Local Man (comics) explained

Local Man
Schedule:Monthly
Ongoing:y
Genre:Crime Noir, Superhero
Publisher:Image Comics
Startmo:February
Startyr:2023
Issues:14 (and 2 specials)
Artists:Tim Seeley
Colorists:Brad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro, Brian Reber
Tpb:Heartland
Isbn:978-1534399587
Tpb2:The Dry Season
Isbn2:978-1534397361
Tpb3:Lost Ones
Isbn3:978-1534373204
Subcat:Image Comics

Local Man is a comic book series written and drawn by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley for Image Comics, set in the Image Universe. Each issue has a lead story written by Fleecs and Seeley with art by Fleecs and a flashback story, drawn by Seeley. The colorists are Brad Simpson, Felipe Sobreiro, and Brian Reber.

It launched in February 2023. Fleecs described the book as: "a guy that used to be a 1990s Image Comic superhero. Now it’s today, and he’s sort of canceled and fired from his job as a superhero. He has to move home with his folks in the Midwest, and everybody in town hates him."[1]

On the release schedule, he added: "Every arc we do a story and then we’ll do a one-shot in between to sort of bring in new readers, give you something, because the book is really ’90s focused."

Reception

Reviews for the series have been largely positive. Games Radar placed the series at number 25 for its best comics of 2023, noting it was: "A treat for anyone who read '90s superhero comics, especially the first generation of Image titles".[2] The Hollywood Reporter included the series in its 2023 round-up of best new series, writing: "It's a book that should be a joke – and believe us, it's got plenty of those – but it somehow manages to be a well-thought out superhero noir that moves beyond simple nostalgia."[3] It was also an honorable mention in IGN's list,[4] plus came in at number 74 of Comic Book Resources' best comics for 2023.[5]

Issues

IssueReleasedPlot
  1. 1
22 Feb 2023Once, Jack Xaver, star recruit of the media sensation super-team Third Gen, had it all. But when controversy sends Crossjack crawling back to his mom and dad's basement in the Midwest, Jack struggles to fit into a world he left far behind. And then the bodies start piling up.
  1. 2
29 Mar 2023
  1. 3
26 Apr 2023
  1. 4
31 May 2023
  1. 5
28 Jun 2023
Gold30 Aug 2023align=left Jack comes face to face with his explosive past when his superhero alter ego is blasted into modern-day Farmington by a massive cosmic event.
  1. 6
18 Oct 2023Jack Xaver, Farmington's very own Local Man, is called in to investigate a mysterious drowning on dry land. The problem is, Jack isn't legally allowed to be a superhero. Oh, also, he's sleeping with the police chief's wife.
  1. 7
29 Nov 2023
  1. 8
27 Dec 2023
  1. 9
31 Jan 2024
Bad Girls27 Mar 2024align=left Local Man's former girlfriend is now on the run, where she runs into superhero, Neon.
  1. 10
22 May 2024Jack Xavier needs to hide out alongside an ally from his past.
  1. 11
3 Jul 2024
  1. 12
24 Jul 2024
  1. 13
23 Aug 2024
  1. 25
16 Oct 2024Local Man jumps ahead a year, offering a glimpse of the future.

Collected Editions

Trade Paperbacks

VolTitleMaterial collectedPagesReleasedISBN
1HeartlandLocal Man #1–5172
2The Dry SeasonLocal Man #6–9, Local Man Gold168
3Lost OnesLocal Man #10-13, #25, Local Man: Bad Girls176

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Deanna Destito . Interview: TONY FLEECS is having a moment . Comics Beat . 7 October 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240325193030/https://www.comicsbeat.com/interview-tony-fleecs-is-having-a-moment/ . 25 March 2024 . 25 March 2024.
  2. The 25 best comics of 2023 . Games Radar . 14 December 2023 . Feb 26, 2024.
  3. Web site: 'Birds of Prey,' 'Transformers,' 'I Am Stan' and More: Heat Vision's Best Comics of 2023 . The Hollywood Reporter . 27 December 2023 . Feb 26, 2024.
  4. Web site: The Best Comic Book Series or Original Graphic Novel of 2023 . IGN . 11 December 2023 . Feb 26, 2024.
  5. Web site: CBR's Top 100 Comics of 2023 . Comic Book Resources . January 2024 . Feb 26, 2024.