Head’s Up: Image Comics Previews – November 2011

Being a comic fan can be tough. With so many publishers printing more and more books, canceling titles and starting new ones, it can be daunting when you head to the comic book shop on a Wednesday to know exactly what’s coming out.

The current system of presenting and ordering comics three months ahead of their release as set forth by the sole comics distributor, Diamond Comics, doesn’t make it any easier either. We’re not a fan of that system, we think it’s slowly strangling comics to death, but we realize it’s a harsh reality of how the industry works and we definitely don’t want you to miss out on any of the cool comics being published.

And so, as opposed to regurgitating the list of comics solicited in Previews each month, we present to you some of the highlights of things you probably won’t want to miss out on.

SPOILER WARNING – In order to get people to order comics, the publishers have a funny habit of revealing what’s happening in the books. If you don’t want anything at all to be spoiled, then you’ll probably want to skip this post and take your chances with your pre-orders and/or your shopping.

The Title Really is All Inclusive.

That is a Frank Cho cover. It’s the kind of cover that makes you say, “Damn!” Then you feel a little bad for the dinosaur. Then you say “Damn!” one more time.

GUNS AND DINOS #1 (of 3)
story / art / cover FRANK CHO

NOVEMBER 16
32 PAGES / FC / M
$2.99

With a catastrophic fossil fuel shortage looming, several scientific and military groups are hard at work trying to find alternative fuel sources and modes of transportation to keep the United States military machine running. A small group of quantum scientists and engineers have made a breakthrough in transportation: space folding. Things go awry on its maiden voyage, though, and instead of teleporting the soldiers across the lab, it sends the entire military base back in time – with disastrous results!

Punch, Punch, Thunk, Splat.

What happens when you take a rising star artist, mix him with a TV personality who talks about comic books for a living, and do a Mixed Martial Arts comic book? I guess we’ll see. In the meantime, there’s no reason to suspect that MMA fans won’t eat this up with a spoon. A bloody, and sort of icky spoon.

HEART #1 (of 4) – GEM OF THE MONTH
story BLAIR BUTLER
art & cover KEVIN MELLON

NOVEMBER 2
32 PAGES / BW / M

Mixed Martial Arts and comics collide when an office drone named Oren “Rooster” Redmond follows his older brother into the fiercely competitive world of professional MMA. With nothing left to lose, Oren hopes to find his purpose in fighting – but does passion equal proficiency?  Does Oren truly have the heart of a champion? Find out in the first chapter of this four-issue series.

Whatever You Want to Do, Stan!

You should just listen to Stan say the words “Blood Red Dragon”. Plus the comic plays music. Really.

BLOOD RED DRAGON #1
story JON GOFF
art CARLO SORIANO & CRIMELAB SYNDICATE
cover CARLO SORIANO

NOVEMBER 2
24 PAGES / FC / T
$3.99

Limited print run of 5000 copies

Conceived by legendary storyteller, STAN LEE!!!
Developed by comic book revolutionary, TODD McFARLANE!!!
Inspired by worldwide musical icon, YOSHIKI!!!

As an overwhelming force of darkness prepares for an epic assault on reality, one man must call upon a power beyond his control to stand against the rising tide of Oblivion…

Enter the BLOOD RED DRAGON.

With his life suddenly thrown into chaos, Yoshiki must come to grips with the devastating powers at his command. But, with time running out, he must also discern friend from foe, as new players in the war with Oblivion make themselves known, and dark assassins continue their assault on the lyrical heart of humanity.

THE END OF ALL THINGS BEGINS HERE!!!

Never Trust a Man What’s Made ‘a Mud!

Hey Paul Grist fans! He’s back and he’s getting dirty.

MUDMAN #1
story /art / cover PAUL GRIST

NOVEMBER 16
32 PAGES / FC / TEEN
$3.50

A BRAND-NEW SUPERHERO COMIC BY PAUL GRIST!
It’s the first day back at school for Owen Craig, and it’s not going too well.  He’s been run over, got detention, and his police officer father has been taken prisoner by armed bank robbers.

