Picture comics has veered in many directions over its thirty-plus year history. At first, the independent publisher tried to be like the companies that “Image Seven” superstars — Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino and Whilce Potracio — came from, creating a somewhat consistent superhero universe where crossovers and the like were possible. As founders like Liefeld and Silvestri left and returned, that changed and eventually, Image morphed into the structure it is in now: a publishing house of unrelated titles , written by the best writers and artists in the industry. However, Geoff John‘s Ghost Machine Imprint changed that, giving Image its own multiverse.

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Rocketfellers #2, by Peter Tomasi and Francis Manapul, features a double page spread in which Manapul is joined by the other superstar artists of Ghost Machine – Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Peter Snejberg and Ivan Reis – to show the four worlds of this new universe. The Ghost Machine Comics – Geiger, Junkyard Joe, Rook Exodus, Redcoat, Hyde Street, Rocketfellers, and the next Hornsby and Halo – have already made a splash and revealing the multiversal nature of the new brand is a recipe for something special. Of course, anyone who followed the careers of Johns, Tomasi, or Brad Meltzer knew that a multiverse was inevitable.

The Ghost Machine multiverse is built by the best in the business

Johns, Tomasi, and Meltzer all cut their comic book writing teeth at DC. All three had long been die-hard fans of the publisher’s Silver and Bronze Age, and the defining feature of that period at DC was the multiverse, that infinite expanse of Earths that gave DC Comics creators the ability to tell any type of story with the superheroes editor. However, the multiverse was also confusing to more casual fans, and it ended in 1985. Crisis on Infinite Earths. This lasted twenty years, when Johns, Tomasi and, to a lesser extent, Meltzer were all part of the preparation for the project. Infinite crisis, the event book written by Johns that laid the groundwork for the return of the DC Multiverse. Johns and Tomasi then helped build the New 52, ​​an entirely new DC Multiverse, in 2011. Johns would leave the comic writing side for a while to help with the DCEU, but would return with DC: Rebirth #1changing the continuity of the DC Multiverse again and leading to Doomsday Clock And Disputed point beyond, where he talked about the Omniverse and the Metaverse. So anyone expecting Ghost Machine to not have a multiverse, especially with its diverse comic book lineup, hasn’t really been paying attention.

Ghost Machine’s strength so far is how it has offered readers so much in such a short time. Geiger is a post-apocalyptic superhero epic, Joe breaks it looks like an old DC war comic, Red coat takes from the real world with its immortal British leader of the War of Independence, Hyde Street opens the doors of horror, Exodus from the Tower is a dystopian science fiction, and The rocket fighters is a family science fiction set in the distant future. That’s a huge variety of books, and the lineup is packed with some of the best talent to ever work in the industry over the last thirty years – Johns, Tomasi, Meltzer, Frank, Reis, Snejberg, Manapul, Hitch, Fabok. This is exactly the lineup people would want to run a whole new multiverse of titles and ideas.

It also certainly helps that Johns seems creatively rejuvenated with the line. He went from one of the biggest stars of the 2000s – joining the rarefied air of talents like Waid and Morrison as architects of the best of DC – to a creator many had grown tired of by the mid-10s . His works in DC after DC: Rebirth #1 wasn’t as beloved as those who came before him, and while it could be argued that he finished strong – Flashpoint Beyond, The New Golden Age, Justice Society Of Americaand above all Stargirl: The Lost Children were all pretty well received by fans and critics alike – the end of his DC tenure wasn’t as illustrious as his beginning. Ghost Machine saw Johns come up with some great new stories and ideas, pay homage to his past works but always creating something new. A revitalized Johns in charge of his own multiverse should be the recipe for success.

Ghost Machine’s Multiverse Gives the Picture Another Hit Franchise

Image Comics has been somewhat on a tear since the early 10s. The publisher has continually selected the best talent in the comics industry and allowed them to tell the stories they want, on which they keep the Full ownership and control. Image only has the iconic “I” logo, but this logo has become a mark of quality. Discerning fans know that Image is the best place to go in the independent comics market to find the best variety of amazing comics. Ghost Machine gave them another weapon in their arsenal, a multiverse created by some of the most prolific superhero comic creators of the last thirty years.

The image may be a far cry from the halcyon days of its founding, when its comics sold better than most Marvel and DC books without an X, Spider or Bat on the cover, but it’s hard to argue with the depth of the talent and creativity of the time. editor. The Ghost Machine Multiverse is yet another feather in Image’s cap and one that has already made many fans happy. The picture works so well because of the cornucopia of diverse titles under its umbrella, and offering readers more interrelated books, especially from talent of the caliber that works at Ghost Machine, will only pay dividends.

You can check out Ghost Machine at Image Comics.