Sidekick Takes Flight in August

Apparently, it's becoming all the rage to be a sidekick these days. Any why not? You get to run around with a big dog who you know will always look out for you when the going gets rough. Plus, you get to fight alongside someone who is typically tops as a superhero. Sometimes though, the apprentice chooses to go a different path than the master, often leading to unexpected events. Such is the case in Sidekick, the new Image series from J. Michael Straczynski, Tom Mandrake and Brian Miller.

For three years, flying, nigh-invulnerable teenager Barry Chase was Flyboy, sidekick to the imagination-impaired but crime-fighting master The Red Cowl, and all was well, though Flyboy was the butt of a lot of jokes. Together, The Red Cowl and Flyboy brought peace to Sol City, fighting for truth, justice and some third goal that the Red Cowl could never quite put his finger on but was sure he’d figure out in time. But then the Red Cowl was defeated and killed — some say by the villain Terraform, others by one of the Moonglow sisters — and Flyboy was left on his own.

“Sidekick is designed to turn the usual superhero tropes upside down,” said writer Straczynski. “Flyboy’s gradual disintegration into madness and crime is fueled by his desperate need for approval. His downward spiral slowly drives him to the dark side of the law, where he begins an affair with the villainous Moonglow Twins, who one night whisper something to him about the fate of his mentor that he could never have imagined possible. That secret may be the key to Flyboy’s redemption, or his damnation, giving him something to live for... and maybe, just maybe, something to kill for.

The first issue of the second title from Joe’s Comics to be published by Image (in addition to Ten Grand), Sidekick will be in stores on August 7 with a limited-edition variant cover by Charlie Adlard that will debut at San Diego Comic-Con, taking place on July 17 - 21. Straczynski will also be on hand at the big show as a special guest of Image Comics.

"Having worked extensively in the world of mainstream superhero comics for the last decade-plus," said Straczynski, "you are subtly informed that there are all these things that you can't do to your main character, all these accepted rules for guys in spandex. The fun in Sidekick is in doing every one of those things that you're never supposed to do. We're going to spend a lot of time just beating the crap out of Flyboy until he finally snaps...and then the fun really begins."

Full press release below.

THIS SIDEKICK IS ON HIS OWN IN NEW IMAGE COMIC          Latest Joe’s Comics by J. Michael Straczynski title takes flight in August For three years, flying, nigh-invulnerable teenager Barry Chase was Flyboy, sidekick to the imagination-impaired but crime-fighting master The Red Cowl, and all was well, though Flyboy was the butt of a lot of jokes. Together, The Red Cowl and Flyboy brought peace to Sol City, fighting for truth, justice and some third goal that the Red Cowl could never quite put his finger on but was sure he’d figure out in time. But then the Red Cowl was defeated and killed — some say by the villain Terraform, others by one of the Moonglow sisters — and Flyboy was left on his own. It is at this point that SIDEKICK, the latest J. Michael Straczynski comic from Image Comics, begins. The first issue of the second title from Joe’s Comics to be published by Image (TEN GRAND debuted in May to presales of nearly 70,000 copies), SIDEKICK, will be in stores on August 7 and is drawn by Tom Mandrake and Brian Miller, with a limited-edition variant cover by Charlie Adlard (THE WALKING DEAD) that will debut at San Diego Comic-Con, taking place on July 17 - 21. SIDEKICK tells the story of nineteen-year old Barry, a.k.a, Flyboy, in the aftermath of his mentor’s death and his decision to continue his crime-fighting career, even though no one takes him seriously — not the good guys, not the bad guys, nobody. Any attempt Flyboy makes to improve his image backfires, and soon, unloved and unsupported, he descends into darkness. “Sidekick is designed to turn the usual superhero tropes upside down,” said writer Straczynski. “Flyboy’s gradual disintegration into madness and crime is fueled by his desperate need for approval. His downward spiral slowly drives him to the dark side of the law, where he begins an affair with the villainous Moonglow Twins, who one night whisper something to him about the fate of his mentor that he could never have imagined possible. That secret may be the key to Flyboy’s redemption, or his damnation, giving him something to live for... and maybe, just maybe, something to kill for. "Having worked extensively in the world of mainstream superhero comics for the last decade-plus, you are subtly informed that there are all these things that you can't do to your main character, all these accepted rules for guys in spandex. The fun in Sidekick is in doing every one of those things that you're never supposed to do.  We're going to spend a lot of time just beating the crap out of Flyboy until he finally snaps...and then the fun really begins." SIDEKICK #1 will be in comic book stores on August 7, and a special, exclusive edition will be available in limited quantities at Comic-Con International in San Diego from July 18-21, where Straczynski will be a special guest of Image Comics. It can be pre-ordered now from the June issue of Previews. 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.