Next week is the 12th new comic book day of 2025! This post covers Image Comics March 19 2025 new releases. Missed this week’s releases? Check out last week’s post covering Image Comics March 12 2025 new releases.
This week in Image Comics: More Bug Wars, the end of a Deviant, Adventureman’s family tree branches out, Power Fantasy’s “Second Summer of Love” explodes onto the scene, Saga’s second season concludes, Shadowhawk guests with the Blood Squad, and more!
The Krisis Pick of the Week: This is impossibly hard. The Power Fantasy (2024) #7 is one of my Top 10 comics promising a major, world-defining revelation. The Rocketfellers (2024) #4 promises to reveal more about what drives its lovable family. Saga (2012) #72 ends the second season of the powerhouse series! But for me, I think my most-anticipated book is Bug Wars (2025) #2 from Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Matt Wilson, & Becca Carey. Issue #1 was so perfectly developed both on the fantastical and human side of things, and it brought us right up to the point where those two worlds clash. I can’t wait to read more.
This post includes every comic out from Image Comics this week on March 19 2025, plus collected editions. This isn’t the typical comic releases post you can find on other sites. Why? I explain each collection and comment on every series with a new issue out this week to help you figure out if they’re for you.
Plus, for some long-running series and Image Comics imprints, I’ll point you to a personally-curated guide within the Crushing Comics Guide to Indie Comics to find out how to collect that title in full!
There’s no other website on the internet that can claim that. In fact, if you are a Patron of CK you might notice a couple of guides in this post I’ve never mentioned before…
And now, onto Image Comics March 19 2025 new releases!
Image Comics March 19 2025 Collected Editions
Note: Image Comics collections hit the direct market 2-3 weeks prior to when they ship to the book market, so if you order these Image Comics March 19 2025 books today from a traditional bookseller they will still be pre-orders and will arrive in a few weeks.
Creepshow Vol. 3
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534385924 / digital)
A collection of the recently completed third annual volume of this horror anthology series.
Criminal Vol. 4: Bad Night
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534374003 / digital)
The re-issues of the original Criminal trades continue in advance of the new show debuting on Prime. If you’ve got this material already there’s no need to buy it again. These are mapped exactly the same and simply add new covers.
King Spawn Vol. 6
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534345355 / digital)
See Guide to Spawn. I haven’t yet read this range of issues, as I picked up just after it concluded. However, I’ve enjoyed every issue since then of this grounded, back-to-basics take on Spawn against a series of small-time, often petty demons trying to hold on their power and influence while the doors to heaven and hell were slammed shut.
Plastic: Death & Dolls
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534350687 / digital)
This is a sequel to Plastic (2017) from Doug Wagner focused on a serial killer obsessed with plastic sex doll.
Read on for summaries of Image Comics March 19 2025 single issue releases!
Image Comics March 19 2025 Physical Comic Releases
Adventureman: Family Tree (2025) #1 (digital) – I’ve dabbled in Adventureman back in 2000, a collaboration between Matt Fraction and Terry & Rachel Dodson about the legacy of a beloved pulp hero being reawakened in the modern day.
I have close to zero recollection of reading it, so I went back to check out my notes on the first three issues. Here’s what I had to say:
“This issue [#1] is big and messy. Sometimes the art competing with itself for our attention, but ultimately it’s a joyous book filled with big ideas and adventure and a lot of love. Was Adventureman real? Why is the ghost lady still alive? And, what will it mean for the present day. I’m hooked on it all.”
Sounds great, right? Why don’t I remember it? Then I saw my notes on issue #3…
“This issue [#3] has a lot of dumb rookie shit happening. It’s surprising from Fraction. I believe in this fun art deco pulp fantasy, but he’s already slipping into his worst tendencies of losing the thrilling thread of the story.”
Well, that explains why I never pursued issue #4! Maybe I’ll take a peek at this new #1 to see if it pulls me back in to see if issue #3 was merely a fluke.
