Kalman Andrasofszky now has a high quality art print available of his alt cover piece for Wayward that was used as the Fan Expo variant cover for issue #1.

If you love that illustration, here’s your chance to get a spiffy high quality version of it unmarred by logos/trade dress.

Wonderful and crazy. In just over a week the first printing of Wayward #1 has sold out! Whatever copies remain at your local comic shop are all that’s left. Image wants to make sure new readers can still get on board following the incredibly positive reviews we’ve received and they asked us to whip up a second print cover. Here it is with art by Steve Cummings and Tamra Bonvillain, along with the press release.

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to Wayward! All of us on the team are blown away.

WAYWARD LURES IN READERS WITH MAGIC AND ADVENTURE
The first issue has sold out and is being rushed to a second printing

The first issue of Jim Zub (SKULLKICKERS, Samurai Jack) and Steve Cummings (Legends of the Dark Knight, Deadshot) all-new ongoing supernatural adventure series WAYWARD has hit home with readers in search of myth, monster fighting, and magic. The first issue has sold out completely and is rushing to a second printing to meet demand. Critics and comics readers rave about the first issue’s detailed artwork and intriguing mysteries and Comic Book Resources says that WAYWARD is “Bright, vibrant, and alive. Rori Lane’s world will enchant readers with its relatable protagonist, intense action and fascinating mythological allusions”

WAYWARD #1 introduces Rori Lane, an outsider by nature, who is transplanted to Tokyo to live with her single Mom. She’s feeling out of sorts, worried about fitting in and, as if that wasn’t enough, strange things are beginning to happen. Glowing symbols and patterns are starting to appear before her eyes… and she’s the only one who seems to notice.

“I’m overjoyed readers are discovering Wayward and telling their friends about it. We’ve got exciting plans for the series and having this kind of tremendous launch gives us the momentum we need to take our story even further” said Zub.

WAYWARD #1 has completely sold out at the distributor level, but may still be available in comic stores. It is currently available digitally on the Image Comics website (imagecomics.com) and the official Image Comics iOS app, and on Comixology on the web (comixology.com), iOS, Android, and Google Play.

The second printing of WAYWARD #1 (Diamond Code JUL148487) will release on 10/1.

WAYWARD #2 (Diamond Code JUL140588) will hit stores on 9/24. A variant cover by Riley Rossmo is also available with Diamond Code JUL140589.

Um, WOW!

It’s hard for me to express how incredible last week’s whirlwind launch and overall response to Wayward #1 was. We’re still climbing out from underneath a mountain of fan mail, tweets, kind words, and support. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart.

Without a doubt, Wayward is also the most reviewed comic I’ve worked on at this point in my comic writing career. Lots of new readers picked up the series and the overwhelming majority of reviewers really enjoyed our first issue. I feel a bit ridiculous trying to introduce this monster list, but here we go…

• Bleeding Cool: “If Wayward isn’t the next Saga, it will be a damn criminal shame.”

• Comic Book Resources: 4/5 “Bright, vibrant, and alive, Rori Lane’s world will enchant readers with its relatable protagonist, intense action and fascinating mythological allusions.”

• Newsarama: 8/10 “A delightful debut issue that be sure to please fans of Buffy and Manga.”

• Multiversity: 8/10 “Wayward shows signs of being the next runaway Image Comics series.It’s off to a great start.”

• Ain’t It Cool News: “Rori’s journey, the loss of her parents’ love for each other, how crazy Japan is for first timers…all told in masterful and authentic detail.”

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• 8CN: 8/10 “If writer Jim Zub can continue to strike a such a careful balance between these two tones, I think there’s a lot of entertainment to be had in this series.”

• 13th Dimension: “If the first issue is any indication, the series will be a vibrant coming-of-age story, steeped in monsters, magic and ancient lore that revels in predictable unpredictability.”

• Agustin Guerrero: “Wayward #1 does what any good first issue should do. It sets up the world, gives you the first hint of a story, and makes you want to learn more. “

• All-Comic: 4/5 “Wayward has pulled off a striking first issue that made for an incredibly fun read. A bright supernatural east-meets-west story has a little bit of something for everyone.”

