Posted in: Comics, Image | Tagged: Francis Portela, geoff johns, Ghost Machine, Hyde Street

Francis Portela Signs Exclusively With Ghost Machine For Hyde Street

Francis Portela Signs Exclusively With Ghost Machine For Hyde Street

Comic book artist Francis Portela is the latest to sign up exclusively to the Ghost Machine crew as a regular contributor to the Image Comics horror title Hyde Street, alongside co-creators Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis, colourist Brad Anderson, and letterer Rob Leigh. Portela debuted on Hyde Street with issue #5, but this month's Hyde Street #9 marks the artist's first issue as an exclusive comic book creator, on the comic that sees residents forced to collect 10,000 souls to gain their freedom. Does that count as one soul signed up by Geoff Johns? The new issue features a variant cover by Portela showcasing the street's resident psycho surgeon, Doctor Eugene Ego, a "disgraced plastic surgeon whose malpractice scars more than flesh… it cuts into the soul." Portela broke into the comics industry in 2001 with Star Wars Tales #8 from Dark Horse Comics, followed by assignments on various G.I. JOE titles (Devil's Due, Image Comics). His credits include Batman: Gotham Knights, The Resistance, Legion of Super-Heroes, and Green Lantern for DC Comics, as well as Araña, Captain Universe, X-23, Black Panther, and Supervillain Team-Up for Marvel Comics, and credits at Valiant (Faith, Ninjak, Generation Zero).

"Francis Portela has honed his craft so masterfully that he only adds the absolutely necessary line work for his surgical style of storytelling. If Alex Toth were alive today, he would be a fan," said Brian Cunningham, Editor-in-Chief at Ghost Machine. "Not only are Francis's choices dynamic and dramatic, but the real magic lies in his expressive characters. The subtle gestures and faces reveal so much about the characters he draws. It might seem odd to pair up the open line work of Francis with the super-rendered art of Ivan Reis and Danny Miki, but they're all such consummate storytellers that it fits the series really well. We're really blessed to have all these amazing artists under the Ghost Machine banner."

Portela added: "It's a dream come true! I'm on a great series with one of the best writers, one of the best colorists of the field, and one of the best letterers too. What more can I say? I'm enjoying every line of Geoff's scripts, not only for the story, but the way he writes: always an image of what he wants comes quickly to my mind. And also, I'm loving these dark stories [in Hyde Street], full of twists too—and Pranky! I love Pranky! It's impossible not to love that little bastard!"

Hyde Street #9 is available now. Hyde Street #10 will be available on the 26th of November.

• HYDE STREET #9
  (W) Geoff Johns (A) Francis Portela, Brad Anderson (CA) Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson
  Doctor Victor Frankenstein has nothing on Hyde Street's own Doctor Archibald Ego—a disgraced plastic surgeon whose malpractice scars more than flesh…it cuts into the soul. Dragged to Hyde Street in 1997, Doctor Ego now encounters an old patient lured back by unfinished business—and a thirst for revenge. But when the scalpel turns, who becomes the real monster? And what dark connection binds the twisted doctor to the terrifying Matinee Monster?
  $3.99
• HYDE STREET #10 CVR A IVAN REIS & DANNY MIKI
  (W) Geoff Johns (A) Francis Portela, Brad Anderson (CA) Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson
  She's read palms, rigged séances, and whispered lies for coin. In 1920, Sister Hood was just another con artist in lace and lace fronts—until her grift drew the wrath of the Scorekeeper and landed her in the cursed dimension known as Hyde Street. Now, a man named Mr. X-Ray walks through her parlor door. And he's not here for a reading. He's here to rewrite his fate, and hers. $3.99 11/26/2025
• HYDE STREET #11
  (W) Geoff Johns (A/CA) Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson
  NEW STORY ARC "Hide your hands, hide your feet… the Butcher's back on Hyde Street." THE BUTCHER OF HYDE STREET: PART ONE. The first horror event of the breakout series begins here. One of the most infamous and terrifying Residents in Hyde Street history has returned—unleashed after decades of imprisonment. But this isn't just a killing spree…it's the beginning of a reckoning. And no one on Hyde Street is ready for what's coming next…or what happened before. $3.99
  In-Store Date: 12/31/2025

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