SDCC LIVE: Image Expo Keynote Address

[Frankenstein]

Image is gonna make me so broke-but-happy next year!

[Groo Odyssey]

Added Drifter to my pull. This sounds terrific!

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/07/...leins-drifter/

Mankind’s colonization of the galaxy has left countless planets mined bare and lifeless in DRIFTER. A space transport crashes onto a backwater world whose unique properties set the stage for a story that combines the dark wonder of a strange and alien landscape with the struggles of an abandoned and lawless frontier town.

That premise sounds like it has been frakensteined out of several different stories I've seen or read.

Avatar meets Deadwood. Sounds like a dream come true for me. Can't wait!

[Bades]

I'm not sure what book this is from but I'm interested in this:

That was from Intersect which is going to be written and painted by Ray Fawkes. I too am really interested in that style but I'm not sure how I feel about Fawkes as a writer. Regardless I will definitely be keeping my eye on it.

Also, I find Stephenson's comments to be pretty immature. You can sell your brand without pissing in the pool of mainstream comics. It's like the little kid that calls his dad "lame" because he doesn't like punk rock. Eventually we all mature to an age where we can appreciate our own tastes without belittling another person's. If I were a writer for DC Comics/Marvel I would have felt uncomfortable sitting there with him. I mean a job's a job but I'm sure it's not like they all hate their other companies and some of the cliches he's talking about are being written by current Image writers for the competitors as well. I prefer the titles coming from Image, but statements like that leave a bad impression on the company as a whole.

[Orpheus]

Its going to be interesting to see where the indie boom goes. I feel like a lot of these books are loved because people are just really happy its a comic thats not a superhero comic or property comic, and not necessarily because the quality is high. There's no doubt the art on all of these books is amazing, but a lot of the stories are recycled or overrated, with only a few true gems in the bunch imo

[InformationGeek]

Its going to be interesting to see where the indie boom goes. I feel like a lot of these books are loved because people are just really happy its a comic thats not a superhero comic or property comic, and not necessarily because the quality is high. There's no doubt the art on all of these books is amazing, but a lot of the stories are recycled or overrated, with only a few true gems in the bunch imo

I have a similar feeling as well, but ultimately... here's the thing.

It doesn't matter how good the artwork is or how original the idea or premise you have. The book lives on whether or not the story and characters are any good. If I don't end up caring about the story (Drumhellar, Manhattan Projects, Sovereign) or the characters (Pretty Deadly, Deadly Class, Sovereign), then none of that other stuff will matter.

[Dorktron]

Its going to be interesting to see where the indie boom goes. I feel like a lot of these books are loved because people are just really happy its a comic thats not a superhero comic or property comic, and not necessarily because the quality is high. There's no doubt the art on all of these books is amazing, but a lot of the stories are recycled or overrated, with only a few true gems in the bunch imo

That's true, 90% of everything is crap, including Image comics right now. But that's better than the 99% crap that most other publishers are putting out right now.

[Orpheus]

I have a similar feeling as well, but ultimately... here's the thing.

It doesn't matter how good the artwork is or how original the idea or premise you have. The book lives on whether or not the story and characters are any good. If I don't end up caring about the story (Drumhellar, Manhattan Projects, Sovereign) or the characters (Pretty Deadly, Deadly Class, Sovereign), then none of that other stuff will matter.

very true, theres been series where i can tell that the quality is good all the way around, but that I don't enjoy at all because its core does not resonate with me

[Orpheus]

That's true, 90% of everything is crap, including Image comics right now. But that's better than the 99% crap that most other publishers are putting out right now.

haha yeah, thats a good way to put it, i agree that image has more quality books, even if they only have a few more than anybody else

[TotalSnorefest]

Aren't Stephenson's remarks more just kinda tongue-in-cheek? Written down it might seem like throwing shade but honestly they sound more like lil' joking jabs at the competition. But even if, geek/nerd websites are about to drown in SDCC news. Might as well try to sliiiiiightly stir the pot by upsetting some superhero-fans and thus draw more eyes to Image's presentation, right? Besides he needs to show what makes Image unique in comparison with others. While I might not completely agree with the tone, he does make fair points and frankly I much prefer someone saying what they mean rather than regurgitated marketing-friendly words. Image doesn't need to play it safe and doesn't have shareholders to please, so they can be a little more 'rebellious' and risky, I feel. (Even if they're still pretty mainstream compared to more 'underground' comix.)

ANYWAY at first glance not much of these interested me, but upon closer look a few stand out.
-- From Under Mountains -- YES!!!! The first 8House series, this is the big one for me. Instant buy.
-- Tokyo Ghost -- This looks very exciting. Might be the motorbike but I'm getting a slightly Akira-esque vibe? Definitely watching this!
-- Intersect -- Mostly just the art which I like here so far. Story sounds rather vague/trippy?
-- Tooth & Claw -- Looks interesting, plus more fantasy amidst this sea of sci-fi is nice for some diversity. Maaaaaaaaybe.
-- Descender -- I didn't like Trillium as much towards the end, but Nguyen was GREAT on Lil' Gotham. Maaaaaaybe.
-- Injection -- People were really hyped on Moon Knight, right? Sounds kinda intriguing, another maaaaaaaaaybe.

EDIT: Found this cool link of From Under Mountains, includes preview art! SO HYPED! http://multiversitycomics.com/news/i...der-mountains/

[wwise03]

I was under the impression that From a Under Mountains would be the second book in the 8House universe. I thought graham was doing the first book?

[Groo Odyssey]

I was under the impression that From a Under Mountains would be the second book in the 8House universe. I thought graham was doing the first book?

The first of the series will be 8HOUSE: KIEM, written by Graham and drawn by Xurxo Penalta and follows a soldier who must project her mind into the body of her dead twin in order to fight monsters on a distant comet.

According to solicitations it was suppose to be Kiem by Brandon Graham and Xurxo Penalta. Don't know what happened. It looks terrific.

[TotalSnorefest]

I was under the impression that From a Under Mountains would be the second book in the 8House universe. I thought graham was doing the first book?

Maybe they've changed the order? Prophet will last a little while longer with the Strikefile issues and then the Earth War mini to wrap it up, so perhaps that has delayed him? Or perhaps he want to do Multiple Warheads first? I wasn't aware they had announced anything besides a few creators, so seeing the first pages is really cool for me. Don't really mind which comes first tbh!

EDIT: Ah I see Groo Odyssey posted earlier and yes indeed Graham's book would be coming first, originally. Judging from that highly detailed picture posted I can see why it would have taken more time haha!

[Dorktron]

Overall, these announcements didn't excite me as much as the last Image Expo. I mean, Tokyo Ghost looks neat but it is a year away. Why even announce it?

Series I will look into:
1. From Under The Mountains
2. Intersect
3. Invisible Republic
4. Southern Cross (Probably the one I am most excited for. Sounds like Event Horizon.)
5. Descender (Glad Lemire isn't doing the art)
6. Drifter
7. Tooth and Claw (Elephantmen in a fantasy setting?)
8. Injection (This is a fat maybe for me, Ellis is so up and down.)

[cheesebiggins]

Wasn't as good in my opinion as the last Image Expo, fewer books are interesting me.
I'll definitely give Descender and Southern Cross a shot, and possibly try Injection and Valhalla Mad.

[Deniz Camp]

For me it's Injection, Drifter, Invisible Republic, From Under Mountains, and maybe Tokyo Ghosts/Descender.

Some exciting books. For me about as exciting as last Image Expo.