THE GLOBE'S NEW GUARDIANS

Robert Kirkman's series returns as ongoing with new creative team

The miniseries that spun out of Robert Kirkman's original INVINCIBLE universe, GUARDING THE GLOBE, will be back in September as an ongoing series from Skybound/Image Comics.

Phil Hester, just coming off a successful run on THE DARKNESS, will be taking over writing duties from Kirkman and artist Todd Nauck (Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, YOUNG JUSTICE) will be handling all the art of the ongoing series beginning with issue #1. Months before it hits the shelves again, fans will be given a taste of what's to come from the new creative team on Free Comic Book Day, May 5th.

"The Invincible Universe has outgrown its parent title and I’m very excited about being able to tell larger, more in depth stories with some of the key players from that book in this series," said GUARDING THE GLOBE creator/writer Robert Kirkman, "Phil Hester and Todd Nauck are well known to fans of superhero comics and I think people are fully aware that they’re going to knock this book out of the park.”

Familiar yet fresh, GUARDING THE GLOBE will appeal to fans of the back-to-basics approach to superhero comics that INVINCIBLE is known for. Heroes both familiar and new struggle to protect Earth in Invincible's absence. As the Viltrumite War rages on within the pages of INVINCIBLE, the ranks of the Guardians of the Globe are suddenly depleted. The world is in danger, and the team is in search of new blood.

Hester and Nauck have described the first issue of the GUARDING THE GLOBE ongoing as a perfect starting point for those that haven't read any of the series before.

"When Robert first approached me about this ongoing series, I knew I wanted to be a part of GUARDING THE GLOBE," said Nauck, whose creator-owned series WILDGUARD was published by Image. "I really respect what Robert's accomplished so far with the series and I'm having a blast drawing this book. I feel it's my best work to date. It's great to be working with Image Comics again!"

"When Robert floated the idea it didn't take me very long to say yes," added Hester. "The characters in GUARDING THE GLOBE have the same kind of freshness INVINCIBLE does. It's a great chance to both pay homage to super heroes and upend them a bit in way that isn't cynical, but humanizing."

Each 32-page full-color issue will be available for purchase and reorder in comic book stores and on multiple digital platforms.

ABOUT ROBERT KIRKMAN

Robert Kirkman's success and passionate advocacy for creator-owned comics led him to become the first person invited to become a partner at Image Comics since the company's inception twenty years ago and he formed his own imprint there, Skybound, in 2010.  Kirkman is the creator/writer of the Eisner Award-winning The Walking Dead, long-running Invincible, all-ages Super Dinosaur, The Astounding Wolf-Man, and new title Thief of Thieves, among many others. Kirkman has earned the respect of the comic, writing and television communities and topped the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels in 2011 and in April 2012, he took the top five spots on both the hardcover and paperback lists. He's the creator/executive producer and writer of the hit television show, AMC's The Walking Dead, the highest-rated basic cable drama of all time in the U.S, also an international success in 120 countries and 250 million households.  AMC just picked up Thief of Thieves as a series with Kirkman serving as creator/executive producer and writer. www.Skybound.com is your destination for all news and merchandise for Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.