It’s that time, boys and girls! Your favorite time! The time when we look at what the House of Ideas over at Image Comics is going to be sending your way in September 2013. These picks are so good you’re going to want to invent a time travel device just so you can skip everything in July and August, but then you’ll regret it because July and August looked awesome too. Shit. It’s a dilemma!
While you figure out what to do with that time travel device of yours, read on below for our top ten picks from Image in September 2013. For the full Image September solicits, you can peek on over at CBR. For the ones with the commentary, though, keep on reading below.
10. A New Superhero Book
You know what the people love? Superheroes? And you know what can be fun? Reading a different take on superheroes in a creator owned situation where anything is possible. Sure, it may cross into the realm of creator-owned fan fiction now and again, but it’s always interesting to see creators try out new takes on classic tropes.
In September we’re getting something a little different, though, with the release of “Reality Check.” The book seems pretty interesting, as it explores a more meta relationship between creator and creation, and while the idea of a person’s character hopping off the page isn’t ostensibly that new either, the idea to do this story in a comic book seems pretty perfect. The book has very big potential, I’ll say.
REALITY CHECK #1
story GLEN BRUNSWICK
art / cover VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC
SEPTEMBER 4
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99
A struggling artist, Willard Penn, scores an unlikely hit with his new comic. The story centers on a hero more concerned with his libido than serving justice. After an unexpected sell out, Willard can’t recall anything about his story. That night the book’s hero shows up outside Willard’s window refusing to return to the comic until he finds true love. Exasperated, Willard is forced to help the lovesick hero meet the perfect woman. But he’ll need to hurry because the book’s villain, a homicidal maniac, has entered his world as well.
9. Wiebe and Upchurch Get Ratty
We’ve done a fair deal of “Rat Queens” coverage on this site, including running the “Rat Queen” webcomic, and we’re pretty excited to see it launch in September. Wiebe is a talented and established creator in the Image fold and has wowed us in the past with his darker tales like “Green Wake.” It’ll be interesting to see what happens when he focuses on something more humor-based for a change. And Roc Upchurch, have you seen this guy’s art? The book looks absolutely great.
RAT QUEENS #1 – GEM OF THE MONTH
story KURTIS J. WIEBE
art / cover ROC UPCHURCH
incentive cover FIONA STAPLES
SEPTEMBER 25
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50
“GOLD, GUTS AND GROG,” Part One
Who are the Rat Queens? A pack of booze-guzzling, death-dealing battle maidens-for-hire, and they’re in the business of killing all gods’ creatures for profit.
It’s also a darkly comedic fantasy series starring Hannah the Rockabilly Elven Mage, Violet the Hipster Dwarven Fighter, Dee the Atheist Human Cleric and Betty the Hippy Hobbit Thief. This modern spin on an old school genre is a violent monster-killing epic that is like Buffy meets Tank Girl in a Lord of the Rings world on crack!
A new ongoing series from PETER PANZERFAUST’s KURTIS J. WIEBE and featuring a gorgeous incentive cover by SAGA’s FIONA STAPLES!
8. One of the Must-Read Books of the Year
“Five Weapons” has pretty much stunned everyone, and it’s not a surprise. Jimmie Robinson is one of the most talented creators in the biz today, although I suppose you may not know it if you avoided the raunchy “Bomb Queen” for whatever reason. Yet with “Five Weapons,” Robinson made a book that felt really accessible, playing up a few popularized trends and thumbing its nose in a sharp way against things like the Hunger Games by really focusing on the internal character struggle and the house-logic of the book.
Continued belowIt’s a fun read, it’s a funny read and it is a book you absolutely need in your collection. If you didn’t pick up the series in single issues, you damn well better pick it up now.
FIVE WEAPONS: MAKING THE GRADE TP
story / art / cover JIMMIE ROBINSON
SEPTEMBER 11
144 PAGES / FC / T
$15.99
13-year-old Tyler has a problem. He’s a pacifist enrolled in a school for young assassins. His father is a legendary hitman but, worst of all, he has a secret that can get him killed. Tyler is optimistic because he has a unique weapon that nobody can beat—his razor sharp mind. An adventure that’ll keep you guessing to the very end!
Collects FIVE WEAPONS #1-5, plus never-before-seen extras!
7. Whispers Finally Comes to an End
It’s been a loooooooong time, but Joshua Luna’s solo book at Image is finally concluding. It has been a very long, slow journey to this point and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I sort of forgot things about the story — but what I didn’t forget was how beautiful this series was. Luna is one of my favorite creators and “The Sword,” “Girls” “Ultra” and “Spider-Woman” all have very special places in my collection. I’m ecstatic to see the latest endeavor come to an end, and I’m slightly crossing my fingers here for another ongoing with his brother.
Now is also the time to get excited for the inevitable trade as well, for those of you who didn’t follow in single issues. This book is one for keeps.
WHISPERS #6 (of 6)
story JOSHUA LUNA
art / cover JOSHUA LUNA
SEPTEMBER 25
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
After his journey through hell, Sam is able to untangle reality from fiction and discover the shocking truth about his powers. But when he confronts the source, will he be able to discover the truth about himself? It all ends here in the dramatic conclusion of Whispers!
6. Hoax Hunters Heads Towards its Season Finale
Don’t call it a relaunch! In fact, it’s the beginning of the end — of part one, anyway. “Hoax Hunters” is doing what many comics these days are doing and taking a seasonal approach to things, perhaps all the better to have a schedule for, and the new season finale begins with Tristan “T-Rex” Jones joining the book for what looks to be a stellar new arc of the series. We ran a preview of the issue yesterday, and it looks damn good. You’re going to want to check it out.
