Image Previews for August

Lee: And we’re on a roll folks! Image continues to shine with more and more good stuff. They have actually started to account for more of my monthly budget than DC.
Thomm: Considering how things are with DC, that’s not surprising. Oddly, I may be the most satisfied with DC amongst our dedicated staff of writers. Then again, I shop by creators rather than publisher.

THINK TANK #1
story Matt Hawkins art / cover Rahsan Ekedal - Brian Reber
32 Pages / BW / $3.99
Fighting The Man… With Science! Dr. David Loren is many things: child prodigy, inventor, genius, slacker… mass murderer. When a military think tank’s smartest scientist decides he can no longer stomach creating weapons of destruction, will he be able to think his way out of his dilemma or find himself subject to the machinations of smaller men?
Lee: I can’t help but feel that I’ve read this story somewhere before but I can’t figure out where. No matter, I love the idea of super smart man fights the system. And with all the other great stuff Image has been putting out lately I’m good for the first issue.
Thomm: If I’m reading this right, anyone who invents something that kills people is a mass murderer. Plus, I don’t think our blurb writer understands what a think tank is. Those people sit and think and write stuff. They don’t make stuff. This may be a fun read, but the blurb is irritatingly linguistically flawed.

Five more below the break...

BLACK KISS II #1 (of 6)
story / art / cover Howard Chaykin
24 Pages / BW / $2.99
Sex, death, and the movies — what else really matters?  Nearly twenty five years ago, Howard Chaykin brought the '80s to a close, and comics to the brink, with his landmark erotic thriller, Black Kiss. Now, after years of anticipation, he’s back with issue one of BLACK KISS II, a six-part miniseries that tells the story behind that legendary story – like the original, in glorious black and white.  And really, now – does it have to be so dirty?
Lee: The original Black Kiss is a definite masterpiece. One that needs to be reprinted in a fancy hc collection if you ask me! Normally I would pass on this but Chaykin turned in a really good story in DHP and dirty, filthy noir is his favorite subject so I betting this will be very good.
Thomm: I’d say it has potential. I just hope he’s not lazy with the art and falling back into his cookie cutter faces. He was much more the Chaykin of old in the DHP stuff.

HARVEST #1 (of 5)
story AJ Lieberman art / cover Colin Lorimer
32 Pages / FC / $3.50
Human traffickers. Rogue medical teams. Yakuza-run organ mills and a six-year-old drug fiend. Welcome to Dr. Benjamin Dane’s nightmare. His only way out? Bring down the man who set him up by reclaiming organs already placed in some very powerful people. If Dexter, ER and 100 Bullets had a three-way and that mind-blowing tryst somehow resulted in a kid, that kid would read Harvest. Medical Grade Revenge. New from the author of Cowboy Ninja Viking and Term Life!
Lee: Gotta say the tag line of “Dexter, ER and 100 Bullets had a three-way” doesn’t do anything for me. If it weren’t for the fact that Lieberman wrote Cowboy, Ninja, Viking then I would pass. But CNV was good so I’m in for the first issue at least.
Thomm: I’ve only read the first collection of Cowboy, Ninja, Viking. I haven’t seen ER in years, what with it being off the air. But 100 Bullets is great. Now, all that being said, I don’t really understand the blurb. Set up this guy? What was he doing before he was put in this situation? There’s a lot missing here. That works for The Walking Dead’s one line blurbs because it’s a title that’s so well known as to what’s happening, but this one leaves me scratching my head more than being interested in reading.

GLORY, VOL. 1: THE ONCE AND FUTURE DESTROYER TP
story Joe Keatinge art / cover Ross Campbell
144 Pages / FC / $9.99
After being missing for almost a decade, Glory’s whereabouts are uncovered by a lone reporter, but the globe-spanning conspiracy keeping her hidden from humanity could make her return more dangerous than anyone ever anticipated! This first collection of a brand-new saga written by Eisner & Harvey award-winner Joe Keatinge (Hell Yeah) and illustrated by acclaimed artist Ross Campbell (Wet Moon, Shadoweyes) reintroduces Glory to a new century by revealing secrets from her past, journeying to the far-flung future and beginning a war unlike any we've seen before. Collects Glory #23-28
Lee: I’m having trouble believing that Prophet and Glory are as good as people say they are. But the reviewers that I trust, and typically agree with, all say this is worth checking out. What can I say, I’m a slave to underground buzz. And yes Thomm, I’ll let you know how it is.
Thomm: Well, that’s good. Saves me having to go hunting for obscure people’s opinions. You know, more obscure than us.

THE MILKMAN MURDERS HC
writer Joe Casey artist / cover Steve Parkhouse
100 Pages / FC / $14.99
The infamous 2005 mini-series returns in an all-new deluxe hardcover edition! The horror of suburban life explodes in an orgy of mythic violence -- and mild-mannered housewife, Barbara Vale, finds herself at its dark epicenter! And when you meet her family, you’ll understand why. This slice of Americana is brought to you by the twisted minds of Joe Casey and the legendary Steve Parkhouse. If you missed it the first time around, this is your chance to finally join the Tupperware party!
“A truly disturbing and original piece of horror… not for the faint of heart or those looking for spoon-fed niceties, The Milkman Murders is comics as you’ve rarely seen them before.” – Ed Brubaker

Lee: AAAWWWWEEEEESSSSSOOOOOMMMMMMEEEEE. This was an awesome single issue series when I got it off the stands. I am thrilled to have it in trade, even if the trade is reduced size. But I will be even happier to have this in a full sized, fancy hardcover. Casey turns in a fun filled, subtly twisted script and Parkhouse’s art, as always, is great. Actually it’s better than his current stuff on Resident Alien! This is not to be missed.
Thomm: Now this was the one I thought was most interesting in Image’s listings for this month. I’ll be sure to get hold of this one.
Lee:  As an aside, the original cover was better.  The new blue version is ok frpm a conceptual standpoint but it doesn't grab you like the last version.

PROPHET, VOL. 1: REMISSION TP
story Brandon Graham
art Simon Roy, Farel Dalrymple, Giannis Milogiannis, Brandon Graham
cover Simon Roy
136 Pages / FC / $9.99
On distant future Earth, changed by time and alien influence, John Prophet awakes from cryosleep. His mission: to climb the the towers of Thauili Van and restart the Earth empire. News of the Empire's return brings old foes and allies out of the recesses of the vast cosmos.  Collects Prophet #21-26
Lee: Like Glory I am surprised this is as good as it is. It shouldn’t be because Graham is an excellent writer. If you have picked up the single issues then you should get this. At $10 it’s ultra cheap and worth the money.
Thomm: Well, with that kind of recommendation, I’ll have to give it a look. Ten bucks is hard to beat for that much story.

Lee: Image is going to kill me this month. I didn’t even talk about all the other trades that I am going to get from them this month. The first arcs for all their new series are ending at the same time and it’s crushing my budget. But in a good way.
Thomm: Funny. That made me think of some of the criticism of DC having all its books on the same count, which would lead to a crush of trades at the same time, too. Then again, perceived quality is all the difference on willingness to spend.