Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment have announced “Skybound X” will return with issue #25 on July 20, 2022. The extra-sized issue, which is intended to mark Image’s 30th anniversary, will contain four stories, each showcasing an upcoming series:
– ‘Battle Beast,’ a spin-off of “Invincible,” by original creators Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley. In the original series, Battle Beast was Thokk, a fierce alien warrior who had become obsessed with battling a worthy opponent.
– ‘Dark Ride,’ a horror “epic” by “Birthright” creators Josh Williamson and Andrei Bressan. Details were not given on the plot, although Williamson shared some art suggesting demons and castles here.
– ‘Kroma,’ a fantasy story by Lorenzo De Felici (“Oblivion Song”), which revolves around the “savage and beautiful” title character.
– ‘Scurry,’ a post-apocalyptic fable by Mac Smith, that “tells the story of how animals battle for survival when all of humanity dies.” The comic was previously a self-published webcomic.
Promising that “Skybound X” #25 will be “the best one yet,” Kirkman states, “Battle Beast is one of those characters I’m always trying to find a way to write again. Ryan Ottley is an artist I’m always trying to find a way to work with again. ‘Invincible’ fans should start getting REAL excited for what we’re cooking up together!”
The initial “Skybound X” series ran for only five issues in July 2021, and featured stories from the imprint’s subsequent titles, like Tillie Walden’s “Clementine” graphic novels. “Skybound X” #25 will be released with covers by Ottley, Bressan, De Felici and Smith, all of which (except the one for ‘Dark Ride’) can be viewed here.
