by Zachary Clemente

Image Comics is rolling out their announcements fast and hard – holding one of their semi-annual Expos before the convention even official opens its doors. Keep your eyes peeled here for live coverage of exciting announcements from one of the hottest publishers today!

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Update 1: While waiting for the Expo to start, the two projection screens on either side of the small stage show the following quote:

“The only rules are the ones we invent.” – Warren Ellis

Perhaps we’ll hear some exciting Ellis-related news? He already has Supreme: Blue Rose and Trees with the publisher – what else could he be up to?

Update 2: Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson opens with a  speech decrying the lack-luster “new” choices made by publishers of licensed characters and looks to ensure the titles he publishes embody the hope for a more diverse readership. Image Comics’ policy in two words: Move forward.

Update 3: The projection screens light up with a clip from the documentary The Image RevolutionClips of creators such as Brian K. Vaughan, Robert Kirkman, Rick Remender, Matt Fraction, Joe Casey, Erik Larson, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Ed Brubaker eulogizing the Image Comics publication platform.

Update 4: Eric Stephenson returns to the podium to applaud the works of Image’s competitors and their own creator-owned platforms. He then calls out that “creator-owned” and “creator-driven” comics are not the same and that “creator-driven” is a term born out of old notions that needs to stop being banded around. Stephenson lays claims that Image is on the path to becoming the largest comic publisher in the business.

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Update 5: Rick Remender takes the stage to announce his 4th Image title. Joining the ranks of LowBlack ScienceDeadly Class is Tokyo Ghost with Sean Murphy and Matt Hollingsworth. It looks gorgeous, not surprising for a Murphy & Mollingsworth team-up. Coming from world like Judge Dredd and similar types of action stories. Out sometime 2015.

“Incredible violence and gore that I haven’t been able to dig into before.” – Rick Remender

 

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Update 6: First Graham 8HOUSE story by Claire Gibson, Sloane Leong, and Marian Churchland named From Under Mountains looks to be a fantastic political drama set on a bizarre fantasy planet. Out Spring 2015.

“Not really about our fantasy boyfriends anymore.” – Claire Gibson

Update 7: Rick Remender delivers Eric a new Heineken.

 
Update 8: Joe Casey announces new book with Paul Maybury; Vahalla Mad where some gods come down for some drinking and fun. Coming from a similar visual language of classic Kirby’s Thor. It’s going to be far more lighthearted than his previous works and should be out early 2015.

Well I wouldn’t have a story if things didn’t go awry. – Joe Casey

 
Update 9: John Arcudi and James Harren of B.P.R.D. are releasing new book named Rumble. Out in December, 2014.

 

Update 10: Ray Fawkes bringing Intersect to Image. A complicated, nightmare world and has a fantastic painted style to it. Out in November 2014. First of a few books Fawkes is doing with Image.

 
Update 11: Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller bring The Humans to the stage. One of the few books brought to the publisher almost fully done and ready to go. #0 issue already available via self-publishing.
 

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Update 12: Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko take the stage and spotlight to announce their digital Kinski will be collected with Image in a “nice little, novel-like package”, out in November, 2014. They’re following it up with Invisible Republic – a human-scale sci-fi story, out  

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Update 13: Becky Cloonan and Andy Belanger take the stage. A new sci-fi/horror mystery ongoing named Southern CrossIt looks really amazing, not surprising considering Cloonan and Belander’s previous works. Starting off as an Agatha Christie styled mystery story possibly featuring buckets of blood pouring from the holo-deck. Looking at “a wintery release.”

Think “Robotech” meets Stephen King. – Andy Belanger

 

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Update 14: Jeff Lemire takes the stage with Dustin Nyugen (!!!) to announce Descender about a little boy robot on the run from the entire universe. It’s definitely seems like the kind of emotional story that Lemire is very good at. Nyugen’s watercolors are to be a fantastic mix for the story. Apparently it was love for robots at first sight between Lemire and Nguyen. Out around March, 2015.

It was the crap I grew up with… – Dustin Nguyen

 
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Update 15: Ivan Brandon returns to Image with his new book with Nic Klein Drifter out in November. Discussing a future of expansion beyond Earth about the dirty hands it takes to build the future – moving away from the notion of space being a clean and shiny place. It tells the story when you decouple humanity from the rigid and technologically-based world and back into a frontier setting.

I’ll give you…the drift. – Ivan Brandon

 
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Update 16: Kurt Busiek, now with Image, bringing Tooth & Clawl with Ben Dewey and Jordie Bellaire and it looks hand-down gorgeous. A high-fantasy epic about animal-people. There’s globe-conquering boarding school of dogs, so we’re sold. Jack Vance meets Jack Kirby, says Kurt Busiek. The book should hit November.
 
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Update 17: Declan Shalvey comes up to discuss his new book with previous collaborators Warren Ellis and Jordie Bellaire called InjectionJoined by Warren Ellis via Skype as he “hears all and sees all.” It looks wonderfully slick – we loved this team on Moon Knight and couldn’t be more pumped about this. Coming 2015.

Warren Ellis said he wanted to write a book for me and I reluctantly said yes. – Declan Shalvey

 
Update 18: Tula Lotay, artist on Supreme: Blue Rose joins Warren, Declan, and Eric on stage to discuss her new release. This is her first series and it is one of the most stunning debuts we’ve seen.
 
Thanks for joining us for this! Keep your eye trained on The Beat for more SDCC ’14 exclusive news!