Announced at today’s Image Expo, “From Under Mountains” is an upcoming fantasy series from Marian Churchland, Claire Gibson and Sloane Leong that finds this trio of creators building a world a lifetime in the making for Churchland and Gibson, even as it exists as part of Brandon Graham’s “8HOUSE” shared universe.
“This project has particular personal significance, because I’ve known Claire since we were both in high school,” said Churchland in the Image press release. “We used to make fantasy comics together even way back then, and we had a project called The Hunt. Perhaps the less said about The Hunt the better, but it was enormous fun, and this feels like the respectable adult version of skipping math class to hide in the hallway and plot out the lives of our characters.”
It’s something a bit more personal than the average fantasy book thanks to the creators’ relationship, and there are plenty of other reasons to be excited about “From Under Mountains”, namely seeing Churchland on a major project for the first time in a while. Her graphic novel “Beast” was hugely acclaimed for its gorgeous art and brilliant ideas, and to see her tackle a whole new world with two great collaborators like Gibson and Leong is something that we’re very excited about. But what’s it all about? Here’s the synopsis from the press release:
Set in the isolated country of Akhara, rival houses face off in the struggle for political power and military security. Three unlikely figures — a lord’s daughter, a disgraced knight, and a runaway thief — will change the fate of their world, but the only hope of peace may lie with the mystery shrouded goblins and witches, and the ancient powers they command.
Come on now. If you’re a fantasy fan, how could you resist that? It’s especially difficult after seeing a preview featuring Leong’s art, who is someone I’ve been expecting big things from over the last year or two, and it’s great to see a major project featuring her work.
Expect some brilliant comic booking from this trio coming in 2015, and check out the full press release for the book below.
Image Press Release
Marian Churchland, Claire Gibson, and Sloane Leong will cast their spell upon readers in FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS, an all-new ongoing fantasy series.
Set in the isolated country of Akhara, rival houses face off in the struggle for political power and military security. Three unlikely figures—a lord’s daughter, a disgraced knight, and a runaway thief—will change the fate of their world, but the only hope of peace may lie with the mystery shrouded goblins and witches, and the ancient powers they command.
“This project has particular personal significance, because I’ve known Claire since we were both in high school,” said Churchland. “We used to make fantasy comics together even way back then, and we had a project called The Hunt. Perhaps the less said about The Hunt the better, but it was enormous fun, and this feels like the respectable adult version of skipping math class to hide in the hallway and plot out the lives of our characters.
“And we’re so thrilled to have Sloane on this. She’s is an amazing artist—she makes beautiful lines, and has a storytelling intelligence that I straight up envy. I’m really excited about what we’re producing.”
“I’m super excited to be working with Marian and Claire on this project,” added Leong. “They both have a love for world building and storytelling that I admire and watching them craft these great characters has been incredibly fun. This will be my first on-going series and I’m really excited to make it my own.”
“I’ve been eager for Marian to do something else at Image since we first published her graphic novel Beast back in 2009, so it’s pretty incredible to be welcoming her back in the company of such an incredible team,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “Marian, Claire, and Sloane are crafting something really special with this series, and I couldn’t more proud that they’re doing it here.”
The enchantment begins at Image Comics in 2015.
