Connect with us
Image Expo Summer 2014 Announcements Reactions

Comic Books

Image Expo Summer 2014 Announcements Reactions

You smell that? It’s that familiar smell, the same one we encountered back in January…that’s right: New comic books!

Image had themselves another expo and announced a bunch of new books. We’ve got your sci-fi, your fantasy, your mystery, your thrillers, and… more sci-fi! A whole slew of new comic books from a nice, wide range of writers and artists.

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

We here at AiPT are here once more to give you the rundown on all of these titles and give you our thoughts on what looks most promising so you don’t have to do any of that pesky thinking yourself. With that said, let’s check out what’s on the horizon:


Tokyo Ghosts


tokyo-ghosts

By: Rick Remender and Sean Murphy

A new dystopian adventure series from Rick Remender where technology is an addiction

Greg: The idea of another post-apocalyptic future doesn’t excite me much either, but the possibility of a commentary on consumer culture can put an interesting spin on things.

Dave: Sean Murphy is an exciting artist to keep tabs on. The guy has a style that’s incredibly detailed and interesting to look at, but toss him in a science fiction world and you have me by the balls. This is definitely a title that could suck when it comes to the writing, but still very much worth a purchase based on the artwork alone.

Jordan: I do like Sean Murphy’s artwork and Matt Hollingsworth is coloring, but Rick Remender? This guy hasn’t had a single hit with me at all; plus with how many books he is writing at once–? Quality is bound to suffer. Also, it sounds like yet another post-apocalyptic book. Yeah, not really feeling this book.

tokyo_ghost_spread


From Under Mountains


from-under-mountains

By: Marian Churchland, Claire Gibson and Sloane Leong

Set in the isolated country of Akhara, rival houses face off in the struggle for political power and military security. Three unlikely figures— a lord’s daughter, a disgraced knight, and a runaway thief— will change the fate of their world, but the only hope of peace may lie with the mystery shrouded goblins and witches, and the ancient powers they command

Greg: The description doesn’t do much to distinguish this series from typical fantasy fare, so hopefully the creators have something special planned that just hasn’t been revealed yet. The art looks nice though.

Dave: Pass.

Jordan: I heard this was going to be apart of that 8House comic series where it’s going to use a bunch of mini-series to build up its universe. I guess we’ll whether or not premise will work with this comic.


Valhalla Mad


valhalla-mad

By: Joe Casey and Paul Maybury

VALHALLA MAD introduces a set of brand new characters: the Glorious Knox, Greghorn the Battlebjorn and Jhago the Irritator. The series depicts this particular trio of fun-loving gods’ return to Earth— Manhattan, specifically— to drink and party and revel in their resplendent godhood after many decades of being away

Dave: Casey’s work on Catalyst Comix was incredibly ambitious and was fantastic… up to a point. Then it became a bit of a mess and not very interesting at all. Maybury was one of the artists Catalyst Comix, so it comes as no surprise they are working together again.

Jordan: Joe Casey is writing? Uh… yeah. His name doesn’t inspire confidence in me honestly and this premise sounds awfully familiar. It’s also drawn by Paul Maybury, who draws Sovereign… also not inspiring confidence in me. Not interested.

Greg: I haven’t read much from Joe Casey, so I don’t share Jordan’s bias. Either way, this actually looks like it could be a lot of fun. And even though they’ve only released one image, I like the art style.

valhalla-mad


Rumble


rumble

RUMBLE is a strange book, that’s for sure—like a scarecrow-Conan fighting in a Louis C.K. TV show directed by David Fincher—with a supporting cast of odd characters, many of whom aren’t even human.

Greg: It’s not clear yet what this is actually about plot-wise, and while comparing it to “a scarecrow-Conan fighting in a Louis C.K. TV show directed by David Fincher” certainly intrigues me, it’s still rather confusing. I’m curious to see where this goes as more details come in.

Dave: The cover looks ssweeeeeet!

Jordan: … I got nothing. This just sounds… odd and uninteresting.

Russ: I will give this one a look based solely on scarecrow Conan’s appearance… not because of the Louis C.K. namedrop. (Although I do dig me some Louis C.K.) Looks like it could be a fun read.


Intersect


intersect

By: Ray Fawkes

Bodies shift and merge, warring with themselves. Blood rains from the skies. A child’s song is translated into toxic, thought-destroying whispers. Everything is changing. Everything is wrong. This is the world of INTERSECT

Greg: Yeah, it looks like Fawkes and Image are purposely keeping mum on plot details, so like they said, I guess we’ll just have to read it. Interesting artwork for a horror comic though. Instead of the usual dark griminess, the preview pages are almost blindingly white.

Dave: Looks pretty, but could be very disjointed and poor in the pacing department. That usually takes me right out of a comic.

