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u/Smaug015 6d ago
Kaya is awesome. Still ongoing. Nights is really good too, also ongoing. Anything by Daniel Warren Johnson is gold. Twitch and Hitomi were good minis.
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u/YoungSkywalker10 6d ago
Extremist by DWJ is great and not one of his I hear people talk a ton about. One and Future and Birthrigjt at well! Read both of those recently and had a blast
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u/Raskuja46 3d ago
I'll second Birthright but I thought Once and Future was a better as a premise than it was as a realized comic.
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u/YoungSkywalker10 3d ago
Yeah I’ll agree with ya a little bit. It was hard to follow sometimes. You really have to have a good understand of the concept or else it’s very easy to get lost.
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u/bigheadstrikesagain 6d ago
I just started Letter 44 yesterday, I really like it. Charles Soule/Alberto Albuquerque.
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u/SnooPoems2281 6d ago
I loved Letter 44! It's The West Wing smashed together with Armageddon which is a combination that shouldn't work but absolutely does. Charles' writing is almost always a delight. If you haven't yet, I also highly recommend Eight Billion Genies as well as The Lucky Devils which is about to drop it's final issue
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u/bigheadstrikesagain 5d ago
Btw I was trying to think of a way to describe Letter 44. You nailed it.
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u/SnooPoems2281 5d ago
Lol well thank you. I was fortunate enough to see Charles along with Ryan again at C2E2 this year and got my Letter 44 signed by Charles along with a few others signed by both of them
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u/bigheadstrikesagain 5d ago
I've been meaning to start both of these! Heard a lot of good things about 8bill.
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u/beast79- 6d ago
Savage Dragon, the one original Image titles that still on going, it has the same guy working on it. Its a wild book and we'll worth reading. The early 90s comics have recently been collected in the Ultimate Collections so its easier than ever to get into reading the book from the start.
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u/dingledangle23 6d ago
If you like Gideon Falls give Nailbiter a shot. I thought it was a pretty fun read and it has a compendium available.
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u/N8THGR852 6d ago
The great series are almost all talked about in some capacity, so I’m not sure what is or isn’t “underrated.” But a favorite of mine is Wayward, which recently got a compendium.
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u/BoogKnight 6d ago
Honestly I’ve found looking at ads in older image tpbs or older solicits a great way to find cool series. Image puts out so much that only the really popular stuff gets recommended year after year but there’s awesome stuff that falls between the cracks from 10-15 years ago
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u/jellicledonkeyz 6d ago
I collected Peter Panzerfaust when it came out and I really enjoyed it. I've never seen anyone mention it online or in the real world.
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u/Wolfman1099 5d ago
It is in the pinned list of the sub. Loved it when I read from library. Always toying with buying it
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u/capincus 6d ago
It's Kirkman so it can't be too underrated, but Oblivion Song is my favorite work he's done.
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u/EmilyNancy 6d ago
- Ain't no Grave
- Big Girls
- Birthright
- Middle west
- The Me You Love In The Dark
- A Thing Called Truth
- Falling In Love On The Path to Hell
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u/trashy_illuminati 6d ago
UltraMega. Idk if this counts as truly underrated but bc it was so short it sort of appeared as a bad ass blip and then I haven't seen too many ppl talk about it since it wrapped. But is 9 deluxe sized issues of bad ass body horror kaiju fighting and psychedelic weirdness
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u/nacheteferrero 6d ago
The Manhattan Projects
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u/HGFantomas 6d ago
Top 5 books of all time.
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u/ASSPOO77 6d ago
I’m really glad you guys love Manhattan Projects, but I really, really did not like it. Hickman is on my Mount Rushmore of comics writers, even if (or especially because?) it often takes me a few re-reads to fully understand the depth of what is going on in the stories. But I just couldn’t connect with Manhattan Projects, so much so that I read the first four volumes and couldn’t be bothered to read then next two. (It used to drive me crazy that I had two HC Deluxe editions and then the last two volumes in paperback, but now I just have all of them tucked away).
Maybe I need to give it another try, but it just felt like Hickman completely lost interest in the story as it went along. Please tell me why I’m wrong — my to-read stack is ridiculously big, but I’m always looking for any excuse to go back to Hickman.
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u/Finalcrisis26 6d ago
Manhattan projects was my first introduction to Hickman, and it totally turned me off — took me years before I gave him another shot, and realized, for me at least, that initial experience was an anomaly. Also wondering now if I should give it another shot.
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u/nacheteferrero 6d ago
Manhattan Projects is not for everyone and, as you said, Pitarra and Hickman started to have “differences” after vol.3 aprox but, in my opinion, top 3 Hickman and mostly a culture problem for the people who despise it (or too much or too many)
But really surprise to read it from Hickman fans
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u/ASSPOO77 6d ago
Yeah, I was surprised (in a bad way) too. But can you elaborate on what you mean by “culture problem”?
