Image Preview Review for November

Jim: Image has become such an odd duck lately, but as for books to pick, they always give us something to discuss. I just see them as rudderless lately, but with some decent hits like Chew and Vikings.
Lee: Vikings is a hit? Have we even discussed that? Are you reading that? Oh well, maybe there’s something new and better this month.


IMAGE UNITED #1 (of 6) – story ROBERT KIRKMAN art ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, TODD McFARLANE, WHILCE PORTACIO, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO covers ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, TODD McFARLANE, WHILCE PORTACIO, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO NOVEMBER 25 32 PAGES / FC$3.99
THE CROSSOVER EVENT OF THE CENTURY IS HERE!The heroes of the Image Universe are united in order to fight the greatest threat the world as ever faced! You can’t miss this historic event as the original Image Founders draw all the characters they made history with. Each page is an amazing jam piece – it’s a story told in a way never before attempted in comics!

Jim: They say jam session on every page; I see a cluster flock and an artistic nightmare. They say story told in a way never attempted in comics and I see we tried, but it did not work. This is a book I will avoid. It reminds me of the horrid DC Challenge from years ago.
Lee: OOOHHHH my, oh my, is this not the way to lead off a month. Are they kidding me? Maybe kids who were 8 at the time of the initial Image releases look back fondly on the characters and material but the rest of us see junk littering our collections. Excellent call on the ‘DC Challenge,’ because that’s right on. For younger readers, google it and you will see what a crash and burn disaster that was!

HAUNT #2 story ROBERT KIRKMAN art GREG CAPULLO, RYAN OTTLEY & TODD McFARLANE covers TODD MCFARLANE & RYAN OTTLEY NOVEMBER 4 32 PAGES / FC$2.99
MCFARLANE & KIRKMAN'S HAUNT CONTINUES!Daniel Kilgore is pulled deeper into his estranged brother Kurt's secret life of murder and espionage. Still haunted by Kurt's ghost, Daniel tries to figure out the secrets of HAUNT and his new abilities--all the while, protecting the people around him from the assassins who murdered his brother and set this whole story in motion.

Jim: Talk about pushing a book, the number 2 issue is at the top of their solicitations. This is another crap looking book that I will avoid. I think McFarlane’s name on it is making me avoid it more then anything else.
Lee: I can’t believe you are wasting my, or our readers time, picking this. I would hope that our readers have more taste than this book. Another series that screams “Disaster!”

HAUNT #1 COLLECTOR'S EDITION story ROBERT KIRKMAN art GREG CAPULLO, RYAN OTTLEY & TODD McFARLANE cover TODD McFARLANE NOVEMBER 4 32 PAGES / FC$10.00
S&N EDITION LIMITED TO 100 COPIES $25.00
This ultra-rare special edition of HAUNT #1 is limited to 3000 copies and will feature an exclusive cover with a gold-foil embossed logo. Don't miss the opportunity to own this rare collectable comic commemorating the debut of Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman's new creation.

Jim: Only 3,000 and it only cost $10 or $25 and they sign it. I’m so sick of the collector’s mentality and the companies trying to use it to milk those poor suckers buying it. This is a variant cover, that instead of rewarding the retailers, the publisher is trying to cut into the extra dollars they hope to generate.
Lee: I know you and I are sick of it but someone is buying it. Reminds me of the time someone told me they were gonna be rich because they had the ultra-rare, ‘Lady Death’ leather cover. Uuummm, yeah. This is the exact same thing.

EXISTENCE 3.0 #1 (of 4) story NICK SPENCER art & cover RON SALAS NOVEMBER 18 32 PAGES / FC$3.50
The sequel to the critically acclaimed surprise hit of the summer, EXISTENCE 2.0, begins here! Sly's consciousness transfer technology has fallen into the wrong hands, and its new owners are on the hunt for the only living prototype! And as these new threats emerge, some familiar faces return and pose some intriguing challenges of their own.

Jim: I have loved the first two issues of this series and Nick Spencer gave us a nice interview a little while ago, so count me in on the next mini-series.
Lee: As soon as I read the trade I’ll be right there with ya!


COVER STORIES: THE ART OF GREG HORN VOL. 2 HC art & cover GREG HORN NOVEMBER 11 144 PAGES / FC$39.99
Over the last 10 years, Greg Horn has established himself as one of the premier digital painters in comics, creating some of the most memorable covers and images of characters such as Elektra, Emma Frost, She-Hulk, and Ms Marvel. This brand new art book is a visually stunning collection of the artist's most recent work for Marvel, Image, and DC - as well as his best illustrations in advertising and video games. Don't miss this opportunity to own this beautiful collection of all-new material.

Jim: Shouldn’t it be the art of Greg “soft porn” Horn? Greg’s work is too photo-shopped, traced and air brush to perfection for my taste. I have enjoyed some of Greg’s covers, but not enough to buy this book. This is an example of the odd choices Image gets involved in.
Lee: Sadly enough I bet this sells well. Personally, can’t stand his work for all the reasons Jim stated.

PTA NIGHT HC story JEREMY R. SCOTT art & cover JEREMY R. SCOTT NOVEMBER 4 32 PAGES / FC$12.99
It's the creepiest PTA Night ever when the lunch lady's soup comes alive, the janitor turns into a werewolf, and the old graveyard that the school was built over brings the dead back to life! More humorous than frightening--a treat for kids of all ages!
SILVERLINE BOOKS' FIRST WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK, A STORY TOLD COMPLETELY THROUGH ILLUSTRATIONS!

