Robert Kirkman and Chris Giarrusso had a little April Fool’s Day fun at Emerald City Comicon when they revealed their next project, The Walking Dead For Kids. They described the series as a panel-by-panel recreation of the original issues using Kirkman’s scripts, and drawn in a more cartoon like art style by G-MAN creator Giarrusso.
Of course this was a joke. however, the cover image is somewhat legit. Image will release a series of special limited edition variant covers in the upcoming year in commemoration of Image’s 20th anniversary. Giarrusso will re-create twelve classic first issue covers in his unique style. The first reinterpretation will be Youngblood #1, the very first Image comic book title. The cover will ship in limited quantity as a variant for Youngblood #71 (FEB128256). The issue serves to relaunch Rob Liefeld‘s Extreme Studios title and will be written by screenwriter John McLaughlin (The Black Swan, Parker) and drawn by John Malin (Avenglyne) and Liefeld. Youngblood #71 is scheduled to be in stores on May 23.
“Twenty years ago, I was eagerly anticipating the launch of Image Comics,” said Giarrusso. “Maybe it was partially due to my upcoming high school graduation, but it felt like the whole world was changing. I vividly recall the excitement of seeing the Image books on the shelf for the first time. It was a new era, and these cover images were instantly iconic. The opportunity to pay tribute to these classic Image covers is an honor and a privilege, and I couldn’t be more excited about my role and participation in Image’s 20th anniversary celebration.”