Image Comics

Elle Peterssen is young, wealthy, and beautiful — and there is a reason someone tried to kill her. Only, Elle doesn't remember any of this. MIND THE GAP, the new Image Comics series by the Eisner Award-winning writer Jim McCann (The Dapper Men) debuting on May 2, is a mystery with a paranormal twist. Elle, in a spirit form detached from her comatose body, must not only unravel the mystery of her attacker's identity and motive but her entire life as well.

"I love the genre of the 'whodunit.' Psychological thrillers, murder mysteries, and film noir all influence me, and this story, heavily," said writer Jim McCann. "It’s a preternatural story — something science acknowledges on the fringe but hasn’t proven yet."

Between her family members' and her friends' perceptions of her, Elle can't be sure which version of Ellis Peterssen is who she really was. But Elle must put together the pieces. Her identity holds the key to stopping her attacker before he can strike again.

"This is a book I've been excited about since Jim first pitched it," noted Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "I feel like we really got lucky with this one, because Jim is a great writer and just a consummate professional, and Rodin — well, I've been admiring his cover work for ages, but that still didn't prepare me for how insanely awesome his interior work is! Pleased beyond belief to be associated with such amazing talent!"

With gorgeous art by MORNING GLORIES cover artist Rodin Esquejo and colors by Sonia Oback, MIND THE GAP will trace the path Elle takes back to herself — and her would-be murderer. The art plays an integral role in uniting Elle's disembodied experience and the real world, said McCann.

"This story will take on some otherworldly scenes, which the team handles beautifully, as well as some very real and gritty situations, sometimes even violent," he said. "I wanted that to look as realistic as possible, and juxtapose it with the clean, beautiful atmosphere Rodin and Sonia deliver."

MIND THE GAP #1 is a full-color 48-page comic book for $2.99 available for preorder in the March issue of Preview. (cover A: MAR120401, cover B: MAR120402). It will be in comic book stores and digital platforms on May 2. A preview of the issue's 9-page prologue ran in USA Today on February 22.

FATALE, the crime noir with a horror twist by renowned creative team Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, and PROPHET, the relaunch of Rob Liefeld's 1990s Extreme comic, published by Image Comics, continues to be in-demand in comic book stores. Both titles will receive new printings of issues, now available for order from Diamond Comics.

The third printing of FATALE #1 and the second printing of FATALE #2 have sold out, and both issues will go back to press. The fourth printing of FATALE #1 (DEC118207) and third printing of #2 (JAN128122) will be in stores on March 21.

PROPHET #22, the second issue by relaunch team Brandon Graham and Simon Roy, has also sold out and will receive a second printing (JAN128086). It will be in stores on the same day as PROPHET #23, March 21.

Experience Creativity with comics’ greatest creators at the Image Expo Welcome Party sponsored by Image Comics and iFanboy to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund!  The party is free for CBLDF members and kicks off at 8 PM on February 24, 2012 at The Uptown in Oakland, California. This party jump starts a weekend of celebrating independent comics and free speech at the Image Expo, taking place at the Oakland Convention Center. Proceeds from the Image Expo Welcome Party will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, who will have a gift bag for members and donors!

"The way Downtown Oakland has transformed itself over the last couple years is really inspiring, and I have a lot of admiration for all the people who made that happen,” said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. “Being able to involve Image in an event that takes place within such a vibrant community feels really good."

Many of the superstar creators appearing at the Image Expo will be in attendance for the Image Expo Party, including: Robert Kirkman, Brian K. Vaughan, Joe Casey, Jonathan Hickman, Erik Larsen, Jim McCann, Blair Butler, Rob Guillory, Fiona Staples, Tim Seeley, Sina Grace, and Joe Keatinge.

CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein said, “The Bay Area is an incredible creative place, and we’re thrilled to be working with Image and iFanboy to make this killer celebration of art and music that thanks our members for supporting our important work! I can’t wait to meet everyone who comes out!”

The party will also which will feature a musical performance by The Philistines, as well as music from DJs Dollar Bin and Wall Piece and some special celebrity guest DJs.

“We’re super excited to be teaming up with Image Comics and the CBLDF for this event,” said iFanboy co-founder Ron Richards. “There’s nothing better than celebrating comics and rocking out on the eve of a great convention like Image Expo!”

