After a family emergency prevented this column last month (apologies; may your children never get pneumonia), I’m back with a look at what Image is putting out in Feburary 2024. Let’s get to it.
10. Where it all began (sort of, kind of, maybe)
When Robert Kirkman’s “Void Rivals” was announced, it as unclear that it was going to lead to an entirely new Transformers/G.I. Joe status quo, though there were rumors/theories out there that suggested this. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the series reads a little differently, but it is absolutely worth a read and a fun way to kick of this current era of Hasbro books.
VOID RIVALS TP, VOL. 1
WRITER: Robert Kirkman ARTIST: Matheus Lopes, Lorenzo De Felici COVER A: Lorenzo De Felici
FEBRUARY 21 / 136 pages / FC/ / $16.99
The blockbuster Oblivion Song team of ROBERT KIRKMAN and LORENZO DE FELICI launch an all-new shared universe connected to the Transformers and G.I. Joe! ?? War rages around the Sacred Ring, where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war.??? ?? However, when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet, these two enemies must find a way to escape together. But are they alone on this strange planet? And what dark forces await that threaten the entire universe???? ??? Collects VOID RIVALS #1-6.
9. Speaking of those books…
I never quite know why the Free Comic Book Day issues are solicited in February, but I don’t make the comics rules. Anyway, the ‘Energon’ books, as the aforementioned Hasbro titles have now been dubbed, get three new stories in the FCBD special. What is even more intriguing from the solicit is that it appears that Ryan Ottley is doing the art for all three stories. I am guessing that’s just a function of the solicit being for a book not out for six months, but who knows?
2024 FCBD ENERGON UNIVERSE SPECIAL SPECIAL EDITION # (OF 1)
WRITER: Daniel Warren Johnson, Robert Kirkman, Joshua Williamson ARTIST: Ryan Ottley COVER A: Lorenzo De Felici
MAY 04 / 32 pages / FC/ / $6.25
Discover three all-new stories from the Energon Universe, with stunning revelations for the worlds of TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, and VOID RIVALS from the biggest names in comics. A perfect jumping-on point for new readers and a can’t-miss for long-term fans.
8. Kid Cudi, multimedia maven
The first of three books that I would’ve covered their debut issues of last month, Kid Cudi, everyone’s third favorite Kanye West-associated rapper, is now co-writing a book with Kyle Higgins. Cudi, a big enough comics fan to have Bill Sienkiewicz do an album cover, calls this a take on Miracleman, and sure, why not? I’m always skeptical of creatives from other media deciding that they want to be comic writers, but sometimes these things work out. And since Cudi is a known comics fan, this goes down a little smoother.
MOON MAN #2
WRITER: Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Kyle Higgins ARTIST / COVER A: Marco Locati COVER B: ERICA D’URSO COVER C: Greg Tocchini
FEBRUARY 28 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
As Ramon tests the limits of his new abilities, the astronauts return to Janus for more assessment—and the world begins to react to the news of a real-life superhero.
7. More weather
Jody LeHeup’s “The Weatherman” is back for a third volume. While I’m admittedly not super familiar with the ins and outs of the title, I wish more books did what LeHeup is doing here, or like what Mike Mignola did for years with “Hellboy” and “B.P.R.D.,” where the book was an ‘ongoing’ made up of interconnected miniseries. This approach gives the creative team plenty of time to craft the best stories they can without the monthly deadline grind, as well as only tell the stories they want to/need to tell, without filler. More books, please do this!
Continued belowTHE WEATHERMAN VOL. 3 #2 (OF 7)
WRITER: Jody LeHeup ARTIST / COVER A: Nathan Fox
FEBRUARY 14 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Nathan must pass a loyalty test in order to gain an audience with the leader of the Sword of God. Cross has a falling out with the Arcadian President. Fears of a world-ending attack on Mars mount as the clock ticks…
6. COBRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
One of the best things about G.I. Joe comics over the years is that villain-led books are not unusual or rare. In fact, often times the Cobra-led titles are the best in the entire line. Will “Cobra Commander” be the best of the Energon books? There’s no way to know yet, but I’m excited to see Joshua Williamson doing both a Joe and Cobra book. Williamson also has a great eye for collaborators, so I’m excited to see more from Andrea Milana on interiors.
COBRA COMMANDER #2 (OF 5)
WRITER: Joshua Williamson ARTIST / COVER A: Andrea Milana, Annalisa Leoni COVER B: Ricardo Lopez Ortiz COVER C: Chris Burnham COVER D: ACO COVER E: Nick Dragotta
FEBRUARY 21 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
After last issue’s shocking reveals, Cobra Commander searches for a power greater than any the Earth has ever seen. But when this mission brings him face-to-face with a fan-favorite G.I. Joe faction—will they be friend, foe, or something else entirely?
5. Now that’s a premise
I usually talk about the book before the solicit, but here I feel like we need to pause so you can read the actual solicit before I tell you why I’m excited for this book. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Read it? Cool.
This premise is so specific and weird that you can tell it is personal and/or important to the series creators and is more than just a product of the typical comics churn.
THE CABINET #1 (OF 5)
ARTIST / COVER A: CHIARA RAIMONDI COVER B / COVER C / COVER D: Marguerite Sauvage
FEBRUARY 14 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE In this vibrant, tongue-in-cheek adventure series, atypical teen Avani and midwestern jock Trent teleport across a post-Cold War landscape to collect bizarre relics. Why? Well, because they need to summon the arcane powers of a resplendent 17th-century cabinet to fix a teeny-tiny mistake the last time Avani used it…unleashing an ancient evil from its prison and accidentally slaughtering her parents. Courtesy of Eisner-nominated writer JORDAN HART (Ripple Effects) and co-writer DAVID EBELTOFT, and introducing the technicolor wizardry of artist CHIANA RAIMONDI! Each issue features a variant interconnected cover by artist MARGUERITE SAUVAGE!
