“Time Before Time gets it right. Read it yesterday. Read it tomorrow. Read it now!” —Jonathan Hickman
PORTLAND, Ore. 4.15.2021 — Image Comics is pleased to reveal stunning cover art by Gabriel Walta for the forthcoming Time Before Time #1 by Declan Shalvey, Rory McConville, and Joe Palmer. This gorgeous variant cover will be a 1:25 incentive and land in stores when the series launches this May.
"Walta is one of my favourite contemporary comic creators," said Shalvey. "He has an incredible skill at using composition, tone and texture to articulate the most intimate detail—to make the smallest moments wonderous. I'm so delighted to have this wonderful piece of art adorn our first issue. Way better than that Shalvey cover, that's for sure."
Time Before Time is set in the year 2140. To escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate, a criminal organization who, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to a better life. After working for the Syndicate for years, Tatsuo and Oscar decide to steal one of their boss’s time machines—but soon find that the one thing you can’t run from is your past.
This new ongoing series is perfect for fans of bestselling crime comics like Criminal, but provides a sci-fi twist to the genre by way of time travel. Best described as The Wire meets Quantum Leap, this is a fast-paced crime caper that will leave readers breathless.
Time Before Time #1 Cover A by Shalvey (Diamond Code MAR210037), Time Before Time #1 Cover B by John Paul Leon (Diamond Code MAR210038), and Time Before Time #1 Cover C 1:25 by Walta (Diamond Code MAR218116) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 12.
Time Before Time #1 will also be available for purchase across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play
Early praise for Time Before Time:
"First issue was EXCELLENT! Really grabbed me and I can't wait for issue two! Order it ya dummies!!" —Chip Zdarsky, The Silver Coin, Daredevil
"A story about friendship, desperation, and time travel, that manages to handle all three beautifully. A gorgeous, fun, and charming mindfuck of a book. I loved it." —Matthew Rosenberg, 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, Uncanny X-Men
“I’ll admit it, I often have strong opinions when it comes to stories about time travel, and boy, do I ever have strong opinions about the book I just finished reading. So here it goes: This one—Time Before Time—gets it right. Read it yesterday. Read it tomorrow. Read it now!” —Jonathan Hickman, X-Men, Decorum
"Achingly good. This book crackles with the unique energy of a creative team that knows exactly what it's trying to do, and pulls it off with exhilarating levels of skill. Time-traveling criminals fighting gang wars across millennia, done in the smartest possible way. Love it." —Charles Soule, Undiscovered Country
“Shreds the tropes of time travel down to the raw bone and gives you a lean and mean corkscrew tale of hardbitten survival through centuries, where years act like stash houses and the future and past bleed together into a harrowing present that marches ever forward, forever unforgiving.” —Christopher Cantwell, Iron Man, Halt and Catch Fire
“The most fun, inventive, razor sharp crime adventure I’ve read in years. Jump in and hang on, it doesn’t get better than this.” —Darcy Van Poelgeest, Little Bird
"A unique, high-concept mash-up of time travel and crime story, with beautiful craftsmanship from the entire creative team. If you love comics like Criminal and movies like Looper...grab this book!" —Robbie Thompson, Meet The Skrulls, Suicide Squad
“Right up there with Looper, Primer and 12 Monkeys—whip smart, engaging and timeless.” —Kyle Higgins, Radiant Black, Ultraman
"A timeless crime story set across all of time and told with style and panache!" —Ram V, Swamp Thing, Blue In Green
"More than a time travel triller... a very humane story with an excellent art team, this is worth your time." —David Lopez, Blackhand, Ironhead, Captain Marvel
"First issue was EXCELLENT! Really grabbed me and I can't wait for issue two! Order it ya dummies!!" —Chip Zdarsky, The Silver Coin, Daredevil
"A story about friendship, desperation, and time travel, that manages to handle all three beautifully. A gorgeous, fun, and charming mindfuck of a book. I loved it." —Matthew Rosenberg, 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, Uncanny X-Men
“I’ll admit it, I often have strong opinions when it comes to stories about time travel, and boy, do I ever have strong opinions about the book I just finished reading. So here it goes: This one—Time Before Time—gets it right. Read it yesterday. Read it tomorrow. Read it now!” —Jonathan Hickman, X-Men, Decorum
"Achingly good. This book crackles with the unique energy of a creative team that knows exactly what it's trying to do, and pulls it off with exhilarating levels of skill. Time-traveling criminals fighting gang wars across millennia, done in the smartest possible way. Love it." —Charles Soule, Undiscovered Country
“Shreds the tropes of time travel down to the raw bone and gives you a lean and mean corkscrew tale of hardbitten survival through centuries, where years act like stash houses and the future and past bleed together into a harrowing present that marches ever forward, forever unforgiving.” —Christopher Cantwell, Iron Man, Halt and Catch Fire
“The most fun, inventive, razor sharp crime adventure I’ve read in years. Jump in and hang on, it doesn’t get better than this.” —Darcy Van Poelgeest, Little Bird
"A unique, high-concept mash-up of time travel and crime story, with beautiful craftsmanship from the entire creative team. If you love comics like Criminal and movies like Looper...grab this book!" —Robbie Thompson, Meet The Skrulls, Suicide Squad
“Right up there with Looper, Primer and 12 Monkeys—whip smart, engaging and timeless.” —Kyle Higgins, Radiant Black, Ultraman
"A timeless crime story set across all of time and told with style and panache!" —Ram V, Swamp Thing, Blue In Green
"More than a time travel triller... a very humane story with an excellent art team, this is worth your time." —David Lopez, Blackhand, Ironhead, Captain Marvel
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