doug wagner

When Image Comics has new titles to announce, it doesn't play by halves; the publisher has been known to throw down a massive number of awesome sounding titles led by amazing creators, before dropping the mic as if to say, "Top that". Last night at Emerald City Comic Con, the publisher did exactly that as it announced fifteen new comics and original graphic novels, including new work from Jeff Lemire, Declan Shalvey and Matt Wagner.

Everyone deserves stories about heroes who look and act and live like them; the ability to inspire people is one of the great real world powers that superheroes all share, so it's important to have heroes from every walk of life. That's true for readers inspired by Ms. Marvel or the new Thor and Captain America, and it's just as true for the country music fans that the Average Joes music label hopes to reach with its new line of heroes inspired by its performers! Music producer Shannon Houchins and country rapper Colt Ford are the founders of the music label Average Joes, and in addition to representing their artists, they've also turned them into heroes in a series of comics sold through the Average Joes website, created by writer Doug Wagner and artist Daniel Hillyard and published by 12 Gauge Comics. As the video trailer above reveals, the heroes' tongue-in-cheek powers include banshee yells, redneck shape-shifting, and transforming into a mud-man. Shannon Hoechins explained why he felt it was important to create country music heroes.