Another new player has entered the fray: The Ninth Circle! No amount of warnings can stop people from getting obsessed with comics.
But looking at the cast of characters in this game, you could tell they knew the risks when they signed on. This new venture is a horror-centric imprint with superstars Garth Ennis, Ram V, Margaret Bennett, Joe Pruett, and Adam Glass. Though touted as an imprint in this Deadline announcement, Ninth Circle will be published as an imprint of Image Comics, similar to Ghost Machine and Massive-verse, creator-owned collectives that operate under the Image banner. Format-wise, the titles will all be standalone issues, with the promise of a beginning, middle, and end for each issue. They’ll also be double the size; magazine trim size (8.5 x 10.875) with perfect binding and cardstock cover. You’ll want to have some Tjog mag files to store these babes in.
In addition to its incredible creative team, Ninth Circle has a strong team of business partners in strategic advisor and founder Michael Bogner (SVP of Legal at ABGO) and company president David Stone (TFC Management). Lead investor is Kimberly Steward (Manchester by the Sea, Suspiria) whose production company K Period Media will produce select titles in partnership with Ninth Circle. (For those keeping track at home, Steward is the sister of Lion Forge/Oni CEO Dave Steward.)
The label will kick off with Freddy the Fix, from Ennis and artist Mike Perkins, which is billed as “dark humor and horror”… a la Garth Ennis. The titular Freddy is a fixer who cleans up the mess of werewolves, vampires, zombies, aliens and boogeymen running wild in Hollywood. It hits stores on December 11th.
“I’ve always been a huge horror fan,” said co-founder Garth Ennis, “and with Freddy the Fix, I want to shock, excite and entertain fans (and maybe even make them laugh a time or two in the process).”
The Ninth Circle, of course, takes its name from Dante’s Divine Comedy, which describes the nine levels of Hell, and the comic series is inspired solely by such torture, and will “redefine genre storytelling by combining the visionary creativity and expertise of these incredibly talented storytellers. No capes, no tights, no romance (unless, of course, that romance includes murder, gore, and mayhem).”
According to Glass, “The 9th Circle is committed to embracing the horror genre in all its forms. With Garth’s unparalleled ability to create haunting worlds, Ram, Margaret and Joe’s bold eye for pushing the boundaries of the medium, and my own experience with storytelling across multiple mediums, I can’t wait to share these stories with our fans.”
Upcoming releases include a Bennett book illustrated by Eisner Hall of Fame inductee Jill Thompson (!!!!) in 2024, a Pruett story illustrated by Butch Giese (The Flash, Winter Soldier, And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), and a Glass story illustrated by Bernard Chan (X-Men, Deadpool, Superman). There are also titles from Garth Ennis, Ram V, and more scheduled for 2025, which will be some pretty stellar additions to your comic rack.
Image also released more information about Freddie the Fixer today, here:
Cover A by Mike Perkins – Lunar Code 1024IM305 Cover B 1:10 Copy Incentive by Marcelo Fursin – Lunar Code 1024IM306
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