• Alpha Comics: “The first issue of Wayward hooks you with bright, lively characters and Buffy-esque action that leaves you immediately wanting more as the last page puts a stamp on this first chapter in the mystical life of Rori Lane.”

• Biff! Bam! Pop!: “Strange powers, stranger villains and teen angst amidst a backdrop of Japanese mythology (and manga) – Wayward is definitely a series to be caught!”

• Big Glasgow Comic Page: 4/5 “All in all, an entertaining first issue that gives high hopes for what will follow.”

• Bloody Disgusting: 8/10 “Wayward #1 delivers a fun premise with a quirky protagonist. The first issue delivers a lot of promise”

• Broken Frontier: “It’s a strong debut issue in which the mundane and the supernatural reflect and reinforce each other.”

• Comic Bastards: 5/5 “…another fantastic entry in Image’s already staggering amount of knockouts.”

• CC2K: 4/5 “Wayward #1 is off to a good start and is sure to fulfill all your supernatural and fantasy needs.”

• Comic Book Bin: “…the Young Adult novel has finally made it to comics in the form of Wayward, and I think it will be one of the stand-out new titles of the year.”

• Comic Book.com: “Wayward is a beautifully told introduction to a brand new world that I cannot wait to explore.”

• Comic Book News: “The story from Zub and Cummings made me love Japan again. Now it’s your turn to be entranced!”

• Comic Book Tasting: “This initial offering was an intriguing one. An extremely fun read.”

• Comic Crusaders: 4/5 “This issue serves as a perfect introduction to Rori’s world and is a great read.”

• Comic Spectrum: “The coloring by John Rauch was impeccable, and captures what the back-up article in this issue calls the ‘shiny neon veneer of modern Japan.'”

• Comic Vine: 4/5 “it’s age-appropriate for a wide range of readers, and it explores Japan from a supernatural angle that isn’t often seen in Western comics. Zub, Cummings, and team have piqued my interest, and I can’t wait to see how a feisty half-Irish teen handles being swept up in Japanese myth.”

• Comicosity: 8/10 “The resounding note to take away from this issue is artist Steve Cummings’ ability to amaze in this issue. “

• Comics Bulletin: “Rori Lane is a strong willed young woman with uncommon and mystifying events in her future. Wayward will hypnotize readers for issues to come.”

• Comics the Gathering: 10/10 “The first issue of Wayward left me craving for more. I’ve barely even scraped the surface in this review.”

• Comicqlee: “Definitely a book worth picking up.”

• Comix I Read: “The story was fast paced and we got a good introduction to what future issues can bring.”

• Con Freaks & Geeks: 9/10 “The Comicfreaks out there need to get this book! I cannot say anything but good things about the story, the art, and the style.”

• Deadshirt: “My favorite part of this comic so far is the vibrant representation of Tokyo; the artwork nails the city’s aesthetic right down to the street grates and the ever-present vending machines.”

• Eat. Geek. Play.: “Something big is about to happen in the streets of Japan, and I can’t wait to see Rori become the hero.”

• Emertainment Monthly: 9/10 “Wayward establishes the main characters and the premise of the series, but still leaves the reader grasping for more. And that desire to know more about the world and the characters is exactly what will keep the readers coming back.”

• exPress News & Reviews: “This comic is creating its own world within a culture and I feel like this is going to be a series that many people will love.”

• Fellowship of the Geeks: “Adventure and humor go hand in hand in his books, and this one is definitely working. Jump on at the beginning.”

• Florida Geek Scene: 8.5/10 “This is one book that I will absolutely be following each month.”

• Front Towards Gamer: “Mind-blowing artwork grabs your attention from the first page and the story by Jim Zub makes Wayward #1 from Image Comics an instant hit.”

• Geek Sushi: “Without a doubt, “Wayward” #1 gets a high recommendation”

• Geeked Out Nation: 8.5/10 “Wayward #1 is great for a new series and Jim Zub shows that he wants to create a story that challenges what you believe to be real.”

• Geeksverse: “Wayward #1 is a first issue done right: It tantalizes with its novelty and promise while still delivering enough content to satisfy. Wayward may just be Image Comics’ next breakout hit if the creative team continues to deliver expert craftsmanship.”

• God of Comics: “The characters are quite engaging, it has a strong sense of humor and the art is phenomenal.”

