Image Comics held it’s third annual Image Expo January 9th, and gave the comic world an orgasm. With The Walking Dead #115 being the top selling comic of 2013, Image had another strong year. Critically acclaimed additions to the strong stable of books Image releases has given the creator owned publisher a punchers chance against the Marvel and DC. The big 2 may not have to worry yet, but Image is showing that we may have to get used to saying big 3.
Nick Spencer, writer of Morning Glories, announced 3 new titles releasing in 2014; The Great Beyond with art by Morgan Jeske, Paradigms with art by Butch Guice, and Cerulean illustrated by Frazer Irving. Like a fine wine with a delicious steak, Spencer’s mythology heavy approach will pair well with Frazer Irving’s artwork.
James Robinson and Greg Hinkle are working on a comic that will star Robinson and Hinkle. Airboy will chronicle the attempts made to revive a popular character from the Golden Age of comics. Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini are collaborating on a project entitled Low, a sci-fi title that publisher Eric Stephenson says will be our new favorite comic.
Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham, who recently finished their work on Batman Incorporated, will collaborate once again on a six-part miniseries titled Nameless. This series was described as the ultimate horror comic by Burnham, an area where Morrison should excel. Not to be outdone by the previous scribe of Batman, Scott Snyder announced a partnership with Jock on Wytches. Snyder has a flair for horror themed stories, and it will be interesting to see these two working together.
Ed Brubaker and long time collaborator Sean Phillips have signed a 5-year exclusive deal with Image Comics. At the conclusion of Fatale, with issue #24, the two will start their new series The Fade Out. This is a big win for Image as Brubaker and Phillips are one of the best creative teams in comics.
2014 is shaping up to be an incredible year for Image comics and we should all be excited. The foundation is solid; it’s time to start talking about the floor plans of the Image house. Image hired some of the best people in the business to build up a legitimate threat to the comic industry’s status quo. Creator owned gives the writers and artists the freedom to let their ideas breathe and have life, and the announcements at Image Expo proves that this is a very good thing.
