Are you ready for the most balls-to-the-wall, jam packed month of solicitations Image Comics has ever put out? Are you ready to have your mind blown and your wallet destroyed by all the new, great #1s coming out in March? Well, you better be because we are diving right into the busiest month I’ve ever seen in a Soliciting Multiversity column ever. LET’S DO THIS!
10. Boy, They Really Want You To Read “Invincible”
So, this is something that was not only already covered on the site already, but covered much better by Mr. Matt Meylikhov, but I still wanted to add my own 2(5) cents.
“Invincible” is a comic I’ve been interesting in checking out for a long time. I tried it out once a while ago when they tried another thing like this to get new readers to try out the book (it was when they had a black guy take over the mantle of Invincible? Or something, it was a while ago, after all), but I ran into the problem that so frequently plagues just jumping into a high numbered book mid-run; I spent most of my time reading the issue not knowing what the fuck was going on. That being said, at 25 cents, I will more than happily give the series another go. It may be a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick that got me good.
INVINCIBLE #118
STORY: ROBERT KIRKMAN
ART / COVER: RYAN OTTLEY, CLIFF RATHBURN, & JEAN FRANCOIS BEAULIEU
MARCH 25 / 24 PAGES / FC / T+ / 25¢ONLY TWENTY-FIVE CENTS!
Invincible and Atom Eve set off on the adventure of a lifetime: PARENTHOOD! They’ve taken to the stars and left their troubles on Earth behind them. As things take a drastic turn for our heroes, you’ll find yourself asking…is this book still about superheroes?
9. And The Award For Cover Of The Month Goes To…
Another title that I’ve been wanting to get into for a while is “Five Ghosts”. I checked out the first issue digitally and loved it and have been super into what I’ve read of what Frank J. Barbiere has written since. This issue is really only included here because I wanted to talk about how much I want to read “Five Ghosts”, but also about how sick that cover is.
Also, between this and “East Of West: The World”, the idea that Image is willing to back supplemental issues to their series to allow their great writers and artists to explore the worldbuilding they are creating is simply fantastic. I hope we see more of these, honestly.
FIVE GHOSTS: SPECIAL #1
STORY: S.M. VIDAURRI & FRANK J. BARBIERE
ART / COVER: S.M. VIDAURRI
MARCH 25 / 40 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99Explore the mythology of FIVE GHOSTS with a beautiful painted story from S.M. VIDAURRI (Jim Henson Storyteller: Witches, Iron: Or, The War After) featuring knights, demons, wizards, and the Dreamstone!
And in a special backup story, FRANK J. BARBIERE presents Fabian in one of the most exciting literary heists ever!
8. Dodsons On Interiors! I Repeat, Dodsons On Interiors!
Between this and the upcoming “Princess Leia” series, it is a good time to be a fan of Terry and Rachel Dodson as they are finally returning to doing interior artwork instead of just cover artwork. Also, beyond that, this just seems like a rather fun book. Pitched in the solicit as being Tarantino-esque, it revolves around a Soviet spy being sent to America during the height of the Cold War to become America’s greatest superhero. With that kind of solicit and the promise of Dodson artwork, I am more than willing to give this a try for at least the first issue.
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RED ONE #1
STORY: XAVIER DORISON
ART / COVER: TERRY DODSON & RACHEL DODSON
MARCH 18 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99
What happens when America’s greatest hero…is a Russian Spy?Soviet Agent Vera Yelnikov is sent to 1977 Los Angeles by the Kremlin to become an American Superhero and spread communist values in the land of Uncle Sam in a funky superhero romp straight out of a Tarantino film by TERRY & RACHEL DODSON (Uncanny X-Men, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Harley Quinn) and XAVIER DORISON (Long John Silver, The Third Testament).
7. I’m Running Out Of Punny Titles
This is clearly the month of books that either I’ve wanted to check out for a while or are coming from creators whose work I’ve wanted to check out. This time, it’s Eric Powell, as “The Goon” is a book I’ve wanted to read for ages now, as he brings us a new miniseries with co-writer Tim Wiesch. Titled “Big Man Plans”, it’s described as brutal and shocking in the solicit. Again, this is definitely a series I would definitely give at least the first issue a try.
