Image Comics has announced Omen-Bound, an ongoing dark fantasy series from writer Jim Zub and artist Alberto J. Alburquerque, with colors by Misty Coats and letters by Marshall Dillon. Image says Omen-Bound #1 arrives in comic shops in March 2027.
The announcement came out of New York Comic Con, where the push starts early. Image says a limited run of black-and-white Omen-Bound Preview Editions will be handed out first come, first served at Artist Alley tables I-33 and A-33. The preview offers a first look at the core cast and the world of the series, a dangerous region called the Untaken Lands.
Warriors, priests, and a supernatural prisoner
Image describes the setup this way: a skilled group of warriors and priests from a strict religious order must escort a dangerous supernatural prisoner back to their realm beyond reality. Every step toward that goal tests them, and the trip uncovers secrets about themselves and their world’s history that “may save or damn them all.” The publisher pitches it as classic sword and sorcery with the emotional stakes of books like The Walking Dead, aimed at longtime fantasy fans and new readers alike.
Zub is coming off well-liked runs on Conan the Barbarian and Dungeons & Dragons, and Image notes that Alburquerque’s earlier work includes Letter 44. In the announcement, Zub says Omen-Bound is a home for ideas that didn’t fit the established fantasy realms he has written in.
“I absolutely love writing stories in the many fantasy realms that sparked my imagination as a kid,” Zub said. “But I’ve always had concepts that didn’t fit there, other themes I wanted to explore and new characters I wanted to put through the wringer, so it’s time to bring those ideas to life.” He called the return to Image, and the chance to team up with Alburquerque, Coats, and Dillon, “both a homecoming and the start of something special.”
Alburquerque said he signed on before he even knew the premise. “When Jim said he had a new project he was developing, I was in from the start,” he said. “When he said what it was about and sent me his first notes, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. This is a true passion project and I’m giving it my all on every page!”
Where to find it
Beyond comic shops, Image says Omen-Bound #1 will be available digitally on Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Apple’s iBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook, Scribd’s Everand, Kobo, OverDrive, Hoopla, the Sweet app, Comic Plus, and other platforms. Image has not yet named a specific street date within March.
For Zub’s most recent sword-and-sorcery work, see RCG’s look at Conan the Barbarian: Tides of the Tyrant-King #1.
