As big as SDCC is, there are times when it hardly seems to be focused on comics anymore. And especially if you're not Marvel or DC, it's all too easy to have your announcements drowned out by the glut of movie, TV, and video game panels. These days, Image eliminates the problem by holding their own annual, one-day convention - the Image Expo. Just like last year, the Expo was home to a number of big announcements as more A-List creators are bringing their independent projects to Image.
We already debuted Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera's sci-fi epic Black Science, but here's a rundown of the many other new books and major storylines Image announced today.
Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artist: Bill Sienkiewicz
J. Michael Straczynski is focusing heavily on creator-owned projects since debuting his "Joe's Comics" imprint at Image. In addition to previously announced books like Ten Grand and Sidekick, he'll be penning a new series called Alone that promises to "deconstruct comic book storytelling." He certainly tapped the right collaborator for the job, as Bill Sienkiewicz will be illustrating the series.
Straczynski also revealed that two of his older creator-owned books will be transitioning over to Image - Lost Souls (with artist Collen Doran) and Dream Police (with artist Mike Deodato, Jr.). Straczynski said that both books will be focused on large, 12-issue storylines moving forward.
Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Matteo Scalera
Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera first teamed on Secret Avengers last year, and they're reuniting for a new sci-fi series called Black Science. Remender is billing the project as a spiritual successor to Fear Agent. It features a mysterious organization called the Anarchist League of Science and is inspired by Remender's love of the artwork of Frank Frazetta and Al Willamson. The first issue is scheduled to ship in November 2013.
Click here for more info and preview art for Black Science #1.
Writer: Rick Remender Artist: Wes Craig
The other new announcement concerning Remender today involved a series called Deadly Class. Wes Craig is illustrating the book, which focuses on a school for teenage assassins-in-training. Remender said the book will be "self-indulgent" pulling from his own experiences as part of the 1980's punk rock scene. Despite the dark tone and violent content, Remender is focusing on "slice-of-life stories." The series will start off in 1987 and move forward as new classes of students transition through the school.
Writer: Mark Millar Artist: Duncan Fegredo
Mark Millar appeared at the Image Expo via video to talk about the recently-launched Jupiter's Legacy (and also to try to convince Eric Stephenson to hold the Expo in Edinburgh next year). However, he too had a new book to announce. Working with artist Duncan Fegredo, MPH is being planned as the first leg in a larger effort to build a shared superhero universe. Millar said that if Jupiter's Legacy is comparable to Watchmen, then MPH is akin to him creating his own 21st Century Marvel Universe. Specifically, MPH is said to be as crucial to the line as Fantastic Four was for Marvel.
Writers: Darren Aronofsky & Ari Handel Artist: Nico Henrichon
Similar to what happened with The Fountain, Darren Aronofsky and collaborator Ari Handel turned their script for Noah into a graphic novel before it was ultimately picked up as a film. Pride of Baghdad artist Nico Henrichon illustrated the four-part adaptation. While the Noah graphic novels debuted in France back in 2011, Image is finally translating the comic and bringing it to America. Like the movie, Noah is a science-fiction-flavored take on the biblical tale of Noah and the flood myth.
Image will publish Noah in early 2014 in advance of the film's March 28 release date.
Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Christian Ward
In addition to previous announcements like Satellite Sam (launching tomorrow) and Sex Criminals, Matt Fraction will be debuting another creator-owned project at Image. ODY-C is a futuristic re-imagining of Homer's The Odyssey with artist Christian Ward. Fraction acknowledged that this won't be the first Image comic inspired by The Odyssey (after Gerry Duggan and Phil Noto's Infinite Horizon), but the series looks to be carving its own territory.
The story takes place in the aftermath of a prolonged interstellar war. While the story will follow similar beats as Ulysses struggles to return home, another twist is that all the roles are being gender-swapped. Fraction specifically noted a desire to morph Ulysses into a role model for his daughter.
ODY-C will debut sometime in early 2014.
Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Jason Latour
Jason Aaron became the latest Marvel-exclusive creator to debut a project at Image. Southern Bastards is pretty much what the name implies. The series is set in a fictional Alabama county and features a variety of bizarre villains, including an evil football coach. Aaron noted that the book is inspired by his and Latour's Southern heritage, and that it stemmed from certain unused ideas from his Scalped run.
Aaron also noted that the book will fill a void that Marvel doesn't allow for in that he can curse as much as he pleases. The book was billed as "The Untouchables vs. Boss Hog." Southern Bastards #1 is slated to ship sometime in early 2014.
Writer: Ed Brubaker Artist: Steve Epting
The creative team that put Captain America back on the map in 2005 are finally reuniting for a new project. Velvet is a similarly espionage-focused series, though one more influenced by the James Bond series than superhero comics. The series stars Velvet Templeton, a heroine in the vein of Miss Moneypenny who is forced to return to field work during the chaotic Cold War era. Brubaker revealed that he's been developing the story for about eight years and has been waiting for Epting to wrap up his Marvel contract before moving forward.
Velvet #1 is slated to ship in October 2013.
Writer: Robert Kirkman Artists: Charlie Adlard & Stefano Gaudiano
Though hardly a new series at Image, The Walking Dead will be entering a major new phase later this year. October's issue #115 kicks off a new storyline called "All Out War," which looks to be the culmination of the ongoing feud between the main cast and current villain Negan. Kirkman also mentioned that, as the series approaches its tenth anniversary, he wants to begin chronicling the efforts to rebuild civilization and the various problems that arise as a result.
The Walking Dead will ship biweekly for the duration of "All Out War." Inker Stefano Gaudiano is being brought on board to help penciller Charlie Adlard keep pace the rapid shipping schedule.
In addition to these various new titles, Image also announced that they'll begin offering DRM-free digital downloads for some of their books. Unlike digital providers like Comixology, who offer downloads that are tied to an account and require an Internet connection if you want to download a book from the cloud, users are free to choose their preferred format (including PDF, CBR, and ePUB), and can transfer and organize the files to their liking. This announcement follows on the heels of Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin's Private Eye, which is offered in various DRM-free formats directly from the creators' website.
“My stance on piracy is that piracy is bad for bad entertainment,” Image's publisher Eric Stephenson told Wired. “There’s a pretty strong correlation with things that suck not being greatly pirated, while things that are successful have a higher piracy rate. If you put out a good comic book, even if somebody does download it illegally, if they enjoy it then the likelihood of them purchasing the book is pretty high. Obviously we don’t want everybody giving a copy to a hundred friends, but this argument has been around since home taping was supposedly killing music back in the ’70s, and that didn’t happen. And I don’t think it’s happening now.”
Image also provided a chart that predicts digital comics will grow to encompass 15% of the comics market in 2013.
Image's site is offering DRM-free downloads starting today, Initially, these downloads will focus on new releases like The Walking Dead, but will eventually expand to include classic Image books as well.
Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter, or Kicksplode on MyIGN.
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