Image Picks:

Happy Comic-Book Wednesday!!

I picked up some new titles last week and here are some of my recommendations for new releases from IMAGE Comics. 

 

OBLIVION SONG

Story: Robert Kirkman
Art: Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni
Cover: Lorenzo De Felici
Published: March 7, 2018
Age Rating: T+

 

Oblivion Song the new thrilling action/adventure comic from Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman released earlier this month.

Welcome to the mystery of Oblivion Song. It’s been a decade since hundreds of thousands of people just vanished into Oblivion. The government has provided massive recovery efforts, but after years of searching in limbo they eventually gave up. Meet protagonist Nathan Cole, the soldier that still risks his life to search for anyone else lost in the apocalyptic landscape.

On his last mission Nathan finds two more people in Oblivion and has hopes of finding more survivors. Nathan is now trying to get the government’s approval to get funding and reinstate a search and rescue team to return to Oblivion. But does he have his own selfish ulterior motives?  

This dystopian world is full of unknown creatures and dangerous monsters. After people are brought back through the transference can they be trusted?

“The breeze, the creatures in the distance, insects…It all came together like…It sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before…

…It was like music.”

Kirkman has been working on this story for over a decade, and later teamed up with comic artist Lorenzo De Felici to bring his vision to life. I was happy to finally pick it up, after first hearing about it at Kirkman’s panel at the last NYCC. The first issue features a commentary by Kirkman  and a sketchbook commentary by De Felici. The series displays great artwork full of fantastic dynamic angles and perspectives paired with Kirkmans’ storytelling, this is sure to be a fan favorite. The cover alone caught my attention, and I was impressed with Lorenzo’s interesting take on his creatures.

Oblivion Song is a cross between the Leftovers and the Walking Dead. I definitely recommend this thrilling comic to action adventure readers. If you’re already a fan of Kirkmans work you won’t be disappointed.  

Issue 2 Available Apr. 11 /Rated T

OBLIVION SONG BY KIRKMAN & DE FELICI

 

INFIDEL

Story: Pornsak Pichetshote
Art / Cover: Aaron Campbell, José Villarrubia
Variant Cover: José Villarrubia, Jae Lee
Published: March 14, 2018
Age Rating: M

 

Infidel is a modern twist of hate, fear and evil infusing horror with current political undertones.

The new series from Image comics written by Former Vertigo Editor, Pornsak Pichetshote (Swamp Thing) and artist Aaron Campbell (The Shadow) is a chilling new horror story that takes elements from the real world and delves into Islamophobia.

The series first launched earlier this month and will consist of 5 issues; issue 2 is set to release mid April. The story follows Aisha, a young Muslim American woman who moves with her Caucasian husband and his daughter to be closer to his mother. Not only does she face racism head on but she experiences weird dreams which begin to feel all too real. The building Aisha and her new family live in seems to be haunted by a darkness that feeds on xenophobia and was previously the site of a mass murder.

Experiencing creepy noises, having very vivid dark dreams and feeling the presence of evil elements, is Aisha dreaming or is she being haunted by dark entities. The art of Infidel alone makes you want to dig in with its blood red enticing cover. Campbells artwork is the perfect addition to Pichetshotes story-line in conveying emotions, thoughts, observations and elements to provoke feelings of fear and nightmarish horrors.

Pichetshote, being a horror enthusiast wanted to tell a new horror story, but not just with blood and gore, but one that “has the capacity to delve into psychology and the taboo.”

“I’m a huge fan of horror and was really interested in a horror story that more accurately reflected the multi-racial world we live in and the fears that seem to come with it,” said Pichetshote. “Aaron, Jose, Jeff, and I are really trying to take a classic horror staple—the haunted house—and update everything about it—setting it in the heart of the city, giving it a multi-racial cast where those backgrounds actually matter to the turns of our story, and centering our horror around the very distinct fears of today. I’ve taken to calling Infidel ‘political horror,’ and while we’ve been cooking this project for a while, the success of movies like Get Out make us optimistic that audiences will be as hungry to read something like this as we are to make it.” -Pichetshote

I am looking forward to continuing the series, and to see how this story expands on the horrors of the real world.

Issue 2 Available Apr. 18 /Rated M

INFIDEL BY PICHETSHOTE & CAMPBELL

 

KICK-ASS

Story: Mark Millar
Art / Cover: John Romita Jr
Variant Cover: John Romita Jr, Frank Quitely, Olivier Coipel
Published: February 14, 2018
Age Rating: M

 

As of February 14, 2018 a reboot series went into publication.

The legendary duo Mark Millar and John Romita Jr are back it with an all new tale of KICK-ASS! Yes, KICK-ASS, the uber successful comic that went on to be an uber successful film and made us all want to throw on some latex and well kick ass!

The original series was the story of Dave Lizewski, an oddball teenager with no actual training that decides to become a real-life super-hero, and with the help of his new super friends Hit-Girl and Big Daddy takes on the city’s scum and criminals. I was super excited to hear that one of my most favorite series was actually returning.

But if Dave retired from his super-hero crime-fighting days as a vigilante behind him, well then…

WHO IS THE NEW KICK-ASS?

Meet Patience Lee:

A newly retired army veteran with plans to return home to her family and go back to school for an engineering degree.Patience has just returned home from Afghanistan to find out that her husband has left her & her children along with thousands of dollars of debt. After considering all her options, she decides to take matters into her own hands to provide for her family by robbing high-profile criminals. Yay RobinHood!

Patience, skilled in military combat has led teams in Afghanistan and is not afraid to take on common street thugs and high rollers in order to save her community. Patience can handle a crew of thugs like nobody’s business. Lots of blams, slams, arm twisting, and gut wrenching blows this new adrenaline packed vigilante super-hero adventure is Kick-Ass worthy!!

“Night Stalkers don’t quit”

 

Issue 3 Available April 18, 2018 /Rated M

KICK-ASS BY MILLAR & ROMITA JR.

 

Also check out HIT-GIRL:

HIT-GIRL #2

Story: Mark Millar
Art: Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Cover / Variant Cover: Amy Reeder
Published: March 28, 2018
Age Rating: M

 

https://imagecomics.com/ *All photos courtesy of Image comics-https://imagecomics.com/content/view/nycc-announcement-infidela-new-horror-series-that-explores-islamophobia