NYCC 2026: IMAGE COMICS Panel Lineup

Image Comics is pleased to return to New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center this year with an announcement-packed lineup of can’t-miss programming. Visit www.imagecomics.com for the most up-to-date programming information.

IMAGE COMICS PANELS:

—THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8—

Exquisite Corpses: The Game and Beyond (18 and Up)

3:00 - 3:45 p.m.  Room 1C03

Join co-creators James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh as they dive into the dark and twisted world of the bestselling, hit series Exquisite Corpses! Together with Tyler Boss, Adam Gorham, Pornsak Pichetshote, and Che Grayson, the corpse crew will discuss the creation of their spin offs, the response to the game, and the future of Exquisite Corpses. It’s going to be a spooky, good time! Moderated by: Sami DeMonster, Community Manager and Tiny Onion.

SECRET IDENTITY Author Teams with Popular Podcaster for THE FORGOTTEN FIVE

Los Angeles Times Book Prize winning writer Alex Segura (Secret Identity) and acclaimed writer and Best Issue Ever podcaster Sara Century will team up with fan-favorite artists Pat Kennedy (Archie) and Dean Kotz (Rocketeer) for a fresh new spin on superheroes in the upcoming The Forgotten Five. This all-new, ongoing series was first announced in an exclusive scoop at CBR last week and is set to launch this December from Image Comics.

"The Forgotten Five is a potent blend of all the kinds of comics and adventures Sara, Pat, Dean, and I loved growing up—with a decidedly modern twist,” said Segura. “The kind of long-running series with simmering subplots, outcast teen angst, and terrifying powers that we were addicted to as readers ourselves. If the New Mutants were an indie comic, you'd have The Forgotten Five."

Kaiju-Sized Superhero Epic GIGANTIC Trade Paperback Hits Next Week

From Rick Remender (Hammerfist, Fear Agent, Escape) and Eric Nguyen (Strange Girl) comes an over-the-top, action-packed collected edition of Gigantic: The Complete Series. This trade paperback collects issues #1-5 of the fan-favorite science-fiction romp and will be available next week at comic book shops and everywhere books are sold in September.

A brutal twist on The Truman Show concept, Gigantic follows a brainwashed alien superhero, dropped onto Earth as the unwitting star of a 24/7 intergalactic reality program. This kaiju-sized superhero epic about fame, violence, and the prison of spectacle is a must-read.

Baron Karza Makes Energon Universe Comics Debut

Today, Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with Hasbro, a leading games, IP, and toy company, revealed the landmark first Energon Universe comic appearance of the infamous Micronauts villain Baron Karza in M.A.S.K. #3. From the creative team of writer Dan Watters (Nightwing, DESTRO), artist Pye Parr (Petrol Head, New Gods), colorist Pierluigi Casolino (DC vs Vampires), and letterer Rus Wooton (Transformers), M.A.S.K. #3 is available in comic shops today.  

M.A.S.K.’s series debut took the comic book industry by storm with its robust blind bag program, introducing ROM to Skybound’s Energon Universe, and the series continues to surprise fans with unexpected first appearances.  

Expanded, Remastered WYTCHES, VOL. 1: PLEDGED EDITION

The wildly successful Wytches, Vol. 1 by The New York Times bestselling writer Scott Snyder (Absolute Batman) and critically acclaimed artist Jock (Batman, The Losers) will be expanded and remastered in the upcoming Wytches, Vol. 1: Pledged Edition trade paperback slated to hit shelves this Fall from Image Comics ahead of the forthcoming Amazon/MGM Studios adaptation.

This new Wytches, Vol. 1: Pledged Edition will collect Wytches #1-6, Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special, material from issue #7 of the Image! anthology, and feature a significant portion recolored to match the upcoming animated TV series.

SDCC 2026: Dread the Hall H

Con-goers, grab your badges; DREAD THE HALL H is back!

The beloved annual spin-off of the best-selling Dread the Halls returns with 48 pages of convention horror, satire, and glorious chaos from Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated writer Jordan Hart (Ripple Effects) and Syzygy Publishing founder Chris Ryall (Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis), arriving in comic shops July 22, 2026, from Image/Syzygy.

