"Lost Fantasy: Image Comics Unveils Final Fantasy-Inspired Series"

Writer Curt Pires, renowned for his captivating works like Youth and Lost Falls in the Comixology Originals library, is making a thrilling return to Image Comics with his latest project, Lost Fantasy. This new series draws heavy inspiration from classic JRPGs, particularly the iconic Final Fantasy VII, promising fans an exhilarating blend of Western comics and the intricate world-building of Japanese role-playing games.

Delve into the exclusive preview of Lost Fantasy #1 through our slideshow gallery below, featuring stunning interior art from the debut issue and process art showcasing Jae Lee's breathtaking cover:

Lost Fantasy #1: Exclusive Preview Art Gallery

10 Images

Lost Fantasy sees Pires reuniting with Money artist Luca Casalanguida. The first issue boasts cover art contributions from Casalanguida, Alex Diotto, Darick Robertson, and Jae Lee. Additionally, the series will feature a serialized backup story, Indigo Children: Exodus, continuing the narrative from Pires' sci-fi series Indigo Children.

Here's the official synopsis from Image Comics for Lost Fantasy:

In Lost Fantasy, a magical world lies beneath ours, and first contact was made over a hundred years ago between the two worlds due to a natural disaster, resulting in a schism that allowed monsters to break through. Since then, secret monster slayers, known as The Great Hunters, have been working with global leaders to police the border and to keep our world safe from the creatures that lurk in the shadows. But last night, something broke through, resulting in a mysterious mass killing in Montana, and causing things to shift in a way that will ripple through both worlds. Now it’s up to rookie monster hunter Henry Blackheart to stop it…

Pires shares his excitement about returning to Image Comics with Lost Fantasy, saying, "I'm ecstatic to be back at Image Comics with Lost Fantasy—a series that merges my love of Western comics like East Of West and Something Is Killing The Children with the dense world-building and action of the JRPGs I grew up playing. Games like the Final Fantasy series—with our lead character's Snow White spikey hair and Giant Sword being a direct homage to Tetsuya Nomura's amazing character design for Cloud."

He further explains the significance of the title, stating, "The 'Lost' in the title is also a homage—albeit a more subtle one—to the great Hironobu Sakaguchi's Lost Odyssey—which is his criminally underrated post-Final Fantasy masterpiece at Mistwalker. So the comic has a lot of JRPG love at its core."

For more insights into upcoming releases in the comic book world, be sure to explore what Marvel and DC have in store for 2025.