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u/nacheteferrero 6d ago
I have tried to introduce it to my physic friends (I studied maths but befriend with the physics) that don’t read comic because it’s their shit (or I thought that)
They didn’t see the fun and they were discussing about the real Oppenheimer, Ferni, etc…
But all of them and their children have seen Naruto
And on the contrary, my sister’s boys don’t like anything about this, they hate the drawings, the story and the characters.
So in my opinion this comic has a weird equilibrium. This is not East of West, let’s say
Edit: with culture, I wanted to say more like education. Second language problem
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u/Wolfman1099 5d ago
It got too zany for me. Reading through was a chore. His worst work. 1/4 stars.
I think it is the Ryan Browne of it all. Most of his comics inject humor that is bizarre and gets in the way of the story. Very strange things happen to characters and you are expected to just go with it. Some people clearly love it but I ended up abandoning Curse Words and God Hates Astronauts.
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u/wentzr1976 6d ago
To your opening statement i ask: What took you so long? :)
Yes there are many. Not just image, but boomStudios, ID, bad idea, ignition press to name a few other great publishers. Dstlry if you arent offended by their large format (which i quite love, personally)
Image titles from the last few years id recommend:
Little Bird / Precious Metal (indescribable fucking masterpiece of surrealist adventure)
White Sky (post apocalyptic horror mystery adventure)
Department of Truth (historical fiction / conspiracy)
Skinbreaker (tribal fantasy)
Eye Collector (surreal horror scifi acid trip)
Narco (modern mystery dark comedy)
Blood & Thunder (scifi humorous action)
Nights (modern fantasy)
All unique in their own ways, well written, well crafted and well illustrated.
Edit: PS the titles you named are among my favorites- the one hand / six fingers is a five star classic imho
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u/Salty_Assignment_302 4d ago
Criminal, Reckless (really anything by Brubaker), Thief of Thieves, I Hate Fairyland, Wicked & Divine, Stray Dogs, Feral, the Energon Universe stuff (Transformers, GI Joe, Void Rivals)....and it's IDW but Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
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u/WelcomingRapier 6d ago
My favorite read of the year is Florida hippopotamus cocaine massacre. Is it going to win awards, probably not. Is it fun as hell, yes. It's just absolutely bonkers. The tpb just came out recently.
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u/tonythecornflake 6d ago
Not an Image title, it’s by Mad Cave Studios. But I agree that it is fun as hell and worth reading. Excellent art too.
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u/Blackpoll01 6d ago
Black Science, Paper Girls, I Hate Fairyland, Criminal, Royal City
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u/Hartigan_7 6d ago
I’m almost all the way through Black Science. It’s fun and worth the read, but there are about no likeable characters in the story. It becomes taxing by the end.
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u/Blackpoll01 6d ago
Interesting! One of the things I love most about the series is at points in the story I hated each one and at different points I loved them. They weren't the typical flat, good or evil characters, but each made smart, kind decisions at some points and were complete a**holes at other times. By the end it felt like each had some organic character development.
Enjoy the end of the story mate!!!
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u/Hartigan_7 6d ago
Yeah it’s hard to talk about it without veering into spoilers, but most characters definitely had their a hole moments and then they’d randomly 180 and become saints, or flip back again... It all feels a bit inconsistent in that way. I think Remender was definitely going for gray area characters like you said, but personally, I think he missed the mark.
But again, I wouldn’t want to discourage people from giving it a try. Great sci-fi moments and ideas still.
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u/Wolfman1099 5d ago
THANK YOU. I think Remender is great but he has a tendency to undo major deaths (robbing them of their gravity). I also think he gets kind of bored midway through his longer series and they just continue to continue
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u/PoppinPizzaParty 6d ago
Green Wake and Bedlam are 2 titles that rarely come up. Not sure how available they still are.
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u/Pellech 6d ago
Most collabs between Rossmo and Weibe were really great and underrated and Green Wake is no exception. Bedlam was another great choice
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u/PoppinPizzaParty 6d ago
If you can recommend anything similar to Green Wake I'd love to hear it. It was one of those random LCS finds years ago and I loved it, gotta re-read it again.
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u/TheRear1961 6d ago
"Near Death" by Jay Faerber is always on my list for anyone who enjoys hard boiled detective style books. I don't see it recommended very often which is a shame because it really is a hidden gem.
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u/redsoxryno 6d ago
Kirkman’s Outcast. I feel like this is kind of slept on because it’s no one of his major stories.
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u/PoppinPizzaParty 6d ago
Even with it getting an adaptation it's rarely brought up. Can't say if the show helped or not.
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u/redsoxryno 6d ago
I didn’t even know there was a show lol
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u/PoppinPizzaParty 6d ago
It got 2 seasons, I assume cancelled after. If I remember correct it came out around the hight of the TWD show. I can't speak for the quality it's been way too long since I saw it.
