Image Expo's Exciting Announcements!

The Image Expo keynote address, given by Publisher Eric Stephenson, revealed new creator-owned project announcements for 2014 as well as reflected upon soaring sales increases over the course of 2013 for Image Comics.

His speech came shortly on the heels of the Diamond Distributors release which stated that THE WALKING DEAD #115 was 2013’s bestselling comic and SAGA was the year’s top selling graphic novel and went on to unveil the following exciting news.

Ed Brubaker (Batman, Captain America, FATALE, CRIMINAL) and Sean Phillips (INCOGNITO and SLEEPER) and Image Comics have signed an unprecedented deal in comics publishing, a five year deal to do anything they want with total freedom, total control, and total ownership over their projects. The first project on this new deal for the award-winning creators is THE FADE OUT, debuting this summer, following the conclusion of FATALE with issue #24.

James Robinson and Greg Hinkle decide to go on an adventure and bring back the now public domain AIRBOY series of 1940s fame. Created by Robinson (THE SAVIORS, Earth-2) and Hinkle and starring, well, Robinson and Hinkle, AIRBOY is the story of two comic book creators determined to breathe new life into a series that, while once wildly successful, had fallen into obscurity. This will be Hinkle’s debut at Image Comics. AIRBOY is a new ongoing semi-autobiographical series, inspired by the original Airboy comic series, coming to Image Comics in 2014.

In 2014, Kelly Sue DeConnick (PRETTY DEADLY, Captain Marvel, Avengers Assemble) and artist Valentine De Landro (X-Factor) are bringing the Women in Prison trope to outer space in BITCH PLANET. Sure to be a campy, kick-ass adventure, BITCH PLANET is the story of five leading ladies ready to bust out of their prison cells. BITCH PLANET is a new, ongoing science-fiction action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.

This May 2014, Kyle Higgins (Batman, Nightwing), Alec Siegel (Captain America, Avengers), and Rod Reis (Justice League) take readers back to 1960s Chicago, in a time when the once-heralded superhero labor union C.O.W.L. struggles to maintain their public image and regain the confidence of the people. Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel’s C.O.W.L. is projected to debut in May 2014 from Image Comics.

In 2014, Matt Fraction (SEX CRIMINALS, SATELLITE SAM), Fábio Moon (Daytripper, Serenity), and Gabriel Bá (Daytripper, The Umbrella Academy) team up with author Michael Chabon to bring the adventures of Casanova Quinn back with CASANOVA VOL. 4: ACEDIA. Forthcoming in 2014.

In 2014, Brandon Graham (PROPHET, ELEPHANTMEN) will team up with four different creators to bring a series of science-fiction/fantasy miniseries set in a world ruled by eight houses to life titled, 8HOUSE: KLIEM, 8HOUSE: ARCLIGHT, and 8HOUSE: MIRROR. 8HOUSE is a new series of sci-fi/fantasy miniseries coming to Image Comics in 2014.

Frequent collaborators Rick Remender (BLACK SCIENCE) and artist Greg Tocchini (Uncanny X-Force, Last Days of American Crime) will bring readers on another high-octane science fiction adventure, this time to the lowest depths of Earth after it has been ravaged by the sun’s radiation. LOW is a new, ongoing science-fiction action series coming to Image Comics in 2014.

Joshua Williamson (GHOSTED, MASKS AND MOBSTERS, Captain Midnight) teams up with artist Mike Henderson (Venom, TMNT, MASKS AND MOBSTERS) to bring readers a serial killer mystery they won’t be able to tear their eyes away from this May 2014. NAILBITER will be a new, ongoing crime-thriller series with Image Comics. The projected launch is May 2014.

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham have teased a new series titled, NAMELESS.

In 2014, Nick Spencer (MORNING GLORIES, BEDLAM) will team up with three different artists and launch three new thriller series sure to capture readers’ imaginations. PARADIGMS, CERULEAN, and GREAT BEYOND will all be forthcoming Image Comics series.

Bill Willingham (Fables, Elementals) and Barry Kitson (Batman, Fables) reveal that the magic and gods of legend and lore are not just oral history, but real...and now they’re back in the forthcoming series RESTORATION.

Marvel Knights: Hulk and Glory writer Joe Keatinge teams up with artist Leila del Duca for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining urban fantasy and globe-spanning adventure, SHUTTER.

The fan-favorite series TECH JACKET, returns with an all-new three-issue digital miniseries. Written by Joe Keatinge (GLORY, HELL YEAH) and drawn by Khary Randolph (Spider-Man, Hellboy), this miniseries is the perfect introduction to Kirkman and EJ Su's exciting superhero.

What if every 90 years the gods were reincarnated? Coming this 2014, Kieron Gillen (THREE, PHONOGRAM, Young Avengers) and Jamie McKelvie (X-Men, Young Avengers, PHONOGRAM) team up to infuse new life into the old mythological characters in THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE. The new ongoing series will feature guest creators and surprise arcs with alternate endings that will bring the gods of mythology to life.

Scott Snyder (Batman, Superman Unchained, SEVERED) and Jock (Batman, Wolverine, SNAPSHOT) will team up for a new, ongoing horror series called WYTCHES. Everything you thought you knew about witches is wrong. They are much darker, and they are much more horrifying.