Full event details:
The Image Expo Welcome Party
WHEN: February 24, 2012 – Doors open at 8 PM
WHERE: The Uptown - 1928 Telegraph Avenue  Oakland, CA 94612
FREE FOR CBLDF MEMBERS
SUGGESTED DONATION: $10/all others
Proceeds will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

PETER PANZERFAUST #1 Sells Out, Gets New Printing

PETER PANZERFAUST #1, the debut of the new Image Comics series that merges Peter Pan with a World War II adventure story, has sold out after being released in stores on February 14. It will immediately return to press for a second printing (JAN128112) due in stores the same day as PETER PANZERFAUST #2 (JAN120599), March 14.

In the first issue of this new ongoing series by Kurtis Wiebe (GREEN WAKE) and Tyler Jenkins, French orphans in Calais, a French city that has been heavily bombed by the Germans, encounter a charismatic American soldier. Inspired by his esprit, the boys find themselves trusting him with their lives — and learning that they can perform feats they would have never thought possible.

Comics reviewers have widely praised the debut:

"Peter Panzerfaust can only promise more action and intrigue amidst a magical story time backdrop on a monthly basis. Here, lost boys do indeed live forever."
- JP Fallavollita, Biff Bam Pop

"Peter Panzerfaust captures the magic of Peter Pan and transports it into a story of brotherhood during war.  Not only is Kurtis J. Wiebe's story a great introduction to his new project, but Tyler Jenkins' art masterfully brings that tale to life."
- Jason Clyma, Broken Frontier

"Pick of the Week. If you’re looking for a jaunty boys adventure book with a vintage feel, but modern sensibilities, I can think of nothing on the comic shelves that will fill the need better than Peter Panzerfaust. "
- Josh Flanagan, iFanboy

PETER PANZERFAUST is a monthly, full-color comic book series published under Image Comics' Shadowline imprint, available in comic book stores and multiple digital outlets.

The past is a mystery to the protagonist of EPIC KILL, a new comic book series by Raffaele Ienco due out from Image Comics in May. Eighteen-year-old Song is an assassin. She just doesn't know it. In her life at the St. Thomas School for Troubled Girls, hints of her past slip into her daily life — a tea cup caught before it can shatter on the floor, memories of sparring sessions, and, finally, her ultimate skill put to use once more.

Ienco's anti-heroine is both graceful and cold, having been trained both to kill and to have no remorse. "Song was taught to 'suppress all human emotion and compassion' because of her mission — which is far bigger than what you see in the first issue — can’t be completed by someone with doubt, someone who would stop for even a second and question what she is doing," Ienco elaborated. "She’s come to America to fulfill this mission and left all the tears she’ll ever shed back home in the body of the little girl she once was. Anyone who gets in her way… better move."

Song must fight her way through scores of men trying to kill her to find the man who sent them, and perhaps solve the mystery of who she is — and why she is one of the deadliest weapons in the United States. Ienco, whose previous work includes the horror comic DEVOID OF LIFE, also published by Image, promises to deliver on the title of his comic, with Song performing at least one epic kill in every issue.

EPIC KILL #1 (MAR120415), a 32-page full-color action comic book for $2.99, will be on sale in stores and digital platforms on May 2 and is available for order in the March issue of Previews. An exclusive preview of EPIC KILL #1 was featured at USA Today on February 15.

Image Comics congratulates Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura on their receiving the International Manga Award for their comic book I KILL GIANTS. The Japanese Foreign Ministry announced that Kelly and Niimura had won the prestigious prize on Tuesday.

Originally published by Image Comics in 2008, then released in an oversized hardcover collection in 2010, I KILL GIANTS tells the story of Barbara Thorson, an acerbic fifth-grader so consumed with fantasy that she doesn't just tell people that she kills giants with an ancient Norse warhammer — she starts to believe it herself. The reasons for Barbara's troubled behavior are revealed through the course of the book, as she learns to reconcile her fantasy life with the real world.

"We do a lot of books I'm extremely proud of, but this is one is way up there," said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "The outstanding work Joe and Ken did on I KILL GIANTS is proof positive of how great this medium is. That something so moving and heartfelt can be both a critical and commercial success should be an inspiration to creative people everywhere. It's nothing short of an honor to be associated with such an extraordinary piece of work."