Blood Squad Seven (2024) #7 (digital) – I want to love this Joe Casey & Paul Fry superteam so much. Anything that plays with classic Image continuity hits me right in my nostalgic weak spot.
The idea of replacing Youngblood in continuity with a narrative therapeutic alternative is both smart and incredibly entertaining. Youngblood was always a great idea – Rob Liefeld is an incredible idea guy! But, it never bore the full bounty narrative fruits it could have based on how great his ideas were, and now we have 30+ years of stories to fabricate about how things could have been.
Yet, this Casey series with a big, bold idea has felt like it is stuck in neutral. Every issue has been about the same two things – old team members being mentally unwell and new team members disliking each other. Despite that, we’ve been kept at arm’s length from getting to know most of these characters, so it feels like we have no personal stake into some of their worries.
I think those are both themes that would absolutely come into play in a grounded take on Youngblood, but this comic is stuck in that grounded mode without showing us any fun parts of the story. This is not me demanding action – there’s been a fine amount of action. I just want to see this super team doing things that truly do recall the highs of Youngblood and how they would translate to the modern day.
I think part of the problem is that Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs perfect this on Local Man (2023). They told half a present day story but supplemented it with backups of a team that was clearly a riff on Youngblood back in their heyday and it was wildly entertaining. They even revisited big stories like Deathmate to give the book veracity as being truly woven into classic Image continuity.
Having seen this exact concept already executed to absolute perfection, it’s really hard to keep reading a slow burn devoid of satisfaction from Casey. After a half of year of issues he’s really got to find the reason this book exists and fast – not only for me, but because even a perfect and wildly-acclaimed comic like Local Man didn’t have enough sales support to make it to the end of a second year.
Bug Wars (2025) #2 (of 5) (digital) – The first issue of this Jason Aaron mini-series with Mahmud Asrar, Matt Wilson, & Becca Carey was a perfect comic book.
First, it established the lore of an entire world of microscopic warriors that occupy this (and every) back yard. Every species of bug has its own set of humanoid companions who go entirely unseen by the outside world, each with distinct customs and generations of enmity against the other clans.
Even after just a few pages of this history I was ready to read 100 issues of it!
Except, maybe they’ve been seen by one man… the deceased father of a family forced back to move into the house where he grew up. His older son found him dead in his lab covered in bugs, so he’s got some issues. His younger son missed out on those horrific images, so he still thinks bugs are nifty – he has his own pet tarantula and wants to follow in his dad’s footsteps!
The story of the family had the potential to be complete cringe – everything about the characters sounds contrived on paper. However, the way they conflict with each other and the way their now-single mother frets over their well-being really pulled me into the world.
Sure, they all sound like they were pulled right from central casting, but together – alongside the creepy mystery of their dead dad and the deep lore of their own backyard – they transform into a compelling story I absolutely could not put down.
There’s plenty of room for Aaron to mess this up. With the brothers separated in plot at the end of the first issue, the characters might start feeling flatter. And, inserting someone “normal” into the bug world might flatten out its incredible lore as the story becomes all about him.
However, if he stays true to the excitement and heart of this story he established in the first issue, this could go down as one of my favorite Jason Aaron comics of all time.
Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger Spawn (2024) #4 (digital) – See Guide to Spawn. I really struggled with this title last month and I may need to drop it.
That’s not down to quality. Jimmy Palmiotti knows his way around a script and the art from Patric Reynolds in the first three issues has had a pleasing grittiness to it that is perfect for the Old West setting.
No, my problem with this book is how it treats woman. From the constantly looming threat of sexual violence in the first two issues to the glee in which the comic has Gunslinger violently murder a brothel full of sex workers turned into vampires, this plot of this book seems to be less about Gunslinger and more about conflating sex and violence for any woman who dares wander onto a panel.
We don’t need more of that in comics. I don’t need more of that from a male creative team. Sure, proponents of the book might mention how at the impromptu funeral for all of the slain sex workers people in the town spoke up about how kind and accepting they had been before they were vampires.