• Graphic Policy: 8/10 “Wayward #1 is a solid debut, bringing us a new female heroine to cheer for.”

• Hex Dimension: “Nothing feels contrived and stereotyped, it just looks deep and wonderfully intricate.”

• Horror Talk: 5/5 “This is a damn near perfect first issue…writer Jim Zub gets right into the story and pulls you into this world head first to the point where you never want to leave.”

• Kliq Nation: 5/5 “Wayward #1 showed readers just enough to leave them wanting more.”

• Nothing But Comics: “Writer Jim Zub, artist Steve Cummings, and colorist John Raunch craft a great first issue with a compelling protagonist.”

• Okazu: 8/10 “It’ll make a nice change of pace from romance manga.”

• Omnicomic: “Wayward #1 is a pretty fascinating first issue that completely grabs the reader and brings them right into the world.”

• OmniJerBear: “It was a huge gamble, but it pays off. It’s amazing.”

• One Hundred XP: 8/10 “I’m excited to see where this series goes and to explore the fantastical Tokyo with Rori as my guide.”

• Outright Geekery: 4.5/5 “The vivid character emotions, great action scenes, and overall panel diversity in this first issue required a good artist, and Wayward has a great one!”

• Panel Pushing: “The art is really fantastic. Rich in detail and has a softness to it.”

• Panels and Pixels: 5/5 “Wayward is a fantastic comic book from a talented creative team that are doing the best work of their careers. Go get it.”

• Paradox Comics Group: 9/10 “Suffice to say that picking up issue two is no gamble for me; it’s a sure-fire thing!”

• Pop Culture Network: 5/5 “There honestly was not a single thing I could find to gripe about.”

• Readerly Geek: “Wayward‘s one of the most fun comics I’ve ever read. I absolutely loved it. The setting, bright colors, and it’s blue haired girl drew me in. I’m definitely excited to see where this story goes next.”

• Reading Pictures: “Steven Cummings hits every nail on the head. His style is perfect for supernatural Japan, and everything really jumps off the pages.”

• Reading With a Flight Ring: “It is a beautiful start to such an imaginative story of not only one girls journey of self-discovery but of a world people have no idea exists”

• Rhymes With Geek: 9/10 “Wayward #1 is an impressive beginning for a series that I feel is going to be huge. Jim Zub and Steve Cummings have a winner in Wayward.”

• Sequential Tart: 8/10 “Wayward is a terrific read, and the creative team of Jim Zub, Steve Cummings and John Rauch is showing some great flare.”

• Shadowhawk’s Shade: 9.5/10 “Pretty damn fantastic first issue I’ll say!”

• Super Effective: “This is the best first issue I have read in such a long time.”

• Talking Comics: “Check it out! Wayward #1 is a promising start for a new coming-of-age story from Jim Zub and Steve Cummings. “

• Telltale Mind: 5/5 “Wayward is a really, beautiful book that cannot be recommended enough.”

• The Moon Is A Dead World: “Wayward looks like a promising new series, especially because it melds genres together and leaves questions for later issues and arcs.”

• TM Stash: “The artwork is breathtaking, and the story is riveting…do you need to know more? This tale is easily worth a 10/10.”

• Unleash the Fanboy: 9/10 “Wayward #1 is an engaging start to a title that looks to be something different than the norm, which is exactly what Image Comics represents and promotes. Highly recommended.”

• We The Nerdy: 9/10 “Even in this one issue, I feel like I get a strong sense of Rori, and I only want to know more. “

• What ‘Cha Reading?: 4/5 “It’s a set-up issue but all the pieces are put in place for a wonderful series. I’m definitely looking forward to watching Rori discover her new world.”

Hard to believe it’s finally here: Wayward #1 arrives in comic shops today.

For the past 10 months, Steve and I have been developing this creator-owned series and it’s an incredible feeling to finally see it out in the world. We hope you read it, enjoy it, and tell others all about it.

Projects like this are not just one person and although it’s common for me to say “my new creator-owned book” that’s not accurate. Beyond the fact that Steve and I are co-creators on this, there are quite a number of people I need to thank for their involvement and support.

