Heads Up: Image Comics Previews – December 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.

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Try Something New!

The subject of a recent teaser campaign, the veil has been lifted on Nathan Edmonson and Mitch Gerads new thriller series, The Activity.

THE ACTIVITY #1
story NATHAN EDMONDSON
art / cover MITCH GERADS

DECEMBER 21
32 PAGES/ FC / T+
$3.50

The evolution of global warfare necessitates the evolution of special forces to rise and meet the call.  The U.S Army has therefore looked to its last secret special operations tribe, the INTELLIGENCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY, or Gray Fox. Within Gray Fox is a team of elite men and women whose mission is flexible, whose technology is bleeding edge, and whose execution is precise and lethal. They are Team Omaha, and they serve THE ACTIVITY.

I’ll be honest, I can’t get enough of Paul Grist’s work and with this new series, Mudman looks like it’s just the right amount of zany Grist fun, ala Jack Staff, in a brand new series.

MUDMAN #2
story /art / cover PAUL GRIST
DECEMBER 21
32 PAGES / FC / T
$3.50

A BRAND-NEW SUPERHERO COMIC BY PAUL GRIST!
Welcome to Burnbridge on Sea. Ideal for that quiet little break when you want to get away from the crowd. Or the law. But Bank Robbers Vince and Dobromil find it’s not as quiet as it used to be. Not with Mudman around!

You picked up issue #1 of Near Death this week, right? And you loved it, right? Don’t miss issue #4 of the best new ongoing series of 2011

NEAR DEATH #4
story  JAY FAERBER
art  SIMONE GUGLIELMINI
cover  TOMM COKER

DECEMBER 21
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99

Markham engages in a one-man war against an Asian gang when they kidnap a software mogul’s girlfriend. But does the software mogul have his own hidden agenda?

Just in time for the holidays

A Holiday tradition, Paul Dini is back with a reprint of this great Jingle Belle one shot, along with 6 brand new story pages!

JINGLE BELLE: GIFT-WRAPPED (ONE-SHOT)
story PAUL DINI
art / cover STEPHANIE GLADDEN

DECEMBER 7
32 PAGES / FC / E
$3.99

The 2011 Harvey-nominated Jingle Belle story “Grounded” returns in a special single-issue printing along with six pages of brand new content! 

When Jingle Belle and her father Santa are caught in a web of lies, it falls upon Santa’s one-time sidekick, the demon Krampus to administer punishment!  The sly devil forbids the contentious Kringles from ever leaving the North Pole, thus ending Christmas for all time!  Can Jingle find a way around Krampus’ punishment and restore the holiday season?

 

You want some Walking Dead?

The perfect gift for any Walking Dead fan, this special edition, slipcase edition of the first prose novel set in the world of The Walking Dead may not be comics, but it’s still Kirkman, so you know it will be good.

THE WALKING DEAD – RISE OF THE GOVERNOR NOVEL: DELUXE SLIPCASED EDITION
story ROBERT KIRKMAN & JAY BONANSINGA 

DECEMBER 7
320 PAGES / BW / M
$74.99

Find out the true origins of The Governor, the most vile and deadly villain to appear in THE WALKING DEAD series.  Discover his transformation into the monster we grew to know, presented in a deluxe format that will keep it looking pristine on a bookshelf for decades to come. A must have for any die-hard Walking Dead fan, and the perfect gift for well… anyone. 

ALSO AVAILABLE, SIGNED EDITION LIMITED TO 200 COPIES, $124.99

 

Collections for your Collection

Jonathan Hickman returned to creator owned work this year with the excellent time travel story, The Red Wing. If you missed it in issues, now’s your chance to pick up the entire story in one nice paperback edition.

THE RED WING TP
story JONATHAN HICKMAN
art / cover NICK PITARRA

DECEMBER 14
140 PAGES  / FC / T+
$14.99

To stay alive in the future, the best fighter pilots in the world not only have to perfect their skills and master their aircraft, they also have to know how to travel through time.  Collecting the acclaimed mini-series brought to you by award winning writer JONATHAN HICKMAN and possibly the best new talent of the year, NICK PITARRA, THE RED WING is the story of the greatest battle in the history of three worlds. Collects THE RED WING #1-4

Before you knew him from Batman Inc., Chris Burnham teamed up with comics all-star Joe Casey to give us a hyper-violent, hyper-detailed one-shot with Officer Downe.  Now, Officer Downe has returned in a hardcover edition worthy of a good moustache.

OFFICER DOWNE: BIGGER, BETTER, BASTARD EDITION HC
story JOE CASEY
art / cover CHRIS BURNHAM

DECEMBER 7
96 PAGES/ FC / M
$12.99

The Badass With A Badge returns in a glorious oversized hardcover! Brought to you JOE CASEY (BUTCHER BAKER) and CHRIS BURNHAM (Batman, Inc.) – now with ADDED PAGES of over-the-top sex and violence – experience OFFICER DOWNE as it was meant to be experienced! You’ve never felt “command presence” quite like this! This is the cop that’ll keep coming back for more… even from beyond the grave! Now with all-new bonus features!

Robert Kirkman. Rob Liefeld. On Time! It doesn’t get better than that. The Infinite‘s first four issues get collected in one nice trade paperback so you can catch up and jump on board the action and time travel fun for just $9.99!

THE INFINITE, VOL. 1 TP
story ROBERT KIRKMAN
art / cover ROB LIEFELD

DECEMBER 7
120 PAGES / FC / T
$9.99

Freedom fighter, Bowen has lost everything in the war against The Infinite.  His only hope, travel back in time to prevent their world domination before it starts!  Bowen can’t do this alone, he must turn to the only ally he knows he can trust: HIMSELF.  Now a man in his 40s, damaged by the horrors of war, must team-up with his younger, reckless and optimistic 20 year-old self in order to SAVE THE WORLD! Collects THE INFINITE #1-4

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years…

 

One of the best indie comic creations ever, Mike Allred’s Madman, turns 20 and the best way to celebrate that is with a MONSTER oversized hardcover edition. It may be pricey, but it’s worth adding to your library for the sheer genius of Allred’s post modern hero alone, not to mention the huge list of contributors.

MADMAN 20th ANNIVERSARY MONSTER! HC
STORY / ART / COVER MICHAEL ALLRED & VARIOUS 

DECEMBER 14
264 PAGES / FC / OVERSIZED$100

FRAZETTA!  KIRBY!  TOTH! MOEBIUS! KUBERT! MILLER! STEVENS! The BIG one! Literally: This gigantic 11 x 17 hardcover is the coffee table book of the Millennium!   Nearly every great artist to ever work in comics is in this book which includes new stories from PETER BAGGE, KYLE BAKER, PHILIP BOND & PETER MILLIGAN, DARWYN COOKE, DAVE COOPER, DEAN HASPIEL, LOS BROS HERNANDEZ, ERIK LARSEN, DAVID MACK, PAT McKEOWN, BERNIE MIREAULT, MICHAEL AVON OEMING, PAUL POPE, ERIC POWELL, FRANK QUITELY, STEVEN T. SEAGLE & TEDDY KRISTIANSEN, JEFF SMITH, JAY STEPHENS, CRAIG THOMPSON, MATT WAGNER, JOE QUINONES & MARIS WICKS.  Also MICHAEL ALLRED’s latest – and most epic ever – MADMAN story!  PLUS almost every Madman illustration collected over the past 20 years from all the greats.  Surprises galore!

 

Check out all the Image Comics December 2011 Solicitations over at Comic Book Resources