And now his body seems to be turning into mud…

Really Really Real

The hit, but hard to find indie sensation comes to Image, and very likely, a comic store near you. More? Listen to this Talksplode with writer Sam Humphries.

OUR LOVE IS REAL
story SAM HUMPHRIES
art / cover STEVEN SANDERS

NOVEMBER 2
24 PAGES / B&W / M
SIZE 8” X 8”
$3.99

The comic book “surprise hit of the summer” is back – and Image has it! In wide release for the very first time! See it for yourself – the book that has everyone buzzing: OUR LOVE IS REAL!

THE FUTURE IS HERE! Plantsexuals riot in the streets for equal rights. Humans fall in love with dogs. And crystals are more than just jewelry. A chance encounter on the job changes a riot cop’s life forever as he finds himself caught in a bizarre love triangle that blurs romance, crime, and lust beyond recognition.

OUR LOVE IS REAL is a bold new sci-fi one-shot written by SAM HUMPHRIES (one of Wizard’s “Five Writers to Watch in 2011,” CBGB, Fraggle Rock) and illustrated by STEVEN SANDERS (Uncanny X-Men: The Heroic Age, FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE).

 One Shall Stand! Many Shall Fall!

It’s Pilot Season from Top Cow once again. The thing about this is, no one else does anything quite like it, and since the creators only get one shot, there’s always something interesting in all the issues, and they’re usually worth a read.

 PILOT SEASON: MISDIRECTION #1
story FILIP SABLIK
art CHRIS DiBARI
cover MICHAEL GAYDOS

NOVEMBER 2
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
Vince Martinez raced cars for a living, now he can’t even drive. A tragic mistake took Vince from the height of success to losing his career, his family & his freedom. When he is unwittingly made the getaway driver for a bank robbery gone wrong, will Vince head back to jail or show the world why he was NASCAR’s hottest driver in one of the heaviest trafficked cities in the US.

Writer FILIP SABLIK (LAST MORTAL, PILOT SEASON: ASSET) teams with artist CHRIS DIBARI (Pale Horse, The Warriors) hit the gas on a high-speed fugitive tale with a twist!

PILOT SEASON: THEORY OF EVERYTHING #1
story DAN CASEY
art THOMAS NACHLIK
cover ERIK JONES

NOVEMBER 9
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
Charles Witten is a brilliant scientist capable of inventing devices that will change our world. Unfortunately, most of the scientific community thinks he’s a crackpot. As does the government, until… a precision team of heist men rob a bank in Switzerland using what appears to be Witten’s dimension hopping technology. Technology that Witten designed, but never completed…

Writer/director DAN CASEY and artist THOMAS NACHLIK (LAST MORTAL) deliver fast-paced, action-packed science fiction that will keep you guessing.

PILOT SEASON: ANONYMOUS #1
story ALAN McELROY
art MICHAEL MONTENAT
cover ERIK JONES

NOVEMBER 16
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
Marcus Walsh was an elite Special Forces soldier involved in black ops all over the world. Wet work like this takes its toll and Marcus wanted out, but this wasn’t a job you quit. There was only one way out. Now believed dead and completely anonymous, Walsh struggles to use his black ops skills to atone for his past sins.

Screenwriter ALAN McELROY (SPAWN, Tekken) newcomer MICHAEL MONTENAT delivers a hard-hitting adventure of redemption and conspiracy!

PILOT SEASON: SERAPH #1
story LANCE BRIGGS & PHIL HESTER
art & cover JOSE LUIS

NOVEMBER 23
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$3.99

PILOT SEASON RETURNS! TAKE CONTROL!
The angelic warrior now known only as Seraph was once a sinner. After living a life of selfishness and sin, personal tragedy drove him to kill himself. Plucked on his way to Hell by Heaven, the man was made Heaven’s soldier in an endless battle. Charged with fighting an ancient war, but bound by God’s law, can Seraph triumph over opponents not restricted in the same way and regain his faith in the process?