Featuring interior art by Luana Vecchio, C.P. Wilson III, Marianna Ignazzi, and Tom Williams, the oversized one-shot transforms convention spectacle into something far stranger. From collectors pushed past the brink to fandom spiraling into obsession, every story captures the excitement, anxiety, and beautiful absurdity of convention culture as the show floor slowly comes apart.

SDCC 2026: IMAGE COMICS Panels, Exclusives & More

Image Comics is pleased to return to San Diego this year for Comic-Con on Wednesday, July 22 through Sunday, July 26 at booth #1915.

Please note: updates to the schedule may appear online during the show. Please refer to www.imagecomics.com for the most up-to-date information.

LIMITED* MERCHANDISE, ASHCANS & CONVENTION VARIANTS SOLD AT THE IMAGE BOOTH (#1915):
*Quantities will be limited by customer and per day on a first-come, first-served basis. Please ask at the Image booth about availability.

FX to Develop Neo-Noir Western THAT TEXAS BLOOD for TV

Bestselling, fan-favorite neo-noir Western, That Texas Blood by writer Chris Condon (Of the Earth, News from the Fallout) and artist Jacob Phillips (Everything Dead & Dying, Newburn) is being developed by FX for a drama series from Jim Mickle (director, showrunner, and writer of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth) and E.L. Katz (co-executive producer and producing director on Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor), according to an exclusive scoop on the news at Deadline.

Mickle and Katz will write and executive-produce, with Mickle also directing the show from 20th Television. Michael Waldron and Adam Fasullo via Anomaly Pictures (which is under an overall deal at 20th), as well as Adam Fishbach, Jeremy Platt, Linda Moran, and author Condon will all executive produce as well. Phillips is serving as co-executive producer.

Ms. Marvel Star IMAN VELLANI Makes Writing Debut with CHACHU

Inspired by her own coming-of-age experiences in the entertainment industry, Chachu is the solo writing debut of superstar actor Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel), brilliantly illustrated by Marianna Ignazzi (Exquisite Corpses, Self Help) and colored by Jordie Bellaire (Absolute Wonder Woman, Redlands). This all-new five-issue miniseries will reinterpret the classic neo-noir private investigator story and launch in August from Image Comics. 

Set in 1979, Chachu follows Leila, a 19-year-old Pakistani-Canadian girl with a penchant for film and pulp novels, who travels to California hoping to connect with her estranged uncle—her “Chachu”—a middle-aged, semi-retired private eye once famous for marrying the starlet he was initially hired to find. But when his wife mysteriously vanishes once again, the two are forced on an impromptu road-trip investigation that transforms her first taste of adulthood into a thrilling confrontation of family secrets, unresolved grief, and the fantasies both she and Chachu have built their lives around.

Deluxe Comic Book Collection Celebrates 40th Anniversary of TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE

Today Skybound and Image Comics, in collaboration with leading games, IP and toy company Hasbro are proud to announce the first-ever hardcover edition of the two comic adaptations of THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, commemorating the film’s 40th anniversary in spectacular fashion. THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE Deluxe Edition will be available in comic shops on August 12, 2026. 

The epic story that redefined pop culture and shook parents and kids to their core has never looked better! This collection brings together both classic comic book adaptations, THE TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE #1–3 from Marvel and THE TRANSFORMERS: THE ANIMATED MOVIE #1–4 from IDW, into one cinematic experience. Featuring work from legendary writers Ralph Macchio and Bob Budiansky, artists Don Perlin, Ian Akin, Brian Garvey, Don Figueroa, and new cover art by the talented Sean Murphy (Batman: White Knight). 

The Conjuring's Michael Chaves & Matthew Roberts Debut CORPSE KNIGHT

Today, Skybound and Image Comics announced the new limited series, Corpse Knight by acclaimed writer/co-creator Michael Chaves (The Conjuring franchise), artist/co-creator Matthew Roberts (Universal Monsters: Creature from The Black Lagoon Lives!), and Rico Renzi (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse). Corpse Knight is a haunting new horror series where family is family, whether they’re alive or undead. The debut issue of this intense horror fantasy series arrives in comic book shops on April 22, 2026. 

