It seems Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley aren’t done with Invincible. Not only has the wildly popular superhero comic found a second life as an animated series on Prime Video, now Invincible is making its return to comics in the form of a prequel spinoff called Invincible Universe: Battle Beast.
As the name suggests, the new series focuses on the titular villain-turned-supporting character. Invincible Universe: Battle Beast is specifically set in between issues #19 and #55 of the original series, fleshing out a major lost portion of Battle Beast’s story. As part of his ongoing quest to find an opponent strong enough to kill him and spare his loved ones from the endless cycle of violence that defines his life, Battle Beast will be forced to consider an unthinkable solution to his problem.
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast will be written by Kirkman and drawn by Ottley. The first issue features variant covers by artists like David Finch, E.J. Su, Kael Ngu, Arthur Adams, and Jonboy Meyers. Fans will have the option to purchase blind bag versions of the first issue that feature one of the variant covers at random and additional bonus mystery comics.
“What can I say? I just can’t get enough of the Invincible Universe!” said Kirkman in a statement. “Moving from the comic series directly to the animated series, I haven’t really had a break. That said, while adapting the series to animation, I’ve been itching to do something new! Longtime fans will know there’s a massive gap in Battle Beast’s appearances in the series between Invincible issue 19 and issue 55. There’s a lot of story to tell and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Battle Beast co-creator Ryan Ottley on board to tell it with me!”
"When Robert and I first created Battle Beast way back in Invincible issue #19 as a way to increase Invincible’s Rogues gallery, I wasn’t sure if he’d be a big character who’d come back throughout the series, or a character who’d die a terrible gory death right away,” said Ottley. “Robert always kept me and the readers on our toes, he could command a death at any moment, and you know I’d always jump at the chance to carry out the visual execution! Luckily, Battle Beast became a fan-favorite and lived to tell a larger tale! It’s amazing to be working with Robert again in the Invincible Universe. A while ago I was telling him I wasn’t sure what project to do next, and when he mentioned us doing a Battle Beast series together, I jumped at the idea of being back on a creator-owned book, enlarging the Invincible Universe even more! I’m really happy to be back at Image Comics and Skybound, and can’t wait for you to see the story we are fleshing out in this series! I haven’t had this much fun since Invincible!”
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 will be released in April 2025, just weeks after Invincible: Season 3 ends its run on Prime Video.
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