Posted in: Comics | Tagged: arrowsmith, image, kurt busiek, Kurt Busiek Universe

Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco Discuss the Return of Arrowsmith at Image

Published Fri, 08 Oct 2021 14:15:08 -0500

Back in July, Image Comics announced that Kurt Busiek's creator-owned properties, referred to in a new press release at The Kurt Busiek Universe, would move from DC Comics to Image. Those properties include Astro City, Arrowsmith, Autumnlands, and more new projects. This week, Image unveiled the plans for new work in the Kurt Busiek Universe, starting with the return of Arrowsmith with Carlos Pacheco, in a press release so massive it would have been frankly irresponsible for us to use it to create just one article. So we made it into two.

In the press release, Image provided details on Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines, a six-issue series launching in January, as well a remasted hardcover of the original Wildstorm series, Arrowsmith: So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms, coming in February.

In the upcoming Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines, it's World War I—but a war of wizards and dragons as much as bullets and barbed wire. Young airman Fletcher Arrowsmith plunges back into the heat of war—and finds himself behind enemy lines, facing a threat that could doom the Allied Powers. Old friends and new favorites will appear, and the world of Arrowsmith will be deepened, as previously-secret history and machinations are revealed.

For the re-mastered hardcover, Arrowsmith: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms, readers are introduced to young Fletcher Arrowsmith who learns the true cost of war in an alternate history where dragons and magic spells are as much a part of World War I as bullets and barbed wire. This edition, deluxe-sized and in hardcover for the first time, will present the art as Pacheco originally intended, and will feature ancillary material about the creation and history of Arrowsmith.

Busiek discussed the return of Arrowsmith in the press release:

Stepping back into this universe at long last, and writing these characters again feels like coming home, and visiting with old friends—admittedly, old friends we do dangerous, stressful things to in the name of adventure. And the art, by Carlos, Rafael, and Jose, is just astounding. Arrowsmith fans have been very patient, but have never been shy about letting us know they want more—and I can't wait for them to see both the new series and the re-mastered original in the kind of hardcover edition we think it deserves.

As did Pacheco:

It seems like only yesterday Kurt and I were dreaming of creating a book about WWI and magic. It's been a long trip since then. We kept hoping to bring the world of Arrowsmith back to life, but the stars didn't line up properly until now. And maybe the stars didn't help, but the readers have. I feel like we've had an unwritten agreement with all the people who've supported Fletcher and Hilda since the day they both took flight, and pushed us to bring them back. We're very happy to say here they are, after all these years.

Here's some info on ordering the new Arrowsmith releases:

Arrowsmith: Behind Enemy Lines #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, January 19:
CVR A Pacheco Fonteriz Villarubia – Diamond Code NOV210009
CVR B Johnson – Diamond Code NOV210010
CVR C Jones – Diamond Code NOV210011
CVR D Chaykin – Diamond Code NOV210012
CVR E blank cover – Diamond Code NOV210013
CVR F 1:25 copy incentive Walta – Diamond Code NOV210014
CVR G 1:50 copy incentive Jones virgin – Diamond Code NOV210015

Arrowsmith: So Smart In Their Fine Uniforms (Diamond Code: NOV210098, ISBN: 978-1-5343-2206-6) will be available on Wednesday, February 23 and in bookstores on Tuesday, March 1. It can be pre-ordered at your local comic book shop or independent bookstore or via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo.