Ahead of the “Image Comics Presents: Breaking Ground” panel at this year’s New York Comic Con, the publisher revealed a new miniseries, Bug War. Written by Jason Aaron, illustrated by Mahmud Asrar, colored by Matthew Wilson, and lettered by Becca Carey, the six issue miniseries follows a young Alabaman teen that is transported to a tiny dark fantasy realm in his backyard. The teen will have to fight spellcasters, barbarians, and warring insect factions.
Aaron spoke about how his childhood influence the book, stating:
“When I was a kid, our backyard was a wondrous place, where I spent hours imagining epic adventures, action figures scattered all through the grass. In a lot of ways, I still feel like that kid, running around the yard, making up stories. Only the stories have gotten a bit darker over the years. For Slade Slaymaker, the backyard of his home in Alabama turns out to be a place of terror and brutality, where sects of tiny sword-wielding Mytes and their armies of flesh-eating beetles and acid-spraying ants have declared war on his family. Think Honey, I Shrunk the Kids meets Game of Thrones.”
The first issue, which launches in February of 2025, is set to offer an extra-sized story that establishes the twisted world that Aaron and Asrar have crafted. Alongside Asrar’s interior pages and main cover, artists such as Peach Momoko and Tony S. Daniel will provide variants for the debut issue.
Aasar discussed his aspirations for the series, stating:
“Bug Wars is the culmination of what I wanted to do in comics: A fantasy epic told with no holds barred. A tale where our imaginations run wild. A place where we reach the heights of escapism, all while keeping everything grounded with pure human emotion straight from the heart.”
Learn more about Bug Wars from Aaron and Asrar at the “Image Comics Presents: Breaking Ground” panel on Sunday, October 20 @ 11 a.m..
Bug Wars #1 will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.