"Corpse Knight was born out of my love of dark fantasy, but it quickly became something more. It’s a story of parenthood and mortality, told through heroes, monsters, and all the shades in between,” said Michael Chaves. “I’ve been a fan of Matthew Roberts since Manifest Destiny, and I truly believe this is some of his finest work. His art is beautiful, tactile, and, when it needs to be, amazingly gruesome. Alongside Rico Renzi’s awesome color work, it’s everything you want from this kind of book.” 

Image Comics' THE END LEAGUE to be Collected in its Entirety

Superstar writer Rick Remender (The Sacrificers, Tokyo Ghost) merges the themes of The Road Warrior and Watchmen with stunning visuals by legendary artists Eric Canete (Iron Man, Martian Manhunter), Mat Broome (X-Men, Batman), and Andy Macdonald (Justice League, Multiple Man) in this desperate, pedal-to-the-metal fight for the future in The End League Complete Collection. Originally published in 2008, the entire series will be collected into one gorgeous trade paperback—featuring a new cover by Canete and series colorist Matt Wilson—and brought back to shelves in March 2026 from Image Comics.

In the New York Times bestselling hit series The End League, the world didn’t end with a bang, it ended with a takeover. Decades ago, the villains won. Civilization was reshaped into a brutal, broken landscape ruled by tyrants, cults, and monsters wearing familiar masks. Now the few remaining heroes—archetypes forged from the DNA of modern mythology—must attempt one final impossible mission: cross a villain-dominated Earth to locate the last surviving artifact capable of turning the tide—the Hammer of Thor.

Upcoming Image Thriller, Narco

Fan-favorite writer Doug Wagner and artist Daniel Hillyard—the duo behind beloved series Plastic, Plush, Vinyl, and I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer—will reteam for the upcoming thriller, Narco. This five-issue miniseries is set to launch in March 2026 from Image Comics.

Marcus Wesphal blacks out from the slightest surge of excitement—a narcoleptic curse that’s kept him quiet, calm, and locked away at home. But when he witnesses the girl next door’s murder and collapses, he wakes to find himself the prime suspect. Now Marcus has one chance to clear his name: outrun his failing body, reconstruct the moments he lost, and hunt a killer before he blacks out again… possibly for good.

THE THING ON THE DOORSTEP Brings Lovecraftian Creeps

Award-winning writer Simon Birks (Antarctica, One More Year, The Shadow Over Innsmouth) and acclaimed artist Willi Roberts (Antarctica, The Dark, The Blood Below) join letterer Rob Jones (Hitomi, Skulduggery Pleasant) to bring to life a chilling new series titled, The Thing on the Doorstep. This five issue miniseries is based upon the classic tale of the same name by H.P. Lovecraft and will hit shelves from Image/Top Cow in February 2026.

The Thing on the Doorstep draws readers into the shadowed labyrinth of friendship warped by forces not meant for human witness. Daniel Upton and Edward Derby have been bound together since youth—until the day Daniel puts a bullet in his closest companion within the bleak walls of Arkham Sanitarium. Though all evidence damns him, Daniel claims innocence, hinting at horrors that mock reason itself. Within these pages, readers uncover the terrible truth: the birth of a doomed relationship and Edward Derby’s gradual surrender to realms of dread that lie just beyond the fragile veil.

Optimus Prime and Duke Will Meet for the First Time in G.I. JOE

Today, Skybound, Image Comics, and Hasbro, a leading games, IP and toy company, are bringing seismic changes to the Energon Universe with two explosive upcoming G.I. JOE issues. Led by writer Joshua Williamson (Duke, Superman) and artist Andrea Milana (Creepshow, Cobra Commander), with colors by Lee Loughridge (Universal Monsters: The Mummy), and letters by Rus Wooton (Invincible Universe: Battle Beast), this powerhouse team delivers high-octane storytelling fans can’t miss. G.I. JOE #19 and #20 hit comic shops in February and March, respectively. 