Kelly and Niimura will receive their award in a ceremony on Friday, followed by a ten-day tour of Japan, during which they will meet with Japanese cartoonists and publishers and visit areas hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami last year.

Image Expo is excited to announce the addition of Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on AMC's record-breaking television series The Walking Dead, to the comic convention's The Walking Dead -- LIVE panel. The panel takes place during Image Expo on Saturday, February 25 at 4 p.m. in the Oakland Convention Center in Oakland, California. Reedus will join The Walking Dead creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman and  Reedus' Walking Dead castmate Steven Yeun (Glenn) in conversation with Chris Hardwick.

Fans of The Walking Dead stick around after the show every week to watch The Talking Dead and hear what goes on behind the scenes of cable TV's highest rated drama in history. This conversation will be even better because you can see it up close and in person exclusively by attending Image Expo. This unique and first-time ever opportunity offers the chance to not only listen in but ask your own questions of some of the show's principle players live and in person. Kirkman, Yeun, and Reedus will talk to Hardwick about the latest shocking plot twists and what it’s like working on a show that has taken the world by storm.

This is just one of the exciting panels taking place during Image Expo, ranging from small, limited-attendance workshops conducted by the Image founders to large panels with some of comics' most talented creators talking about the present and future of the industry. In addition to this panel, Robert Kirkman will also be on the stage for three other panels: to discuss taking your favorite comics from the page to television, the latest from his Image Comics imprint Skybound, and a special fan question-and-answer session. For a complete listing of Image Expo's programming, go to www.imagecomicexpo.com.

Attendees of Image Expo, taking place February 24, 25, and 26 in Oakland, California will get something else in addition to excellent programming, array of exhibiting publishers and artists, and face time with their favorite collectors -- the chance to get six comics with convention-exclusive covers.

The first 5,000 attendees of Image Expo will receive a free copy of THE WALKING DEAD #94 by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn with an exclusive cover picturing Michonne, katana at her side, atop an intertwined mass of zombies.

An exclusive GLORY #23 featuring a new cover by Ross Campbell and the slogan "FIGHT CENSORSHIP" will benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and will be available only at the CBLDF booth.

Other exclusive covers are THE DARKNESS #100, featuring a sketch cover by Marc Silvestri; ARTIFACTS #14 with art by Stjepan Sejic and a blank back cover for attendees' favorite artists to sketch on, THIEF OF THIEVES #1 with art by Shawn Martinbrough, and CHEW #24 with art by Rob Guillory.

The Image Expo convention-exclusive variant covers will be available in limited quantities. For more information about Image Expo, visit www.imagecomicexpo.com.

The story of a master thief who gives up a luxurious and thrilling life of crime to try to salvage everything he lost -- his family and a life above ground -- by leaving it all behind, THIEF OF THIEVES launched on February 8. Prior to sale, there was wide interest in Kirkman bringing a television-style writing process to comics. A team of writers helps to refine the story of THIEF OF THIEVES, with Kirkman at the helm to guide the story.

Like all Image Comics titles, THIEF OF THIEVES #1 is available on a variety of electronic platforms as well as in comic book stores.

THE WALKING DEAD is a best-selling comic, became an acclaimed television series on AMC, and now Robert Kirkman’s creation expands its pop culture empire as it becomes the first Image Comics title to be available on Apple’s iBooks.

Readers wanting a digital reading experience won’t have to wait to get the whole story. All fifteen collections of the ongoing comics series are available now in the iBooks store, priced at $9.99 each, except for volume one Days Gone Bye, which is $8.99

The collections of THE WALKING DEAD occupied more than half of the top 25 slots in Diamond Comics’ list of top-selling graphic novels of 2011. The debut of Image Comics’ best-selling title on iBooks is part of the publisher’s overall commitment to releasing their creator-owned properties in a variety of media. Besides being sold in retail stores, individual issues of Image comics are available on multiple electronic platforms.

The publisher expects to release more titles on iBooks in the coming weeks, beginning with John Layman and Rob Guillory’s Eisner-winning New York Times bestselling series CHEW.