Ghost Machine announced today that they are filling out their roster, signing exclusive deals with fan-favorite inkers Andrew Currie and Danny Miki, as well as veteran designer Steve Blackwell. The trio have been working with Ghost Machine already, but are now exclusive to the publishing line, which is an imprint of Image Comics run by its creators and featuring a variety of titles, all of which kicked off in recent months and feature a shared multiverse of storytelling in which each title feels stand-alone. In an industry first, all of Ghost Machine’s creators jointly own and run the company, sharing in all of Ghost Machine’s publishing, media, merchandising and licensing. Each creator is exclusive to the company for their comic book work after completing their current projects elsewhere.
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The Ghost Machine talent roster is a who’s who of big-name talent who have worked on books like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Aquaman, Stargirl, JSA, The Flash, The Ultimates, Black Lightning, Green Arrow and more. Currie, Miki, and Blackwell join a lineup that includes Brad Anderson, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Johns, Rob Leigh, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Ivan Reis, Peter Snejbjerg, Peter J. Tomasi, and Maytal Zchut.
“Andrew, Danny and Steve are three super-talented individuals whose outstanding work has impressed for many years, and everyone working in the industry today knows of their qualities. Many of us have been lucky to collaborate with them on past projects, and we are so excited that they have chosen Ghost Machine as their new exclusive professional home,” said the Ghost Machine creators in a joint statement.
Currie has been inking Ghost Machine’s alternate history adventure-fantasy Redcoat, which launched in April as part of The Unnamed Universe. The title hails from Geoff Johns and Bryan Hitch, with colors by Brad Anderson and letters by Rob Leigh. Currie has a long and varied work history that includes indie comics, Games Workshop, and bigger publishers like Marvel and DC, Dark Horse, 2000 A.D. and IDW. Currie previously with Hitch on Marvel’s The Ultimates.
Miki is currently handling inking duties for Ghost Machine’s horror-themed universe Hyde Street, from Johns and Ivan Reis with colors by Brad Anderson and letters by Rob Leigh. The anticipated horror launch is coming later this year. Miki is widely regarded as one of the best and most prolific inkers of his generation, beginning with Image Comic’s flagship title Youngblood from co-founder Rob Liefeld. Miki also worked on Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, Curse of the Spawn and The Creech with Greg Capullo, before heading to Marvel, where he inked various covers over Joe Quesada and served as the full-time Ghost Rider finisher. He worked on a wide variety of titles that exposed him to nearly every Marvel hero, including David Finch’s Moon Knight, Avengers, and New Avengers.
Miki won the first of his two Harvey Awards for Best Inker on Jack Kirby’s The Eternals from Neil Gaiman and John Romita, Jr.; his second came whiel inking Capullo on the Scott Snyder-written Batman that helped shape DC’s New 52 relaunch. At DC, Miki and Reis formed a long-running partnership, collaborating on fan-favorite runs of Batman, Superman, Titans, and Detective Comics.
Blackwell has been in charge of all of Ghost Machine’s design work, from its limited edition New York Comic-Con ashcan last October to Ghost Machine #1, the best-selling one-shot published last January and the ongoing monthly series Geiger, Redcoat, and Rook: Exodus. Blackwell established himself at the legendary comic magazine publisher Wizard, running the design department that produced not only Wizard, but genre magazines like InQuest, ToyFare and Anime Insider. Blackwell followed up his longtime Wizard tenure as a freelance art director and designer, having produced comics, periodicals and collections for DC Comics, Dynamite, Valiant, AWA, and many others.
Ghost Machine’s upcoming titles include: Geiger #4 (Geoff Johns/Gary Frank/Brad Anderson/Rob Leigh), Redcoat #4 (Geoff Johns/Bryan Hitch/Brad Anderson/Rob Leigh) and Rook: Exodus #4 (Geoff Johns/Jason Fabok/Brad Anderson/Rob Leigh) coming up in June; the aforementioned horror universe Hyde Street (Geoff Johns/Ivan Reis/Brad Anderson/Rob Leigh) slated for this fall; and kicking off Ghost Machine’s Family Odyssey universe, The Rockefellers (Peter J. Tomasi/Francis Manapul/Rob Leigh) and Hornsby & Halo (Peter J. Tomasi/Peter Snejbjerg/Brad Anderson/Rob Leigh) in late 2024.
