Joe Casey and Paul Fry will dig through the bones of 1990s comics nostalgia in Blood Squad Seven, a new series that spins out of Casey’s recent work on Dutch.
“This might be the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my 20-plus years working with Image Comics,” Casey said. “To play in this sandbox is the most fun I’ve ever had writing in a shared universe. This series is much more than a modern deconstruction of what it meant to be a superhero in the ’90s. Paul and I are building on that past to find our way into the future.”
Here’s the premise, as described in the press release:
Thirty years ago, Blood Squad Seven was America’s most popular superhero team. Its members were seen on television, on magazine covers, scoring million-dollar endorsement deals…. They were celebrities and they were everywhere.
But that was then… this is now. And so, a new generation of modern-day heroes takes up the mantle—or perhaps, the poisoned chalice—fulfilling a promise made decades ago: to be the heroes that a fractured America needs.
“Diving into this project has been a creative roller coaster,” Fry said. “Collaborating with the brilliant Joe Casey, we’re resurrecting the original Image vibe with a dash of edgy innovation. Brace yourselves for a comic series that redefines the classic with a modern twist!”
Here’s a look at the first issue’s variant covers by Chris Weston, Nick Pitarrra and Jim Rugg, plus a variant of Fry’s main cover:
The first issue arrives in stores on May 22.