Image Comics

Image Comics is crossing the Atlantic to attend Kapow Comic Convention on May 19 and 20 in London, marking the first time the independent comic book publisher has exhibited at a European event.

"With so many of Image's creators hailing from the UK and our readership expanding in international markets, Kapow is a great opportunity to support those creators and that growth," said Image Publisher Eric Stephenson, who is a special guest of the convention. "London's one of the greatest cities in the world, and Kapow has quickly established itself as the UK's premiere comics show, so what's not to love?"

Taking place in the London Business Design Center, Kapow will also feature several Image creators as special guests:

Charlie Adlard (THE WALKING DEAD)
Kieron Gillen (PHONOGRAM)
Paul Grist (MUDMAN)
David Hine and Shaky Kane (THE BULLETPROOF COFFIN)
Mark Millar and Frank Quitely (JUPITER'S CHILDREN)
Sean Phillips (FATALE)
Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch (AMERICA'S GOT POWERS)
Scott Snyder (SEVERED)
Nick Spencer (MORNING GLORIES, THIEF OF THIEVES)

A timetable of signings by special guests is available at the Kapow website.

Stephenson will be moderating one of three Image-related panels, "Image Superstars." Charlie Adlard, Sean Phillips, David Hine, Shaky Kane, and Paul Grist will talk about their current Image titles and upcoming projects. The panel takes place on Saturday, May 19 at 12 p.m. in the Gallery Hall.

Also on Saturday is the Millarworld panel, which will include enticing discussion of Mark Millar's and Frank Quitely's upcoming Image series JUPITER'S CHILDREN. It takes place at 4:15 p.m. in the Gallery Hall.

In the "Image Megastars" panel on Sunday at 10:30 a.m., TV personality and comics writer Jonathan Ross and acclaimed artist Bryan Hitch will talk about their hit comics series AMERICA'S GOT POWERS, and Nick Spencer will give the latest on Robert Kirkman's THIEF OF THIEVES, the comic series he writes and that has recently been optioned as a TV show by AMC. This panel is also in the Gallery Hall.

On Saturday, winners of the Stan Lee Awards will be announced at a ceremony hosted by the convention. Several Image creators and titles are up for awards:

Best Writer — Scott Snyder (SEVERED)
Best Trade — WHO IS JAKE ELLIS by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic and THE WALKING DEAD Volume 14: No Way Out by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard
Best Newcomer — Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore (THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE)
Best Publisher — Image Comics
Man or Woman of the Year — Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, THIEF OF THIEVES) and Scott Snyder (SEVERED)

If you are a member of the media and would like to arrange an interview with any of the Image Comics creators about their Image work, please contact Jennifer de Guzman at jenniferdeguzman@imagecomics.com.

The Image Comics horror noir series FATALE debuted in January 2012 and swiftly became acclaimed creators Ed Brubaker's and Sean Phillips' best-selling collaboration to date. Its first story arc, contained in issues #1-5, is being collected into a trade paperback, FATALE: DEATH CHASES ME, to be published by Image this June.

FATALE follows a mysterious woman named Josephine who trails trouble wherever she goes and the doomed men who get tangled in her web. FATALE: DEATH CHASES ME opens in present day with Nicolas Lash meeting a beautiful, mysterious woman in a cemetery, but the intrigue he becomes part of begins in 1939 and unfolds in 1956 San Francisco as Josephine flees from a horror that has pursued her for almost two decades.

The series, the first issue of which has received five printings, was a wide critical success:

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a better creative team working in comics right now than Brubaker and Phillips."
— Comics Alliance

"Combining the noir flavor from their previous works with fresher horror elements, Fatale is a completely unique title that offers an intriguing, fast-paced mystery."
— Complex

"This is not a story about life or death; it’s a story about salvation. You know from the start that everything has been shot to hell and know the characters are scrambling to make sure it doesn’t get worse. The different stakes in [FATALE] leads to a different kind of storytelling from Brubaker and Phillips. They keep you guessing throughout this book, trying to figure out what they are doing and where the characters are going."
— Newsarama

"[FATALE] is sinister, brilliant and quite possibly the best thing Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have ever done. That is saying something."
— IGN

FATALE: DEATH CHASES ME (APR120439) is a 136-page trade paperback for $14.99. It is available for pre-order from the April issue of Previews. Its ISBN is 978-1-60706-563-0 and it will be in stores on June 27.

