What lies ahead for Image Comics in 2012? Well, according to president Eric Stephenson, it’s “the best work by big names and big names to be, on books they own,” and he goes even further:
If you are a fan: You are in for one hell of a year. If you are a retailer: This is the future your customers are looking for, not a snake eating its own tail for diminishing returns every month.
Besides the projects we already know about – Brian K. Vaughn’s return to comics with Saga, illustrated by the spectacular Fiona Staples, the latest Brubaker/Philips series Fatale and Jonathan Hickman’s The Manhattan Projects – Stephenson offers these teases for other things to look forwards to:
A fantastic new series nobody even knows about. It’s written by one of the most talented up-and-coming writers in comics, and the artist he’s working with? Well. Seriously, you’re going to be amazed.
and
A new series that is going to team up a writer I really admire with a young artist I’ve been itching to see really cut loose on something awesome for a while now.
Oh, and there was also this…
I’ve been emailing back and forth with a major talent about another new book that has yet to be announced, looking at logos, discussing the particulars of the announcement. Silently gushing that I’m actually talking to a creator whose work has had a huge impact on my own love of comics.
As I’ve said before, start your speculation engines on that last one. And, if you’re anything like me, you might want to start looking forward to what looks like an impressive 20th anniversary year for Image, too.
December 9th, 2011 at 10:29 am
Is there any reason why Stephenson has to be snarky at DC and Marvel, though? I like a lot of what Image is doing, but I am still a bigger fan of DC, and my brand loyalty makes comments like that unpleasant to swallow.
December 9th, 2011 at 10:40 am
@Simon – Don’t be such a baby. I love Marvel, but brand loyalty is misplaced, particularly when you are dealing with an industry that can barely sustain istelf, largely because of the intense focus on superhero comics instead of acknowledging the wider world of stories that can be told.
December 9th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
This would carry more weight if there were some more specifics. “Supreme is going to be on time” seems like the biggest announcement he actually makes.
December 9th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
I’d love to read more Image (I read Invincible) but I’m a superhero fan.
December 9th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
@Shawn So you only read comics with super-heroes and nothing else? Not trying to be snarky just interested, there are some Image titles that fit the superhero veign that aren’t Invincible The Last of the Greats being a good example. There’s also books that feature people with special powers like Chew.
December 9th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
@Shawn
You might also be interested in “The Strange Talent of Luther Strode”. It’s not a traditional superhero title, but well worth a look.
December 11th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
It would seem more snarky to me if it weren’t true.