Everyone knows how much I love anthologies. Whether it's a collection designed for a graphic novel sized book like Shout Out, a venerable ongoing series such as 2000 AD, or a spotlight for fan-favorite and up-and-comers like Now, I am all about it! I love exploring anthologies for short work from Panel Pals and creators I follow anywhere. Sometimes it's cool to see what a creator known for long-form epics does with only a few pages. And of course, there's nothing better than when I discover a new creator via an anthology. There's so many people whose work I first discovered in short doses (Liz Prince probably being one of the top for me) that I came to love and I always look forward to finding more.
So color me all kinds of excited for the new anthology coming from Image, called, well, Image!. Its release coincides with Image's 30th anniversary, which makes me feel a little old. I was an avid comics reader back when Image launched, but had very little interest in the original lines. (To be quite honest, with the exception of Savage Dragon, that never really changed, either.) I wouldn't start reading them seriously until some guy named Kirkman started a series called Invincible.
That, for me, was the start of what Image is today in terms of its publishing line. The books we think of as being second-nature for Image now really didn't show up immediately. But! Would we have them if Rob and Todd and Erik and company hadn't split off to do their own thing? Who knows. Image changed things, and are now generally considered the #3 publisher and often spoken of in the same "bucket" as Marvel and DC.
Back to Image!, though. Here's what editor of the series, Eric Stephenson has to say:
“There's no better testament to what Image is all about than the incredible talent we work with, so an anthology featuring an amazing assortment of those artists, writers, colorists, and letterers seemed like a no-brainer,” said Stephenson. “We literally would not exist without the creators we publish, and Image! is a celebration of their unbridled creativity.”
The first issue is set to get going with a bang: Andrea Mutti illustrates "The Blizzard' as one of the ongoing series within the anthology's format. Panel Patter readers know I really dig her work, which is showing up more and more lately, and if her work on Bunny Mask is any indication of her ability to use color to obscure and yet tell a story (reminding me strongly of Steve Lieber), working with oppressive snow should be a joy.
Other creators lined up to contribute to the series in some form include, per the PR:
Brenden Fletcher, W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, Tim Seeley, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Leslie Hung, Joe Casey, Nathan Fox, Zoe Thorogood, Maria Lovett, Jay Faerber, Matt Fraction, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Ríos, James Tynion IV, Kieron Gillen, and many more.
That's a murderer's row of talent, representing many people who've had ties to Image over the years. I can't wait to see what this looks like and how it develops.
How long do we have to wait? Image! issue 1 comes out April 13th at your local comic store or favorite digital device.
