Image Comics – Page 2

Image is bringing back ‘Ice Cream Man’ #1 with a ‘decoder cover’ this October

The black-and-white edition includes a bonus story and a “hidden” cover you unlock with an included decoder lens.

W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo’s long-running Ice Cream Man series is getting a special Halloween treat: Image Comics will bring the series’ debut issue back to shelves this October as Ice Cream Man #1: Chocolate/Vanilla Twist, a black-and-white edition with an interactive, decoder-based cover.

The twist is that the cover art is hidden behind a “focal decoder” treatment that makes the Ice Cream Man himself disappear. Readers can view it, along with some newly added secret messages and images, using an included “Lookety Split” Decoder Lens.

“Ice Cream Man: Chocolate/Vanilla Twist is where two of my favorite things converge: Martín’s first pages of this strange little book that would, for reasons still unclear to me, go on to become a geriatric ongoing comic… and this insanely cool focal decoder technology, which I experienced for the first (and last) time in college, when Bright Eyes’ 2007 LP Cassadaga came into my dorm’s mailroom bearing my name,” Prince said. “Both of those things left me with my jaw on the floor, as both of those things are, to me, examples of the way in which visual art and musical logic can create an experience greater than the sum of its parts. (And that’s before Chris O. and Good Old Neon made Ice Cream Man #1 even lovelier…) To marry those two things—as Part One of a special-project-kickoff to Ice Cream Man’s December return to regular publication, and its march toward issue 50—is a blessing that means more to me than I can articulate in a press release. There must be a monkey’s paw somewhere running out of fingers.”

The new edition also comes with remastered lettering by the crew at Good Old Neon and a brand-new Ice Cream Man short story from the original creative team, which also includes colorist Chris O’Halloran. Here’s an explainer on how the cover works:

SDCC Slugfest | News from DC, 2000 AD, Fantagraphics + more

As San Diego Comic-Con looms, we round up news on the show, recent comic announcements and more. Plus: comics at the G1 Climax opener!

With the San Diego Comic-Con coming up on July 23-26, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, so here’s an attempt to keep up with it all. Hit the links for more info.

DC has unveiled its plans for San Diego Comic-Con, which includes a continuation of their decade-long plan to spotlight a different era of the company in their booth, building toward their 100th anniversary in 2035. Last year the spotlight fell on the 1940s, so, given how numbers work, this year will focus on the 1950s — the decade that brought us Supergirl, Legion of Super- Heroes, Barry Allen, Hal Jordan and MAD Magazine.

Their booth will feature a 1950s-style Daily Planet newsstand, and they plan to give away free copies of MAD Magazine #1 facsimile edition, based on the original that debuted in 1952.

Here’s a video DC released spotlighting the comics and characters of that decade:

Mike Mignola’s ‘Circus of Bones’ art book showcases more than 145 original works

The hardcover companion to Mignola’s upcoming gallery exhibition arrives in November.

Mike Mignola’s latest artwork is heading from the gallery wall to bookstore shelves this fall.

Act 4 Publishing, in partnership with Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, has announced Circus of Bones: The Art of Mike Mignola, a 144-page hardcover collecting more than 145 pieces of original artwork created by the Hellboy creator. The book serves as the official catalog for Mignola’s upcoming exhibition at New York City’s Philippe Labaune Gallery, dates for which have not been announced yet.

The collection includes 53 new watercolor paintings created specifically for the exhibition, more than 60 published covers and interior pages, and more than 30 previously unpublished pencil and ink drawings. Every piece was scanned directly from the original artwork.

Lara Croft makes a surprise appearance in ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ this week before headlining a five-issue crossover

Skybound surprises readers with the first meeting of G.I. Joe and the Tomb Raider icon, with a full miniseries launching in October.

Skybound pulled another Wednesday surprise today, hiding an appearance by video game bad ass Lara Croft inside G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #330. They also announced that a five-issue crossover miniseries, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider, will follow in October from writer Kyle Higgins and artist Elena Casagrande.

The miniseries sends Lara Croft to Cobra Island in search of a hidden treasure called the Arbco Star, teaming her with Shipwreck and several other Joes as they race Destro and the Baroness for the prize. Higgins and Casagrande will be joined by colorist Alex Guimarães and letterer Pat Brosseau on the crossover.

