It seems as though condemning the world of work-for-hire has finally paid off for Image Comics partner Robert Kirkman. While everything the man touches these days seems to turn to gold, Kirkman's influence is set to be expanded just a little further. Launching a new imprint of Image called Skybound, Kirkman is spearheading the new imprint that seems to ultimately hold the goal of launching comics that could potentially prove successful in other media. As a writer who has experienced the rush of having his work adapted for a different medium - with the upcoming Walking Dead TV show - Kirkman will also be instrumental in positioning these new titles in the multimedia markets.
In an interview with The New York Times, Kirkman said “It’s a whole new world out there. It’s hard to do any comic book without having an expectation of what could happen. It’s such a prevalent and integral part of our business." referencing comics being adapted to film and television.
The first book under the Skybound banner will be Witch Doctor, created by Brandon Seifert and Lukas Ketner, a monster/medical drama mash-up that examines classic literary monsters under the guise of medical science. "It's House meets Fringe." said Seifert.
Interestingly, both of Kirkman's main Image titles, The Walking Dead and Invincible, will move to the new Skybound imprint. Citing the simplification of administrative duties that come with publishing, Kirkman expects that expansion for the imprint will be a relative slow burn.
“I’d like to expand at the rate AMC has. They had Breaking Bad and Mad Men for a long time, but it was awhile before they started branching out to other things." Kirkman said.
Stay tuned for Crave's coverage of San Diego Comic-Con, where Skybound will be debuting their first look at Witch Doctor.
