Image Comics You Should Be Reading in 2017 Vol 2
Alright folks, not that much time has passed, but Image has been publishing new titles at an amazing rate. I felt it was time for a second article telling you all about some of the amazing new comics that recently launched. I’ve been reading a lot and trying to get a wider coverage of the different genres, so I hope that is represented here. Let’s get to it!
Regression
What it is: Hypnosis/regression therapy horror story about waking nightmares, perception of reality, and it’s FILLED with bugs. Like, loads of creepy bugs. Think Candyman’s bees all over his face. Regression may be one of my new favorite horror comics. The premise is quite interesting, the art is excellent, and I’m a fan of Cullen Bunn’s work.
Synopsis: Adrian is plagued by ghastly waking nightmares. To understand and possibly treat these awful visions, Adrian reluctantly agrees to past life regression hypnotherapy. As his consciousness is cast back through time, Adrian witnesses a scene of horrific debauchery and diabolism. Waking, he is more unsettled than before, and with good reason—something has followed him back. Adrian descends into a world of occult conspiracy, mystery, reincarnation, and insanity from which there is no escape.
For fans of: Candyman, Harrow County, In the Mouth of Madness
The Dying and the Dead
What it is: Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim craft a spectacular story that revolves around death. How the choices we make define us. In making a choice, we can condemn ourselves. A decision you make can end you, not right away, but years down the line. You really died when you made the choice, it just took a while for dying to catch up to you.
Synopsis: A murder at a wedding reveals a fifty year-old secret. At great cost, a man with a dying wife is given the opportunity to save her. A lost tribe is reborn in another time. All seemingly disparate events which force relics from the Greatest Generation to come together for one last mission.
For fans of: East of West, The Manhattan Projects, The Sixth Sense, The Fountain
Plastic
What it is: Think Norman Bates from Psycho crossed with Liam Neeson’s character from Taken. Edwyn is a crazed psychopath with a very special set of skills. This book is quite dark and a little twisted.
Synopsis: Retired serial killer Edwyn Stoffgruppen is in love with Virginia, a girl he “met online.” Her affection quiets his vile urges. Together, they tour the back roads of America in their LTD, eating doughnuts and enjoying their healthy appetites for each other. Life is good…until a Louisiana billionaire kidnaps Virginia, forcing Edwyn to kill again in exchange for her freedom. Oh, and did we mention that Virginia is a sex doll?
For fans of: Psycho, Taken, Transporter
The Old Guard
What it is: People from different eras in history who discover they are inexplicably granted immortality struggle to remain human and keep their secret hidden. They can sense when another of their kind awakens and seek them out. All of them seem to be warriors/soldiers as none introduced so far have died of natural causes and returned to life. They are all killed by the hands of another and awaken healed and horrified, as the last thing they remember is dying. Someone though, has found them out and is building evidence of their powers. How long can you remain hidden when you are immortal?
Synopsis: The story of old soldiers who never die…and yet cannot seem to fade away. Trapped in an immortality without explanation, Andromache of Scythia—“Andy”—and her comrades ply their trade for those who can find—and afford—their services. But in the 21st century, immortality is a hard secret to keep, and when you live long enough, you learn that there are many fates worse than death.
For fans of: Highlander 2, Death Becomes Her, Cocoon (but with Seal Team 6 instead of Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn and Brian Dennehy!) I make it sound silly, but it’s actually quite serious!
Renato Jones: Season 2
What it is: MORE RENATO! I mean, come on, you read Renato Jones: The One%, right?! It’s a societal satire. Imagine Batman, but he just murders all the bad guys. Plus the art is CRAZY phenomenal. No other book looks like this one. The variant covers for the first run were amazing enough. Really, check them out. They get more shot, burned, and bashed as the additional printings went on.
Synopsis: Mysterious vigilante Renato Jones showed the One% that, for all their money, for all their power, they are not untouchable. But now they’re pushing back, and the resulting class warfare may be more than even Renato can handle. When full-time villains control the whole world, the only hero who can take on the job is self-employed…a Freelancer.
For fans of: Renato Jones Season 1, Batman, Crank, Guy Ritchie movies
Paklis
What it is: A super cool sci-fi anthology comic! It’s rather weird and a bit intense. Nudity too. I like the way the art style seems to switch between stories even though it’s the same artist.
Synopsis: Do you accept the life you’ve been handed, or do you step into the unknown, even as it leads you into the shadows? In this new anthology series from writer/artist Dustin Weaver, the characters in three mind-bending stories find themselves faced with this question. In “Mushroom Bodies,” Greg struggles with knowing what’s real and fears becoming complacent in a world of human insects. The first installment of “Sagittarius A*,” is about war hero Linus Rad who is on a mission to the center of the galaxy to learn the dark secrets of his dead father’s scientific experiments. In the first chapter of “Amnia Cycle,” Tara, a young Jet-Wing pilot, goes AWOL in the war against the Nuriel in order to help Amnia, a mysterious alien with no memory of where she came from and a desperate need to stop a terrible disaster! When Amnia disappears, it sends Tara on an adventure into the Shadow Zone. Step into the unknown. Journey into the shadows. There you’ll find PAKLIS.
For fans of: Jodorowsky, Event Horizon, Metropolis (for stylings), old sci-fi art from the 30’s?, Black Science
