Tag Archives: wes craig

Ten more Walking Dead Team-up Variants Revealed celebrating 20 years

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Image Comics has revealed ten more exciting team-up variants as part of a line of covers celebrating Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead hitting its milestone 20 year anniversary. These variant covers will add walker-fever to shelves throughout October and feature artists’ interpretations of the iconic horror series’ characters.

This second herd of ten Walking Dead team-up variants includes artwork by such comics dynamos as Jeffrey Edwards (on A Haunted Girl #1), Jacob Phillips (on Enfield Gang Massacre #3), Mike Henderson (on The Forged #5), Wes Craig (on Kaya #12), Doug Dabbs (on Klik Klik Boom #5), Bob Quinn (on Kill Your Darlings #2), Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs (on Local Man #6), Stephen Segovia (on The Scorched #23), Natacha Bustos & Jordie Bellaire (on Scrapper #4), and Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran (on Ice Cream Man #37).

The following The Walking Dead team-up variants will be available at local comic shops:

  • A HAUNTED GIRL #1 CVR E by Jeffrey Edwards – on sale Wednesday, October 11 – Lunar Code: 0823IM302
  • ANTARCTICA #4 CVR C by Giuseppe Cafaro – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM353
  • CREEPSHOW #2 CVR D by Rafael Albuquerque – on sale Wednesday, October 11 – Lunar Code: 0823IM363
  • THE DEAD LUCKY #10 CVR B by Stefano Simeone – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM368
  • DESTINY GATE #1 CVR C by Giuseppe Cafaro – on sale Wednesday, October 11 – Lunar Code: 0823IM297
  • EDENWOOD #2 CVR F by Tony S. Daniel – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM374
  • ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE #3 CVR B by Jacob Phillips – on sale Wednesday, November 22 – Lunar Code: 0823IM376
  • FIREPOWER #28 CVR C by Andre Bressan & Adriano Lucas – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM379
  • THE FORGED #5 CVR B by Mike Henderson – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM808
  • HACK/SLASH: BACK TO SCHOOL #1 CVR D by Tim Seeley – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM285
  • HAUNT YOU TO THE END #5 CVR C by Giuseppe Cafaro – on sale Wednesday, October 11 – Lunar Code: 0823IM385
  • I HATE FAIRYLAND #10 CVR D by Skottie Young – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM390
  • ICE CREAM MAN #37 CVR C by Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM393
  • KAYA #12 CVR C by Wes Craig – on sale Wednesday, November 22 – Lunar Code: 0823IM401
  • KILL YOUR DARLINGS #2 CVR E by Bob Quinn – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM406
  • KLIK KLIK BOOM #5 CVR B by Doug Dabbs – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM410
  • LOCAL MAN #6 CVR D by Tim Seeley & Tony Fleecs – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM414
  • NO/ONE #7 CVR D by Stefano Simeone – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0723IM816
  • PURR EVIL #4 CVR C by Roberto Meli – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM419
  • RADIANT BLACK #28 A CVR B by Stefano Simeone – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM423
  • RADIANT BLACK #28 B CVR B by Stefano Simeone – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM424
  • ROGUE SUN #17 CVR C by Stefano Simeone – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM427
  • SACRIFICERS #3 CVR D by James Harren – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM431
  • SAVAGE DRAGON #269 CVR C by Erik Larsen – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM435
  • SAVAGE STRENGTH OF STAR STORM #6 CVR C by Drew Craig – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code 0823IM438
  • THE SCHLUB #3 CVR G by Tyrell Cannon – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM445
  • THE SCORCHED #23 CVR C by Stephen Segovia – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM448
  • SCRAPPER #4 CVR B by Natacha Bustos & Jordie Bellaire – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM450
  • SOMETHING EPIC #6 CVR E by Szymon Kudranski – on sale Wednesday, October 11 – Lunar Code: 0823IM455
  • SWAN SONGS #4 CVR D by Martín Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM462
  • TALES OF SYZPENSE #3 CVR E by Ashley Wood – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM467
  • TENEMENT #5 CVR C by Andrea Sorrentino – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM359
  • TIME BEFORE TIME #28 CVR C by Declan Shalvey – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM471
  • UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY #27 CVR C by Giuseppe Camuncoli – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM474
  • VOID RIVALS #5 CVR F – on sale Wednesday, October 18 – Lunar Code: 0823IM481
  • WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? #15 CVR C by Tyler Boss – on sale Wednesday, October 25 – Lunar Code: 0823IM488

An orphaned amnesiac high student must navigate the present and recall his past in The Savage Strength of Starstorm

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Image Comics has announced an all-new, epic adventure in The Savage Strength of Starstorm by up-and-coming creator Drew Craig. This forthcoming ongoing series is set to launch in May.

This exciting comic will also feature a variant cover by Deadly Class artist Wes Craig.