A new story arc begins with FATALE #6 (APR120536), set in mid-'70s Los Angeles, where Josephine is trying to start a new life — but in a place like post-Manson Family L.A., the darkness that follows her can't be far behind. It will be in stores the same day as FATALE: DEATH CHASES ME, June 27.

Image Comics has announced that its two May 2 debut issues, MIND THE GAP #1 and EPIC KILL #1 have sold out at the distributor level. Both issues will return immediately to press and second printings will be in stores on May 23.

MIND THE GAP, a new series by Jim McCann (Return of the Dapper Men), Rodin Esquejo (MORNING GLORIES), and Sonia Oback, tells the story of Elle Petersen, a young woman attacked and left for dead on a subway platform. In a coma, Elle finds that her consciousness can travel both within the "real" world and another realm called "The Garden." Without a body or memories of her life, Elle must piece together the mystery — who tried to kill her, and why?

"The entire Mind the Gap team is so thankful for the support and love the fans and retailers have given us!" said McCann. "Word is spreading, and we're thrilled that more people will be able to dive into the mystery of Mind the Gap!"

The first issue, which is a double-sized 48 pages for $2.99, was hotly anticipated and received wide acclaim upon its release:

"With terrific art and a story that grabs you by both ears and pulls your face in, MIND THE GAP is a smart mystery thriller that turns tospy on a dime without losing the reader or talking down to him/her either."

    - Ain't It Cool News

"MIND THE GAP is rich with potential for strange, sophisticated mystery."

    - iFanboy

"MIND THE GAP is a breath of fresh air in terms of new comics. It's this kind of variety that continues to make reading stacks of comics each week fun and exciting."

    -Comic Vine

EPIC KILL by Raffaele Ienco also features a young woman with amnesia as the protagonist, but in a very different kind of story from MIND THE GAP. Song was trained since childhood to be a ruthless assassin, but she doesn't know why. She only knows that she has to use her skills to evade the men sent to kill her by an unknown enemy. The truth about Song's identity will unfold over the course of the series' five-issue run, in which, Ienco promises, "Every kill will be epic!"

"Epic Kill #1 was released today and blam! it’s already time to do a second print!?  What!?" said an almost-disbelieving Ienco. "Retailers have tweeted the book is a hot item and reviews have been awesome; fans dig it - all of which I am very grateful! I would love to give the world more Epic Kill!"

EPIC KILL #1 has already delivered as promised, with reviewers ready for  more:

"Aside from the brilliant storytelling, the art that Ienco provides for the book is a real beauty to behold."

    -Nfamous Gamers

"On all fronts this book looks to be another success for Ienco.... The epic kills are worthy of the big screen."

    -Word of the Nerd

The second printings of MIND THE GAP #1 (MAR128267) and EPIC KILL #1 (MAR128258) are available for order from Diamond Comics now.

Due to a traffic accident involving one of Diamond's trucks, some retailers in the Eastern United States will not have copies of MIND THE GAP #1 available for sale until May 9. Those retailers will receive the first printing of the issue to fulfill their orders, but will not be able to place re-orders for the first printing.

Steven T. Seagle (of MAN OF ACTION studios) and Eisner Award-winning painter Teddy Kristiansen have worked on comics projects together since 1995. Their work together runs the gamut from literary autobiography to genre fiction with such iconic works as it's a bird... and House of Secrets. But their flip-book graphic novel THE RED DIARY/THE RE[A]D DIARY, coming from Image Comics in June, may be their most innovative collaboration yet.

Teddy Kristiansen's original graphic novel The Red Diary was first published in Europe as Le Carnet Rouge. The moody painted interiors immediately captured Seagle's attention.

