 |
| Glory #25 cover by Ross Campbell |
Last year, MC writer Brandon Burpee came up with the idea to do an article series looking at the solicits put out by publishers and offering some light commentary. It’s a great idea for an article, but as things happen Brandon got a bit busy creating life and making the world a better place (for Maggott enthusiasts, anyway), and the article slowly fell to the wayside.
This year, we’re bringing it back — as best as we can, at least. We’ll be going over all of the solicit information we can find from all of our favorite publishers (in other words, all publishers) and we’re starting right here in January with all of the solicits released for April!
So without further a do, pop behind the cut and let’s take a look at everything come out in April from Image Comics (with solicits revealed exclusively at Comic Book Resources).
The Manhattan Projects #2 + Secret #1 = Shut Up And Take My Money
It is no secret here that we at Multiversity are big fans of Jonathan Hickman. However, when the Red Wing came out, we were introduced to the wonderful artwork of Nick Pitarra, whose work we are very much looking forward to with the Manhattan Projects — and those of you who paid attention and got Red Mass For Mars or Halcyon like we urged you to know of Ryan Bodenheim, who is joining Hickman for a brand new creator-owned ongoing with Secret.
Two Hickman books. Two fantastic artists. Two creator-owned ongoings. One publisher.
Shut up and take my money!
America’s Got Powers, But Britain’s Got Talent
A lot of the comic world was introduced to Jonathan Ross when he came to comics with Turf, an absolutely fantastic mini-series illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards — yet I always knew Jonathan Ross from various hosting performances that I saw by pirating British television shows not available in the US. (Yes, I’m admitting to piracy here, but can you blame me if I want to watch the Big Fat Quiz Show Of The Year? Or any number of programs, really.) I’ve always liked Ross; he’s hilarious, and his love of comics is as true as any constant element of the universe.
Now we’ve got Ross on his second book, and Bryan Hitch on the art department to boot — and if there is one thing that Brits are particularly good at from a media perspective, it is turning the camera back around towards the viewer under the veil of humour. Bring it on.
The Infinite Horizon: Now For Those Of Us Not Paying Attention In 2007
I can’t say I was really paying attention very much in 2007 to the wider comic world around me, and thus missed the released of The Infinite Horizon #1. What creates such chagrin in me about this is that it features Phil Noto on art, and Noto is very much one of those artists who can do pretty much anything in my book and I’m almost guaranteed to read it. So when issues #5 and #6 just came out, I was a bit dismayed that I couldn’t find any back issues of the series, thus rendering me unable to read the finale of the comic.
But, in April, I will get that opportunity to sit down and read the entire story — and so will you. And why wouldn’t you? It’s a re-imagination of the Odyssey updated to a modern scope via a semi-post-apocalyptic environment caused by the military industrial complex. Who doesn’t love re-imagined Greek epic poems and/or Phil Noto’s art?
Continued below
Sold In Four Words
The solicit for Glory #25 by Joe Keating and Ross Campbell is a simple one: “500 Years Later. Mars.” Clearly I already love Glory, but here’s something different: a series that has just restarted at #23, giving a two-issue arc and then an epic flash forward. Now why is that?
For the explanation to that, I’ll go to writer Joe Keatinge:
This is also the issue I’ve mentioned where Ross utilizes no less than three art styles to tell the story. Even though it’s just three issues in for us, the fact that it’s an anniversary issue didn’t slip by. This issue sets up our entire run in ways that may not obvious until much later. Absolutely crucial issue.
I’ll admit I’m usually not a fan of short solicitation text, but I thought those four words sold it better than much more ever could.
What was the phrase I used earlier when discussing those Hickman/Pitarra/Bodenheim books? Oh. Right. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
There’s also a second issue of Hell Yeah out in April, but we’ll get to that later.
Why Multiple Cover Artists Is A Good Thing
Look at this cover by Dennis Calero for Pigs #8:
Holy shit.
Trades Worth Trading Up For
Severed in a deluxe hardcover format. The Skullkickers “Treasure Trove.” Green Wake volume 2, Luther Strode volume 1, Li’l Depressed Boy volume 3, Chew volume 5, Spawn: Origins Hardcover volume 6 and more! Even if you’re not buying some of these books in single issues, there is a wealth of great collections from Image come April, leaving you with zero excuses not to be reading these.
People are already dubbing 2012 “the Year of the Creator”, and that may be true, but with the amount of collections coming out this year of previously released material, it doesn’t hurt noting that we’ve been in the Year of the Creator since at least 2009 when Chew became an instant sell-out and the phrase “the next Chew” was given the possibility of life (note: this phrase is used in the Skullkickers Treasure Trove vol. 1 solicit) — and its all basically happening at Image.
And The Rest…
The Activity. America’s Got Powers. Bloodstrike. Blue Estate. Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred. Fatale. Glory. Haunt. Hell Yeah. The Infinite. Mahattan Projects. Mudman. Near Death. Peter Panzerfaust. Pigs. Prophet. Rebel Blood. Reed Gunther. Saga. Secret. Shinku. Skullkickers. Super Dinosaur. Supreme. Thief of Thieves. The Walking Dead.
Right now, with just a cursory look at what I know I’ll like, this is a list of what I’ll be reading come April from Image. And who knows — it’s only January right now, and some of the April listings include books that are issues 2 or 3 of a new series, and I’m pretty much willing to try anything. But even without that information, it stands as entirely notable that just looking across Image’s April 2012 solicits provides one of the single most diverse line-ups in comics, and as we stand in a new year looking forward, it’s incredibly exciting to think of what is coming up.