The Savage Strength of Starstorm follows orphaned amnesiac high school student Grant Garrison as he attempts to navigate his present and recall his past when a meteor decimates his school. Amongst the rubble, Grant discovers a strange artifact from another galaxy, the weapon known as the Starstorm, and the power that resides within it will determine not only his and his friends’ future—but the fate of the entire universe.

The Savage Strength of Starstorm #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, May 31:

  • Cover A by Drew Craig – Diamond Code MAR230027
  • Cover B Wes Craig – Diamond Code MAR230028
The Savage Strength of Starstorm #1 

A new Tokyo Ghost cover revealed as Rick Remender’s Giant Studios kicks off a line of reprints and collected editions

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Comics titan Rick Remender’s Giant Generator Studios line of bestsellers will see a number of exciting upcoming releases next year—including a long-anticipated reprint of the Tokyo Ghost hardcover co-created with artist Sean Gordon Murphy—all published by Image Comics. Image has revealed new cover art by Murphy to grace the upcoming Tokyo Ghost hardcover reprint which will land on shelves in April 2023.

Upcoming Giant Generator titles greenlit for publication include to following, with more to come:

  • 12/21—Seven To Eternity deluxe hardcover (co-created with artist Jerome Opeña)
  • 4/19/2023—Tokyo Ghost deluxe hardcover (co-created w/Murphy, featuring new cover art by Murphy)
  • 4/5/2023—Deadly Class Book One deluxe hardcover (co-created with artist Wes Craig)
  • 4/5/2023—Black Science: The Complete Story compendium trade paperback edition (co-created with artist Matteo Scalera featuring new cover art by Scalera)
  • 6/14/2023—The Scumbag: The Complete Story deluxe hardcover(featuring various collaborating artists, cover by Greg Tocchini)
  • 6/28/2023—Deadly Class Book Four deluxe hardcover (co-created with artist Craig)
  • 8/9/2023—A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance deluxe hardcover (co-created with André Lima Araújo)
  • 11/8/2023—Fear Agent Book One deluxe hardcover (co-created with artist Tony Moore & Opeña)
  • 11/15/2023—Fear Agent Book Two deluxe hardcover (co-created with artist Moore & Opeña)
Tokyo Ghost

Image announces a trio of Second Printings

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Image Comics has announced that three bestelling series will be fast-tracked for reprints in order to keep up with escalating customer demand—Skottie Young and Brett Bean’s I Hate Fairyland (2022) #1, Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s The Bone Orchard Mythos: Ten Thousand Black Feathers #2, and Wes Craig’s Kaya #2. All three reprints will land on shelves this December.

In Skottie Young and Brett Bean’s I Hate Fairyland (2022) #1, everyone’s favorite green-haired axe-wielding crazed maniac returns in this Deadpool meets Alice In Wonderland-style adventure! Gert is all grown up and living in the real world. Times are tough and the only job she’s qualified for has her trying to find her way back to the place she hates the most…Fairyland.

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino expand their shared horror universe of titles, The Bone Orchard Mythos, with Ten Thousand Black Feathers. In issue #2, Trish and Jackie are pulled deeper into the fantasy world they’ve created. But the terrors of the real world are difficult to separate and their teenage daydreams are proving to be equally dangerous.

In Wes Craig’s Kaya #2, Kaya has formed an uneasy alliance with the Lizard-Riders. But will a flash flood and a dangerous hunt for food with the treacherous Zothan push Kaya past her breaking point?

I Hate Fairyland (2022) #1, second printing (Diamond Code SEP229024), The Bone Orchard Mythos: Ten Thousand Black Feathers #2, second printing (Diamond Code SEP229025), and Kaya #2, second printing (Diamond Code SEP229026) will all be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, December 21.

Wes Craig’s Kaya #1 heads back to print

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 Image Comics has rushed the popular new fantasy series Kaya—by Deadly Class dynamo Wes Craig—back to print in order to keep up with escalating customer demand. Kaya immediately skyrocketed in popularity upon its release last week. The series promises ongoing adventure and follows a pair of siblings surviving in a world of monsters and mutants.

After the destruction of their village a young girl with a magic arm and a fighting spirit is tasked with delivering her little brother to a faraway safe haven. There he’s destined to discover the secret to overthrowing the all-powerful empire that destroyed their home.

Kaya #1, second printing and Kaya #2 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 9:

  • Kaya #1, second printing – Diamond Code AUG228613
  • Kaya #2 Cover A – Diamond Code SEP220278
  • Kaya #2 Cover B – Diamond Code SEP220279
Kaya #1, second printing

Review: Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #1

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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

Get a Look at Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1

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Gotham City may be protected by the Dark Knight, but the home of Batman and his allies is also plagued by some of the deadliest, most nefarious villains in the DC Universe! In this oversized anniversary giant, DC presents tales of Batman’s deadliest foes written and drawn by some of the biggest, most exciting names in comics!