Steve Cummings, thank you for working alongside me to develop this story while drawing your heart out. Your incredible dedication shows on every page.
John Rauch, thank you for enhancing Steve’s pages with incredible color and atmosphere.
Marshall Dillon, thank you for always sticking with me and doing more proofs on this issue than any other project we’ve worked on together. You tirelessly made lettering edits right up until we went to press.
Zack Davisson, thank you for your Japanese mythology consultation and wonderful essay back matter material.

Our variant cover artists: Alina Urusov, Jeff “Chamba” Cruz, Adam Warren, Tamra Bonvillain, Ross A. Campbell, Erik Larsen, Chip Zdarsky, and Kalman Andrasofszky. Thank you for creating eye-popping artwork to help grab attention, near and far.

Eric Stephenson, Ron Richards, Kat Salazar, Meredith Wallace, Addison Duke, Jonathon Chan, Branwyn Bigglestone and everyone else at the Image Comics office. Thank you for your support and your role as a creator-owned publisher that truly empowers creators to make the books they’ve always dreamed of.

Thank you also to:
Charles Soule, for your invaluable advice and support.
Nishi Makoto, for Japanese language/lettering help.
Chris Butcher and the Beguiling, for arranging the Wayward launch party (happening tonight!).
Brandon Seifert, for introducing me to Zack.

Thank you to the many retailers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support Wayward, including Happy Harbor Comics, Strange Adventures, Third Eye Comics, and the Phantom retail group.

Last but not least, thank you to my family and friends. Thank you for listening, sharing, understanding, and patiently accepting stressful days and neurotic nights as we built momentum to get this out the door. None of this would be possible without your love.

We’ve set up a fan email address where you can let us know what you think of Wayward (and we’re compiling the letters page for issue #2 this week, so please send us messages ASAP). Email
waywardpostage@gmail.com and include “OK To Print” with your message if you’re okay with us possibly including your letter in a future issue.

Arriving in November… Pre-order now!

WAYWARD #4
story: JIM ZUB
art: STEVE CUMMINGS & JOHN RAUCH
cover A: STEVE CUMMINGS & ROSS A. CAMPBELL
cover B: PHILIP TAN

NOVEMBER 26 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50

IMAGE COMICS’S SUPERNATURAL SENSATION!
A storm rages across Tokyo while secrets are uncovered below the city streets.

“Masterful and authentic”
-Ain’t It Cool News

Bleeding Cool has an exclusive look at Steve Cummings’ beautiful character designs for Wayward. Click on through to check them out as well as an extended preview of the first issue.

As you’ve heard me saying a lot lately, I’ve got a new creator-owned comic series launching at the end of the month. The reason why Steve and I have been doing so many teasers, interviews, and previews is to build up interest and awareness as many ways as we can. We’re putting out a new untested title on the shelves beside worldwide superhero brands, New York Times best-selling authors, and big media tie-in licensed comics. Needless to say, that’s some stiff competition.

I mentioned before in one of my tutorial posts that one of the ways creators can market their comics is with strong retailer outreach and that one of the strongest forms of that commitment is a retailer or event-specific cover. When Wayward was announced I contacted retailers and conventions who have supported me in the past to see if there was any interest in that kind of cross promotion. The response was incredible. Four years worth of hard work has built a network of stores and events who like what I’m doing and there was a lot of enthusiasm for getting involved in a big way on the ground floor of this new series launch.

Once the dust finally settled, I was gob-smacked to see that Wayward is launching with ten different covers. Yeah, I know.

I genuinely don’t expect people to “get ’em all” by any means. I’m not advocating for the kind of variant cover crash that hurt comics so badly in the 90’s. None of our variant covers are artificially limited by forcing retailers to order a set number of copies of a “regular” cover in order to qualify to get a limited variant.

What I’m really hoping is people see a cover, any cover, that grabs their attention and that they give our first few issues a chance. If having a select group of retailers on the front line promoting helps achieve that, great. If it’s an exclusive item at a convention someone’s attending and that’s the reason they check it out, that’s all good too. We need to cast our net wide and see if we can build a sustainable readership.

