Posted in: Comics | Tagged: image comics, jeff lemire, royal city

Jeff Lemire Brings Back Royal City From Image Comics In 2023

Published Tue, 26 Jul 2022 12:57:09 -0500

Jeff Lemire is a busy boy, he couldn't even make it to San Diego Comic-Con as he was preparing to start shooting his new TV show, the adaptation of Exxex County. But he did have a comic book announcement which he saved until all of the SDCC hoopla was over. No point competing with the fuss caused by Hall H, the striking hotel workers of Bubble Comics. On his newsletter today he writes;

Big News! I have been teasing the return of Royal City for a while now…and I can finally make it official…ROYAL CITY IS COMING BACK in 2023! I have started work on a brand new Royal City series, currently titled ROYAL CITY VOLUME 2: The Last Days of Richie Pike, and plan on launching the book in Fall 2023 from Image Comics. And you can actually see a brand new 8-page TEASER of the new series in August's Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #5! So make sure you ask your local comic book store to order you a copy of this issue, which also features other new comics by an assortment of amazing talent.

Royal City, last published six years ago, followed Patrick Pike, a fading literary star who reluctantly returns to the once-thriving factory town where he grew up, there Patrick is quickly drawn back into the dramas of his two adult siblings, his overbearing mother, and his browbeaten father, all of whom are still haunted by different versions of his youngest brother, Tommy, who drowned decades ago. It charts the lives, loves, and losses of a troubled family and a vanishing town across three decades. And on his Substack channel Tales From The Farm, he previously wrote;

The story never felt done to me and it has been consistently calling me back since I finished the series. As I wrote about in an earlier post, I really burned out on Royal City when I was writing, drawing and fully painting the book on a monthly schedule back in 2017-2018. In hindsight it was just too much. Of course, I was also writing about 50 Marvel and Image books at the same time too, so it's not wonder the schedule wasn't sustainable. But when the burn out faded I just felt a sense of regret, like I never finished the book properly and most importantly, like there was more story left to tell. Now, several years later, I am ready to go back. I originally intended Royal City to be a place I could return to, and use the characters to explore new stories at different points in my life. I think that is exactly what it can still be. I finished "Volume 1" and now I'm going back with a bunch of new ideas and a new perspective.

And you can get your first glimpse at the very end of August.

IMAGE 30TH ANNV ANTHOLOGY #5 (OF 12) (MR)
IMAGE COMICS
JUN220279
(W) Geoff Johns, Joe Casey, Skottie Young, Zoe Thorogood, Brenden Fletcher, Maria Llovet, Tim Seeley, Jimmy Palmiotti, Patrick Kindlon, Dean Haspiel (A) Andrea Mutti, Nathan Fox, Skottie Young, Zoe Thorogood, Erica Henderson, Maria Llovet, Stefano Caselli, Amanda Conner, Maurizio Rosenzweig, Dean Haspiel
Our year-long celebration of Image Comics' 30th anniversary continues! This issue features the latest installments of "The Blizzard" by GEOFF JOHNS & ANDREA MUTTI, "Red Stitches" by BRENDEN FLETCHER & ERICA HENDERSON, "Gehenna" by PATRICK KINDLON & MAURIZIO ROSENZWEIG, and the debut of "Hack/Slash vs. Image" by TIM SEELEY & STEFANO CASELLI. Plus: The second part of MARIA LLOVET's three-part serial "All the Things We Didn't Do Last Night," the return of CHAP YAEP's Extreme Studios fan-favorite Dutch in a new serial by JOE CASEY & NATHAN FOX, "The Pro" by JIMMY PALMIOTTI & AMANDA CONNER, and the continuation of "Billy Dogma" by DEAN HASPIEL and "Stupid Fresh Mess" by SKOTTIE YOUNG!In Shops: Aug 31, 2022 SRP: $5.99