Image Comics had a very busy week, among their announcements this week were the announcement of some new titles including one from Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson, a series from Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin being collected in a slipcover edition, variant limited covers for WEATHERMAN #6, and more.
The week kicked off with the announcement of a new mini-series from MD Marie and artists Carlos Miko and Dema Jr. VINDICATION will hit shelves on January 16th from Image’s Top Cow imprint.
The news that got me most excited was the new series from two creators with impressive resumes. Gary Whitta and Darick Robertson will team up for the “dystopian series” OLIVER. The series which will hit shelves on January 23rd is a retelling of the Charles Dickens’ classic, but the main character is a superhero tale set in a post-apocalyptic and war-ravaged England.
The Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin series BARRIER will get a special slipcase edition release this March. BARRIER: LIMITED EDITION SLIPCASE SET will collect all five issues of the sci-fi series when it hit shelves on March 27th.
As though the above news about the Whitta/Robertson series wasn’t enough for you, Image also announced that multi Eisner Award winner Ed Brubaker and Einser award winner Sean Phillips will be returning to their Eisner Award winning CRIMINALS series.
The new series will be an ongoing title with the first issue being a double sized one, it will be released on January 9th.
Next up was the news that to kick off the finale of a story arc in THE WEATHERMAN, Image Comics announced two variant covers for issue #6. Jerome Opeña will be handling one of the limited edition covers with Cliff Chiang handling the other.
All four versions of the issue will hit shelves on November 14th.
All press releases for the news this week are below. All artwork courtesy of Image Comics.
VINDICATION ARRIVES THIS JANUARY
PORTLAND, OR, 10/16/2018 — Writer MD Marie and artists Carlos Miko and Dema Jr. team up for VINDICATION, an all-new miniseries coming this January from Image Comics/Top Cow.
In turbulent times, when cops are often portrayed as enemies of the people, Detective Chip Christopher walks the blurred blue line between racism and due diligence in order to do his job. And right now it’s his job to investigate Turn, a young black man with a sketchy past—who was previously exonerated of a similar murder.
VINDICATION #1 (Diamond code: NOV180041) hits comic book stores on Wednesday, January 16th. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, December 17th.
GARY WHITTA AND DARICK ROBERTSON’S OLIVER ARTFULLY DODGES ITS WAY INTO STORES
THIS JANUARY
| PORTLAND, OR, 10/16/2018 — Award-winning screenwriter Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Book Of Eli) teams with celebrated artist Darick Robertson (HAPPY!, Transmetropolitan, The Boys) for the highly anticipated new dystopian series OLIVER—coming this January from Image Comics. “OLIVER has been more than 15 years in the making, so it’s a particular thrill to finally see it on its way to a comics store near you, and at a time when it feels more relevant than ever,” said Whitta. “I couldn’t be more excited to be working with my long-time friend Darick Robertson, whose artwork I’ve admired ever since his groundbreaking work on Transmetropolitan.” In this totally new take on a literary classic, Charles Dickens’ most famous orphan is reimagined as a post-apocalyptic superhero fighting to liberate a war-ravaged England while searching for the truth about his own mysterious origins. “This project has been a long labor of love for me,” said Robertson. “Co-creating OLIVER has been an opportunity to bring my level best work, with support from Eric Stephenson and Image. It is the essence of what brings me passion for comics and visual storytelling. With OLIVER, I have been able to co-create a rich, emotionally engaging story by my (very patient) friend Gary Whitta, whose career has just surged in the time we have been creating this book. For me, this is what indie comics are all about. I am thrilled to have it scheduled for its January launch at long last.” OLIVER #1 (Diamond code: NOV180029) will be available in comic book stores on Wednesday, January 23rd. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, December 31st. Advance praise for OLIVER: “Gary Whitta slips effortlessly from movies into comics with a terrific story and career-best art from Darick Robertson.” —Mark Millar “This is compelling and masterful storytelling, vividly set in a world that is both familiar and startling.” —Dave Gibbons |
BARRIER: LIMITED EDITION SLIPCASE SET IN STORES THIS MARCH
PORTLAND, OR, 10/16/2018 — Image Comics is proud to release a special limited edition slipcase for BARRIER, Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s acclaimed science fiction miniseries, this March.
To celebrate serialized comic books (and the awesome stores that sell them!), Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin have no plans to ever release a collected edition of their Eisner-nominated miniseries BARRIER. But for everyone looking for a way to store or display all five original issues, look no further than this gorgeous new slipcase—the perfect home for the unconventional sci-fi drama about violence, language, and illegal immigration.
“I am so proud of this series, especially after hearing from readers who happen to be immigrants from around the world,” said Vaughan. “If you’ve already read BARRIER, this classy-ass slipcase from our friends at Image Comics is the perfect way to keep our story on the shelf next to your hard copy of THE PRIVATE EYE. And if you haven’t read it yet, you can pick up a slipcase that includes all five oversized issues in their original first printings. As always, you can still download BARRIER (and more great comics!) at PanelSyndicate.com for any price you think is fair.”
BARRIER LIMITED EDITION SLIPCASE SET (Diamond code: NOV180090) and BARRIER LIMITED EDITION SLIPCASE (EMPTY) (Diamond code: NOV180091) will be available on Wednesday, March 27th. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, December 3rd.
