Image Comics, Inc. Library Market Newsletter

Image Comics was founded on the idea that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, and gender orientation deserves access to the same opportunities and the ability to express themselves. The Image Family was deeply saddened by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of those whose mandate is to protect and serve. The senseless loss of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and Tony McDade are only the most recent casualties of a profoundly broken system. The enormity of the lived crisis of being Black in America and the need to make a statement has given us pause. As a business weighing in on such a serious issue, it would be easy to interpret anything we say as  little more than lip-service. With that in mind, we have sought to uplift our Black creators while working to draft a response that could possibly address the size and scope of this tragedy, but in the end, perhaps the best answer is the simplest one. 

We stand with the Black community, Black Lives Matter, and the protesters risking grievous bodily harm to demand justice and positive change. There is no neutral position in the face of injustice, and we condemn racism and bigotry in all its forms. We will not tolerate it and we will not support it.

In this time of darkness, it would be easy to fall into despair and inaction, but the public outcry and massive demonstrations that have swept the globe have shown that there is hope, that the best in human nature can prevail. Our hearts go out to all those affected by systemic racism and white-supremacy, to all those whose lives have been marred by senseless violence, and to those working everyday to build a better world for all. 

In closing, we leave the last word to a man who also sought a better world, James Baldwin.
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
 

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Image Comics would like to offer free graphic novels* to ten libraries serving Black and LGBTQIA patrons. The first ten libraries to email us with a one-paragraph description of their work and the communities they serve will receive a free pack of graphic novels featuring Black, LGBTQIA, and #Ownvoices creative teams/subject matter. Winning libraries will also be featured in our next newsletter.

*Please include any age or reading level restrictions if relevant to the preferred content donation!
 

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ALA Annual is going virtual from June 24 - 26, 2020. Image Comics will be there, offering Book Buzz sessions, previews and discussion guides for our hottest upcoming titles, and as always, samples of upcoming trades! This three-day, online event will bring the convention floor to you, no travel required! 

The event will feature a portfolio of graphic novel content, more than 50 educational sessions, including COVID-19 related information pertinent to libraries; live chat opportunities with authors and speakers; an exhibitor showcase with more than 500 participating exhibitors; and presentations in an on-demand format from book publishers on forthcoming book titles. 

For additional event information please visit the  2020 ALA Virtual Event website, ALA Instagram, ALA Twitter, ALA Facebook, or follow hashtag, #alavirtual20.
 

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IT'S FRIDAY

 

Chloe Ramos-Peterson
Library Market Sales Representative
chloeramos@imagecomics.com

Thanks and enjoy—and please share this newsletter with your friends and colleagues!
 

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Aurealis Awards - Black Magick - Best Graphic Novel/Illustrated Work Finalist 2019 
Diamond Gem Awards - Image Comics, Spawn - Multiple Category Winners 2019
Eisner Awards - Multiple Titles - Multiple Category Nominations 2020
Hugo Awards - Die, Monstress, Paper Girls, WicDiv- Best Graphic Story or Comic Finalists 2020
 

Analog, Vol. 2 TP
Ascender, Vol. 2 TP
The Complete Witchblade, Vol. 1 HC
Crowded, Vol. 2 TP
Deadly Class, Vol. 9 TP
Farmhand, Vol. 3 TP
Gideon Falls, Vol. 4 TP
Moonshine, Vol. 3 TP
920London OGN TP
November, Vol. 2 HC
Paul is Dead OGN TP
Perdy, Vol. 2 HC
The Ride: Burning Desire TP
Witchblade, Vol. 3 TP

SUMMARY: Featuring the show-stopping talents of SPAWN series artist JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER and the writer behind such hit shows as Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Marvel’s Runaways, and STARZ’s American Gods—RODNEY BARNES. When small-town beat cop Jimmy Sangster returns to his Philadelphia roots to bury his murdered father, he stumbles into a mystery that will lead him down a path of horrors and shake his beliefs to their core. The city that was once the symbol of liberty and freedom has fallen prey to corruption, poverty, unemployment, brutality…and vampires.There’s a reason they say you can’t go home again. Welcome to Killadelphia. 