"The images of war were arresting and the sequences set in the world of fine art contrasted them so starkly that I couldn't get it out of my mind," said Seagle. "I immediately wanted to bring the book to American readers as soon as I saw it."

There was a problem, though: The Red Diary was published only in French and Danish, two languages that Seagle does not speak.

"It started to dawn on me that even though I was taken with Teddy's book, I had no idea what it was about! Just a story I'd started to make up in my head about what I assumed was happening in his pictures," said Seagle. "Eventually, I got Teddy to let me write my version of what I thought was going on before working with him on the translation of what was actually going on."

So, as he awaited Kristiansen's English translation, Seagle wrote — with Kristiansen's blessing — a new script for the existing art.

The result is THE RED DIARY/THE RE[A]D DIARY, two graphic novels in one: Kristiansen's original story translated into English for the first time — a tale of a Vermeer painting with questionable provenance and a diary that reveals its secrets; and Seagle's "remix" of The Red Diary's art into a story of an infantryman's war transgressions and how a stolen identity saved two lives. The two versions are arranged as a flip-book with two front covers.

Seagle added, "It's amazing that one set of images could support two totally different tales. Because despite my best forensic efforts, our two stories turned out nothing alike!"

THE RED DIARY/THE RE[A]D DIARY is a 144-page hardcover full-cover graphic novel for $29.99. It is available for pre-order from the April issue of Previews (APR120427). Its ISBN is 978-1-60706-560-9. It will be in stores on June 13.

This annual Free Comic Book Day, Image Comics will be celebrating twenty years of success in revolutionizing the comics industry with two new comics. Both provide great examples of what Image excels at providing: a diversity of genres and styles —something for everyone.

Both IMAGE 20 and WITCHBLADE: UNBALANCED PIECES will be available to the public at comic book stores on May 5, 2012, and they're absolutely free!

IMAGE 20 is jam-packed full of exciting stories from new, upcoming comics and returning favorites. Titles include G-MAN from Chris Giarrusso, Robert Kirkman's GUARDING THE GLOBE from Phil Hester and Todd Nauck, Mike Allred's IT-GIRL AND THE ATOMICS from Jamie S. Rich and Mike Norton, CRIME AND TERROR by Steve Niles and Scott Morse, NEAR DEATH by Jay Faerber and Simone Guglielmini, and REVIVAL from Tim Seeley and Mike Norton.

In "Witchblade: Unbalanced Pieces," new and lapsed WITCHBLADE fans will get the perfect chance to try out the brand new creative team, Tim Seeley and Diego Bernard, and a fresh new direction of Top Cow's flagship title. Since the events of ARTIFACTS, Sara Pezzini's entire life has been altered in immeasurable ways, not the least of which is she's living in a new city and has a new career. But one thing remains constant — the Witchblade. For fans who get hooked, "Unbalanced Pieces" continues in WITCHBLADE #155 — and they can pick up the WITCHBLADE: REBIRTH VOLUME ONE trade paperback for only $9.99.

Click on the title of this post or "Permalink" for a list of Image Comics creators' signings.

"American Muscle": a race against nothing across a post-apocalyptic America. "Triggergirl 6": the perfect assassin — except for her conscience. These are the first two titles showcased in the new Image Comics anthology, CREATOR OWNED HEROES, edited by Jimmy Palmiotti.

"Creator-owned" isn't just a business model — it's also a publishing philosophy that focuses on creators of comics, who retain the ownership and all the rights to their creations, rather than on "properties" that are corporate property. CREATOR OWNED HEROES was created not only as a vehicle for creators' creativity but emphasize the importance of this model to the reading public.

"With Creator Owned Heroes we wanted to not only have a place to introduce new ideas and concepts, but to give the reader a place to come each and every month to interact and explore the world around us," said Palmiotti. "This is a personal project that will continue to grow with the support of our readers and I for one am looking forward to its evolution. "

In "American Muscle," written by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) with Kevin Mellon (HEART) on art duties, a group of rebels break off from the last stronghold of human civilization in search of a fabled paradise on what used to be the West coast of the United States. What they find, however, is something much different...

