It’s solicit times, and with DC and Dark Horse done it is time to look at everybody’s favorite Image Comics comics!
You can check out the full solicits here. Read on for our select commentary on some of the titles.
Everything Goes Bad In Invincible
We did a brief post about this post-NYCC, but “Invincible” hits #100 in January with covers by series artist Ryan Ottley (two of them — one pictured above!), series co-creator Cory Walker, Marc Silvestri, Bryan Hitch, Arthur Adams and Charlie Adlard. It’s for an arc called “The Death of Everyone,” and it features a cover of everyone dead, with a solicit that reads,
It’s all been building to this. Mark Grayson’s entire life as a superhero, all he’s learned, all he’s endured, it’s all been leading to this one moment. Will he become the hero he was meant to or will he choose… a DIFFERENT path? The aftermath of this EXTRA-SIZED issue will shock you.
“Invincible” was always one of those series I had wanted to read but was afraid to jump into blind, and a few years ago I bought a couple hardcovers and just dove into it. What I found is one of the most rewarding superhero stories around today. Yes, it did do “that thing” so many new super-books do and played off of given tropes and stereotypes in order to develop a comfortable level of familiarity (especially in the first arc), but as the book evolved it kept growing bigger and more epic until things finally bursted in the culmination of ‘the Viltrumite War,’ which is one of my favorite superhero “events” of the last decade. Things have been heating up at a different but steady pace in recent issues, so I can only imagine if Kirkman is actually going to go through with killing off every main character of the book like the arc title seems to tease. My guess? Yeah, he might.
Now’s the time to get caught up if you’re not there already. This is going to be big.
Paul Pope Reprints (Finally) Come To Image
Paul Pope is one of those creators whose name to me means “intant buy,” no matter what. I don’t even particularly care what the title is; if I found out tomorrow that Paul Pope was doing an entire issue of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” I’d pre-order the heck out of it and sing its praises in an advance review. Pope’s work is inventive, wildly imaginative and his art style is one of my favorites. Given that he hasn’t done a new series in a little while (outside of a few shorts and covers, like in “Adventure Time”), any announcement that there will be the release of something Pope has done that I haven’t had the chance to read is one that gets me rather excited.
To that end, while it had been originally announced Pope would be working with Lionsgate’s Legendary imprint, Image announced at NYCC that Paul Pope would be bringing new material to Image. To start it off, though, they’re going to be finally releasing the long-awaited collections of “One Trick Rip-Off” and “Deep Cuts” in one 288 page hardcover. This is easily the single most exciting announcement of the Image January solicits.
Here’s what it’ll entail:
Continued belowYoung lovers Tubby and Vim want to escape — escape the mistakes they’ve made, the lives they’ve lived, and the dirty city weighing them down. Their plan is simple —all they have to do is rip-off Tubby’s pals, the One Tricks — the toughest street gang in LA.
If they pull it off, they’re set for life. If not, their lives won’t matter much anyway.
What was going to be a smooth, straight-forward heist becomes a fast-paced battle to the death.
From Eisner Award-winning writer/artist PAUL POPE (Batman: Year 100, THB, Heavy Liquid, 100%) and presented for the first time in color by JAMIE GRANT (All-Star Superman). ONE TRICK RIP-OFF/DEEP-CUTS is 288 pages of raw power, of which over 150 pages are comprised of new, rare, and never before seen stories created during POPE’s time traveling the world in the ‘90s.
Included in the “Deep Cuts” section is a bounty of unpublished and rare work POPE did in the ’90s, including the legendary “Supertrouble” manga, created for Kodansha in Japan, appearing here in print for the first time.
It’s a tour de force of pure, kinetic storytelling that will keep your eyes peeled until the very last page.
If you’ve never read Pope’s work before with things like “100%” and “Heavy Liquid,” just trust me and get your pre-orders in for this ASAP. (And pick up the other books while you’re at it.)
Riley Rossmo And The Collaboration Factory
Because Riley isn’t working on enough comics/is actually half-machine whose sole programming is to consistently make comics, it has been announced that he is now doing a mini-series entitled “Dias De Las Muertas” comprised of a series of shorts between Riley and a number of talented writers. The first issue starts with Alex Link (who did “Rebel Blood” with Rossmo), Christopher Long and Dirk Manning, and the book will eventually feature Ed Brisson, Alex Grecian, Joe Keatinge, Jeff Marriotte, Kurtis Wiebe and Josh Williamson.
