Image Comics Throws a Lifeline to Local Stores with Early Releases

Okay, this is kind of huge. Image Comics - home of Spawn, Invincible, The Walking Dead, Monstress, and basically half the comics that made us into the geeks we are today (ok, not half, but A LOT) - just announced they're giving comic book shops an exclusive one-month lead on all their collected editions, trades, omnibuses, and graphic novels before Amazon and the big bookstores get them.

That means if you want the next Transformers trade, or the fancy hardcover of The Power Fantasy, you've got to hit up your local comic shop first. For nearly four weeks, those shelves are the only place you'll find them. And honestly? That's how it should be.

Comic shops are the lifeblood of this industry. They're not just stores - they're hangouts, community hubs, and the first place you fell in love with comics. They're the reason creator-owned stories like Saga and Monstress even found audiences in the first place. Image putting them first is both a practical move (thanks, supply chains) and a love letter to the retailers who built this fandom from the ground up. Let's not let those brick and mortar shops go the way of the video store and GameStop.

So yeah, buy local, support your shop, and enjoy being smug when your Amazon-Prime-loving friends have to wait another month.