Superstar comic creator Robert Kirkman is returning to the superhero genre for the first since co-creating his hit indie Invincible, and he is bringing along some old school artists with him.
Kirkman, who is also the co-creator of The Walking Dead, has teamed up with writer Joe Casey for a new series titled Terminal. And he has recruited Andy Kubert, David Finch, and Arthur Adams to draw interior art for the book.
The return of Kirkman to superhero comics is notable but having the three artists, each drawing story arcs, amps the must-see factor off the scales. Kubert is known for his 1990s work on X-Men and later on Grant Morrison’s run on Batman. The illustrator has not drawn a book outside of DC or Marvel since starting out in the early 1980s. David Finch is another artist known for his Batman output and currently is working with Kirkman on the fantasy comic Skinbreaker, which he has taken years to painstakingly draw.
The biggest get may be Adams, the popular 1980s penciller who co-created Marvel hero Longshot. A slow drawer, Adams has never had a massive output and most of his spare interior artwork was done in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Most of his art in the 21st century has just been cover art for various publishers.
Terminal was announced Friday at ComicsPro,the annual meeting of comic book industry retailers, publishers, and distributors held in Glendale, Calif. The first issue will hit stores via Image Comics on July 22.
“Listen, I’ve done my fair share of press release quotes but never for anything this cool,” hyped Robert Kirkman in a statement. “This will be the coolest comic on the market by the best creative team ever assembled. I dare you to find a book with a more stunning array of artistic talent. Go on, I’ll wait! You can’t! I’m co-creating another vast superhero universe and I’m getting to do it along with Joe Casey, Andy Kubert, David Finch and Arthur Adams! It’s going to be great!”
In Terminal, there is a secret war being waged across the world by two violent forces with superhuman abilities who blur the lines between good and evil. The story sees a woman’s search for her missing sister putting her in the center of this conflict, and she’ll soon learn that the power to save the world comes from unlocking your genetic code and giving up everything you thought you knew about yourself…if you survive the experience, teases the logline. Skybound is touting the title as “Most Violent and Unpredictable Comic of the Year.”
“This is my first interior work in ages, and it’s been amazing being able to participate in the creation of a whole new universe of characters,” said Adams in a statement. “Amazing to work on a series with proven creators like Robert Kirkman and Joe Casey, a series that I think is going to go in directions no one is expecting.”
Terminal no. 1 will come with variant covers but it also feature a special blind bag program, allowing fans a chance to get nearly all orderable covers available for the issue, intermixed at varying degrees of rarity. As a bonus, however, there will also be three exclusive surprise items that may be found as well.
Check out some of the covers and a sample of some of the non-lettered art from Kubert’s first issue below.
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
Terminal Comic
Courtesy of Skybound
