Image Comics In The New Millennium! Demythifying Notable #1’s From 2000 – 2021!
We began building up to Image’s 2022 milestone 30th anniversary by looking back at its publication history particularly its notable series launches:
We’re now at the end of that retrospective looking at 2000 – 2021. This is not as exhaustive of list of #1’s as we did covering 1992 – 1999, but I do note roughly 5 – 8 launches for each of the years on the below lists.
To find the creative teams for the books below, if they are no prominent on the covers, please see my earlier caveats and direction in this regard; they also include why Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee companies’ creations are included on this list after they left Image.
In terms of which books did or did not make the 2000 – 2021 lists below, please, feel free to agree or disagree. I included books I enjoyed, prominent x-overs with other companies, as well as books that may not be my cup of tea, but had or continue to have “buzz” from fans.
2000
March – The Magdalena #1
April – Powers #1
April – Shockrockets #1
July – Brigade #1 (Volume 3)
October – Midnight Nation #1
December – JLA / Witchblade #1
2001
March – Superstar: As Seen on TV #1
April – Ministry of Space #1
April – The Monarchy #1
September – Noble Causes: First Impressions #1
October – G.I. Joe #1
2002
January – Tom Strong’s Terrific Tales #1
January – Noble Causes #1
August – Battle of the Planets #1
September – League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #1 (Volume 2)
September – Stormwatch: Team Achilles #1
October – WildCats 3.0 #1
2003
January – Invincible #1
February – ThunderCats: The Return #1
February – Battle of the Planets / Witchblade #1
March – Sleeper #1
September – Arrowswmith #1
September – Wildguard Casting Call #1
October – The Walking Dead #1
December – Wanted #1
2004
May – Witchblade / Wolverine #1
June – Sleeper Season Two #1
June – Youngblood: Imperial #1
July – Gray Area #1
July – Superpatriot: War of Terror #1
July – Darkness / Hulk #1
August – Ex Machina #1
December – Wildguard: Fire Power #1
2005
January – Captain Atom: Armageddon #1
March – Legend #1
April – The Pact #1 (Volume 2)
July – Wildguard: Fool’s Gold #1
September – JLA / Cyberforce #1
September – WildCats Nemesis #1
October – The Winter Men #1
2006
April – Cyberforce #1 (Volume 3)
August – Darkness / Wolverine #1
September – Wetworks #1 (Volume 2)
October – WildCats #1 (Volume 2)
November – Red Menace #1
November – Stormwatch: PHD #1
2007
January – Cyberforce / X-Men #1
January – Dynamo 5 #1
February – Welcome To Tranquility #1
March – Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer #1
April – Madman: Atomic Comics #1
November – Wetworks: Armageddon #1
November – Welcome to Tranquility: Armageddon #1
December – Stormwatch: PHD : Armageddon #1
2008
January – Youngblood #1 (Volume 4)
April – Invincible #1
July – War Heroes #1
July – WildCats: World’s End #1
July – Broken Trinity #1
August – Frank Frazetta’s Dracula Meets The Wolfman #1
2009
June – Cyberforce / Hunter-Killer #1
June – Chew #1
August – Darkness / Pitt #1
September – WildCats: Mosiac #1
November – Image United #1
2010
July – Artifacts #1
July – Brigade #1 (Volume 4)
August – Guarding the Globe #1
August – Invincible Returns #1
September – Wetworks: Mutations #1
September – Welcome to Tranquility: One Foot in the Grave #1
December – Marineman #1
2011
January – Lady Mechanika: The Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse #1
July – Avengelyne #1
August – The Infinite #1
September – Grifter #1
September – Stormwatch #1
2012
March – Saga #1
April – Invincible’ s Universe #1
April – Jupiter’s Legacy #1
April – America’s Got Powers #1
October – Cyberforce #1 (Volume 4)
October – Point of Impact #1
2013
March – East of West #1
June – Lazarus #1
September – Invincible #101
NOTE: It’s billed as a #1.
September – Rat Queens #1
November – Black Science #1
2014
March – Starlight #1
May – C.O.W.L. #1
June – Outcast #1
June – The Wicked + The Divine #1
September – Prophet Strikefile #1
October – Birthright #1
2015
March – Chrononauts #1
March – Descender #1
April – Lady Mechanika: The Tablet of Destinies #1
April – Jupiter’s Circle #1
June – Airboy #1
July – Bloodstrike #1
October – Black Magick #1
October – Axcend #1
2016
January – We Stand On Guard #1
January – Invincible’ s Universe #1
April – Black Road #1
April – The Fix #1
May – Lady Mechanika: The Lost Boys of West Abbey #1
December – Cyberforce: Artifacts #1
2017
April – The Wild Storm #1
May – Youngblood #1 (Volume 5)
July – Lady Mechanika: The Clockwork Assassin #1
August – Mage: A Hero Denied #1
October – Wildstorm: Michael Cray #1
October – Wildstorm: A Celebration Of 25 Years
2018
March – Oblivion Song #1
June – Magic Order #1
July – Lady Mechanika: La Belle Dame Sans Merci #1
October – Lady Mechanika: La Dama De La Muerte #1
December – Prodigy #1
2019
April – Ascender #1
June – Lady Mechanika: Sangre #1
June – Sonata #1
July – Space Bandits #1
October – Chrononauts: Future Shock #1
2020
June – Adventureman #1
July – Chu #1
October – Department of Truth #1
October – Commanders In Crisis #1
November – Black Road #1
December – Post Americana #1
2021
February – Radiant Black #1
March – Nocterra #1
April – Geiger #1
July – Ordinary Gods #1
August – Echolands #1
November – Magic Order 2 #1
What were your fave launches of the last 21 years from Image Comics and/or its founders’ and other iconic creators studios?
Next Saturday, to kick off 2022, we discuss what we know upcoming in 2022 from Image Comics to coincide with its 30th Anniversary.