Celebrated Villains, Celebrated Storytellers!

This anthology marks the anniversary year of Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. The Penguin and is celebrated by a special Penguin/Catwoman story by acclaimed actor, screenwriter, and producer Danny DeVito, who immortalized the character in the 1992 hit movie Batman Returns. DeVito teams up with fan-favorite artist Dan Mora on a fun heist story/romance between The Penguin and his “crush” from Batman Returns, Catwoman. 

This anthology also celebrates the anniversaries of other Bat-baddies, with stories spotlighting:

  • The Scarecrow (story and art by Wes Craig)
  • Poison Ivy (written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Emma Rios)
  • Ra’s al Ghul (written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, art by Riccardo Federici)
  • Talia al Ghul (written by Nadia Shammas & Joshua Williamson, art by Max Raynor)
  • The original Red Hood (written by Stephanie Phillips, art by Max Fiumara)
  • The Mad Hatter (written by Dan Watters, art by Skylar Patridge)
  • Killer Moth (written by Mairghread Scott, art by Ariela Kristantina)

Highly Collectible Variant Covers!

Not only does this must-have anthology celebrate popular Bat-villains, but fans can visit their local comic book shops to pre-order the Gotham City Villains Anniversary #1 and choose one or more of the most breathtaking variant covers ever seen! 

  • Main cover by Lee Bermejo
  • The Penguin variant cover by Frank Quitely
  • The Scarecrow variant cover by Wes Craig and Jason Wordie
  • Poison Ivy variant cover by Marguerite Sauvage
  • Talia and Ra’s al Ghul variant cover by Riccardo Federici
  • Killer Moth, Red Hood and Mad Hatter variant cover by Dan Mora
  • Batman/Villains 1:25 ratio variant cover by Francesco Mattina
  • Batman/Penguin 1:50 ratio variant cover by Chris Burnham and Nathan Fairbairn

The Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1 arrives in comic book stores and participating digital retailers Tuesday, November 30, 2021. 

Review: Deadly Class #45

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Deadly Class #45

Even though it’s been several years since his trauma-filled days as a pretentious douchebag at King’s Dominion Atelier for the Deadly Arts, Marcus Lopez Arguello is still full of shit, literally and metaphorically in Deadly Class #45. The new arc of Rick Remender, Wes Craig, and Lee Loughridge’s teen assassin comic picks up in 1991, and you can be sure that Marcus has some unsolicited opinions about grunge music that ends up taking too much of the comic’s running time. However, he meets/grooms a girl named Dawn, who deconstructs his opinions and mansplaining and of course, they end up hooking up. I’m really ready for Marcus/the comic to be put out of its misery.

However, before talking about how insufferable Marcus is, and how I smile at his shitty existence reading Matt Groening comics in a bathroom and telling uninterested girls about the difference between geek and nerd, I have something positive to say about Deadly Class #45. And that’s even though the book has gone by the wayside by deciding to focus on its very unlikable protagonist instead of a diverse ensemble cast like in its previous arc, Wes Craig and Lee Loughridge bring their A-game on the visuals.

Craig’s cut-up panels and Loughridge’s red and black against insets of Marcus’ morning routine show up his fucked up mental state, and why he ends up getting an enema. One thing I’ve loved about Wes Craig’s art on Deadly Class is how he uses different inking styles to convey different moods like lush brush strokes for Marcus and Dawn kind of to the chaotic slinging of the issue’s climax where he becomes John Wick sponsored by Pitchfork.com. Loughridge’s palette gets dirtier during this scene going from flat background colors for Marcus’ new suburban digs to something with a little more edge as befitting a protagonist covered in a blood with an enema up his ass.

Despite Craig and Loughridge firing on all cylinders, Deadly Class #45 is a slog to get through because even after 45 issues of trials and tribulations, he’s really an insufferable character. I miss when he wanted to assassinate Ronald Reagan. Unlike most real life annoying nerds/hipsters, he’s definitely had a rough life, but his treatment of women and propensity for never shutting the hell up makes him a character that I don’t want to spend a lot of time around. In past issues of Deadly Class, Rick Remender got around this by surrounding him with an interesting ensemble cast of characters. However, no one except Dawn even rates a second glance in Deadly Class #45, and they’re all kids who want to party with his drugs, an annoying boss, or people who want him dead. When Marcus was “dead” for an arc, Remender and Wes Craig did an excellent job creating a new cast of King’s Dominion students to replace him as the series’ lead, and the book could really use some of that magic now.

