So, first things first: My first creator-owned series (co-authored with my pal GREG RUCKA and illustrated by NAILBITER artist MIKE HENDERSON) has been announced!

Holy crap, I'm writing again.

(Back in my Dynamite days I got reallllly burned out by the workload, so I throttled back and started doing less work-for-hire writing and more work-for-hire graphic design.)

The new series, FORGED, is an idea Greg and I have been batting around for years, maybe as far back as our days co-writing Checkmate at DC, but for various reasons wasn't really clicking the way we wanted it to. Then we found a couple missing ingredients—a seriously pulpy, just-this-side-of-naughty tone and artist Mike Henderson—and we're off to the races as they say.

Here's the press release text from Image Comics:

In the 11th Millennium of the rule of the Eternal Empress, a squad of planet-smashing super soldiers find their routine mission to be anything but. These are the Forged. They take no prisoners. Written by Greg Rucka & Eric Trautmann and brought to the page by Mike Henderson, embark upon an over-the-top pulp adventure of sex, violence, and sci-fi inspired by Conan, Heavy Metal, and other comics you tried to hide from your parents.”

About the project Rucka says, “Eric Trautmann and I have been chasing this story for years now, driven by the desire to tell an over-the-top story space opera/pulp mash-up... We had it all in our heads, but it wasn’t until Mike came aboard and added his secret sauce that we could pin it down and make it finally happen. His storytelling is glorious, and with Nolan’s inspired colors and Ariana’s deft touch with the lettering, we finally have a package we’re excited to share. This is meant to be fun, front to back, that’s been our goal since we started.”

“We started batting ideas around for Forged what feels like a thousand years ago, so it's extremely gratifying to see it now,” agrees Trautmann. “Mike's special alchemy has led to what we think is a hell of a fun project, full of pedal-to-the-floor action, exotic locations, and extremely explodey violence… fun for the whole family."

So, what brought Henderson to the project? To hear him tell it, it’s the strength of the concept behind the series. “There are some ideas you put everything else on hold for and when I heard what Greg and Eric had had brewing for so long in FORGED, I knew it was one of them,” he raves. “When I knew Nolan and Ariana had also come aboard to help make it what it's become, I knew it for sure. It's been so much fun to build this universe in the orbit of their idea that I hope I pass that fun on to everyone who reads it. If nothing else, I hope they hear heavy metal riffs shredding over every page."

FORGED will release in an oversized magazine format, with two to two-and-a-half times the story pages of a regular comic, plus all the bonus material/backmatter fans have come to expect from a Rucka and Co. joint, all for $5.99US.

Look for it on March 15, 2023.

Written by: Greg Rucka

Art by: Michael Lark (w/Tyler Boss, issues 27–28)

Letters by: Simon Bowland

Colors by: Santi Arcas

Cover by: Michael Lark

Publication Design: Eric Trautmann

Digital "Artifacts" by: Trautmann,  Richard Howe

Every secret has a price, and every family has their secrets. As the five-year long Conclave War comes to a close, the plans of Malcolm Carlyle collide with those of his Lazarus and daughter, Forever. The bill is coming due. For Malcolm, it's a price he's willing to pay, especially when it comes to his Family's eternal rival, Jakob Hock. For Forever, freedom will be paid for in blood and not just her own.

Collects LAZARUS #27-28 & LAZARUS: RISEN #5-7

Image Comics  |  Color  | 144 pgs  |  Mature  |  $16.99