Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, Current News, Image | Tagged: Daniel Warren Johnson, Riley Rossmon, The Moon Is Following Us, transformers
The Moon Is Following Daniel Warren Johnson, Quits Transformers At #24
The Moon Is Following Us... and following Daniel Warren Johnson as he quits Transformers with issue #24
Article Summary
- Daniel Warren Johnson exits Transformers with issue #24 for mental health and family reasons.
- Upcoming project: The Moon Is Following Us with Riley Rossmo, touted as the next Saga.
- DWJ's successful track record includes Eiseners for Transformers and Do A Powerbomb.
- Riley Rossmo's Hollywood buzz and return to Image Comics signal his rising star.
In a recent Reddit AMA, Daniel Warren Johnson stated, regarding the current Image/Skybound Eisner winning comic Transformers that "I am going to be writing for a total of 24 issues… when I make anything, writing, drawing, or both, I only know how to go 110 percent. So all that to say, I'm killing myself and can only go for so long. My choice to leave at 24 is more of a choice for my mental health and for my family than however I may feel about my wonderful Cybertronians."
So what's next? Well, another buzzy book coming out of Image Comics soon is The Moon Is Following Us from Daniel Warren Johnson, which also involves Riley Rossmo making his big return to Image, with the first issue on FOC this weekend, with Image Comics promising it is "the next Saga". They used their stage time with retailers at the Lunar retailer mixer at San Diego Comic-Con (weirdly timed to be opposite the CBLDF event) to spotlight this series in particular, no other books.
What's important to note here is the X-factor when it comes to a creator coming off a high like Transformers. Are they a flash-in-the-pan? The thing we suspect Image knows already is that DWJ's talents are what drove the resurgence in Transformers' interest. He'd just come off his Eisner Award win on Do A Powerbomb (so, already proven record enough in creator-owned right there)—but before that, his Murder Falcon and Extremity books were Image and Skybound darlings. We remember hearing from our little bird back in the day that Murder Falcon was one of the most universally beloved series internally that they'd come across in a long while. Now, all three of those backlist gems have gone back to print multiple times—sure signs that the reorder activity remains hot on them—as well as Space-Mullet getting a glow-up with a new printing and new story material to boot.
And what about Riley Rossmo? He's been part of the DC machine for years, but he's coming into the spotlight in a big way lately with the excitement surrounding his Proof adaptation. Usually, there's a blip around Hollywood announcements, and that's about it until the thing actually gets made—but we've heard from our sources inside Image that they've had to send back a couple of volumes of Proof already. So we'll take that to mean there's still more left in the tank for that book even without Hollywood's golden touch. We'll go ahead and predict that Riley Rossmo's star is on the rise.
But will any of it make a difference? We'll see how this FOC shakes out, but there's never been a better time for retailers to jump on a series than when it's got a Transformers superstar as a headliner. We saw many retailers scramble to get their hands on The Power Fantasy #1—but can retailers afford to miss out again with this one? Speculators are already circling like sharks around the 1:100 foil variant too. Any retailer caught without a healthy supply of these #1s to dole out on release day is going to miss out on a lot of money to be made.
MOON IS FOLLOWING US #1 (OF 10) CVR A ROSSMO
IMAGE COMICS
JUL240417
(W) Daniel Warren Johnson (A) Daniel Warren Johnson (CA) Mike Spicer (A/CA) Riley Rossmo
Series Premiere. Sam and Duncan LaMarr love their six-year-old daughter, Penny, more than anything in the whole world. But half a year ago, she was taken by the Cascade, an evil force they barely understand. Now, Sam and Duncan must fight side by side with the magical beings Penny cherished to try and get her back… before she's gone forever.
In Shops: Sep 18, 2024 SRP: $3.99
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