Because there’s so much dialogue and overwrought narrative captions, Deadly Class #45 never gets to settle into Marcus’ emotional state during the time skip. Ennui isn’t really visually interesting, but Remender only works in long one-sided conversations, broad humor, and bold action. (The third one is fine.) He’s too busy catching up readers on Marcus’ opinions of different bands and driving the point home that he’s an outsider even though he likes Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man. Throughout Deadly Class, Remender and Craig have used bands and fashion as a kind of verbal and visual shorthand to introduce characters before really getting to know them via their choices, schemes, and how they interact with others. But Marcus is the protagonist so maybe we should have gone beyond that. His interactions with Dawn and general apathy has shown that he hasn’t grown much as a character and honestly regressed since the early days of Deadly Class.

Although Wes Craig and Lee Loughridge continue to bring the stylish visuals that drew me to Deadly Class way back in 2014, Deadly Class #45 is basically mansplaining the comic and squanders its new setting and status quo. It’s definitely not a good jumping on point and made me realize I’m only following the title because of sunk cost fallacy.

Story: Rick Remender Art: Wes Craig
Colors: Lee Loughridge Letters: Rus Wooton
Story: 5.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 5.8 Recommendation: Pass

Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Review: Superman: Red and Blue #1

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Superman: Red and Blue #1

I’ll admit it, Superman isn’t the most exciting character to me. I find he’s one that runs hot or cold with little in-between. There’s been great stories and great runs but he’s generally not a character I get excited to read about. But, I love anthologies. So, getting to sit down with Superman: Red and Blue #1 to see what such varied creators would do had me intrigued. And, I was not disappointed. This is another homerun of an anthology for DC Comics, and one the delivers an emotional punch.

Superman: Red and Blue #1 features such varied talent as John Ridley, Brandon Easton, Wes Craig, Dan Watters, and Marguerite Bennett on writing. Clayton Henry, Steve Lieber, Wes Craig, Jill Thompson, and Dani provide the art. Jordie Bellaire, Ron Chan handle some of the colors, while Dave Sharpe, Clayton Cowles, and Troy Peteri handle the lettering. I wanted to give the creators behind this their due because it’s a hell of an anthology. Every story is fantastic. The art is top-notch. The colors are used amazingly well, and the lettering is tight. This is a comic that knocks it out of the park.

But, what surprised me the most about Superman: Red and Blue #1 is how much it got to me. It’s stories made me think and delivered a bit of a punch. It’s impressive. Really impressive. DC has let their creators do what they do and it appears without fear. The stories range from lessons about childhood friendship, to condemnations of capitalism. There’s a story that tackles the failures of DC’s heroes (like Superman) from stopping the drug trade making them complicit in the deaths due to it. And, there’s a story of inspiration. Each story has highs and lows and are so unique with something to say about the character or what he represents. It’s an inspiring and thought-provoking comic.

Superman: Red and Blue #1 continues DC’s sparsely colored comics focused on red and blue like the title says. There’s also whites, blacks, and some gray thrown in but the various stories look beautiful and varied in their styles. There’s also a brilliant comic focused on colors themselves delivering a dive into what each represents.

The anthology is an inspiring endeavor and sets up such a high bar for what’s to follow. I went in knowing Superman: Red and Blue #1 was full of talent but how daring some of these stories are was not expected. To finish reading some of them a little choked up was

Story: John Ridley, Brandon Easton, Wes Craig, Dan Watters, Marguerite Bennett
Art: Clayton Henry, Steve Lieber, Wes Craig, Jill Thompson, Dani
Color: Jordie Bellaire, Ron Chan
Letterer: Dave Sharpe, Clayton Cowles, Troy Peteri
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Preview: Superman: Red & Blue #1

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Superman: Red & Blue #1

Written by: Marguerite Bennett, Dan Watters, Wes Craig, Brandon Easton, John Ridley
Art by: Jill Thompson, Wes Craig, Steve Lieber, Clayton Henry

This new series presents fresh new visions of the Man of Steel in his two signature colors of red and blue! Around the world, everyone knows that when they see a red and blue streak in the sky, it’s not a bird…it’s not a plane…it’s Superman.

To start things off, Academy Award-winning writer of Future State: The Next Batman John Ridley joins artist Clayton Henry (Batman/Superman) to tell a story of Clark Kent as he confronts a villain who still haunts him, in a story that shows what Superman can mean to a whole country. Then, Brandon Easton (DC Future State’s “Mister Miracle”) and Steve Lieber (Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen) take readers to the streets of Metropolis to show how one hero can mean so much to an individual in pain. Plus, writer/artist Wes Craig (Deadly Class) tells a tale of Superman’s early days and the man who inspired him to become the hero he is today! And Marguerite Bennett (Future State: Kara Zor-El, Superwoman) and artist Jill Thompson give us a tale of teenage Clark Kent, while Dan Watters and Dani, the team behind Coffin Bound, bring us an outlandish fable about what happens when all colors are stolen!

Superman: Red & Blue #1
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