The Walking Dead comic book readers who have longed to know the origin of Negan will be able to find out more about the antagonist's background in Image+ monthly magazine, which will feature an ongoing Negan backstory written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Charlie Adlard. The recently revealed first page of the 48-page story features Negan creating his barbed-wire baseball bat, Lucille.

Each issue of Image+ magazine include four pages of the origin story, spreading the entire tale over the course of one year. Every month, Image+ will be released by Image Comics and Diamond Comic Distributors as an insert in Diamond's PREVIEWS catalog and as individual issues that readers can purchase for $1.99. The first issue of Image+ is scheduled to come out on April 27th.

The Hollywood Reporter debuted the first preview page from Negan's origin story, and we have it for Daily Dead readers to view below.

Previous Press Release: Each of the first twelve issues of Image+ magazine will feature an original, four-page THE WALKING DEAD story concerning Negan’s origins, and created by New York Times bestselling team Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, for a total of 48 pages of backstory.

PREVIEWS has long served as a sales tool meant to guide retailer orders, inspire customer pre-orders with new solicitations, and provide product listings for the months to come.

PREVIEWS is a useful tool for retailers and customers alike,” said Corey Murphy, Director of Sales at Image Comics. “With the Image+ magazine and the new and original content each issue, month in and month out, we hope to bring fresh eyes and excitement to our PREVIEWS product listings once again.”

Image+ will clock in at 64 pages and feature exclusive interviews, spotlight features, bonus never-before-seen preview pages, editorials from industry voices, and more in-depth, insightful and provocative comics coverage curated by David Brothers, Branding Manager at Image Comics.

Brothers added: “Comics are exciting, and it does them and their creators a disservice to give them rote, by-the-numbers coverage. I cut my teeth on video game magazines before writing about comics professionally, and I’m excited to push that experience in a new direction alongside Sasha Head, our Sales & Marketing Production Designer. From my perspective, comics have always been cool, and this is a chance to show everyone exactly why I feel that way.”

Image+ will be available for free to customers who purchase a PREVIEWS Catalog each month or can be purchased separately for only $1.99.

“We’re pleased to be working with Diamond on this exciting addition to the monthly PREVIEWS catalog,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher at Image Comics. “We look forward to sharing news about our upcoming titles and the creators that both entertain and inform retailers and fans alike.”

Preview Page from THR:

Source: THR
  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.