it is now, “The Darkness” is a fascinating series to revisit.
THE DARKNESS #1, 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
WRITER: Garth Ennis
ARTIST / COVER A: Marc Silvestri
NOVEMBER 18 / 40 pages / FC/ M / $4.99Celebrate the 25th anniversary of THE DARKNESS with this deluxe commemorative edition of the first issue! Writer GARTH ENNIS (Preacher, The Boys) and legendary artist MARC SILVESTRI (CYBER FORCE) introduce mafia hitman Jackie Estacado and the ancient power of the Darkness! This limited edition will only be printed once, and a set limited quantity will be available based on orders, so don’t miss out!
9. Big vs Girl
The series started off on a fun note. I wouldn’t call it a smart note, but sometimes the Kaiju genre is about turning your brain off. I hold out hope that maybe we can get a more deliberate metaphor as to why the girls are big and destructive, but something tells me Jason Howard isn’t going to be the person to tell that story. Still, this series promised mayhem and hey, it delivered!
BIG GIRLS #4
WRITER / ARTIST / COVER A: Jason Howard
NOVEMBER 18 / 24 pages / FC/ T+ / $3.99GIRL FIGHT! Then we discover why High Marshall Tannik is such a bad guy. Or is he?! Also, mistakes have consequences—Ember’s, Gulliver’s, Martin’s…even yours!
8. Kick Vs Hit
I guess this was inevitable right? The worst thing about “Kick-Ass” was the work of its original creators, but now that its a franchise it’s actually kind of fun. And it’s not like its a deep series so pitting the two protagonists against each other is a solid, if obvious, move. In the hands of the “30 Days of Night” guy, it’ll probably deliver exactly what you’d hope if you know, you still are a person reading “Hit Girl.” I know I’ll be checking it out and turning my brain down to low.
KICK-ASS VS. HIT-GIRL #1 (OF 5)
WRITER: Steve Niles
ARTIST: Marcelo Frusin
COVER A / COVER B: John Romita Jr.
COVER C: Matteo Scalera
COVER D: André Lima Araújo
NOVEMBER 11 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99It’s KICK-ASS versus HIT-GIRL. Old allies become enemies when Mindy screeches into Albuquerque to kill the imposter who’s been running gangs in New Mexico. And as Hit-Girl sets out to avenge Dave and stop Kick-Ass’ criminal operations for good, Patience fights to survive as the target of the best assassin in the biz—and questions whether she could ever kill a child to save her own life.
7. Chu vs Chu
OK here is a series I recommend with no reservations. I loved the debut of “Chu.” It wasn’t a universe I thought I was excited to return to but by putting the focus on the criminals instead of the cops, John Layman and Dan Boultwood made this world of food crime and justice feel totally fresh. And they masterfully make it something that works for new readers but draws on ideas from the original “Chew” series. So of course siblings are going to have to fight. I hope it’s at a cookout.
Continued belowCHU #5
WRITER: John Layman
ARTIST / COVER A: Dan Boultwood
NOVEMBER 25 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99“THE FIRST COURSE,” CONCLUSION Cop vs. crook. Cibopath vs. Cibopars. Tony Chu vs. Saffron Chu. TO THE DEATH!!!
6. This is my design
The original run of “Nailbiter” always verged on the supernatural but stayed just over the line in the surreal. In “Returns” that line is stabbed and stabbed and stabbed until it’s an unrecognizable gristly mess, which is just the way horror fans like it. So as this sequel series works its way into its second arc, look for things to go big.
NAILBITER RETURNS #7
WRITER: Joshua Williamson
ARTIST / COVER A: Adam Guzowski, Mike Henderson
NOVEMBER 25 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99It’s raining blood in Buckaroo, Oregon. The dead serial killers have returned from their graves. There are monsters in the woods. But can you believe your eyes? Alice questions it all as she is dragged behind the curtain to learn the secrets of her father, the Nailbiter.
5. Game over man
Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans never really let me down. The game is ending and everyone is gonna fight everyone. Characters are probably gonna die (whatever THAT means in this series). Or maybe some of them are gonna come back? This is a story about rules and this is the issue where rules are going to be broken. That is very exciting.