But, that’s after they were used as a prop for a story – an excuse to watch a lead character have free reign to brutally murder a whole cast of women. They could have been vampires from a social club, or from wives of the moneyed men in the town. But, OF COURSE they were sex workers… because then we can conflate sex with violence again. It feels like the only thing this book is about, and every time it is used to make Gunslinger feel bad. It’s the utter definition of “Women in Refrigerators.”
Somehow I’ve gone 30+ years while reading hardly any Jimmy Palmiotti comic books – these might be the first three continuous issues I’ve read from him. They also may be the last. Even if he’s never done this sort of thing before and simply thinks this is what his version of Spawn’s Old West ought to be about, it’s disturbing in a way that’s less about being disturbed about the actual text of the story and more about being disturbed by the author’s mind and intent.
The Deviant (2024) #9 (of 9) (digital) – What’s this? Another James Tynion IV series for me to catch up on and become obsessed with that’s just reaching its conclusion? How many hours in his day does this man have?! Surely it’s even more than Beyoncé.
The solicits say this is about a serial-killing Santa Claus who may have been wrongly accused.
Say no more – my body is always ready for more Tynion.
Dreamweaver: Giant Syze Special (2025) #1 (digital) – I truly have no idea what this comic from Chris Ryall, Nelson Daniel, and Ian Chalgren is about. There has never been another Dreamwaver comic. I don’t think he’s been a character in an anthology. Is this his debut?
Here’s what the solicit says:
Cutler Carlton is the Dreamweaver! At least, he was, until he grew too old to handle a magical threat from his past. That’s when he transferred his powers of illusion to the much younger Bella Howard, and in the process, wrecking both of their lives in unforeseen ways!
It sounds pretty cool, but I’m puzzled by this one-off release strategy. But, I guess it did its job – I’m hooked!
G.I. Joe (2024) #5 (digital) – See Guide to the Energon Universe (hmm, is that a new guide???). Despite my rabid excitement for more GI Joe content every month, if I’m being honest this flagship has been a bit dull.
I think part of that problem is that Williamson is keeping his cast of Joes somewhat tight and is still portraying them as a somewhat grounded counter-terrorist force. Meanwhile, Cobra feels fully-imagined and toyetic, already full of vibrant colors, big personalities, and several brands of vipers. Even on the Joes team, the most memorable character isn’t a Joe – it’s Baroness!
The Cobra side of the story of GI Joe has always been fun to follow across every incarnation of the property. They’re a huge part of what makes GI Joe such a delightful military soap opera. But, right now the Joes part of the story feels completely lacking.
Is that because we’re missing some of the most instantly-recognizable toyetic early Joes, like Shipwreck, Quick Kick, or Wet Suit? Or is it because we don’t yet have Snake Eyes and Scarlett in this title, who often act as the heart of the team? Plus, Jinx’s story is about to continue in a separate mini-series.
If I look at why I love Larry Hama’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1982) so much (and when I love it so much), it’s often because of all of those elements. I appreciate that Williamson is trying to carve his own distinct path through the stories of this venerable brand, but right now I’m reading this book 99% for Cobra rather than 50% Cobra / 50% Joes.
(Or, if we’re being fair, maybe the typical balance is more like 60% / 40%. What can I say, Cobra Commander’s lethal bad attitude and blithe incompetence is just too potent a combination!)
King Spawn (2021) #43 (digital) – See Guide to Spawn. King Spawn continues to be one of my favorites of the Spawn line because it breaks down Spawn’s heaven & hell conflicts into something more specific and personal.
Last issue followed up on the newly opened gates between heaven and hell (meaning it comes at least a few days after the current issues of Spawn (1992) with a specific mystery for Spawn to solve: Five children abducted. He was quickly on the trail in a way that is terse and satisfying as we unravel how hell is trying to manipulate him this time around.
