Robert Kirkman and the Image folks have a little fun with recent comics events with this press release for INVINCIBLE #63, on sale today.
In an unprecedented move, writer Robert Kirkman and illustrator Ryan Ottley have made a cryptic, semi-confident promise that INVINCIBLE #63 might be kind of a big deal for reasons they wouldn’t say and plan to back it up with a special Wednesday shipment direct to comic shops!
“All I’m saying is INVINCIBLE #63 reorders should be double or triple over all retailer’s orders combined plus fifty thousand,” Kirkman stated. “I even heard President Barack Obama might call a press conference to discuss the contents of this very special issue, because there may be something of national interest in there. Also, every newspaper ever could possibly make it a front page story. Who knows?! All I can say for sure is every single human being on the planet, regardless of whether they read comics or even know what they are, will definitely be extremely interested in this issue, maybe even enough to buy a copy!”
INVINCIBLE #63 might even possibly be the biggest comic book event of all time, up there with The Death of Superman, The Death of Captain America, The Entirety of the Early Nineties and Action Comics #1! The only certainty is everyone must place a ridiculously massive order for a non-returnable product they may or may not make a profit on sometime in the near future. Or never. Don’t ask – just buy it! You trust us, right?
Added Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson, “There’s a chance this could very possibly be an event of undetermined importance, both for comics fans and people of all walks of life, with only the most passing familiarity with comic books, or even books, period. We can’t really say what happens in this issue, but trust us, something does happen. And it might even be something interesting. Best not to jinx it, though, so let’s just go with, ‘Something happens.’ It’s somewhat likely a number of people we have yet to identify will want one.”
INVINCIBLE #63 (APR090384), a 32-page full color comic book easily worth around $500, but costing only $2.99, will be in stores June 17th, 2009.
We’re left wondering why they didn’t just promote this issues as a valuable addition to the “Good Compound Fracture Art” genre. Wouldn’t that have sold more copies?
I am pretty pleased with Kirkman’s anti-civil-secret-crisis-war stance as of late. I typically buy invincible in trades but I bought the done-in-one-issue crossover event he did in Invincible #60 and it ended up being both an awesome idea and well executed. I may buy this issue (#63) just to support the creation of sarcastic press releases and the further ridicule of civil-secret-crisis-war style events.
I gotta start reading this comic, if just to support that kind of sarcasm.
Kirkman is God. That is *epic*. But yeah, I buy Invincible in those big hardcovers each year, but I also bought #60 for the done in one, line wide crossover. That was just good comics, there. If Marvel or DC produced anything even a fraction as good as the typical Kirkman book, maybe we’d see comics make some sort of headway into the outside world.
The best thing about this press release is Kirkman doesn’t care. So what if Marvel gets their panties in a bunch, he owns Walking Dead – one of the few comics to reach people outside comic stores.
Kirkman put out a similar press release for Invincible years back parodying the announcement that Green Arrow sidekick Mia Dearden, a.k.a. Speedy, had HIV.
I think it was something about a Very Special Issue where Invincible would have athlete’s foot, or something.
You’re a cad, Kirkman.
Great comic but Invincible should really be called Bleedy.
Ian,
I would -so- read a comic with a hero named Bleedy!
Bleedy would be the sidekick. The main hero would be called The Rhesus Monkey.
COMING SOON: THE RHESUS MONKEY AND BLEEDY SUPER FUNTIME PSYCHO HOUR.
TM & ©
//Oo/\
Or maybe just “The Rhesus Monk.” That’s got to have been done already.
Rhesus Monk and Bleedy Meet The Drac O’Lantern!
//OO/\
Will Kirkman go away already? We all know how super cool and independent he is now that he is over at Image. We know this because he takes every opportunity to beat it over our heads when he talks. We get it already. I wish he would realize that no one knew who this hack was until Marvel gave him a chance.
I didn’t know who he was until Walking Dead came out. Then I read some mediocre Marvel work (and one of the best Captain Americas I have ever read), then decided to give Invincible a try since Walking Dead became my favorite comic about an issue in.
I mean, I’m not “no one”, but it was a Walking Dead preview at one of the other comics sites that made me realize who the dude was.