Select praise for BARRIER:
“BARRIER is a science fiction comic that America needs right now.” —io9
“This book comes highly recommended. Give it a read.” —Bleeding Cool
“A fascinating mix of topical immigration issues, drug cartels, and something wholly unexpected.” —Newsarama
“Marcos Martin is one of the best artists in comics, and BARRIER is an outstanding spotlight for his storytelling skills.” —AV Club
“Stands out as a genuinely significant story for its time.” —ComicBook.com
“BARRIER successfully blends a story about immigration, language, and violence into a sci-fi package. It’s a must-read.” —ComicsVerse
POWERHOUSE CREATORS ED BRUBAKER AND SEAN PHILLIPS RETURN TO MULTIPLE EISNER AWARD-WINNING SERIES CRIMINAL WITH NEW MONTHLY ISSUES
PORTLAND, OR, 10/16/2018 — Hot off the critically acclaimed, bestselling series KILL OR BE KILLED and breakout hit original graphic novel MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, crime comic masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips return to their beloved, iconic CRIMINAL series. The multiple Eisner award-winning CRIMINAL will return as an all-new monthly from Image Comics in January 2019.
“CRIMINAL was where Sean and I really established our brand as a team, and while writing MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES (which takes place in the CRIMINAL world), it just suddenly felt like the perfect time to bring it back to the monthly comic shelves. But this time I wanted it to be different—not just serialized graphic novels, but also single-issue stories and even the odd two-issue story sometimes,” said Brubaker. “I love the elasticity that CRIMINAL allows me—because this world we’ve created gives me a place to tell any kind of crime story and to focus on different characters, both old and new—and I want to really embrace the monthly comics format, and try to create a series where readers will never know what’s coming next from issue to issue.”
CRIMINAL #1 will debut as a double-sized issue, featuring the return of Teeg Lawless, whose teenage son is causing him trouble that he may not be able to fight his way out of, for the first time in his violence-fueled life.
Phillips added: “It’s a pleasure to return to the world of CRIMINAL with new stories of familiar characters and new characters too. I’m back to drawing on paper after a few years drawing THE FADE OUT and KILL OR BE KILLED digitally, so it’s also a welcome return to inky fingers and white-out.”
A perfect introduction for readers to the dark and exciting world of CRIMINAL, this new series will also include back-page articles and illustrations to bring readers more fully into the noir experience.
CRIMINAL #1 (Diamond Code NOV180021) will be available on Wednesday, January 9th. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, December 10th.
CRIMINAL #1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including the official Image Comics iOS app, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play.
MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES hardcover (ISBN: 978-1534308466, Diamond Code: JUL180133) is available now and can be found at a local comic shop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, IndieBound, and Indigo.
About Ed Brubaker:
Ed Brubaker is one of the most acclaimed writers in comics, winning five best writer Eisner and Harvey Awards in the last 10 years. His bestselling work with Sean Phillips on CRIMINAL, INCOGNITO, FATALE, and THE FADE OUT has been translated around the world to great acclaim, and Marvel’s movies featuring his co-creation, The Winter Soldier, have all been international blockbusters. He works in comics, film, and television, most recently as a writer on HBO’s hit series Westworld, co-creator of Too Old to Die Young with Nicolas Winding Refn for Amazon Studios, and co-creator with Sean Phillips on MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES. Brubaker will reteam with Sean Phillips and return to the multiple Eisner Award-winning series, CRIMINAL with all new monthly issues from Image Comics in January 2019.
About Sean Phillips:
Drawing comics professionally since the age of 15, Eisner Award-winning Sean Phillips has worked for all the major comics publishers. Since drawing Sleeper, Hellblazer, Batman, X-Men, Marvel Zombies, and Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, Sean has concentrated on creator-owned books including CRIMINAL, INCOGNITO, Seven Psychopaths, FATALE, THE FADE OUT, and most recently co-created with Ed Brubaker: MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES. Phillips will reteam with Ed Brubaker and return to the multiple Eisner Award-winning series, CRIMINAL with all-new monthly issues from Image Comics in January 2019.
THE WEATHERMAN UNVEILS JEROME OPEÑA AND CLIFF CHIANG COVERS
| PORTLAND, OR, 10/17/2018 — In anticipation of the pulse-pounding THE WEATHERMAN story arc finale, Image Comics is pleased to spotlight two jaw-dropping, limited THE WEATHERMAN #6 covers featuring the eye-popping artwork by Jerome Opeña (SEVEN TO ETERNITY) and Cliff Chiang (PAPER GIRLS). THE WEATHERMAN will go out with a bang and return with volume two in May 2019. In THE WEATHERMAN #6, Agent Cross finds herself in a battle to the death to save the life of a man who may be responsible for the murder of billions. But if Nathan Bright dies, so does what’s left of humanity… Don’t miss the shocking conclusion of the first chapter of Jody LeHeup and Nathan Fox’s riveting sci-fi thriller THE WEATHERMAN. THE WEATHERMAN #6 hits stores on Wednesday, November 14th. The final order cutoff for comics retailers is Monday, October 22nd. WEATHERMAN #6 Cover A Fox – SEP180218 WEATHERMAN #6 Cover B Martin – SEP180219 WEATHERMAN #6 Cover C Chiang (Limited) – JUL188680 WEATHERMAN #6 Cover D Opeña (Limited) – AUG189217 |