Duke and Optimus Prime meeting for the first time in the Energon Universe? What's led to this momentous meeting of the EU's two greatest heroes? All we can say is it involves Clutch, Autobot Hound, and America's most wanted man – Matt Trakker! 

IMAGE COMICS Partners with GONKBONK for Holiday Blind Bags

Image Comics and GONKBONK are teaming up to slip something extra merry onto comic shop shelves this year with the debut of the 2025 Image Comics Holiday Blind Bag—a limited, highly collectible, holly-jolly surprise perfect for a stocking stuffer this December.

Each festive blind bag will include one (1) rare ratio variant—guaranteed to be at least a 1:25, but could even be a 1:100 incentive ratio variant—plucked from the archives at random to delight collectors this season.

Tyler Boss and Martin Simmonds Reimagine the Phantom of the Opera

Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, in partnership with Universal Products & Experiences, today announced Universal Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera, a new four-issue limited comic book series from the superstar team of Tyler Boss (You’ll Do Bad Things) and Martin Simmonds (Universal Monsters: Dracula, The Department of Truth). Plunging readers into the depths of the most infamous opera house, this shocking new reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera will hit comic book shops beginning in February 2026. 

Deep beneath the grand chandelier, the music stirs once more. Boss and Simmonds bring you a horrifying new vision of the story you only think you know! 

First Look: Skybound Debuts Fresh Covers for Ghost Pepper’s Spicy New Story Arc

Today, Skybound and Image Comics revealed a first look at covers for the second story arc of the hit comic book series Ghost Pepper, including the debut of rising star artist Frédéric Pham Chuong’s themed variant cover series. From creator/writer/artist/letterer Ludo Lullabi (TRANSFORMERS, Battle Chasers) and colorist Adriano Lucas (Destro, Absolute Flash), the high-octane action series about forgotten heroes, cutthroat food trucks, and saving the world continues when issue #6 arrives in comic book shops on December 17, 2025.  

Each of the covers in the “action figure” themed variant cover series by Frédéric Pham Chuong (TRANSFORMERS) depicts Ghost Pepper’s cast of characters encased in classic figure packaging for fans to collect and display as if it’s a pristine figure. This themed set will span the Cover C (1:10 incentive) variant cover slot for issues #6-12.

Image Comics' SOUTHERN BASTARDS Gets HULU Pilot

Yesterday DEADLINE revealed that Hulu has ordered a pilot for a new drama based upon the Eisner and Harvey Award winning graphic novel series Southern Bastards created by Jason Aaron (Bug Wars, Thor) and Jason Latour (Spider-Gwen) and published by Image Comics.

The DEADLINE piece notes that the new project will be “from writers and executive producers Bill Dubuque (Ozark, The Accountant) and Nia DaCosta (Candyman, The Marvels). Matt Olmstead (Chicago P.D., Law & Order: Organized Crime) will serve as showrunner and executive producer. The project comes from Onyx Collective, POV Entertainment, and Proximity Media, in association with Fifth Season, where Dubuque has an overall deal.”

First Look at LEGO NINJAGO: Strike of the Serpentine Graphic Novel

Today Skybound and Image Comics, in partnership with global children’s book publisher AMEET, revealed an exciting first look at LEGO® NINJAGO®: STRIKE OF THE SERPENTINE. The new graphic novel from rising stars Cameron Chittock (Mapmakers, TMNT x Stranger Things) and Will Morris (Gospel) hits comic book shops on February 4, 2026.

New and longtime fans of the LEGO NINJAGO saga can expect to uncover the secret history of the fan-favorite Spinjitzu brothers with familiar faces and shocking first appearances in this new collaboration between the LEGO Group and Skybound.

Wu and Garmadon are champions of Ninjago, but until now, both Spinjitzu brothers have followed their own paths. When whispers of war with the Serpentine clans emerge, these two must brave unexpected threats and bring together the mighty heroes known as the Elemental Masters!