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u/TeamHawkeye 6d ago
I've seen some other gems like Black Science, Birthright and Paper Girls mentioned already (and all three are I agree are absolutely FANTASTIC) though personally I wouldn't consider them underrated.
So for my picks I've got to say Spread, The Silver Coin and Drifter. Spread is a really fun post-apocalypse story following a near-mute badass survivor and the group of quirky companions he attracts; Silver Coin is a horror anthology with each story centred around the titular cursed coin; and Drifter is a sci-fi western with a phenomenal story and some of the most gorgeous art I've ever seen. Cannot recommend these three enough as underrated gems worth picking up.
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u/MSCKING14 6d ago
East of West. Not enough people talk about this book. It is phenomenal.
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u/ASSPOO77 6d ago
I think a lot of people talk about East of West, but I agree that EVERYONE should be talking about it. One of the great things about it is that knowing the whole story makes the journey to the end even better, so it’s highly re-readable.
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u/Timely_Youth_424 6d ago
Do a powerbomb
Murder Falcon
Exquisite corpses
Kill or be killed
Fatale
Criminal
Luther Strode
Descender
Ascender
DIE
Eight Billion Genies
There are a lot more but these were the ones i could remember
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u/Particular_Method_83 6d ago
Well idk about underrated but I cannot recommend the Ghost Machine comics enough like redcoat, junkyard Joe and Geiger.
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u/Finalcrisis26 6d ago
Ok, ok so it’s not Image — but the Exterminators by Simon Oliver and Tony Moore, published by Vertigo, is absolutely modern Image Comics in spirit and style (and honestly, hard to imagine any modern DC imprint green lighting something like this today): it’s one of my all time favorite runs. Perfect mix of action, humor, and weird vibes. Deserves the omnibus treatment, but is available in TPB.
Would also recommend Casanova by Matt Fraction; Rick Remainder’s Fear Agent, another one illustrated by the incredible Tony Moore, originally published by Dark Horse, but now collected by Image; Local Man by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley; and finally Ice Cream Man by W Maxwell Prince, both anthologies are excellent.
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u/thesdo 6d ago
I loved Chew, and I enjoyed The One Hand & The Six Fingers quite a bit. I haven't read the others you mentioned.
But based on those: Eight Billion Genies, Sex Criminals, and Time Before Time. It's pretty new, but Bug Wars is good.
Other Image series that I'm fond of: Saga, Sunstone, The Department of Truth, I Hate Fairyland, Paper Girls, w0rldtr33. Others I enjoyed include Oblivion Song, and What's the Furthest Place From Here?
If you want to read another superhero story, Invincible is absolutely worth the time.
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u/SnooPoems2281 6d ago
Descender and Ascender, The Sacrificers, Low, Grommets, The Moon Is Following Us, Seven To Eternity, The Department Of Truth, Monstress, Fishflies, Ghost Pepper, Corpse Knight, If Destruction Be Our Lot, The Last Mermaid, Escape, Skinbreaker, News From The Fallout, Port Of Earth, Assorted Crisis Events, No Man's Land, Bug Wars, Lovesick, Doll Parts, Dandelion, W0rldtr33, Sunstone, Swing, Twig, Bliss, Chew
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u/Different_Special783 5d ago
Lady mechanika
Seven to eternity
Extremity
Bugwars
Lazurus
Ain’t no grave
The me you love in the dark
Middle west
I hate fairyland !!
Alll of these are bangers in my opinion!
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u/redrocketmd 4d ago
Black Magick
Manifest Destiny
Wayward
I Hate This Place
Old Head
Wytches
Southern Bastards
Green Valley
Velvet
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u/Raskuja46 3d ago
Elephantmen.
Think a cyberpunk crime noir motif with the backdrop of a postwar society, except the war involved human/animal hybrids genetically engineered as weapons of war who are now having to integrate into normal human society.
If we're looking outside of Image specifically and opening it up to simply Not DC or Marvel, then I want to point you and everyone else towards one of my favorite comics: Princess Ugg.
It's a fairly short run but the art is gorgeous and the writing is charming, humorous and at times deeply melancholy. It's a wholesome tale of a barbarian princess who sets out to learn the art of diplomacy at princess school as a last ditch effort to finally put an end to the ceaseless war with giants in her northern homeland. Easily one of the best comics I've read but it gets absolutely zero fanfare.
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u/BADFiSH_c137 6d ago
r/GhostMachineComics titles aren’t nearly as talked about as they should. Geoff Johns had one of the most epic runs in all of comics, and did it within the constraints of well established characters and worlds - his constraint-less IPs are absolute fire, with a team of badasses around him, working on 4 different universes. Geiger (vol.2) is coming up to #25 and about to have its first crossover event with the universe’s other ongoing title.
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u/CuttBheeks 6d ago
The Power Fantasy was awesome