The Horizon Experiment is already one of our most anticipated series from Image Comics coming this fall. But a sneak peek at Tula Lotay’s connecting variant covers just rocketed it high up the list. The covers will run individually on all five issues of the anthology series, but you can check ’em all out as a group — and individually — below.
“It’s rare to be asked to work on a series of connecting covers for different books with such incredible varied stories. That had my interest peaked straight away,” said Lotay via a press release provided to Comic Book Club. “But working with Pornsak and Will at the helm meant I needed to do this project. I love them both and the idea behind The Horizon Experiment is brilliant! The stories are so good—it made working on this set of covers a pleasure. Really proud of how it came out and to be involved in such a wonderful project.”
To call The Horizon Experiment an anthology is a bit of a misnomer. What it actually is, is five “pilot” comics curated by Pornsak Pichetshote that all re-envision genre fare through a diverse lens to see how it changes the essential concepts. The first out of the gate is The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian by Pichetshote, with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson, which tells a James Bond-style story, but with a Chinese lead.
Added Pichetshote, “I’ve been friends with Tula for a long time, so I’ve been jealous of her as she wins award after award, and then I’ve been jealous again of everyone who gets to work with her, so asking her to do our variant covers was one of those bucket list no-brainers. But honestly, seeing her covers together like this as a unit reminded me why I was doing this in the first place. Each cover is so distinct, so unique, so stylish, and yet, set side by side, they don’t compete for space; they strengthen each other. That was in my head during the inception of The Horizon Experiment, but I had forgotten that aspect until I saw what Tula did.”
Here are the interconnecting covers with the trade dress:
…and here are the interconnecting covers without the trade dress:
“Working with Tula is one of the great joys of my career,” said editor Will Dennis. “Not only is her art always surprising, impactful and fresh, but also her enthusiasm for the work and love of comics always comes first. Beyond her love of comics, though, is her profound love for people and her drive to make the world a better place. She’s done amazing work behind the scenes for years to lift up new creators, so it made perfect sense for her to be a part of this special project.”
Here’s Image Comics’ official blurb for The Horizon Experiment, as well as order info and further covers from Lotay:
The Horizon Experiment series kicks off on September 25 with The Manchurian, a scintillating thriller full of secrets and scandal, featuring a Chinese super spy inspired by James Bond. Future issues include a horror tale led by a female Muslim exorcist The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned (by Sabir Pirzada and Michael Walsh), East African werewolf horror The Horizon Experiment: Moon Dogs (by Tananarive Due and Kelsey Ramsey), “Evil Dead for blerds” horror-comedy The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters (by J. Holtham and Michael Lee Harris), and “reverse Indiana Jones” action-adventure The Horizon Experiment: Finders / Keepers (by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge). The five issues will be released on a monthly basis, starting in September.
The Horizon Experiment: The Manchurian #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, September 25:
- Cover A by Terry and Rachel Dodson – Lunar code 0724IM267
- Cover B by Tula Lotay (connecting) – Lunar code 0724IM268)
- Cover C by Tula Lotay (1:25 foil incentive, connecting) – Lunar code 0724IM269
The Horizon Experiment: The Sacred Damned #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, October 23 (FOC September 30):
- Cover A by Michael Walsh – Lunar Code 0824IM324
- Cover B by Tula Lotay (connecting) – Lunar Code 0824IM325
- Cover C by Tula Lotay (1:25 foil incentive, connecting) – Lunar Code 0824IM326
The Horizon Experiment: Moon Dogs #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, November 20 (FOC October 28):
- Cover A by Kelsey Ramsay and José Villarrubia – Lunar code 0924IM284
- Cover B by Tula Lotay (connecting) – Lunar code 0924IM285
- Cover C by Tula Lotay (1:25 foil incentive, connecting) – Lunar code 0924IM286
The Horizon Experiment: Motherfu*kin’ Monsters #1 and The Horizon Experiment: Finders / Keepers #1 will be released in December 2024 and January 2025.