Focusing on the Mexican Day of the Dead, the bi-monthly book will feature short stories surrounding the famous cultural event, starting with stories about “a mariachi falls in love with a woman who strongly resembles his lost love, a father is abused by a poltergeist, and a girl who’s mother died when she was born visits the land of the dead in her dreams.”
Rossmo has proven himself repeatedly to be one of the most talented guys in the biz, from the recent “Bedlam” (you’ll see what I mean by that net week) and books like “Green Wake” and “Debris.” Considering how fantastic “Rebel Blood” was, you would do well to pay attention to his new initiative.
A Series Of Minis
There are always a bunch of new #1’s every month from Image, and this month kicks off three additional minis. Here are the covers and solicits for them all:
THE END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN 1 (of 4)
story JAMES ASMUS & JIM FESTANTE
art REM BROO
cover JIM MAHFOOD
JANUARY 9
40 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
What would you do if you were caught in the Biblical End Times? When Heaven raptures total bastard Bram Carlson in a “clerical error” — he’s sent back and immediately uses Armageddon to his benefit! Can his anxious roommate Ben save Bram from himself — AND the gathering forces of Armageddon?
Extra-long debut issue! This apocalyptic buddy-comedy from writers JAMES ASMUS (THIEF OF THIEVES, Gambit) and JIM FESTANTE is recommended for fans of CHEW and BATTLE POPE.
REPOSSESSED #1 (of 4)
story / art / cover JM RINGUET
JANUARY 9
32 PAGES / FC /T+
$2.99
In a world where Demon possessions are commonplace it’s up to a crew of overworked blue-collar repo guys to repossess the victims with old grimoires and big guns. The Dee Agency is hired by a rich NYC banker to repossess his daughter Sarah who ran away to Vegas. But the job is tougher than they expected and Demons of all sorts start popping up on the trail.
TODD, THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH #1 (of 4)
story KEN KRISTENSEN
art / cover M.K. PERKER
JANUARY 16
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99
This series, a collision of comedy, sex, and violence, follows the misadventures of America’s most dysfunctional family as they go head-to-severed head with an Oprah-loving ax murderer, a cult-crazy soap opera star, and a neo-Nazi prison gang.
First issue: Todd wants desperately to make friends, but every kid he approaches winds up decapitated. Or worse. Meanwhile, Todd’s mother is on a mission to get even with her husband who she believes is having an affair.
The Second Half of Chew
If there is one constant in Image books, it’s that “Chew” is universally and always a fantastic read. Effectively kicking off what many people believe to be the resurgence of Image as the place for creator-owned comics, the book has repeatedly demonstrated itself to be the perfect blend of heart and humor, with Guillory and Layman operating in sync on a new level of comic creating entirely. And as “Chew” #30 marks the half-way point of the series, the second half kicks off in #31 — with a funeral:
Uh oh.
If you are not currently reading “Chew,” please check yourself before you inadvertently wreck yourself. Two Omnivore hardcovers are now available collecting the first twenty issues, with with five trades collecting the first twenty-five. However you choose to do so, just make sure you’re reading this book.
Keatinge Watch #1: Hell Yeah’s Relaunch (That’s Not A Relaunch)
“Hell Yeah” took a short break after the end of the first arc, but now it comes back with a whole new shtick: a cover artist, an editor, an inker, more “Tiger Lawyer” and no ads. The new arc will be called “the Lost Super-Villains of Mars,” and the solicit reads:
Twenty-five years ago Earth’s first superheroes appeared, but no one knew about the villains. They’ve been hiding, waiting, planning and all these years later, they’re coming.
From Mars.
Now that a lot of the “introductory” elements are out of the way of the series, I find it hard to believe that the new arc won’t be fantastic. Keatinge is clearly a guy that loves comics and the ways you can exploit and take advantage of the medium, which is something that showed rather clearly with the first volume (and if you don’t believe me, there’s an MC pullquote on the back of the trade!). With Symanowicz getting an inker and Keatinge getting an editor, it should allow both their talents to become even more refined as the series continues and we get into the real meat of it all as super villains arise and Ben becomes a hero (sorta, maybe). Get ready for some hot multiversal action, folks.
Keatinge Watch #2: Emi Comes To Glory (or, Glorytown)
Since his love of anthology comics knows no bounds, Keatinge’s other ongoing title “Glory” is going to feature a short crossover between his series and Emi Lenox’s “Emitown.” “Emitown,” both up to it’s finale and beyond, has always been one of Multiversity’s most endorsed webcomics, with our very own David Harper even appearing in one of the strips (contained in the first volume), and it has always been fun to see Emi’s take on other characters. With a great eye for emotive characters and a fantastic color palette, “Emitown” stole our hearts with it’s raw take on the diary comic format, and if you can’t tell I kinda sorta miss reading it regularly.
