Image Previews Picks: February 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Manifest Destiny vol. 8: Sacrificium & Reditus
Lewis and Clark’s expedition westward has not been an easy one. Yet the end is in sight with this final volume. There just remains the issue of dealing with a very duplicitous ghost of a Spanish conquistador and the demon that he’s working on behalf of. I’m sure they’ll find a way to pull this off as they’ve managed to survive all of the otherworldly threats that the wilderness has thrown at them so far. I’m also sure that writer Chris Dingess and artist Matthew Roberts have a few more surprises for the reader, especially if the events of the penultimate volume were any indication. It also looked like this series wasn’t going to make it to this point as the gaps between arcs looked to be getting longer with each one. Which is why I’m glad to see that we’ll be getting a proper ending to this series with this volume. Now I’ll just have to see if it lives up to everything that’s come before.
Supermassive #1: This one-shot promises the future of Image’s Superhero Universe. Given how that universe is comprised of one superhero that I do care about (Invincible) and many others that I don’t (Spawn, Witchblade, The Darkness, Youngblood, Cyberforce, etc…) I can say that this isn’t something that I’d normally care about. The thing is that is spinning out of “Radiant Black,” which had a very strong debut volume in my opinion. Maybe not quite strong enough for it to start spinning off titles of its own, but we’ll see how that goes. This one-shot promises the debuts of Inferno Girl Red and Rogue Sun, who is getting his own series in these solicitations as well. As for what these characters and Radiant Black are teaming up to fight… your guess is as good as mine. The solicitation is all hype about the crossover and no substance about its actual contents.
Rogue Sun #1: As for one of the characters making their debut in “Supermassive,” you’ll have to read the solicitation for his comic to find out more about him. Dylan Siegel was estranged from his father, but finds himself inheriting his old man’s mantle after his death and becoming our world’s new protector from supernatural forces. This is a solid enough setup for a superhero series, even before you throw in the additional hook that Dylan’s father was murdered and he’ll be working to solve the man’s murder. This is written by Ryan Parrott, who also has a history in “Power Rangers” comics with “Radiant Black” creator Kyle Higgins. While I’m not sold on the whole crossover event, I will say that “Former ‘Power Rangers’ Writer Doing New Superhero Series at Image” has a greater appeal with me now than it did before “Radiant Black” came out.
Step by Bloody Step #1 (of 4): I’m always up for a new project from Simon Spurrier, and this sees him reuniting with his “Coda” (and “Dreaming,” and “Hellblazer”) collaborator Matias Bergara. The premise is simple, a girl and an armored giant make their way across a landscape full of beasts, bandits, and civilizations. Why are they doing this? They can’t say because neither of them have any memories, or words. That last part is key because this is a dialogue-free comics series. While I’ve read “silent” comics in the past, this might wind up being the longest one that I’ve encountered. As it’s coming from a creative team I trust, I’m sure their approach to this setup is only going to enhance its appeal.
The Official Image Timeline: Image Comics will turn 30 years old next year. It’s an anniversary few were expecting it to celebrate after its tumultuous beginnings and chaotic first few years. There are plenty of stories to be told from that time, and the years that followed which saw it transition from white-hot superhero competitor to Marvel and DC to haven for creator-owned comics from any genre. The person doing the telling here is co-founder Jim Valentino and the version of the story being told here is described as “warts and all.” At only 64 pages, my guess is that we’re only going to get the most socially acceptable and amusing warts from the company’s history. As opposed to the warts which make the people who have them actually look bad.
Astro City Metrobook vol. 1: Kurt Busiek’s return to Image continues with this new edition of “Astro City” stories. I’ve only read a few volumes of that series over the years, but I’ve liked what I’ve read and have always wanted to read more. It’s just been difficult to do that with all the new stuff that comes out every month and my increasing lack of shelf space. While I can’t do anything about the former, this new “Metrobook” edition looks to be the best way to get me to start reading this series (again). It’s collecting the original six-issue miniseries and the first twelve issues of the first ongoing series for $30. Which is a pretty good deal, all told.
Echolands vol. 1 HC: J.H. Williams III is one of those rare comics artists who can draw anything. Which is why it was sad to hear that he was going to take an extended sabbatical from the comics industry following his work on “The Sandman: Overture.” The good news is that Williams is back and he’s working with his “Batwoman” co-writer Haden Blackman on this genre mash-up featuring cyborg elves, horror movie vampires, Roman demigods, and a thief named Hope Redhood whose sticky fingers might have just started the war to end all wars. In short, this sounds like more of an excuse for Williams to draw whatever he wants in a landscape comics format. Whether this stew of disparate ideas can hang together as a coherent story is debatable, but there’s no doubt that they’re all going to look amazing when rendered by this artist.
Murder Falcon Deluxe Edition HC: Does Daniel Warren Johnson’s miniseries about a failed heavy metal guitarist teaming up with a cyborg falcon to save the world from an assault by monsters with the power of metal warrant a deluxe hardcover edition? Yes. Yes it does. Warren is a fantastic artist, and while his writing isn’t quite on the same level, “Murder Falcon” is the one time (so far) where his hart has been able to bridge the gap between his storytelling ambitions and their execution. So if you haven’t picked it up already, then this is the version to get. You’ll also be getting new sketchbook pages along with this edition, and (most importantly) the extra story that only ran in the pages of “Skybound X.”
Curse Words Omnibus Edition HC: While we’re on the subject of series that are getting new story content for their new editions, Charles Soule and Ryan Browne’s series about a bad wizard trying to be a good one gets an omnibus edition. This was a solidly good series that benefitted from a strong finale, even if it never quite reached the crazy heights of artist Ryan Browne’s “God Hates Astronauts.” I mean, it wasn’t trying to, but I can’t help but to expect that kind of insanity whenever I see Browne’s name attached to a project. Anyway, this edition comes with the expected promise of “extra content,” none of which is more interesting than the “Curse Words: After Words” epilogue. While not unsatisfying, the series did end on something of an abrupt note, and it’s easy to see how “After Words” will be able to address that. As for whether or not I’m actually going to buy it… this edition is priced at a very affordable $50. Which does make buying it and replacing the five volumes of the series on my shelf with this very tempting.
Undiscovered Country vol. 3: Charles Soule, Scott Snyder, and Giuseppe Camuncoli’s series about an unlikely group of individuals traveling through a nightmare funhouse version of America’s many identities reaches the arc that involves pirate ships. Subtitled, “Possibility,” the focus is going to be on storytelling with our protagonists having to deal with everything from folklore to VR. I’m all for anything that allows the storytelling in this series to get as crazy as it wants. Which is why the first volume of the series, and its “Mad Max”-style tour of the frontier was so great, and the second, which told a predictable “Jurassic Park”-style story of technology gone wrong was a little disappointing. This does leave me curious to see what side of the series we’ll get with this volume.