Image Advance Arrivals: May 2025
Above-the-Board Recommendation(s):
Transformers vol. 3: Combiner Chaos & Void Rivals vol. 3: The Key to Vector Theta
Both of the Energon Universe titles that John and I read are getting new volumes in this round of solicitations. While vol. 1 of “Transformers” established it as the title to beat, the quality dipped just a bit in vol. 2 while “Void Rivals” got noticeably better in its second volume. So we’ll see if the latter can overtake the former here, which isn’t certain as “Combiner Chaos” is going to let us know what happened to Starscream after he was ruthlessly deposed by Soundwave in vol. 2. That should be something to see, particularly as it’ll have the talented Jason Howard illustrating that two-part story. “Void Rivals” vol. 3 doesn’t have anything quite as compelling; though, seeing Darak come face-to-face with his father again along with the arrival of Hot Rod on the Sacred Ring, should make for some good drama. May the best Energon-based title win!
Exquisite Corpses #1 (of 13): New from writer James Tynion and artist Michael Walsh is this series about the annual tradition of the wealthiest families in the U.S. to pit their killers against each other for all the marbles. Sounds like a neat and relevant premise, right? Well, my guess is that it’s not actually going to be about them, but the residents of Oak Valley, Maine, which is where the bloody contest will be staged this year. This series is spearheaded by a guy who did a “Joker” series that wasn’t actually about the Joker, remember.
Also worth mentioning is that this is actually a stealth anthology series. While Tynion and Walsh will be doing the first issue, subsequent issues will feature different creators on writing and art. For some, that may be a dealbreaker. For me… I’ll wait and see. Tynion and Walsh aren’t terrible, but they’re not so good that letting other creators than them take a crack at this setup for the remainder of its run won’t be a bad thing.
The Cold Witch: A Tale of the Shrouded College #1 (of 5): Everyone liked the “John Wick” movies, right? Well, how much better do you think they’d be if the title character was shooting up zombies in the frozen Russian wilderness? Normally I’d say, “At least a little,” but this is the third entry in writer Charles Soule’s linked series-of-miniseries being published under “The Shrouded College” banner after “Hell to Pay” and “The Bloody Dozen” which were both underwhelming. So the heat is on for this title to deliver on its fun-sounding premise, lest I decide to drop out of this college entirely.
Dark Honor #1 (of 5) & Free Planet #1: One series is about how the power behind New York’s criminal underworld faces its greatest challenge in the time of COVID-19. The other is about a planet that has recently secured its independence and now has to defend its power source from all comers. There’s nothing linking these series on the surface save for the fact that “Dark Honor” is illustrated by Fico Ossio and “Free Planet” is written by Aubrey Sitterson. Together they gave us the great “Dragonball Z” riff “No One Left To Fight” and have been doing separate projects ever since – though Ossio is contributing a variant cover to “Free Planet.”
I’d still read a third volume of “No One Left To Fight,” but it’s still good to see that both creators are still putting out comics. Of the two, however, “Free Planet” sounds like the more interesting of the two, and even if the solicitation is lacking in worldbuilding details it comes with pull quotes from Robert Kirkman, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Kieron Gillen. “Dark Honor” still has Ossio’s art to recommend it, but I’m just a little concerned as to why it has three credited writers – Ethan Sacks, K.S. Bruce, and Brian DeCubellis – which sounds like a story in and of itself.
Farmhand #21: Rob Guillory’s weird family-drama horror series returns for its final arc. Which is just a little concerning given that I’d heard he originally planned for it to run 30 issues instead of 25. I mean, there’s nothing here stating that the final arc won’t be ten issues, but each arc has been five issues so far, and… yeah, I’m just going to stop thinking about that. I’m just glad that this is back after the series delivered its best volume yet in vol. 4. The series had been on hiatus for a bit when that volume arrived, but Guillory delivered a killer story that made the entire wait worth it and ensured that I’d be hyped for the next arc whenever it dropped. So get on board with this series now before it reaches its finale.
Codename G.I. Joe Deluxe Edition Book One HC: Collecting the Joshua Williamson-written “Duke” and “Cobra Commander” miniseres illustrated by Tom Reilly and Andrea Milana, respectively. I passed on both at the time they came out as I was still cool on Williamson after having read a lot of stuff that didn’t impress me. I’ve warmed up to him a bit after his quality work on “Superman” and there’s always that nagging feeling that I’m missing something by not following the “G.I. Joe” side of the Energon Universe.
Will I start catching up by reading this? Hell no! This is an oversized hardcover collection of both miniseries that will retail for $50. Paying full price for both “Duke” and “Cobra Commander” collections right now will set you back $30. So if I’ll be catching up, it’ll be by reading currently existing editions of these stories. As well as G.I. Joe vol. 1: The Cobra Strikes!, also solicited here, once I’ve caught up on everything else.
The Terrific Teacups HC: Written by Rick Remender, this original graphic novel comes with a chilling premise: It’s a fully-painted rendition of the bedtime stories he told his kids as they grew up in a dangerous world. One only wonders what the writer of titles like “Black Science,” “Deadly Class,” “Seven to Eternity,” and “A Righteous Thirst For Vengeance” told his kids in order to get them to go to sleep at night. I’m guessing it worked, but at what cost? Farel Dalrymple illustrates these stories and they may or may not be any more or less weird than anything he’s illustrated in the past. While we’re on the subject of Remender…
The Sacrificers vol. 3: No Light Beyond: The third volume of his and co-illustrators Max Fiumara and Andre Lima Araujo’s fantasy epic arrives in these solicitations. Things got worse for most everyone involved in vol. 2, but they did so in ways that were interesting and occasionally unexpected. Expect that to continue in vol. 3 as Pigeon’s quest for vengeance finds new victims and Soluna faces the hardest choice of her life. Which may or may not involve the black goo monster that’s been living inside her body and feeding on anything it can get its tendrils on when she sleeps at night.
Ultramega vol. 2: James Harren’s kaiju-action series returns for a second, and concluding volume. Humanity was struggling under the Kaiju Queen’s rule in the first volume until a kid gained the power of Ultramega and started to fight back. It’s been a while, but I don’t recall things going especially well there. I do remember that the enlarged head of the kid’s father fell to Earth at the end of vol. 1 to offer support, so that’s something. Really, the first volume of this series was kind of a bummer even with Harren’s incredible art gracing every page. I’m equally glad that this volume is continuing and wrapping up that story here.