So odds are, you’ve heard of Saga – Image Comics’ mega-hit, the poster child for creator-owned comic success – but there’s so much more to Image that just Saga. Or, as Marc Bernardin put it, like HBO, “Image made their brand quality.” So, want a peek at what Image has coming up next? Here are the titles the Image panel showcased at Long Beach Comic Con:
Invisible Republic by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko
Corinna Bechko described her upcoming title as secret history sci-fi (or poli-sci-fi). The story revolves around a woman who witnessed the rise of her cousin from rebel leader to dictator – only to then be completely erased from “official” history, because she knew too much. The politics of conquest, the rise of an empire, and the woman who found herself with no place in it – oh do I like the sound of that.
Description:
While hunting for a human-interest story during a humanitarian crisis, reporter Croger Babb uncovers the four-decade-old journal of Maia Reveron, detailing what she knows about the legendary Arthur McBride. Maia has been erased from all the official histories, but she alone knows what Arthur is really capable of.
Launches in 2015.
Nameless by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
I mean, it’s a book by Grant Morrison (Arkham Asylum), so dark and disturbing goes without saying – artist Chris Burnham was at the panel, and swore it was more than his life was worth to say more about the upcoming sci-fi/horror title – but he did admit, as he was working with Grant, that the joke title they gave it was: “At the meteors of madness.” So mull on that, Lovecraftians.
Description:
The six-issue miniseries will center around a high-functioning, Benedict Cumberbatch/Sherlock-like character called Nameless.
Debuting in 2014
C.O.W.L. by Kyle Higgens, Alec Siegel, and Rod Reis
Kyle Higgens described his series simply as The Wire meets The Avengers – though I’ve also heard names like Heroes, Watchmen, and Mad Men bandied about when it comes to this title. Retro flavor, disillusioned heroes, and the struggle of organized labor to survive – what’s not to like?
Description:
The Chicago Organized Workers League once stood as a beacon of hope against an epidemic of organized crime and an unbeatable “brotherhood” of Super-Villains. Now, in 1962, the union faces a disillusioned public, scandal, and a new era of threats.
The trade hits shelves October 29.
Genius by Marc Bernardin, Adam Freeman, and Afua Richardson
With the first Genius mini just wrapping its run, Marc Bernardin shared that there is indeed another Genius miniseries in the works – and he’s hoping to have it ready to drop next year. As for what we can expect from the series going forward, Bernardin said, well: “We don’t want to do a sequel that takes away everything you liked about the first – but we don’t want to do the same thing again either.”
Description:
What if the greatest military mind of our generation was born to a people who are already supremely conditioned to wage war, who know nothing but violence since birth, and must continually adapt to new predators in order to survive? What if the second coming of Alexander the Great, of Genghis Khan, of Napoleon, of Patton…what if it was a teenaged girl from South Central, L.A. named Destiny? And what if she decides to secede three blocks of the ‘Hood from the Union? Who is going to take it back from her and her army of gangbangers? Who CAN?
So there you have it, even more reasons to keep an eye on the Image aisle in the future – as if there weren’t enough already!
I need to read all of these. They all look so good!
So many comics, so little shelf space… Lol.