MattBrady
11-09-2006, 07:27 AM
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-04.jpg" border="0" align="right"> by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean
Truth be told, when Newsarama first announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27624) that the first issue of Girls was scheduled to debut in May 2005, not that many people took notice despite the brothers having created some buzz with their earlier Image title, Ultra (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=13170).
It was subsequently announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=35392) that the first issue had totally sold out, with a second printing on the way.
Then, the second printing of the first issue and the first printing of issue #2 sold out (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=37433).
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-16.jpg" border="0" align="left">With issue #1 being made available for free online here at Newsarama.com (http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/01/Girls01issue.htm) and on the official Image Comics website (http://imagecomics.com/onlinecomics.php), Joshua and Jonathan Luna’s creation continued to receive attention from comic fans and the general public.
By September, Image Comics was going back to press with a fourth printing of the first issue and a third printing of the second issue. “Since we get asked about the length of the series so much, I want to take this opportunity to reiterate that Girls is an ongoing series with a definite ending and will last for at least two years. We’re just having a blast working on Girls,” co-creator Joshua Luna said in a press release back then.
Even Marvel Comics took notice. The brothers went on to illustrate the Brian Bendis and Brian Reed-written, six-issue Spider-Woman: Origin (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=40704) limited series.
Despite all the success that they’ve tasted in the short span of just two years, the duo remained committed to Girls.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-18.jpg" border="0" align="right">To date, the early issues of Girls have been collected into two volumes of trade paperbacks, namely Conception (#1-#6) and Emergence (#7-12), with the third trade, Survival, scheduled to be in stores on November 15.
However, as revealed in the solicits for January 2007, Girls is ending with April’s issue #24. “There will be four trades altogether, and Vol. 4 will be out in May,” said Jonathan. “Initially, Girls was going to be 12 issues. After a few months, we realized that we needed more time to tell the story--there was just so much stuff we wanted to do--and so we decided to extend it to 24 issues. We realize that there has been some confusion with the length, but for the most part we’ve always known where it was going to end.
For the uninitiated, Joshua explained that “Girls is about a beautiful, yet vicious, breed of female that kills human women and are able to lay a dozen eggs after having sexual intercourse with human men. The eggs--which have an incredibly short incubation period--then hatch into fully-grown clones, which instinctively continue their mothers’ cycle and spread throughout the once sleepy, rural community of Pennystown. Trapped in the town, the people struggle to find a way out, but in this kind of situation, not everyone is exactly willing to work together.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-19.jpg" border="0" align="left">With so few issues remaining, Jonathan added that they do not intend to “ruin anything for anybody” at this stage, although he provided some teasers about what’s coming up next. “Basically, what safety the town had from the “girls” is now lost. This is really a great time for new readers to pick up Girls. On November 15, Vol. 3 and issue #19 will be in stores. New readers can catch up on all the previous issues, and begin the final arc with Girls #19. We’re on our final arc and the townspeople finally begin to understand why these girls are doing what they’re doing.”
Looking ahead, Jonathan said that it’s still a “little early” to reveal anything about their next project or projects but added that “we’re pretty much planning on doing another creator-owned book. Other projects are in the works, as well, and we’ll definitely talk about them when the time comes!
“Thanks again to all the fans and retailers for their continuing support. This book would not have gotten this far without them.”
Truth be told, when Newsarama first announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27624) that the first issue of Girls was scheduled to debut in May 2005, not that many people took notice despite the brothers having created some buzz with their earlier Image title, Ultra (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=13170).
It was subsequently announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=35392) that the first issue had totally sold out, with a second printing on the way.
Then, the second printing of the first issue and the first printing of issue #2 sold out (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=37433).
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-16.jpg" border="0" align="left">With issue #1 being made available for free online here at Newsarama.com (http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/01/Girls01issue.htm) and on the official Image Comics website (http://imagecomics.com/onlinecomics.php), Joshua and Jonathan Luna’s creation continued to receive attention from comic fans and the general public.
By September, Image Comics was going back to press with a fourth printing of the first issue and a third printing of the second issue. “Since we get asked about the length of the series so much, I want to take this opportunity to reiterate that Girls is an ongoing series with a definite ending and will last for at least two years. We’re just having a blast working on Girls,” co-creator Joshua Luna said in a press release back then.
Even Marvel Comics took notice. The brothers went on to illustrate the Brian Bendis and Brian Reed-written, six-issue Spider-Woman: Origin (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=40704) limited series.
Despite all the success that they’ve tasted in the short span of just two years, the duo remained committed to Girls.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-18.jpg" border="0" align="right">To date, the early issues of Girls have been collected into two volumes of trade paperbacks, namely Conception (#1-#6) and Emergence (#7-12), with the third trade, Survival, scheduled to be in stores on November 15.
However, as revealed in the solicits for January 2007, Girls is ending with April’s issue #24. “There will be four trades altogether, and Vol. 4 will be out in May,” said Jonathan. “Initially, Girls was going to be 12 issues. After a few months, we realized that we needed more time to tell the story--there was just so much stuff we wanted to do--and so we decided to extend it to 24 issues. We realize that there has been some confusion with the length, but for the most part we’ve always known where it was going to end.
For the uninitiated, Joshua explained that “Girls is about a beautiful, yet vicious, breed of female that kills human women and are able to lay a dozen eggs after having sexual intercourse with human men. The eggs--which have an incredibly short incubation period--then hatch into fully-grown clones, which instinctively continue their mothers’ cycle and spread throughout the once sleepy, rural community of Pennystown. Trapped in the town, the people struggle to find a way out, but in this kind of situation, not everyone is exactly willing to work together.
<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Girls/Girls-19-19.jpg" border="0" align="left">With so few issues remaining, Jonathan added that they do not intend to “ruin anything for anybody” at this stage, although he provided some teasers about what’s coming up next. “Basically, what safety the town had from the “girls” is now lost. This is really a great time for new readers to pick up Girls. On November 15, Vol. 3 and issue #19 will be in stores. New readers can catch up on all the previous issues, and begin the final arc with Girls #19. We’re on our final arc and the townspeople finally begin to understand why these girls are doing what they’re doing.”
Looking ahead, Jonathan said that it’s still a “little early” to reveal anything about their next project or projects but added that “we’re pretty much planning on doing another creator-owned book. Other projects are in the works, as well, and we’ll definitely talk about them when the time comes!
“Thanks again to all the fans and retailers for their continuing support. This book would not have gotten this far without them.”