DIE #15
WRITER: Kieron Gillen
ARTIST / COVER A: Stephanie Hans
COVER B: Bill Sienkiewicz
NOVEMBER 18 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99“THE GREAT GAME,” Part Five The Great Game ends. The board is flipped. The pieces go to pieces. Can anyone play on?
4. When fantasy met reality
One of my least favorite common premises in comics is the one where fictional characters pour out into ‘reality.’ It’s been done to death, rarely in an interesting way. What has me intrigued about “Crossover” is how big it is taking that idea. This isn’t taking one character or one comic book and making it real. It’s making everything real. Whatever that means. (I’m pretty befuddled this month). I also feel like Donny Cates has been a bit inconsistent in some of his recent work, so I’m happy to see him come out with something so ambitious. Bigger is better. I hope.
CROSSOVER #1
WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST: Dee Cunniffe, Geoff Shaw
COVER A: Geoff Shaw, Dave Stewart
COVER B: Dee Cunniffe, Ryan Stegman
NOVEMBER 04 / 36 pages / FC/ T+ / $3.99“A flat out fantastic read.” —Scott Snyder The creative powerhouses behind the bestselling, critically acclaimed GOD COUNTRY, Thanos Wins, and REDNECK returns for the biggest launch of the year.Imagine everything you thought was fantasy…was real. And now join us, in a world where reality is dead…and anything is possible…
3. You saw nothing
Lot of good buzz on this series! On the one hand, writing conspiracy fiction in a climate of rampant conspiracies seems like a hard fit. But James Tynion IV has such a gentle touch that this series is probably not what you think it is- smug, blunt, and loud. Tynion is going to places that other writers would not, and he may be the exact guy to do a high concept political sci-fi comic.
DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #3
WRITER: James Tynion IV
ARTIST / COVER A: Martin Simmonds
COVER B: Andrea Sorrentino
NOVEMBER 25 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99Mary never knew what “false flag” or “crisis actor” meant, until her son was murdered in a mass shooting, and the threats and accusations began. But as her reality starts to bend around her, it’s the job of the Department of Truth to keep these dark conspiracies from coming true…at any cost. JAMES TYNION IV (Batman) & MARTIN SIMMONDS (Dying is Easy) continue their breakout thriller.
2. Hot mess
And speaking of good buzz! There aren’t enough high profile ‘realistic’ comics coming out but even if there were, Sina Grace would totally eclipse them all. But what’s this about being a miniseries? Well, this just means you are even more obligated to read it all, there’s not going to be much of it! And what little we get will be that much closer to perfection.
Continued belowGETTING IT TOGETHER #2 (OF 4)
WRITER: Omar Spahi, Sina Grace
ARTIST: Mx. Struble, Jenny D. Fine
COVER A: Jenny D. Fine
NOVEMBER 11 / 36 pages / FC/ M / $4.99Is it really possible to be friends with your ex? Sam and Lauren try to work things out while Jack dives deeper into dating apps, which brings more surprises from his past than he expected. Meanwhile, Lauren’s band Nipslip gets an offer they simply can’t refuse. You won’t wanna miss this oversized, joyously melodramatic issue, including a bonus, Jack-centric side quest!
1. The cat’s talkin’!?
You may have heard of the award winning “Monstress.” This ain’t that. This is more like “Tales of the Monstress” where brave little cutie Kippa tells us some stories that will probably be horrifying but in a cuter way than we are used to. This two-parter is by the regular series creative team and will serve as a palate cleanser/set-up for the next gonzo arc of “Monstress” which definitely seems like it is working towards some sort of conclusion. An expanded “Monstress” universe is exactly what I need. Didn’t realize that until it was an option.
MONSTRESS: TALK STORIES #1 (OF 2)
WRITER: Marjorie Liu
ARTIST / COVER A: Sana Takeda
NOVEMBER 25 / 24 pages / FC/ M / $3.99Bridging the gap between the fifth and sixth arc (which resumes in January 2021), MONSTRESS returns with TALK-STORIES, a two-part limited series that invites you to eat dumplings beside the fire and listen as Kippa recounts a defining moment from her childhood.