4. Dag nab it
I’ve been noticing that a lot of Image’s creator-owned titles lately have been co-writes. I’m not sure what this means exactly, but I felt it was relevant to bring up.
Anyway, I love that the son of Satan is named Abraham Morgenstern. That’s fun. Also fun is the full solicit for this book which, like “The Cabinet” feels unique and fresh and different. Image has sort of been in a slump for a few years now, maybe these titles can help raise it up.
THE INFERNALS #1
WRITER: Ryan Parrott ARTIST / COVER A: John J. Pearson COVER B: Alex Cormack COVER C: Tula Lotay COVER D: Christian Ward COVER E: Martin Simmonds
FEBRUARY 14 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
SERIES PREMIERE Abraham “Abe” Morgenstern, the son of Satan, has one month to live. Before he dies, he must decide which of his three wayward children—volatile narcissist Nero, conflicted field operative Jackal, or troubled schoolgirl Bee—will inherit his shadowy empire. But will Abe ever be able to truly cede control of the Apocalypse? Or does the Antichrist have something else up his sleeve… Writers RYAN PARROTT (ROGUE SUN, Power Rangers) and WGA Award nominee NOAH GARDNER are joined by Eisner Award-winning artist JOHN PEARSON (THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH, BLUE IN GREEN) for an epic tale about family, power, legacy, and the end of the world!
3. Ooh, a miniature shared universe.
Ram V and Dan Watters have been roughly on the same career path for a few years now, with both handling the darker corners of the DC Universe as well as making a name for themselves through their excellent creator-owned work. To see the two of them come together for a new pair of books that take place in the same city is very cool. We’re highlighting the Ram V book because I literally flipped a coin and Ram won the flip, but both books seem interesting and are a different way to do some comic booking at Image this month. I like to see the diversions from the normal ongoing that are happening right now.
Continued belowTHE ONE HAND #1 (OF 5)
WRITER: Ram V ARTIST: Laurence Campbell, Lee Loughridge COVER A: Laurence Campbell, Lee Loughridge, Tom Muller COVER B: Sumit Kumar, Lee Loughridge, Tom Muller
FEBRUARY 07 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE Neo Novena detective ARI NASSER is about to retire with an enviable record, until a brutal murder occurs, bearing all the hallmarks of the “One Hand Killer”…which should be impossible, since Ari already put him away not once, but twice in the years before. What follows is a deadly cat-and-mouse game as Ari pursues his quarry down the rain-soaked streets of Neo Novena. Ari will stop at nothing to unravel the secrets and ciphers of this case, but each revelation only leads further into the dark heart of his future-metropolis and Ari’s own beleaguered soul. Grippingly written by award-winning writer RAM V (The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Swamp Thing) with hauntingly atmospheric art and covers by LAURENCE CAMPBELL (Old Haunts, BPRD: Hell on Earth) and LEE LOUGHRIDGE (DEADLY CLASS), THE ONE HAND is a miniseries that will keep you guessing until the very end. For fans of Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and Black Mirror.
2. Father and son
Creepshow was originally a film adaptation of Stephen King short stories. “Creepshow” is now a comic from Image, and this issue is written by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King. This particular issue is a werewolf-ish story, and werewolves are a lot of fun! I just watched ten werewolf films in October, and as a horror sub-genre, it works really well!
CREEPSHOW: JOE HILL’S WOLVERTON STATION
WRITER: Joe Hill ARTIST / COVER A: Michael Walsh COVER B: Gabriel Rodríguez
FEBRUARY 14 / 32 pages / FC/ / $4.99
Master of Horror JOE HILL (Locke & Key, NOS4A2) joins CREEPSHOW!
Gather round, kiddies, for a special presentation!
In this feature-length issue, CREEPSHOW alum JOE HILL is joined by JASON CIARAMELLA (C is for Cthulu) and MICHAEL WALSH (The Silver Coin) to tell the terrifying tale of a businessman whose commute is about to get a lot hairier when his train makes an unexpected stop at “Wolverton Station”!
This one-shot adapts the acclaimed short story by JOE HILL in an expanded format with new twists and turns…including a special appearance by The Creep!
1. A finale, finally
A little more than a year ago, Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly crowdfunded a collection of “Saucer Country,” including a new final chapter. Well, as of 2024, you can now get the finale on its own in the form of this one-shot. While some may grumble about having paid for a book via a crowdfunding campaign and then having that extra material available for just four bucks, but if you’re a big enough fan to need the finale, you probably want the special hardcover anyway.
SAUCER COUNTRY: THE FINALE
WRITER: Paul Cornell ARTIST / COVER A: Ryan Kelly
FEBRUARY 07 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
First there was SAUCER COUNTRY, a dark thriller that blended UFO lore and alien abduction with political intrigue, all set in the hauntingly beautiful Southwest. The story continued in SAUCER STATE…and now, the series reaches its long-awaited conclusion in this special one-shot, as co-creators CORNELL and KELLY present the final story of alien abductee Arcadia Alvarado’s campaign to be US President…and her search for the truth of what happened to her!
Read the full solicits over at the Image website.