"Triggergirl 6," by Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex, QUEEN CRAB), Justin Gray (Power Girl, Jonah Hex) on the writing side and art by Phil Noto (Avengers: The Origin, THE INFINITE HORIZON) offers a very different kind of future, one where a woman designed to be a perfect killer can be created in a tank and then let loose on the world.

The first issue of the monthly anthology also includes interviews with comics and literature superstar Neil Gaiman and with cosplaying twins Juli and Alex Abene, who created a Triggergirl costume based on an incentive cover of the first issue.

CREATOR OWNED HEROES #1 is a 40-page, full-color comic book for $3.99. It is available now for pre-order from the April issue of Previews (cover A: APR120420, cover B: APR120421, cover C: APR120422) and will be in stores on June 6.

Image Comics and Top Cow Productions are offering fans an opportunity to catch up on the first five WITCHBLADE issues, hot off the Top Cow Universe-altering events of ARTIFACTS #13 and WITCHBLADE #150, with WITCHBLADE: REBIRTH VOLUME ONE trade paperback!

With an introductory price of $9.99, readers can easily discover the series that has everyone buzzing. The collection, by the passionate new creative team of Tim Seeley (HACK/SLASH, BLOODSTRIKE) and Diego Bernard (The Man With No Name), along with Top Cow’s new REBIRTH continuity, provide an ideal jumping-on point for new readers.

Additionally, Top Cow’s Free Comic Book Day features WITCHBLADE: UNBALANCED PIECES, a prologue to the story in REBIRTH VOLUME ONE — and readers will want to know how it unfolds!

In the wake of Top Cow's REBIRTH, Sara Pezzini has relocated from New York to Chicago and struggles to adapt to her new job as a private detective. Pezzini quickly discovers that a change of scenery and occupation hasn't changed one thing... the Witchblade is still a magnet for the supernatural. Quickly drawn into a conflict between two mystical gangs, she must once again balance her responsibility as bearer of the Witchblade with her personal life.

Seeley and Bernard’s bold new direction for Top Cow's flagship character coupled with a stunning painted cover by John Tyler Christopher  (ARTIFACTS), a complete cover gallery alongside a host of bonus content and extras make this entry-level priced collection a must for anyone curious about Top Cow's REBIRTH.

"Witchblade 151 is exactly the kind of book you need to create if you are looking to hook new readers." - Panel Patter

‎"Diego Bernard, much like Tim Seeley, is a fantastic fit for the series." - Horror Haven

"...great story and gorgeous art..."  Geeks of Doom

"Consider me hooked." - Geekadelphia

WITCHBLADE REBIRTH VOLUME ONE is a full-color, 144-page trade paperback that collects issues #151-#155 retailing for $9.99 and will be in stores May 16th, 2012.

Guns. Acid. Cameras. School. Wild Children.

Written by Ales Kot (Batman) and drawn by a long-standing Image creator Riley Rossmo (Cowboy Ninja Viking, Dark Wolverine, Debris), WILD CHILDREN, a new graphic novella from Image Comics in July, explores an explosive high school hostage situation that threatens to unfold its own reality like a cheap origami.

The subject of school shootings behind the controversial Hellblazer: Shoot by Warren Ellis and Phil Jimenez merges with Grant Morrison's and Philip Bond's themes of teenage revolt in Kill Your Boyfriend, delivering a unique story of magic, passion and disinformation.

"Comics have tremendous transformative potential, and on top of that, they're pure fun when done well," said writer Kot. "This comic is the equivalent of a six-track pop EP — and if we've done our jobs well, Wild Children will be the weird pop EP you'll find yourself coming back to again and again."

Rossmo's distinctive art style, significantly altered from its usual look to better fit the storytelling demands of WILD CHILDREN', is complemented by stunning psychedelic colors by Gregory Wright (Batman: The Long Halloween, Elephantmen) and inventive lettering by a superstar letterer Clayton Cowles (Kick-Ass, Superior, The Defenders).

