DC and Image Comics are planning a crossover that brings Jim Lee back to the publisher that he helped found in 1992. Jim Lee is the current President, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of DC, but before those lofty titles, he was one of six individuals who founded the creator-owned company Image Comics. One of the bigger hits at Image is Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Geiger, a cornerstone of Ghost Machine. Lee is back drawing interiors for the Batman story arc “H2SH” alongside Jeph Loeb. In a first for each publisher, Lee and Frank are teaming up to provide covers for each other’s titles.
Jim Lee’s cover of October’s Geiger #19 will be his first cover for Image since 2011’s Spawn #200. Lee helped found Image Comics alongside trailblazing creators Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Whilce Portacio, Jim Valentino, and Rob Liefeld. Gary Frank’s cover for Batman #163 is set to hit stores in August. This is also a return to DC for Frank, who drew Batman: Earth One and Doomsday Clock for DC before founding Ghost Machine in October 2023 with Johns, Brad Anderson, Jason Fabok, Bryan Hitch, Rob Leigh, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Ivan Reis, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter J. Tomasi and Maytal Zchut.
“Jim’s a great friend and inspirational artist,” said Frank. “When we first began talking about doing covers for each other’s projects, it instantly became a moment where you realize why you got into comics. The community, the friendships, the love of the medium and the appreciation of each other’s work is something unique to comics and its creators.”
“When Jim delivered his Geiger cover featuring The Glowing Woman, Ashley Arden, it was a special moment for all of us at Ghost Machine,” continued Frank. “It was also fun for me to dip back into the world of DC with a Batman image featuring the Dark Knight and some of his greatest villains.”
Geiger #19 cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williamson & Brad Anderson
“I’m thrilled to be able to collaborate with the massively talented Gary Frank who I’ve had the good fortune to call a true friend since the early 1990s,” said Lee. “Gary is a consummate professional, a Bonafide artist’s artist, a master of capturing light and form, and he’s drawn some of my favorite comics ever.”
“We hatched this idea to do a ‘crossover’ even if it is truly only compositionally, and I’m so honored to have a Gray Frank Batman Hush piece grace our ‘who’s who’ list of variant virtuoso cover artists!”
Batman #163 cover by Gary Frank & Brad Anderson
Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s successor to Batman: Hush began in March’s Batman #158. This new run, collectively called “H2SH,” is running monthly for six issues through August’s Batman #163 and will conclude with six more issues in 2026. Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh launched the ongoing Geiger series in April 2024. It continues the story of Tariq Geiger, a man transformed into a powerful hero during the first strike of a nuclear war, and other unnamed heroes from throughout American history. October’s Geiger #19 features the return of Ashley Arden as her ongoing story of hunting human traffickers across a nuclear-war-ravaged America takes center stage and The Glowing Woman’s motivations and future become more clear.
What do you think about this unique crossover between DC and Image Comics for Batman #163 and Geiger #19? Let us know in the comments below!
A unique crossover between DC and Image Comics will see Jim Lee and Gary Frank draw covers for Geiger #19 and Batman #163, respectively. Read More