Creator LANCE BRIGGS (Chicago Bears) and writer PHIL HESTER (THE DARKNESS, Wonder Woman) are joined by artist JOSE LUIS (Justice League of America) deliver a story of personal loss and redemption wrapped in a rich supernatural mythos.

It’s a Less Inclusive Title than Guns and Dinos

This is the whole shebang. While there are, in fact, girls in this book, there’s also a monumental amount of violence, and some very wonderful comic book pages as well. Get it all in one place.

GIRLS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP
story JOSHUA LUNA
art & cover JONATHAN LUNA

NOVEMBER 16
608 PAGES / FC / M
$49.99

This edition collects the complete run of GIRLS by THE LUNA BROTHERS (THE SWORD, ULTRA). Experience the epic horror series about a small town that is invaded by beautiful, murderous, egg-laying clones.

Collects GIRLS #1-24

Important Life Lessons

It becomes more and more obvious that my education was lacking. I don’t even own a mask, just to start.

GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS, VOL. 1 TP
story MARK ANDREW SMITH
art / cover ARMAND VILLAVERT

NOVEMBER 19
144 PAGES / FC / E
$9.99

Welcome to Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors, a top-secret academy for the children of the world’s greatest super villains to learn the trade. Join us as Kid Nefarious, Mummy Girl, Martian Jones, Ghost Girl, and the infamous Skull brothers unearth the School’s and their parents’ hidden past.

Collects GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS #1-6

Why Wait Years for a Deluxe Hardcover?

Get completely up to date, and all in one place with this big ‘ol book. Spencer says it’s gonna go very long, so you can use this to plan your custom bookcase now.

MORNING GLORIES DELUXE COLLECTION, VOL. 1 HC
story NICK SPENCER
art JOE EISMA
cover RODIN ESQUEJO

NOVEMBER 30
336 PAGES / FC / M
$39.99

At last, an oversized hardcover of NICK SPENCER’s runaway hit series, MORNING GLORIES. This deluxe edition features every cover, plus sketches, character studies and other extras that no collector or fan of the series will want to be without.

See why critics everywhere have cited MORNING GLORIES as THE book of the year!

Collects MORNING GLORES #1-12

This is How You Break Into Comics

If you want to make comics, and you’re a very good writer and you really like circles, there’s a lot you could learn from Jonathan Hickman. He built a very fast rising career 5 years ago with this book. Get a nice version of it now.

THE NIGHTLY NEWS ANNIVERSARY EDITION HC
story / art / cover JONATHAN HICKMAN

NOVEMBER 16
300 PAGES / HC / T+
$34.99

The five-year anniversary, over-sized, deluxe hardcover edition of THE NIGHTLY NEWS. Containing the Eisner-nominated original story, as well as the never before seen original scripts and sketches, a complete making of, the original pitch, and much more.

Collects THE NIGHTLY NEWS #1-6

Some Days You Get the Bear…

This might be my favorite new series from Image lately. It’s an all-ages tale of a western adventurer, and his adorable buddy Sterling, who is a very smart bear. Not that kind.

REED GUNTHER, VOL. 1 TP
story SHANE HOUGHTON
art / cover CHRIS HOUGHTON

NOVEMBER 2
184 PAGES / FC / E
$14.99

Everyone’s favorite bear-riding cowboy gallops into his first collected edition! REED GUNTHER and his trusty grizzly bear steed bumble their way through the wild west fighting giant snakes, hoards of mole creatures, a resurrected John Henry zombie, freak show freaks, special government agents, and all sorts of wild monsters created by an ancient mysterious Idol! This colored collection of excitement, friendship, and adventure is fun for folks of all-ages!

Collects REED GUNTHER #1-5