NYCC ’26: Image Comics creators discuss their “unlimited freedom” at the publisher

By Gianni Palumbo

Image Comics’s ‘Let’s Talk Comics!’ host Jim Viscardi has the scoop on the next great comics coming from Image and he’s brought Tony Fleecs, Mirka Andolfo, Franklin Jonas, Alberto J. Albuquerque, and Eric Zawadzki to talk about it!

First up, Tony Fleecs talked all about the recently announced The Princess Murders—a ‘Disney Princess aesthetic’ ongoing slasher series with art by his Local Man collaborator, Tim Seeley, and colors by Brian Reber. We were shown the trailer for issue 1—available to watch now!

“A STYLIZED PRINCESS SLASHER FROM THE CREATORS OF STRAY DOGS AND HACK/SLASH

Lovely Princess Lottie and her wicked stepsister Edwige have arrived in the Kingdom of Sardinia, where princesses from across the globe have gathered to compete for the hand of the handsome Prince Carlo. But fairy tales have a way of turning… grim. There’s a black-gloved killer stalking the castle halls and no one is safe. Now, our princesses will fight to survive royal politics, and backstabbing, both literal and figurative.

The question is no longer “Who will win the prince?” It’s “Who will die first?” and “Will there be musical numbers?”

The book is in a similar vein to Fleecs’s previous works (Stray Dogs, Feral), taking a classic Don Bluth-esque aesthetic with a genre twist. When asked about how he balances the fun, effervescent fairy tale world with horror, Fleecs said, “It’s not like a parody of anything. It’s like the part that’s an animated princess cartoon is an animated princess cartoon and that’s a horror movie is a horror movie, and balancing the tones is sort of the trick of it right?” 

The Princess Murders is out December 9th!

Next up, Mirka Andolfo talked all about her new 4 issue miniseries Merciless, the long-awaited sequel series to her 2020 hit series, Mercy.

“FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER THE DEVIL OF WOODSBURGH VANISHED, EVIL RETURNS TO TOWN…

Having rid itself of the terrible Devil of Woodsburgh, the thriving former mining town has seen the sun shine again for fifteen years… until the arrival of a new Lady Hellaine. Rory, accompanied by Joel, is all grown up now, and ready to open her factory. But her arrival hides a secret: Electric Sumac is spreading through the streets, a strange drug that makes humans unusually strong and dangerous… something Rory and Joel are determined to stop at any cost, knowing all too well that its mysterious origins are decidedly not of this world. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bancroft seems to have returned as well, to settle the scores his father left behind. Could Rory end up caught in the middle…?

The long-awaited sequel to the international hit MERCY is finally here! Acclaimed creator MIRKA ANDOLFO (UNNATURAL, SWEET PAPRIKA) returns to her most celebrated world with artist LIDIA BOLOGNINI (SWEET PAPRIKA: BLACK, WHITE & PINK) for a Gothic horror of inheritance, addiction, and appetite, perfect for fans of Penny Dreadful, Dark Shadows, and… MERCY, of course! 

The book will be written by Andolfo with main art by Lidia Bolognini, whom Andolfo said she is very excited to be working with! Andolfo will also be providing art for the flashback portions of the story. “I’m writing the story and I drew the flashback part while the rest is drawn by an amazing Italian artist (Bolognini)…very young that I think she’s not discovered yet here in the U.S.,” Andolfo said.

Merciless #1 is out December 2nd!

Next, Alberto J. Albuquerque talked all about his new series with writer Jim Zub, Omen-Bound—announced earlier this week at NYCC. Described as a dark fantasy, sword and sorcery story, it follows a skilled group of warriors and priests who must escort a dangerous, supernatural prisoner back to their realm beyond reality. What crazy encounters will they have on the way? Albuquerque said you’ll just have to wait and see! 

We were shown a trailer—available to watch now— before Albuquerque told us why this comic absolutely rocks. “It’s an adventure quest,” he said, “And they’re going to be fighting supernatural elements and all kinds of bullshit, man. Jim and I are throwing lots of cool stuff in it and we’re having a blast!”

Omen-Bound will be available in March 2027!

Next up, was Franklin Jonas to talk all things Fireborn and Lost Fantasy with its upcoming crossover event Showdown—which will take place in Fireborn #5 and Lost Fantasy #13. Jonas described it as “One Fight. Two Stories. Like Rashamon but with Dragons and Giant Swords! Nothing will ever be the same (probably)!”

Jonas is the newest creator amongst the panel and is now at the point of writing his own book based on one character and is gearing up for a crossover where he gets to mash a bunch of cool toys together, so to speak. “It’s been incredible,” Jonas said, “It’s been a real crash course, but it’s been fantastic…it’s been something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m really grateful for this opportunity and to be surrounded by amazing creators who I get to work with.”

Showdown kicks off on October 28th in Fireborn #5 and Lost Fantasy #13

Eric Zawadzki then took the focus to talk all things Assorted Crisis Events, the recent Eisner Award winner for Best New Series. He discussed how he believes the book is crafted by the absolute best of the best working in the industry right now—with writer Deniz Camp, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and colorist Jordie Bellaire—and how it is a wholly unique book that reinvents itself on all fronts every single. He cites issue 8 as his favorite and the most successful issue of the series so far. It’s an issue that plays with the idea of comics in a meta-textual way, citing Scott McCloud’s work as inspiration. “Issues 1-7 sold pretty alright, and then issue 8 just sold out right away,” Zawadzki said. “Normally, issue eights don’t go back to print. We were kind of buzzie and then it became a giant hit after that.”

He then went on to discuss the origins of the series, stating “I met Deniz Camp at NYCC in 2017. I was tabling and he was just an up-and-coming writer and came up to my table and he was a big fan of my work on The Dregs. He zeroed in on me because he likes to work with artists who are experimental with their storytelling, and we hit it off right away.” 

The timing of the book was nothing short of a miracle. They were working on issues while Camp was quickly exploding in popularity, becoming one of the most popular and critically acclaimed writers working with titles like The Ultimates (2024) and Absolute Martian Manhunter before Assorted Crisis Events was even announced. 

“I was busy with a ton of stuff, but as soon as my slate kind of cleared up, I said ‘Yeah let’s do it,’” Zawadzki explained. “At this point his career had rocketed into the stratosphere…Deniz was a superstar, so it was pretty easy to market, which was not the case when we started it. So it worked out.”

The last portion of the panel was opened to questions from both Viscardi and the audience. After a brief round of Q&A, Viscardi asked the panel, with the 30th anniversary of Image coming up, why Image is an important publisher for them. The common sentiment among the panelists was the creative freedom that they are allowed at Image. They often hear complaints from other creators about having to make big changes to appease editors and the company, something that they rarely if ever have to worry about at Image.

“I was joking to a friend that I get the impression sometimes that Image doesn’t even read the book.” Fleecs joked. “We just hand it in and do whatever we want…and that’s why Image is the best publisher in all of comics. We have unlimited freedom.”

Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from NYCC ’26.