To me, this series feels so much closer to what Spawn (1992) started out being about than Spawn (1992) feels right now. This is the Spawn I remember loving in the 90s.
Nullhunter (2024) #6 (digital) – Michael Walsh’s series mashing up Hercules with space-faring cyber-punk vibes continues.
The Power Fantasy (2024) #7 (digital) – Kieron Gillen did a truly audacious thing a few issues ago: he gave us a data page that laid out the major plot beats across the entire history of this story and told us which issues they’d each be told in.
And, this issue promises a doozy: “The Second Summer of Love,” a 1989 massacre that left our characters and the Earth all permanently scarred. It’s incredible that a comic on its seventh issue has already built up so much lore around an unseen event.
I cannot wait to see what Gillen, Wijngaard, & and Cowles have in store. If you’ve ever wished for Claremontian or Hickman-esque X-Men with all of the monologues and geopolitical maneuvering and absolutely none of the punches, this is the book for you.
Rat City (2024) #12 (digital) – See Guide to Spawn. Erica Schultz’s alternate future Spawn story continues! I’m really eager to catch up on this, but a week where I have nearly 20 issues of Saga to read might not be the right time to absorb all of Schultz’d world-building.
The Rocketfellers (2024) #4 (digital) – This Peter Tomasi & Francis Manapul really feels like a joyous indie take on Hickman’s Fantastic Four – full of adorable family moments, wild science, and paradoxical time shenanigans. But, after two perfect initial issues that told complete stories, issue three felt like it was mostly fragments of daily routines.
Right now, that idyllic world of the family trapped in the past exists without much conflict. It really feels as though we’re up to the point where this story will hit a major turn or reveal to show us where we’re heading with the present day plot.
The Sacrificers (2023) #15 (digital) – See Guide to Giant Generator (huh, what, another new guide?!). This Rick Remender book for his Giant Generator imprint has so many things to say about its beautiful but critically flawed fantastical work of gods and human animals. But, last issue boiled it down to a simple thesis statement: “everyone is damaged.”
It’s interesting to watch as the balance of this plot has shifted. The princess who had it all is now a desiccated husk of what she once was, trapped in a cycle of abuse and death as she unwittingly plays host to a force that makes her powerful again – but in a way she never wanted. Meanwhile, our previously abused, dehumanized little bird has turned into a raging revenge monster, absorbing the strength and cavalier qualities of each god he defeats as he becomes more certain that he will be the one to tear down their entire firmament.
Maybe this just reflects my current worldview, but I feel much more open to its cynicism and brutality than I typically am when it comes to Remender’s work. However, there’s still the need to make every issue feel full and worthwhile, and the past few have felt a bit sparse in that regard.
It feels like this is a series with a potentially limited shelf-life that only needs one more arc to resolve its story. Daniel Warren Johnson would be wrapping things up right now! I’m afraid I’m going to start seeing Remender’s brutality as indulgence if thinfs press onward.
Saga (2012) #72 (digital) – See Guide to Saga. This is it – the finale of the second “season” of Saga after it has delivered roughly an arc per year since 2022 (with this final issue lagging behind the rest of its 2024 arc).
I haven’t caught up on this yet since I’ve been waiting to see where this delayed issue wound up landing, so I’ve got 17 issues to binge this week before it drops on March 19! I have no idea where this book has gone since the shocking end of issue #54 back in 2018. At the time, it really felt like the story was over – both from a plot hook perspective and from losing so many of the best characters. I’m so curious to see what has happened since then.
Savage Dragon (1993) #276 was originally scheduled for this week, but got pushed back to March 26.
The Walking Dead Deluxe (2020) #109 (digital) – This recolored issue of Walking Dead kicked off Volume 19, “March to War” – leading up to the major Rick vs. Negan storyline.
That’s it for Image Comics March 19 2025 new releases! What were you already pulling? And, did I convince you to check out anything new? Sound off in the comments below.
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