Tag Archives: image 30th anniversary anthology

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on by
Fox and Hare #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Barb and The Ghost Blade (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) – We loved the first volume that had Barb kicking butt and trying to save her friends and family. Now she has a crew and they must infiltrate the monster capital, and find Franny Fire Fingers, who they hope will lead them to the Wise Wizards and the power to fight Witch Head.

Batman: Fortress #1 (DC Comics) – It looks like a global attack and Superman is missing. Batman must lead the charge in response. A solid first issue that builds on the unknown.

DC vs. Vampires: Hunters #1 (DC Comics) – A key issue for those reading the series. It feels like the transition from the first half of the series to the second.

Devil’s Reign: Omega #1 (Marvel) – It feels like forever since this even wrapped up but this issue delivers what the final issue didn’t, teases of what’s next!

Fox and Hare #1 (Vault Comics) – After a lot of anticipation the first issue is here and we can’t wait to check out the series about a mega corporation that wanrs its data back from a black market coder. The art looks awesome!

Hellboy & the BPRD: Night of the Cyclops (Dark Horse Comics) – We’re always fans of Hellboy one-shots that you can pick up and just enjoy. It’s like a dime store pulp novel in comic form.

Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #2 (Image Comics) – The first issue surprised us as a celebration of Image but not the past, what is and what will be. We’re hoping for more of that and the series highlighting the publisher’s potentially bright future.

The Killer: Affairs of the State #4 (BOOM! Studios/Archaia) – The series has been a fantastic spy/crime series that leaves readers with something to ponder after every issue.

Land of the Living Gods #4 (AfterShock) – The series has been fantastic giving us an apocalyptic story that has a great attention to small details that makes it stand out.

Legion of X #1 (Marvel) – Who will police Krakoa and help pursue happiness and hope? Legion of X!

My Little Pony #1 (IDW Publishing) – Spinning out of the Netflix movie, we’re interested in seeing how the series transitions and who it’s focused on as far as readers.

The Naughty List #2 (AfterShock) – The first issue had a lot of humor but this Santa goes on a revenge trip also had a lot of heart too.

Past the Last Mountain #3 (CEX Publishing) – This world about monsters running to freedom after interment delivers a lot to think about.

Spectro (AfterShock) – Juan Doe, nuff said.

Wolf Never Sleeps Vol. 1 (Yen Press) – The manga debut has a feel that’s much more traditional fantasy. While a bit slow, it’s a solid start that has us excited to read more.

Review: Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1

Posted on by
Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1

It’s been 30 years since Image Comics launched. I remember fondly the buzz and excitement of these amazing creators breaking off on their own and creating whole new worlds no longer shackled by corporate bosses. I also remember reading a lot of those early comics and scratching my head. The art was definitely better than the stories with each series varying wildly in the overall quality. A lot has changed in that time with many ups and downs for the company. Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 doesn’t celebrate what was, it instead what is. The anthology focuses on the current crop of creators releasing their creations under the publisher. It’s not a reflection of those titans who started it all.

Image has come a long way and this anthology is evidence of that. With a who’s who of creators, Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 features a little something for almost everyone. There’s a lack of all-ages content, but, with so much adult content, it’d feel a little out of place. And boy is there adult content. Serial killers, murder, violence, the stories within are fare from the general “spandex superheroes” the publisher launched with. Sure, Image pushed the envelope in many ways when it launched, but the first story involves a child killer being killed on the footsteps of a courthouse. If there’s ever a flag planted that says this isn’t the Image of old, that’s a pretty big one.

And there’s a lot of variety here. The stories are pretty entertaining with few that are outright clunkers. But, with every anthology there’s some stories you’ll enjoy and some you probably won’t. It’s the nature of anthologies.

The art is generally top-notch. There’s a wide variety of styles and designs. Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 features black and white gritty stories to bright colored neon explosions. The stories themselves are a mixture of cartoony manga inspired designs to grittier noir-ish tales that whose looks feel like they’re inspired by Frank Miller. Like the stories themselves, there’s a lot to take in and surely there’ll be some that readers will enjoy and some they don’t.

Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 is an interesting comic. With it, the publisher seems focused on what is and what’s to come. This isn’t so much a celebration of the past 30 years of Image, it’s looking ahead at the next 30.

Story: Geoff Johns, Declan Shalvey, Wyatt Kennedy, Wes Craig, Skottie Young, Mirka Andolfo, Erica Henderson, Brenden Fletcher, Kyle Higgins, Patrick Kindlon
Art: Andrea Mutti, Declan Shalvey, Luana Vecchio, Wes Craig, Skottie Young, Mirka Andolfo, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Maurizio Rosenzweig
Color: Jason Wordie, Chiara Di Francia, Walter Baiamonte, Katia Ranalli
Letterer: Rob Leigh, Clayton Cowles, Fabio Amelia, Becca Carey
Editor: Brian Cunningham, Heather Antos

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on by
HAKIMS ODYSSEY GN BOOK 02 FROM TURKEY TO GREECE

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

A Town Called Terror #1 (Image Comics) – A new horror series from Steve Niles and Szymon Kudranski? Yes please!

Break Out #1 (Dark Horse Comics) – Massive cube spaceships from another dimension materialize over cities and routinely abduct teenager to be held in their floating prisons.

Days of Sand (SelfMadeHero) – A tale, inspired by real-life stories of courage and perseverance during the Dust Bowl of 1930s United States, 1937.

Elektra #100 (Marvel) – Ann Nocenti returning to Elektra? Yeah, we’re down with it.

Flashpoint Beyond #0 (DC Comics) – A return to Flashpoint? Yeah, we’re suckers enough for the concept.

Ghost in You: A Reckless Book (Image Comics) – We love the Reckless detective/noir series of graphic novels. A new one always has us excited. If you love the genre, it’s a must.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 40th Anniversary Special (IDW Publishing) – 22 artists do their spin on the classic “silent issue”.

Hakim’s Odyssey Book 2 From Turkey to Greece (Graphic Mundi) – Continuing the true story of a Syrian refugee.

Image 30th Anniversary Anthology (Image Comics) – Image is celebrating 30 years and we want to see what the publisher has in store this year to do so.

Junction (Titan Comics) – When a missing child, Lucas Jones, reappears after an absence of 12 years, the brief moment of joy is clouded by mystery. How is he still 11 years old?

Kaiju Score: Steal From the Gods #1 (AfterShock) – The first volume was so much fun mixing a classic heist story with kaiju, we’re hoping for a repeat.

Life Zero #3 (Ablaze) – An action film with zombies. There’s not much more to it.

The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #1 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – James Tynion IV playing in this sandbox? Hells yes!

The Stretcher Bearers (Dead Reckoning) – Max is in France during the Great War and doesn’t expect to witness the horrors of war he witnesses or build the friendships he does.

Vanity #1 (Scout Comics/Black Caravan) – The legendary Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory is dead, and gravediggers are assigned to relocate her corpse. But who was she really? Was she a monster or a victim?

Wrong Earth: Fame & Fortune #1 (Ahoy Comics) – Mark Russell taking on this world? Yeah, we’re pumped for the satire and laughs.

X-Men ’92: House of XCII #1 (Marvel) – Return to the classic animated series with a new twist.