Jordan: The artwork does look intriguing, but I have no idea what’s going on in the plot other than mass hysteria and what sounds like armageddon. I dunno about this one overall.

intersect-gunshot


The Humans


the-humans

By: Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller

A new ongoing series that follows the ape-biker-gang you don’t want to mess with

Jordan: It looks like Planet of the Apes crossed with Sons of Anarchy… or possibly Ride to Hell. It’s honestly hard to tell. Either way, a whole lot of meh from me.

Greg: I do love comics featuring apes and/or monkeys, but I’m not sold just yet. Maybe I will be if they release some more sample art. It’s a cool cover, if nothing else.

Dave: <- NOT a monkey guy.

Russ: That explains our last Adventures in Poor Taste field trip to the zoo.

Also, I saw something about “Skin Fighting (homosapien cockfights)” in the synopsis. If Keller doesn’t see that as the perfect opportunity for a Michael Vick cameo then dude dropped the ball.


Invisible Republic


invisible-republic

By: Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko

INVISIBLE REPUBLIC explores the secret history of one man’s rise to power after an unspeakable act of violence elevates him to folk-hero status on a war-torn planet seeking independence.

Greg: Yeah, so far this looks like typical sci-fi fare, but I like the artwork.

Dave: If it’s science fiction I will try it.

Jordan: Oh boy, that’s a whole lot of no. I’m so not interested in war stories and any more grittiness in my comics.


Kinski


kinski

By: Gabriel Hardman

KINSKI promises to be a quirky crime thriller about Joe, a down-on-his-luck salesman who finds a cute puppy. The thing is, this puppy already has a home. What starts as a simple rescue mission from neglectful owners quickly escalates into a righteous crusade as it becomes clear that Joe will do anything to keep this puppy safe.

Greg: The art reminds me a lot of David Lapham on Stray Bullets. And I’m intrigued by the idea of a noir story that kicks off with a stolen dog. Elegant simplicity.

Dave: Something screams “twisted” from this cover. Or maybe it’s just me that’s twisted I don’t know.


Southern Cross


southern-cross

By: Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger

Inspired by classic mysteries and weird fiction, SOUTHERN CROSS bares a crucible of creeping anxiety and fear as the main character Braith struggles with the ghosts of her past on board a ship that holds secrets best kept buried

Jordan: I’m always down for a good mystery and stuff, but I’m not sure about this artist from the images that I’ve seen him do. I would prefer Becky drawing this honestly.

Greg: Yeah, it’s a shame that Cloonan isn’t drawing this as well, but it’ll be interesting to see her develop her skills with long-form storytelling as opposed to the shorter works that she’s written in the past.


Descender


descender

By: Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

One young robot’s struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet.

Jordan: Jeff Lemire? Dustin Nguyen?! Say no more! I’m sold! Though amusingly, first hearing about this comic made me think about animated Astro Boy from a while back.

Greg: Don’t get too excited, Jordan, this doesn’t come out until March! But yeah, it looks pretty cool. Looks like it can be an exciting use of sci-fi as social commentary. You know, that old “robot racism” trope.

Dave: Could be intriguing.


Drifter


drifter

By: Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein

DRIFTER follows a diverse group of characters, trapped and isolated, with no hope of rescue, surrounded on all sides by alien dangers and the decaying beauty of a dying world

Jordan: I’ve got to admit, reading the premise made me think of so many different stories I’ve read or seen before in the past. This sounds like this whole things Frankensteined out of several of those stories.

Greg: Yeah, what we know so far of the premise doesn’t seem too original, but Nic Klein’s art may elevate the material.

Dave: You had me at Nic Klein.


Tooth and Claw


tooth-and-claw

By: Kurt Busiek and Ben Dewey

In Tooth and Claw, a secret conclave of wizards brings a legendary champion back through time to save the world, with disastrous consequences. Swords, sorcery, animal-wizards, gods, empires, golems of radioactive decay, crystalline badlands, con women, ancient armories, young love, mystery, blood and death and treachery and destiny … Tooth and Claw is an epic story you won’t want to miss out on

Jordan: Hmm, it’s Kurt Busiek and that’s good… but reading that preview makes this whole comic look like it’ll be utterly depressing. I’m not sure I can read another depressing comic on top of the ones I’m already reading.

Greg: Kurt Busiek is a talented writer, but I’ve never seen anything by him that was unrelated to superheroes. I’m excited to see where this goes.

Dave: Busiek did an astounding job with Conan, Greg. Really that’s the only thing I’ve loved of his. Bring on Wolveri…I mean Tooth and Claw!


Injection


injection

By: Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey

An ongoing science-fiction series about the dark future we’ve built for ourselves Once upon a time, there were five crazy people, and they poisoned the 21st Century.

Jordan: To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what the heck is going on with this comic from reading the information about it. It just sounds very weird and I need more than weird.

Greg: This doesn’t come out until some time in 2015, so I’m sure more plot details will be revealed as the release date looms closer. Given the creative team, though, does this mean that the days are numbered for the current Moon Knight run?

Dave: These guys are creating poetry in Moon Knight right now. To be given free reign on their own series is very exciting.

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024 WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024 AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024 AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup