The acclaimed creative team behind Descender, Ascender, and Little Monsters is returning this September with an all-new ongoing series. Image Comics has announced Crowbound, a dark fantasy epic from writer Jeff Lemire and artist Dustin Nguyen that blends dystopian science fiction, folklore horror, and emotional family drama.
First teased at New York Comic Con last year and recently unveiled with an exclusive preview, Crowbound introduces readers to a world dominated by a mysterious structure known as the Factory. Stretching along the coastline and dividing the world in two, the monolithic complex casts a shadow over the scattered communities that struggle to survive around it.
At the center of the story is Rose, an ordinary worker whose life is shattered when her daughter Ava is abducted a year before she is scheduled to join the workforce. Desperate to get her child back, Rose is forced to venture beyond the safety of her settlement and confront the strange forces lurking outside the Factory’s walls.
The series has been described as a mix of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Road, Kill Bill, and Pan’s Labyrinth. As Rose’s journey unfolds, she forms a dangerous alliance with an ancient Scarecrow Queen in hopes of challenging the oppressive system that took her daughter.
“Crowbound is the darkest book Dustin and I have done together but still filled with heart and hope,” Lemire said. “It’s been rewarding building the expansive southern gothic sci-fi world of Crowbound and we can’t wait to unleash it on readers.”
Nguyen said the new project gave the longtime collaborators an opportunity to push themselves creatively once again.
“I’m very excited to explore this new world and new ways to tell a story with Jeff again,” Nguyen said. “It’s always a great time when we get together like this. Hope everyone joins us for the adventures as they did on Descender and Little Monsters.”
Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson praised the series, calling it one of the strongest debuts he has read in recent years.
“As anyone familiar with their past collaborations knows, Jeff and Dustin never disappoint,” Stephenson said. “The first issue is one of the most darkly beguiling series debuts I’ve had the pleasure to read, and the really good news is that it’s just the beginning of a storytelling journey that gets better with each issue.”
With a creative team that has produced several of Image Comics’ biggest hits and a premise that combines haunting fantasy imagery with high-stakes emotion, Crowbound is already shaping up to be one of the publisher’s most anticipated launches of the fall.
Check out the preview below.
Crowbound #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, September 2:
- Cover A by Nguyen – UPC: 70985304586100111
- Cover B by Jeffrey Alan Love – UPC: 70985304586100121
- Cover C by Nguyen wraparound variant – UPC: 70985304586100131
- Cover D Blank Sketch variant – UPC: 70985304586100141
- Cover E virgin 1:25 copy incentive by Martin Simmonds – UPC: 70985304586100151
- Cover F virgin 1:50 copy incentive by Peach Momoko – UPC: 70985304586100161
- Cover G 1:100 copy incentive by Nguyen Signed CGC variant – UPC: 70985304586100171
- Cover H 1:1000 copy incentive by Nguyen Original Sketch variant – UPC: 70985304586100181
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