Jim: 32 pages for $13 and it is a computerized illustration that is more reminiscent of Mad Magazine type drawings then anything else, who are they kidding! Way overpriced.

Lee: Wow, the first real disagreement of the post. Because this is a kids book, ala Clifford and Eloise and Olivia, it is exempt from common sense pricing. This is actually a market set price point and very competitive. Jim’s been out of the kiddie book world but this is the current market. Kids books are all fancy hc’s that are meant to be saved for years and years. Meaning they have higher production value and are very expensive. $13 is almost a bargain.


SPAWN ORIGINS COLLECTION: DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 HC story TODD McFARLANE, ALAN MOORE, FRANK MILLER, GRANT MORRISON, TOM ORZECHOWSKI, ANDREW GROSSBERG art TODD McFARLANE, GREG CAPULLO & MARC SILVESTRI NOVEMBER 18 620 PAGES/ FC$100.00
S&N EDITION LIMITED TO 150 COPIES $150.00
THE DEFINITIVE SPAWN COLLECTION IS HERE!Featuring the stories and artwork (by TODD McFARLANE himself) that laid the groundwork for the most successful independent comic book ever published, THE SPAWN ORIGINS COLLECTION: DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 HARDCOVER includes the classic SPAWN stories written by ALAN MOORE, FRANK MILLER and GRANT MORRISON in one massive slipcase volume!
Collects SPAWN #1-25

Jim: Since I’m not a McFarlane fan, I would pass, but I’m avoiding the $100 books anymore. I like some of them, but for the most part $100 is too much and the books are more door stops then readable.
Lee: Why are you picking this? Wasn’t the abuse heaped on Spawn-lite, I mean Haunt enough. But, I can get a S&N version for only $50 more. Of course, it doesn’t say WHO signed it. Maybe if Moore and Miller signed it then maybe. Aaawww who am I kidding, I still wouldn’t waste the money.

I KILL GIANTS TITAN EDITION HC story JOE KELLY art & cover JM KEN NIIMURANOVEMBER 18 300 PAGES / BW$39.99
S&N EDITION LIMITED TO 150 COPIES $50.00
Barbara Thorson, a girl battling monsters both real and imagined, kicks butt, takes names, and faces her greatest fear in the bittersweet coming-of-age story called "Best Indy Book of 2008" by IGN. AICN says "...a great mini full of eccentricity, humor and humanity that I not only highly recommend, but hope to see get some well-deserved attention come Eisner time." This is a LIMITED EDITION OVERSIZED PRINTING and will not be printed again.Collects I KILL GIANTS #1-7, plus the original script for issue #1, pin up gallery, back up material and more!

Jim: I love this story so much, that I was within a hair’s breadth of ordering it, but I looked at my trade and realized it was a great format to read the story in and the extras are not described enough for me to give away my trade and pay for this material a third time. They should have sold the hard cover first.
Lee: Completely agree they screwed this one up. If the hc had come first I would have gotten it. But now that I have the trade do I care enough to upgrade? Actually, I probably will! But off ebay when I can get it for $2 + $3 shipping.

CHEW, VOL. 1: TASTER'S CHOICE TP story JOHN LAYMAN art & cover ROB GUILLORY NOVEMBER 25 128 PAGES / FC $9.99
Tony Chu is a detective with a secret. A weird secret. Tony Chu is Cibopathic, which means he gets psychic impressions from whatever he eats. It also means he's a hell of a detective, as long as he doesn't mind nibbling on the corpse of a murder victim to figure out whodunit, and why. He's been brought on by the Special Crimes Division of the FDA, the most powerful law enforcement agency on the planet, to investigate their strangest, sickest, and most bizarre cases. Collects CHEW #1-5
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE!

Jim: Smart move, package the first arc in a trade really fast and sell it for a bargain price to get some new fans to try out the book. It is a great series and if you skipped it, get the trade.
Lee: Yep. What Jim said.

FOUR EYES #4 (RES) story JOE KELLY art & cover MAX FIUMARA & NESTOR PEREYRA
NOVEMBER 11 32 PAGES / FC $3.50
With his hands on a baby dragon, Enrico stands on the precipice of a new life. But is the cost too high to bear?

Jim: I have really enjoyed this series, but the publishing schedule is killing me. It is about three or four months between issues.
Lee: And, this is why I stopped reading Image mini-series. Because they can never get a smooth publishing schedule. Not to mention they don’t complete half the time… Gemini anyone?


Tracker #1 (of 5)(W) Jonathan Lincoln (A) Francis Tsai (Cov) Tsai, Darick RobertsonCover A - Francis TsaiFull Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series

Berserker #5(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (Cov) Dale Keown, Jeremy HaunCover A - Dale KeownFull Color 32 pages $2.99 ongoing series

Lee: And here I thought Image was pigeon holed into only being able to produce “Embarrassed to be a Fanboy” Covers. Was I ever wrong, because Image can apparently produce “Pointless Gore and Blood” covers too. Hard to pick a winner on this one. On one hand you have Trackers bloody severed head and hacksaw cover which is gruesome. BUT, not to be outdone Dale Keown upped the ante with the bloody intestines as man is ripped apart cover. Seriously, who buys this sh*t?????

Jim: Image is covering all the bases this month, just the wrong bases. I mean I’d rather have the raw sex appeal covers then this. Still I think the intestines cover wins the award!

Jim: Image has an Image problem in my book. Who are they and what are they? It is never clear from their books and I think it causes some confusion when trying to market their products.
Lee: With a large amount of pointless offerings and missed opportunity (Giants HC), I find I just don’t care about Image. Although, I do like the PTA night book but that’s about it.