Okay, with all that preamble out of the way, here’s a run down of our ten covers and where you’ll be able to find them when issue 1 arrives on August 27th:

COVER A: Art by Steve Cummings and Ross A. Campbell

This is our core launch cover and I expect it’s the one that’s going to be ordered most heavily by retailers. It’s also a colored version of the original artwork Steve created for UDON’s Vent artbook that started this whole project in the first place. As you might imagine, it’s near and dear to my heart. All of the A covers for the first story arc will have the white title bar along the top and a key image of one of the main characters staring at you like a bad ass. This is a standard cover available from your local comic shop.

COVER B: Alina Urusov

Alina’s artwork has a delicate yet powerful quality to it and I’ve been a big fan of her work for quite some time. I love the engaging surreal quality of this illustration of Ayane in a gashapon wonderland. I think this cover is going to really grab people from across a room. This is a standard cover available from your local comic shop.

COVER C: Jeff “Chamba” Cruz

Jeff’s been a dear friend and UDON colleague for years now. His atmospheric animated art has loads of appeal, a cool fusion of east and west sensibilities that works really well for Wayward. This is a standard cover available from your local comic shop.

COVER D: Adam Warren and John Rauch

Adam Warren was the first North American artist I noticed who embraced a manga style and really made it his own. Over the years we’ve become good friends and I’m honored to have him contribute a sweet cover to the launch of my Tokyo-centric series. This is a standard cover available from your local comic shop.

COVER E: Kalman Andrasofszky

I’ve been a fan of Kalman’s artwork since I first saw his stuff in the d20 modern rulebook. When I found out he was Toronto-based, I knew I had to meet him. Since then we’ve become good friends. Since Steve lives in Yokohama I wanted to have a variant put together by a local artist to help enhance our launch weekend and Kalman’s style was a perfect fit. This show-specific variant will be available at Fan Expo Canada, the country’s largest pop culture convention happening the weekend after our release. Having a show variant in my hometown as we launch the series is a real thrill and pretty much exactly what I hoped for when we set the launch date for late August.

COVER F: Erik Larsen and John Rauch

Erik Larsen is one of the Image founders and was the publisher in charge of Image who originally green lit Skullkickers. This retro Kirby-esque take is a 180 degree turn from what people would expect from Wayward and that’s what I like most about it. John’s vibrant colors help punch it out even more. This show specific variant will be available at Rose City Comic Con in Portland, Oregon happening in mid-September and I’ll be there.

COVER G: Steve Cummings and Tamra Bonvillain

Steve and Tamra created a beautiful eye-catching illustration of Rori and Ayane in front of the Tokyo Tower at night. Steve’s friend Makoto Nishi did up the hand-lettered text to give it the look of a Japanese magazine cover. This store-specific variant will be available at Happy Harbor Comics in Edmonton, Alberta. Go Canada!

COVER H: Steve Cummings and Tamra Bonvillain

Retailer Cal Johnston was so impressed with the Happy Harbor variant that he asked for one too. Steve and Tamra obliged with a scene set right in front of the store. This store-specific variant will be available at Strange Adventures shops in Halifax, Dartmouth, and Fredericton. Go Canada again!

COVER I: Chip Zdarsky

Chip is best known for his best-selling Image comic Sex Criminals, but not a lot of people know how fantastic a graphic designer he is. I love the spy novel-esque feel of this one. This store-specific variant cover was done up to tie-in with a special signing event Chip and I are doing at Third Eye Comics in Annapolis, Maryland. The gang at Third Eye have been unflagging supporters of Skullkickers and I’m thrilled that they’re just as enthusiastic about Wayward.

COVER J: Steve Cummings and Tamra Bonvillain

We were feeling like we’d bitten off more than we could chew with all these variant covers and wondered if people would think we were huge sell-out bastards, so when Larry approached me about doing a Phantom variant I only came around on it when he suggested we do some sort of joke with it. Embracing our desperate desire for success with this new series is pretty on point, so we ran with it. This Phantom variant will be available from a group of retail stores across North America listed here.

Whew, that’s the full slate. Future issues will be shipping with only two covers, our core white-topped A image by Steve Cummings and an alternate by friends and respected colleagues across the industry.

The whole Wayward team has worked really hard to make it the best we can deliver and getting such an incredible vote of confidence from our friends and retail partners is genuinely humbling. We hope you pick up a copy of Wayward #1 on August 27th and enjoy the start of something new.