San Diego Comic Con is quickly approaching, but before the busiest comic new week begins, creator-owned comic publisher, Image Comics, held their annual Image Expo in San Francisco. Nineteen new titles were announced as part of company’s festivities, and I picked out 5 that I cannot wait to get my hands on over the next year.
BLACK MAGICK
Greg Rucka is fantastic at telling character driven stories (see Lazarus), so the idea that he is going to be delivering a noir-style detective story, with undertones of witches is a bit overwhelming. I am not too familiar with his partner in crime, Nicola Scott, who will be doing the art for the book, but from the couple of sample pages I’ve seen, this comic will not disappoint. The best part is that the the first issue will be hitting stores in October, just in time for Halloween.
CROSSWIND
Gail Simone brings us the adult version of Freaky Friday, and though I bet you didn’t ever think you needed a “suspense fantasy full of sex, violence, and the blackest of humor”, once it’s here I bet you’ll be asking for more. Simone is joined by Cat Staggs to illustrate the story of a housewife from Seattle and a Hitman from Chicago as they switch bodies, and learn as what it is like to live a completely different life.
THE GODDAMNED
The team behind Scalped, Jason Aaron and R.M. Guerra, reunite to bring a biblical inspired epic set just prior to the great flood. If you are familiar with the story of Noah, the flood was a means to reset all life on Earth, after things had escalated to a point which this was the only resort. This is a world brimming with violence beyond repair, and it looks like this will translate to this book. Planned for a November 2015 release, it couldn’t come soon enough.
HUCK
I am a sucker for any new book with Mark Millar’s name on it. Now add an artist like Rafael Albuquerque, and I won’t be able to resist picking up the book. Huck sounds like a classically inspired superhero book, but I would not be surprised if Millar finds a way to put a modern twist on the main character. Described by Millar as “the purest, most decent character…who just wants to help people and does it in secret so nobody even knows he even exists”. Not sure when to expect this book to hit shelves, Albuquerque is very busy with another great book, American Vampire, but keep an eye out at your local Comic Retailer.
RINGSIDE
I grew up watching professional wrestling, though I cannot really remember what single thing captured my attention then, now I am intrigued about various aspects of the business, both outside and inside the ring. Joe Keatinge’s Ringside aims to tell the story of how these performers bring their flare and artistry from backstage to the centre of the ring. The book will be told from 3 characters view points, and feature art and lettering from Nick Barber, Simon Gough, and Ariana Maher, respectively.