BIG MAN PLANS #1 (OF 4)
STORY: ERIC POWELL & TIM WEISCH
ART / COVER: ERIC POWELL
MARCH 4 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50From ERIC POWELL (Eisner award-winning creator of The Goon) and TIM WEISCH (a guy who used to be a bricklayer) comes BIG MAN PLANS, a brutal crime drama with a shocking mystery at its heart. Even the most marginalized in society can exact revenge if they don’t care how they do it.
6. Millar & Murphy Bring Booster Gold & Blue Beetle To Image
Ok, so not really, but that was definitely the vibe I was getting from the solicit of “Chrononauts”. A time-travelling bromace? I mean, what else was I going to think?
Ok, admittance time: I’m not a fan of Mark Millar’s writing. Especially not his work at Marvel. But, I have to admit, I’ve been surprised by the quality of his work at Image. Between “Jupiter’s Legacy” and “Starlight”, the quality of his writing has increased immensely. So teaming him with Sean Murphy, an artist I love dearly, on an image book that is actually meant to be fun (as opposed to the grim, gritty violence-filled books he usually writes) seems like an interesting match. Looks like this is another book I’ll give at least the first issue a look in.
CHRONONAUTS #1
STORY: MARK MILLAR
ART / COVER A: SEAN GORDON MURPHY & MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
COVER B: MATTEO SCALERA
COVER C: DECLAN SHALVEY
COVER D: DAN PANOSIAN
COVER E: FIONA STAPLES
COVER F: RYAN OTTLEY
MARCH 18 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50From MARK MILLAR (Kick-Ass) and SEAN GORDON MURPHY (Punk Rock Jesus) comes a bromance for the ages! Corbin Quinn and Danny Reilly are two buddies who love to have fun. They’re also scientific geniuses. When their research leads them to a time-traveling adventure, will they use their knowledge for the good of all mankind? Or use the space-time continuum for their own ends? This is the story of man’s first, televised steps through the time-stream and everything going wrong in the process.
5. The Crossover Of The Century
Remember when “Chew” and “Revival” crossed over and it was pretty fantastic? Well, let’s see if that magic can happen again as another Tim Seeley project, “Hack/Slash”, is crossing over with another darling Image book, “Nailbiter”. For those of you who missed it, “Hack/Slash” was a horror book that centred around a young girl called Cassie Hack who took it upon herself to kill the villains of horror movies everywhere, known as Slashers. Crossing that book over with a book that centres around a town known as the birthplace of serial killers is a genuinely genius idea. I’m excited for this one.
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NAILBITER/HACK/SLASH
HACK/SLASH/NAILBITER
(ONE SHOT)
STORY: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
STORY: TIM SEELEY
ART: MIKE HENDERSON
ART: EMILIO LAISO
COVER: TIM SEELEY
COVER: MIKE HENDERSON
MARCH 4 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $4.99SERIAL KILLERS MEET SERIAL KILLER… KILLERS!
Cassie Hack vs. the Nailbiter! Vlad vs. the Lucha Eliminador! IT’S ON!Two brand spanking new tales of terror by the creative teams of both Image hits!
TIM SEELEY returns to the character he created to give you a nasty blast from the past. If you’ve ever needed an excuse to read these two horrific comics, now is your chance!
4. Bad Science Returns!
If you, like me, have spent the last few months looking at each new iteration of Image’s solicitations thinking “What the hell happened to “Manhattan Projects”?’, then this is your answer. Hickman and Pitarra took the book back to the drawing board and it will be continuing in March under the new title “The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond The Stars”. Not only is that a fantastic, very Hickman-esque title, but from the looks of it the title will focus more on Yuri Gagarin upon its return. “Manhattan Projects” is one of my favourite series running right now and one of my first introductions to Image Comics and I can’t wait for it to return.
THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS: THE SUN BEYOND THE STARS #1
STORY: JONATHAN HICKMAN
ART: NICK PITARRA
MARCH 11 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.50“MAN IN SPACE”
Only when he’s lost in space does the great Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, find his true calling. THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS is back with all new stories told in a brand-new format.
The greatest FEEL GOOD, BAD SCIENCE book in the long history of man returns in THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS: THE SUN BEYOND THE STARS.
3. “Invisible Republic” Title To Be Funnified
We covered this a bit when it was announced during Image Expo, but I’m still hella excited for this. Gabriel Hardman doing sci-fi? “Breaking Bad Meets Blade Runner”? That sounds like 100% the book I want to be reading.
INVISIBLE REPUBLIC #1
STORY: GABRIEL HARDMAN & CORINNA BECHKO
ART / COVER: GABRIEL HARDMAN
COLORS: JORDAN BOYD
MARCH 18 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99Breaking Bad meets Blade Runner.
Arthur McBride’s planetary regime has fallen. His story is over. That is until reporter Croger Babb discovers the journal of Arthur’s cousin, Maia. Inside is the violent, audacious hidden history of the legendary freedom fighter. Erased from the official record, Maia alone knows how dangerous her cousin really is…
Creative team GABRIEL HARDMAN (KINSKI, “Intense” – A.V. Club) and CORINNA BECHKO (HEATHENTOWN, “Nuanced” – Broken Frontier) brought you sci-fi adventure before (Planet of the Apes, Star Wars: Legacy, Hulk) but never this gritty or this epic.
2. DID YOU GUYS KNOW JEFF LEMIRE AND DUSTIN NGUYEN ARE WORKING TOGETHER?
HOLY SHIT, DID YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THIS? Well, you probably did because we also covered this during Image Expo, but holy balls, is this not the hypest thing ever. Jeff Lemire is a fantastic writer and his “Trillium” was one of the best series I’ve ever read. Not only that, but Dustin Nguyen’s artwork is fantastic and I’ve been waiting with baited breath for him to do something like this instead of being held to being a sometimes Batman artist. And then having them team up to do a story that sounds like watching “Blade Runner” from the point of view of the androids is entirely my jam. I need this book and I need it now.
DESCENDER #1
STORY: JEFF LEMIRE
ART / COVER: DUSTIN NGUYEN
MARCH 4 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99One young robot’s struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet.
A rip-roaring and heart-felt cosmic odyssey that pits humanity against machine, and world against world, to create a sprawling space opera from the creators of Trillium, Sweet Tooth, and Little Gotham.
Extra-sized first issue. 30 story pages for only $2.99!
1. Becky Cloonan For Breakout Writer 2015
I know that subtitle doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as Becky Cloonan is already well known as a writer thanks to her self-published “Ink And Thunder” work where she wrote and drew three fantastic one shots, but between “Gotham Academy” and this book, I am so glad she is getting more and more recognition as a writer outside of her self-published work. Not only that, but this sounds like a fantastic concept for a series and could be very, very interesting. And having Andy Bellanger on art is just the cherry on top. Or the icing on the cake. Choose whatever metaphor you prefer.
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SOUTHERN CROSS #1
STORY / COVERS: BECKY CLOONAN
ART: ANDY BELANGER
COLORS: LEE LOUGHRIDGE
MARCH 11 / 32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $2.99NOW BOARDING: Southern Cross, tanker flight 73 to TITAN!
Alex Braith is on board retracing her sister’s steps to the refinery moon, hoping to collect her remains and find some answers. The questions keep coming though — how did her sister die? Where did her cabin mate disappear to? Who is that creep across the hall? And why does she always feel like she’s being watched?
Inspired by classic mysteries and weird fiction, SOUTHERN CROSS is a crucible of creeping anxiety and fear as Braith struggles with the ghosts of her past on board a ship that holds secrets best kept buried.
For the full list of Image Comics’ solicitations for March 2015, head over to CBR.
