It’s that time again! After spending the last weekend celebrating that best of comics at Thought Bubble in Leeds, it’s time to look to the future and see what Image Comics has in store for us this Holiday Season. From new series to holiday specials, December is a packed month for Image!
So, without any further ado, let’s get to it! As always, you can find the full solicitations for December 2017 at the Image Comics website.
10. This Bout Is Set For One-Fall
God, I’m going to miss “Ringside.” I knew it was the kind of series that would have a pretty short half life, but two years is a pretty solid run for a comic that weaved a story about masculinity, love and honour around the lives and world of the professional wrestling industry.
This is going to be a rough ending and I don’t know if I’m ready for it.
RINGSIDE #15
STORY: JOE KEATINGE
ART: NICK BARBER, SIMON GOUGH
COVER: IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA
DECEMBER 27 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
SERIES FINALE“SHOOT,” Conclusion
The critically acclaimed ensemble drama comes to its inevitable, tragic end. Nobody wins. Everything goes wrong. Find out just how on point Comic Bastards was when they referred to the series as “like a Steinbeck novel, with frog splashes.”
9. Welcome The Void
I raved about “Void Trip” last month, calling it an “intergalactic stoner road trip movie.” Well, I can report back from Thought Bubble and the preview of the first issue that I picked up from Ryan O’Sullivan to continue to rave about it.
Y’all will want in on this. O’Sullivan is on track to be one of the hottest writers of the year and his work with Plaid Klaus is sardonically witty and loaded up on irony. The highest recommendation.
VOID TRIP #2 (OF 5)
STORY: RYAN O’SULLIVAN
ART / COVER: PLAID KLAUS
DECEMBER 27 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99With their ship’s AI now activated, our space hobos finally have the roadmap to the promised land of Euphoria. But what use is a roadmap to those who believe the point of a story is the journey, not the destination?
8. If You Missed It In Singles, Don’t In Trade
This is the kind of series that doesn’t come around very often, especially not at Image. Challenging the norms of the industry by presenting a story that’s genuinely all ages, with a focus on charm and humour with a representatively queer cast and incredible writing and art. This is the kind of series that would be a cult Comics Twitter hit at Boom!, but ended up at Image where it should be a massive hit. I really hope this does well in trade because it deserves to.
MOONSTRUCK, VOL. 1 TP
STORY: GRACE ELLIS
ART: KATE LETH, SHAE BEAGLE
COLORS: CAITLIN QUIRK
LETTERING: CLAYTON COWLES
COVER: SHAE BEAGLE
JANUARY 17 / 120 PAGES / FC / E / $9.99Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a horrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it’s up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist before it’s too late. The first chapter of the brand-new, all-ages, magical, coffee-laden adventure from Lumberjanes creator GRACE ELLIS and talented newcomer SHAE BEAGLE.
Collects MOONSTRUCK #1-5
7. R.I.P. You Big, Grey Elephant, You
A confession: I’ve never opened an “Elephantmen” comic in my life. I know next to know about it other than what I can assume based on the title and the handful of covers I’ve seen. However, it seems to have been a fairly popular series to have been around for more than a decade. That, I can definitely respect. With the series coming to close, I may just have to revisit it in collections to find out what I’ve been missing.
Continued belowELEPHANTMEN #80
STORY: RICHARD STARKINGS
ART: AXEL MEDELLIN
COVER: BOO COOK
DECEMBER 20 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99SERIES FINALE
“LAST RITES”A Death in the Family. The last issue.
6. Cheer Words
Mike Norton of “Revival” joins Charles Soule and Ryan Browne to bring some holiday cheer to a series that’s been defined by a weird, offbeat sense of humour thanks to Browne’s art. I’m real interested to see how Norton fares in filling those shoes for an issue, especially given that it’s a holiday special. That being said, I’ve read enough “Revival” to know that Mike Norton can pull off pretty much anything, so I’m not all that worried.
CURSE WORDS HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1
STORY: CHARLES SOULE
ART / VARIANT COVER: MIKE NORTON
COVER: RYAN BROWNE
DECEMBER 20 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99Tis the season…but not just on Earth! The Hole World has holidays too, and in this special CURSE WORDS event, you’ll see how Wizord, Margaret, and their pals celebrate the season. With looks into the cast’s pasts and visits from dearly departed wizard-y friends (hey there, Cornwall…), this one’s not to be missed.
5. The Merry + The Cheerful
One thing I love about Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie is that, no matter how serious or dour or goth their series are, they know when and how to have fun. Being at the centre of an incredible web of comics talent doesn’t hurt either. While I’m incredibly behind on “WicDiv” (like, I’m still on the second arc levels of behind), I think this is a fantastic idea and a way of injecting some revelry into a serious that’s known for being pretty heavy and emotional.
Though, knowing Gillen, I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up like an Eastenders Christmas.
THE WICKED + THE DIVINE CHRISTMAS ANNUAL #1
STORY: KIERON GILLEN
ART: CARLA SPEED MCNEIL, CHYNNA CLUGSTON FLORES, EMMA VIECELI, KRIS ANKA, MATT WILSON, RACHAEL STOTT
COVER: JAMIE MCKELVIE, MATT WILSON
VARIANT COVER: KRIS ANKA
DECEMBER 13 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99JAMIE said “It’s a shame we never saw any of the gods’ early funtimes,” and KIERON said “Yeah,” and then they looked at each other, and then called all their talented friends to do a Christmas album of (mostly) fan service! Inanna and Baal getting it on! Lucifer and Sakhmet getting it on! Dionysus giving Baphomet a lift in a crappy car! And more! This one has it all.