"For me, Wild Children is an experiment in cleanliness," said Rossmo. "My work is usually dirty, scratchy, messy - but here I wanted to try a style I had only used in some of the editorial work I'd done. All line, no spotted blacks."

"Natural Born Killers" meets "Bowling for Columbine"? Maybe. But what if you're wrong?

WILD CHILDREN is a self-contained 64-page paperback graphic novella. It will be available for pre-order in comic book stores in the May issue of Previews  and on shelves on July 11. Its ISBN is 978-1-60706-581-4. An advance PDF will be available for review in May.

Silas is a hardened space smuggler, calloused by tragedy and grueling labor — but when, in the new Image Comics series PLANETOID by Ken Garing, his ship crashes on a living, metal planet, it will take all of his experience and resources to survive.

Garing's five-issue series is a grim vision of a desolate industrial landscape. The titular planetoid, a sphere of discarded wreckage and machinery, has its own intelligence — and its own mandate to survive, at the cost of the few humans who have also found themselves stranded on its surface. These people form the core of PLANETOID's story.

"The world of Planetoid is that of a vast, abandoned industrial landscape," said Garing. "The story, however, will revolve around the efforts of the planetoid's inhabitants as they struggle together against extraordinary odds in the hope of building something new out of the devastation."

Garing pits man against machine in a primal struggle, using the color palette of his painted interiors to contrast the combatants — the occasional splash of human blood amidst the monochromatic grays and rusts of the planetoid.

The first issue of PLANETOID was an exclusive digital comic on Graphicly, but now will appear in print under the Image Comics banner on June 13. PLANETOID #1 (APR120419) is available for pre-order in the April issue of Previews. Each full-color issue will be 32 pages long, with no ads, for $2.99.

"Ken Garing is off to a spectacular start with this bit of survivalist SF. This is just an introduction to the ruinous, dystopian world of Planetoid, and I’m eager to see what horrors yet remain in its crevices. Highly recommended." — iFanboy

The dieselpunk world of Hoang Nguyen's CARBON GREY first dazzled comic book readers with its beautiful painted art, intrigue-fueled action, and compelling heroines in August 2011 with the "Sisters at War" story arc. Now, Nguyen has assembled his creative team once more to continue the story of the Sisters Grey with the publication of CARBON GREY VOLUME TWO: DAUGHTERS OF STONE #1 in June.

At the close of volume one, the sisters' relationship was torn apart by the murder of the Kaiser of Mitteleuropa, the man whom they were sworn to protect. Now, with Eva and Giselle in exile and the vicious Anna on the hunt for conspirators, the fourth Grey, Mathilde, is on a quest to discover the truth about the source of her family's power.

A Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of the new volume of CARBON GREY reached its funding goal on April 14. Nguyen explained that both the intensity of the artistic process, with each page meticulously hand-painted, and the depth of research behind the creation of CARBON GREY necessitated the campaign.

"A lot of research goes into every page, whether it's a costume designs or different settings," said Nguyen. "I want to make sure that it's believable. My inspirations comes from looking at fashion, photography, architecture, industrial and set design. I like to go beyond the norm and bring something new and different to my drawings."

CARBON GREY VOLUME TWO: DAUGHTERS OF STONE is a three-issue monthly mini series, co-written by Nguyen, Paul Gardner, and Khari Evans, with art by Nguyen, Evans, and Kinsun Loh. The first issue (APR120424) is available for pre-order in the April issue of Previews and will be in stores on June 6.

The three issues of CARBON GREY VOLUME ONE have sold out, but a trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-60706-448-0) is available. A two-issue mini-series CARBON GREY: ORIGINS, about the childhoods of the Sisters Grey and their family history, wrapped up in March 2012. THE ART OF CARBON GREY (ISBN 978-1-60706-474-9), an oversized hardcover book featuring an array of artwork from the series and a look at the artists' process, was released in February 2012.