HOAX HUNTERS #10
story MICHAEL MORECI & STEVE SEELEY
art / cover TRISTAN JONES
SEPTEMBER 4
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50
“THE BOOK OF MOTHMAN” Part One
The start of the final arc of season one begins here! Featuring new series artist TRISTAN JONES!
Cryptids begin appearing across the country. Regan joins Donovan to confront a powerful demon in South America. Tensions build and threats heighten, all leading to the season’s powerful conclusion.
5. Cowboy! Ninja! Viking!
Remember this series? Its been a while. One of Rossmo’s first when he was making a name for himself, right alongside “Proof,” “Cowboy Ninja Viking” is going to be collected into one singular volume — which is great news, because it has been out of print (sort of) for a while now. I say out of print, I think I just mean I never see it in stores ever. But it’s a fun book, it’s a crazy book and it is highly innovative and exciting of a read. If you missed this when it first came out you’d do well to grab it now in a sexy, oversized deluxe hardcover.
Continued belowCOWBOY NINJA VIKING DELUXE HC
story A.J. LIEBERMAN
art / cover RILEY ROSSMO
SEPTEMBER 18
304 PAGES / FC / M
OVERSIZED HARDCOVER
$39.99
Collected at last in one giant, oversized, deluxe hardcover are both volumes of the critically acclaimed fan-favorite series COWBOY NINJA VIKING! Featuring all the material in both trades plus brand new, never-before-seen extras!
From the author of HARVEST and TERM LIFE and the artist of GREEN WAKE, DIA DE LOS MUERTOS and PROOF! This is one gorgeous volume you’ll want to add to your permanent collection!
Collects COWBOY NINJA VIKING #1-10
4. Five Ghosts Gets its First Trade — Emphasis on FIRST
We’d theorized that popular new series “Five Ghosts” was going to become an ongoing. And, hey, look at that — “Five Ghosts, Volume 1.” Of many. Or of at least a few more.
Congrats to Barbiere and Mooneyham on the ongoing deal, we look forward to “Five Ghosts” #6 in … what, October?
FIVE GHOSTS, VOL. 1 TP: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY
story FRANK J. BARBIERE
art / cover CHRIS MOONEYHAM
SEPTEMBER 18
128 PAGES / FC / T+
$9.99
A BOLD NEW ERA OF PULP ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE!
After a tragic encounter with an artifact known as “The Dreamstone,” infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray was possessed by five literary ghosts and has been granted access to their unique abilities.
Collects FIVE GHOSTS: THE HAUNTING OF FABIAN GRAY #1-5
3. Multiple Warheads Is Back (To the Beginning)
When “Multiple Warheads” launched earlier this year, a lot of people had one thought on their mind: “Wait, what about the previous stuff from Oni? Will we get to read that if we didn’t buy it at the time?”
Good news, everyone! Your re-print is here. Entitled “Down Fall,” the book will be 80 pages of Brandon Graham-y goodness and will feature both the original 2003 story (featuring lots of NSFW bits), the 2007 Oni one-shot and a short from Graham’s “Elevator” book. If you like Sexica and Nikoli and Sexica having sex(ica) with Nikoli, this is for you.
MULTIPLE WARHEADS: DOWN FALL (one-shot)
story / art / cover BRANDON GRAHAM
SEPTEMBER 18
80 PAGES / BW / M
$7.99
The organ smuggler Sexica and her werewolf boyfriend Nikoli try to get by in a harsh Soviet fantasy world with dream monsters, radiation slugs, and starships falling from Wolf War 3.
Reprints 2007’s “The Fall,” the original 2003 adult Warheads story, and the 2004 short “Elevator.”
2. Zero is Coming
I just did a really big and detailed interview with Ales Kot all about “Zero,” so instead of writing about why you should buy this book I’m going to link to that interview and tell you to read it. Everything you need to know is there.
Pre-order this book.
ZERO #1
story ALES KOT
art MICHAEL WALSH & JORDIE BELLAIRE
cover A MICHAEL WALSH & TOM MULLER
cover B BECKY CLOONAN
cover C CHRIS BURNHAM
SEPTEMBER 18
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99
SAVING THE WORLD. ONE MURDER AT A TIME.
Edward Zero is the perfect execution machine – a spy who breaks the rules to get things done. When a stolen device appears in the center of a long-running conflict, Zero comes to retrieve it. The problem is, the device is inside a living, breathing, bio-modified terrorist and there’s an entire army after it.
1. Sex. Criminals.
My second most highly anticipated new comic of the year (first being “Pretty Deadly” — sorry Matt and Chip!), “Sex Criminals” is the series you’ve been waiting for. It looks to be stunningly hilarious, as both Fraction and Zdarsky have — …well, shall we say, “personalities” to them? And everything they’ve teased on Twitter since the book was announced has been funny and raunchy and crazy and it just makes me want to read the book that much more.
And I’ll say this as well: when the book was announced, I almost thought it was a joke. “Satellite Sam” had also been announced and no one online (well, we were) was talking about this book called “Sex Criminals” where people bang and stop time and rob banks. I am so glad that it is a real book after all.
SEX CRIMINALS #1 – GEM OF THE MONTH
story MATT FRACTION
art / cover CHIP ZDARSKY
SEPTEMBER 4
32 PAGES / FC / M
$3.50
A SEX COMEDY FOR COMICS
Suzie’s a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night she meets John… who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping, couple would do: they rob banks. In the vein of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and BRIDESMAIDS, Image Comics invites you to come along with MATT FRACTION (Hawkeye, SATELLITE SAM) and CHIP ZDARSKY (Prison Funnies, Monster Cops) for the series that puts the “comic” back in “comics” and the “sexy” back in “sex crimes.”