4. Sleepless In Cyrenic
I was, and still am, a huge fan of Joe Keatinge and Leila Del Duca’s “Shutter.” It is one of the best Image comics I’ve read in my time and is a testament to what can be done with the comics form. While Joe Keatinge has easily moved on to “Ringside” and other projects, I’ve eagerly awaited to see what Del Duca would end up. Her work with Kit Seaton on “Afar” was astounding, but I was hoping I’d get to see Del Duca lend her artistic talents to another series.
Luckily, Del Duca has teamed with Sarah Vaughn of the equally astounding “Alex + Ada” for a fantasy romance. I can’t wait to get my hands on this.
SLEEPLESS #1
STORY: SARAH VAUGHN
ART / COVER: ALISSA SALLAH, LEILA DEL DUCA
VARIANT COVER: JEN BARTEL
DECEMBER 06 / 32 PAGES / FC / T / $3.99Lady “Poppy” Pyppenia is guarded by the Sleepless Knight Cyrenic, but danger is around every corner once the new king is coronated. Writer SARAH VAUGHN (ALEX + ADA, ETERNAL EMPIRE) and artist LEILA DEL DUCA (SHUTTER, AFAR) team up with editor / colorist ALISSA SALLAH and letterer DERON BENNETT for this new fantasy romance.
3. Take Me Down To The Paradise City
I spent last weekend at the Thought Bubble comics festival in Leeds and it was simply an amazing weekend. Few comic cons can regularly reinvigorate my love for the medium of comics like TB does each year. While I didn’t get a chance to pick it up, I saw “Paradiso” everywhere at the con. From people holding and reading it on the steps of Leeds Town Hall to scrolling through haul pictures on Instagram, I feel like I see that cover when I close my eyes.
Continued belowIt’s usually the case that a comic that debuts big at Thought Bubble will have pretty good traction when it hits store shelves and I’m excited to see what got so many people buzzing about “Paradiso.”
PARADISO #1
STORY: RAM V
ART / COVER: DEARBHLA KELLY, DEV PRAMANIK
VARIANT COVER: CHRISTIAN WARD
DECEMBER 06 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99The Midnight Event forever changed the world. Now, centuries later, Jack Kryznan arrives on the outskirts of Paradiso City, haunted by fragments of childhood memories and in possession of a mysterious device—one with the power to change the destiny of this living breathing metropolis, the people who dwell within, and the guardians who strive for and against it.
2. That Bikini Armour Had To Chafe
There are a few cornerstones of mid-2000s Image Comics output that I’ve heard a lot about, but never actually read. Among series like “Savage Dragon,” “Spawn,” and “The Darkness” is “Witchblade.” I’ll admit that pretty much everything I know about “Witchblade” comes from my assumptions made about art like this that imagines that supernatural armour has to show off as much skin as a bikini.
But that’s the mid-2000s for you. It’s now 2017 and “Witchblade” is getting a reboot under the pen of Caitlin Kitteredge, who wrote “Coffin Hill” at Vertigo, with art from Bryan Valenza. I can only hope that having a woman at the helm of this reboot can actually steer the property into something more profound than gothic pin-up art.
WITCHBLADE (2017) #1
STORY: CAITLIN KITTREDGE
ART / COVER: BRYAN VALENZA, ROBERTA INGRANATA
DECEMBER 06 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99“LIFE AFTER,” Part One
Gunned down and left for dead on a New York rooftop, Alex Underwood’s life should have ended there—but instead, at the moment of death, she became host to the Witchblade, a mystical artifact that grants the woman wielding it extraordinary powers. But the power comes with a heavy cost, and Alex finds herself thrust into the center of an unseen battle raging on the snowy streets of NYC. Demons are real and walking among humans, and every one of them is intent on taking out the Witchblade’s newest host before she becomes too strong to kill. But the artifact chose Alex for a reason, and she’s not going down without a fight.
1. The Marvel Effect
Look, I can’t deny that I’m not terribly excited at the prospect of “Rumble” returning to comic book shelves. Especially given that “Rumble” is returning with David Rubin as the artist. I’m a huge fan of Rubin and I don’t envy anyone who’s job is to replace James Harren, but David Rubin is one of the few artists I have no worries about trying to live up to that legacy.
What does puzzle me, though, is the choice to renumber the series. This is a Marvel-style hard renumbering that resets the series back to #1 and now leaves us with “Rumble” (2014) #1 and this new “Rumble” (2017) #1. I get that they want to showcase that this is a new era with a new artist, but I have to wonder why they didn’t continue with #16 or even add a subtitle. Still, I don’t care, because it means I get more “Rumble.”
RUMBLE (2017) #1
STORY: JOHN ARCUDI
ART: DAVID RUBIN
COVER: DAVE STEWART, DAVID RUBIN
COVER B: DAVE STEWART, MIKE MIGNOLA
DECEMBER 13 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99“SOUL WITHOUT PITY,” Part One Rathraq is back! But who is he, exactly? Once an ancient warrior god, he was resurrected as a sword-wielding scarecrow. And now, Rathraq has transformed yet again—or has he? JOHN ARCUDI and new artist, superstar DAVID RUBÍN, give you the new face of Rathraq and a new direction for the series when the critically acclaimed RUMBLE returns!
