This August, Image Comics will release acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek’s creator-owned projects in new digital editions. In addition to extensive work for Marvel and DC, Busiek has an extensive body of creator-owned work, ranging across multiple genres, and starting August 4, these books will be available digitally on Comixology, followed by Apple Books and Google Play at a later date.
Kurt Busiek has been writing comics since the early 1980s and broke through into superstar status with 1993’s Marvels. Featuring fully painted art by Alex Ross, Marvels was unlike anything else being published at the time and made a name for both creators. Busiek would follow up with notable runs on Spider-Man and the Avengers for Marvel, Aquaman at DC, and Conan the Barbarian at Dark Horse. While he was breaking new ground at Marvel and DC, he worked with some of comic’s best artists on creator-owned projects that fell outside the scope of the Big Two. Some of this work has been out of print for a while, but thanks to Image Comics, fans wanting to read these titles will now be able to do access them.
Image Comics sent out a press release detailing the titles. First among them is Astro City, a book some argue is Busiek’s true masterpiece. A layered and nuanced take on the superhero genre, Astro City won multiple industry awards. Other books include the fantasy series Arrowsmith and The Wizard’s Tale; the sci-fi Shockrockets; and Superstar: As Seen on TV, the story of a superhero whose power levels depend on his popularity. Busiek collaborated with top-tier artists for these projects, including Ross (who helped on designs for Astro City), Carlos Pacheco, David Thorn Wenzel, Stuart Immonen, and Wade Von Grawbadger. Many of these books were initially published by WildStorm, which was once part of Image before it was acquired by DC.
Busiek’s body of work in the superhero genre, on books such as Marvels, could alone cement his reputation, but these amazing titles are complemented by an equally amazing body of creator-owned work. What is truly impressive is that Busiek has range: these books come from diverse genres, such as the fantasy-tinged Arrowsmith to the science-fiction adventure of Shockrockets and then circling back to super-heroics with Superstar and Astro City. Busiek is “thrilled” to have these works back in print, citing reader demand. Furthermore, Busiek teased new projects were coming as well but did not elaborate any further.
“I’m thrilled to be consolidating my creator-owned books at Image,” Busiek said in Image's announcement. “Readers have been asking us to make these stories available again, so we’re glad to have them all together at last, and in great company with the rest of the Image line. This is just the beginning, too—there’ll be new material coming as well, but that’ll be another announcement for another day.”
This August, fans wanting to dive into Kurt Busiek’s creator-owned titles will finally be able to do so thanks to new digital editions coming from Image Comics, and it also makes for the perfect opportunity for longtime aficionados to revisit their favorite characters and worlds.
Source: Image Comics
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