“It’s the best graphic novel I’ve ever read.” —Chris Rock

“The stunning and fresh horror fable I’ve been craving. This one feels like a classic.” —Jordan Peele

“[An] atmospheric horror story with a terrifyingly real sense of place.” —Brian K. Vaughan

"Sparely written, beautifully rendered and topical…a genuinely frightening horror graphic.” —Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due

"A dark, deep, seamless story that plays into multiple genres without becoming fully any one of them…offers a tantalizing nightmare of urban horror that feels real, rich, and mysterious. It'll infect you if you let it, and you should.” —ComicBook.com

“KILLADELPHIA has been growing in my psyche since I was eight or nine years old. The Kolchak: The Night Stalker movie of the week started it all. Darren McGavin chasing a vampire (written by the late great Richard Matheson) sparked a flame that's never stopped burning... I did a ton of research. I'm going deep into the rabbit hole of American history and I want it to feel plausible... For as long as I can remember, folks have questioned how history affects African-American culture. My goal was to answer one aspect of that question. The "Sons of the Republic" is directly related to the ideology of those pockets of uber-passionate folks who don't just rally or vote, they go to extremes politically and form militias. How would a group that had that type of passion actualize itself if it weren't bound by time? It's no longer about Democrat or Republican, it's about its own ideology forged over centuries.”—Rodney Barnes
SYFY WIRE

SUMMARY: ALL HAIL GOD MONEY! From JONATHAN HICKMAN (EAST OF WEST, House of X, Secret Wars, Avengers) and TOMM COKER (UNDYING LOVE) comes a new crypto-noir series about the power of dirty, filthy money... and exactly what kind of people you can buy with it. THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS is classic occultism where the various schools of magic are actually clandestine banking cartels who control all of society: a secret world where vampire Russian oligarchs, Black popes, enchanted American aristocrats, and hitmen from the International Monetary Fund work together to keep ALL OF US in our proper place.

“I loved the idea that money, which has no real value beyond exchanging influence, or better put, power, was the soul of all communication. Which, if you look at how people define magic: “as having the power to influence people or things by mysterious forces,” and how language is used as a summoning agent in most stories about magic, then it’s really easy to distill the source down to God Money. Anyway, I loved the idea that the ‘real’ reason super wealthy people on average, live longer, eat better, have more influence, etc…, is because they’re bartered their souls making an unholy alliance..”—Jonathan Hickman IGN

AGE RANGE: All Ages
ATTENDANCE: 5-15 (+5 per Moderator)
TIME FRAME:  30 Min-1 Hour – Repeating (Weekly/Bi-Weekly/Monthly)
 
SUMMARY: A wave of activism is sweeping the globe and the protests/demonstrations calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality are full of wildly diverse groups of people. People from all economic sectors, all cultures & ethnicities, religions, philosophies, age groups, etc. are rallying for a more just world. So many different people are coming together with one voice that it has inspired us to crack open our history books and look at the giants whose shoulders we’re standing upon.
 
Inspire your book clubs to explore the lives and the work of the activists and agitators, thinkers and talkers, movers and shakers who have fought to bring change to multiple spaces. Discuss their legacies, avoid hero worship by engaging is critical dialogue that includes seeing your subjects as fallible humans who have done good, encourage your readers to act up about the things they’re passionate about!
 
Below, you’ll find a short list of books, arranged by broad age group/reading level, to get you started!

 

In this month's Library Spotlight, we are thrilled to share something a little different, the HOOPLA GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK CLUB!
 

 

"Hoopla Digital has partnered with your favorite publishers, Image Comics included, to offer librarians a new resource for their Graphic Novel Book Clubs! Spotlight titles come with additional content, including discussion guides, creator bios, and lesson plans, providing librarians with ready-made toolkits to use when crafting virtual programming. In addition to the titles featured in the May-July edition, Hoopla also hosts additional toolkits that librarians can request, on demand! If you’re interested in featuring an Image title not currently mentioned on the Club’s website, simply reach out to Hoopla Digital for a complete list of our available extra content!

Want to add a virtual creator visit to your program? Contact us directly at chloeramos@imagecomics.com to coordinate an “appearance!”

#hooplaGNBC"

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.