“Tomb Raider meets G.I. Joe. Lost artifact, a Destro plot and a joint infiltration mission to Cobra Island– the appeal of a story like this should be obvious,” Higgins said. “Having never had the opportunity to work with either, I was quite excited when Alex Antone called to ask me if I’d like to build an adventure for both. We’re taking some really fun swings with both brands–and there are definitely some deep cuts for G.I. Joe fans!”

Chainsaws in space: Daniel Warren Johnson will unleash ‘Chainkata’ on an undeserving world in November

Nine years in the making, the Eisner Award-winning creator of ‘Do a Powerbomb’ and ‘Transformers’ introduces a chainsaw-wielding warrior queen seeking peace in a violent universe.

There’s nothing like getting July started off right as we build toward the big San Diego Comic-Con later this month. Image Comics and Daniel Warren Johnson are coming out swinging with a new ongoing series, Chainkata, which the Do a Powerbomb creator will write and draw. The first issue comes out in November.

The series follows Luma, a chainsaw-wielding warrior queen searching for an unknown power in the vastness of space. All she wants is peace, but violence and terror seem to follow her through every black hole.

“Ever since my start in comics, I’ve wanted to make a science fiction book that truly felt different from everything already out there,” Johnson said. “It was 2017 when I drew the first sketch of Luma, Chainkata‘s main character. From that point, it took me NINE years to come up with a story that I felt was worthy of being on the stands, and Chainkata is the end result of that journey. I have pushed myself narratively and artistically further than I ever have before, and I believe it shows in the pages you’ll be reading this fall. Please join me for an epic like none other. The Chain awaits you.”

‘Radiant Black’ debuts as Image Comics’ first-ever audiobook

Massive-Verse architect Kyle Higgins writes, directs and narrates the production, with ‘Boy Meets World’ co-stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle heading the cast.

Kyle Higgins’ Massive-verse keeps finding ways to become more massive, and now they’ve expanded off the comic page and into your ear with an audiobook adaptation.

Radiant Black: The Audiobook, Volume One is now available on Spotify, LibroFM, Everand and other platforms. This marks the first audiobook adaptation of not just the Massive-verse titles, but also an Image Comics title.

The production, from Black Market Narrative, is written, directed and narrated by Radiant Black co-creator Kyle Higgins, with Rider Strong and Will Friedle from the sitcom Boy Meets World voicing leads Nathan Burnett and Marshall Ward. Friedle previously voiced Marshall Ward in the secret animated short that was hidden behind a QR code in Radiant Black #15. The audiobook features cinematic sound design by Higgins and an original score by Sam Ewing, who worked on the music for The Walking Dead.

“When Eric Stephenson and Lorelei Bunjes first pitched me the idea of doing Radiant Black in audio, I knew that to do it right would be a huge undertaking,” Higgins said. “This project has been a true labor of love for our team. From assembling our amazing cast to recording, design, narration, score, and our final mix, this has been an incredible experience at every turn. I never thought I would be back in the world of audio, but to be able to work in one of my favorite mediums and take advantage of all the possibilities it affords has been more than worth it.”

Kelly Thompson + Mattia De Iulis reunite for ‘Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives’

The creative team behind ‘Absolute Wonder Woman Annual’ gives the Bride her own story in a four-issue series arriving in October.

Skybound has announced the next series in their Universal Monsters line — Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives, a four-issue miniseries from Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis.

De Iulis will both draw and color the series, with lettering by Becca Carey. The trio worked together on this year’s Absolute Wonder Woman Annual.

The series marks the eighth entry in Skybound’s Universal Monsters line, following Dracula, Frankenstein, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Invisible Man, the Mummy, the Phantom of the Opera and the Wolf Man, whose miniseries launched last month. Skybound began publishing comics based on the iconic horror characters in 2023, and have done a great job of pairing the right creative teams with each of the characters.

“The original Bride of Frankenstein is a brilliant film exploring the creature’s failed attempts to find friendship and community, and then the desperate act to force others to create that which he cannot find. What it’s not about, however, is how The Bride herself feels about her creation,” Thompson said. “Through The Bride of Frankenstein Lives we get the opportunity to explore not only her search for who and what she is, but her search for the women that were destroyed to create her — all brought to striking vivid life via Mattia De Iluis’s incredible visuals.”

Chris Condon + Jacob Phillips return to ‘That Texas Blood’ with a new arc this September

‘Hell Comes to Allison Ranch’ drops Sheriff Joe Bob Coates smack dab in the middle of a range war on the largest ranch in America.

Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips are heading back to the ranch for more That Texas Blood. What was supposed to be issue #21 is now the first issue of a new six-issue miniseries, That Texas Blood: Hell Comes to Allison Ranch, which will launch in September from Image Comics.

Starting in 2020, Condon and Phillips teamed together on 20 issues of That Texas Blood, with issue #20 coming out in 2022. Image had originally solicited the Allison Ranch storyline as issue #21, which would have come out earlier this month — but sometimes plans can change as fast as the Texas weather.

The new arc finds Sheriff Joe Bob Coates and Deputy Wilson Hart called to the Allison Ranch, the largest and richest ranch in the United States, where a family dispute has escalated into a war the even the Duttons would find extreme. Set in 2003, Condon says the story has thematic ties to both the original first volume and The Enfield Gang Massacre, the spinoff miniseries that followed the original series.

Che Grayson + Adam Gorham put the spotlight on another ‘Exquisite Corpses’ killer

‘Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer’ reveals the backstory of the franchise’s most enigmatic assassin in a five-issue miniseries arriving in September.

Tiny Onion and Image Comics have announced the next Exquisite Corpses spinoff: Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer, a five-issue series from Che Grayson and Adam Gorham that launches in September.

The two creators previously worked together on Exquisite Corpses #4, which featured the showdown between Fox Mask Killer and another of the killers, Lady Carolina. Colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Becca Carey, both of whom are also working on the first Exquisite Corpse spinoff, Rascal Randy, round out the creative team.

Grayson said the miniseries will reveal the face behind the mask, something the original series kept hidden, along with the character’s full backstory.

Eliot Rahal + Mattia Monaco go bananas with neo-noir buddy comedy ‘Crimes Against Nature’

The Image Comics series pairs a washed-up Hollywood animal trainer and his gorilla, as they go on the run from a crime they didn’t commit.

Eliot Rahal and Mattia Monaco are teaming up again on Crimes Against Nature, a neo-noir buddy comedy from Image Comics that launches in September. Rahal and Monaco previously collaborated on Knock ‘Em Dead.

“This story is about two desperate fathers, one at the end of his rope, with nothing left to lose, shooting their shot—and I’m not talking about the characters in our book,” said Rahal. “I’m talking about Mattia and me. Honestly, working on this book has felt like him and me against the world, with help from the friends we’ve made along the way. It’s a feeling I haven’t had since I first started in comics. It feels like we’re committing a crime together. Like we’re doing something special. It’s exciting. Special. And it’s fitting for our first Image book. I’m just so grateful for Mattia. Every panel and page is lightning in a bottle. It’s one of the greatest partnerships of my life. And I think all of that joy and trust spills out into our book about a guy and his gorilla.”

Darcy Van Poelgeest + Ian Bertram reunite for dark fantasy ‘The Karman Blade’

The creative team behind ‘Little Bird’ and ‘Precious Metal’ are back with a new miniseries in September.

Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram are reuniting for The Karman Blade, a four-issue dark fantasy miniseries from Image Comics launching in September

The series is about a man on the outskirts of a dying desert world who is chosen by a blade forged from the stars to slay a despotic deity named Kalu, who hoards the world’s water in his kingdom. Before the boy can begin his quest, he must first confront his own demons and answer the blade’s call.

“The Karman Blade is a feral work,” Bertram said. “It’s something Darcy and I made in a swamp of beautiful and festering creativity. Now it emerges, tall, and rough and wide eyed. Glistening and set to purpose. It’s a work of passion and obsession and I can’t wait to finally set it free and share it with everyone!”

Todd McFarlane brings his original 1977 Spawn design to comics

Nearly 50 years after creating the character as a teenager, McFarlane teams with Mark Spears for a three-issue miniseries built around his earliest Spawn concept art.

Todd McFarlane is going back to the well that spawned Spawn in a new three-issue miniseries with Mark Spears. Image Comics will release Spawn 77, which will be co-written by McFarlane and Spears, with Spears providing fully painted interior art.

The series takes its name from 1977, the year a budding 16-year-old McFarlane first sketched the character design that would eventually evolve into Spawn. Spawn 77 marks the first official comic appearance of that original design, though the story itself introduces a new character and narrative rooted in Spawn mythology rather than adapting McFarlane’s teenage concept directly.

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