But, hey, this “Glory” thing is pretty darn neat too. Here’s a sneak preview:
Honestly, more than anything I’m quite looking forward to seeing more of Emi’s art. I’ll wager a guess and say that this short will be decidedly more optimistic than the blood-fest that “Glory” useless is, so it’ll be great to see how she takes on the world Keatinge has built up in (what is in my opinion) one of the best titles of the Extreme relaunch.
The Invincible Trade Titles Never Cease To Impress Me
Earlier in this post I wrote about catching up to “Invincible” in collected edition (the first issue I bought, if memory serves, was #60). While I bought the hardcovers, which are simply named Volumes One, Two, Three, etc., the trade collections of “Invincible” have always had a singular quirk that not everyone has picked up on: since the beginning of the trade collections, every “Invincible” trade except volume 14 has been titled after a classic sitcom. From “Happy Days” to “The Facts of Life” to volume 16’s “Family Ties,” Kirkman and Co. have always found just the right sitcom title to title the book after in what I believe is the greatest trade shtick out there.
(A particular favorite of mine is the eighth volume, “My Favorite Martian,” which deals with the parasite aliens from Mars we saw teased in an earlier issue finally attacking Earth. How perfect is that title!)
“Invincible” v17 will be titled “What’s Happening,” with the interior story revealing what happened to Robot and Monster Girl in parallel to — you guessed it — what’s happening. It honestly never ceases to amaze me how well they’ve managed to keep this shtick going.
Now when are we getting “All in the Family”? Come on!
That Amanda Connor Cover
This is Amanda Connor’s cover to “Creator-Owned Heroes” with Paul Mounts:
Continued below
Wow. What a gorgeous cover that is. Connor is an artist who I wish worked more often (and, truth be told, on comics I would read — sorry, “Before Watchmen” fans), if only because of pieces like this that truly capture the beauty of the female form without making it feel excessively exploitative*. By blending the male character in with the female thanks in part to the colors of Mounts, we get a stylized Risso-esque piece that has hints of noir and promises a lot from the image alone.
In fact, I’d go so far to as to say Connor’s work with Darwyn Cooke is showing up in full force here, because this is the exact sort of image I’d expect to see attached to one of Cooke’s Parker adaptations for IDW. I can’t wait to see what story this pertains to.
(*David Brothers actually wrote a really nice piece on “sexiness in comics” that highlights a lot of the issues of over-sexualization, if you’re into reading things.)
That Nate Fox Cover
Speaking of covers, this takes the cake for my favorite cover of the month:
Nate Fox, man. That guy can draw. I’ve long-since been a Fox cheerleader, and it’s pieces like this that I think truly show why there’s so much to get excited about when Fox picks up the pen and ink. Fox has a great eye for controlled chaos within the piece, and taking a moment to analyze reveals how much interesting nuance has gone into the overall image — the rippling droplets of blood, the deformed feet, the wavey and shifting symbiotic creature, and the face in the center of it all screaming for help as it’s visibly pulled inward to the jaws of madness. It’s vibrant, exciting and does not bode well for our poor hero — my favorite kind of story!
“Haunt” has seen a fair share of delays (which bums me out, admittedly), but whenever something new from Fox shows up in relation to the series I always feel an urge to share it off with as many people as possible. To me, it seems like a fair deal to take any piece of Fox’s art and shove it in the face of unsuspecting passers by, shouting “LOOK HOW AWESOME THIS IS!” Good thing I’ve got this column then, eh?
Buy “Haunt.” The second hardcover is on sale in January as well, which covers the first arc of Casey and Fox’s run, so there’s no excuse to not get caught up next year.
No Morning Glories
As a light note (since I think people usually expect me to say something “Morning Glory” related once a week): December was solicited to have the finale to the first season of “Morning Glories” with issue #25, which means that January brings no issue #26. Despite all the knowledge I have about this series (thanks to that MGA Study Hall column you guys seem to dig), I do not know when it is returning — or even how. Will they renumber to #1? Keep it at #26? Change anything about the interiors? Print it on ram skin instead of paper? Run all the text through Wing Dings font? I don’t know!
But it will be back, and whatever is to come will certainly be exciting. It’s all up in the air for now, but you can bet your buttons I’ll be keeping my eyes open for any sign of what’s to come.
