A recent hit series from Image Comics just published its final issue… for now. Local Man #25, which became available at comic shops this week, is serving as the finale of Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs’ beloved series. This finale was not announced prior to the issue’s publication, but was confirmed through a letter column from Fleecs outlining the series’ current end. Through this letter, Fleecs does confirm that he and Seeley are already working together on a new comic miniseries, and that they are open to returning to Local Man if and when they stumble upon the right story. “Until then,” Fleecs writes in part, “what could be more ‘90s Image than an unexpected, extended hiatus?”
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“It’s gross to talk about the money part,” Fleecs’ letter explains in part. “That’s not the reason we made this book. MOST comics don’t even break even. But the reality of being a freelance comic creator is— You can only do books that don’t make money if you have some other money coming in. And I’m making several books right now. FERAL sells well, but Local Man takes me 3+ weeks every month and then everything else has to get done in 7 to 10 days between issues. And I’m just not talented enough to keep making good books at that pace. I guess what I’m saying is, this book was born out of fear of failure and loss, the book where we put all our feelings and pain from divorces and rejection… We just couldn’t make it work.”
In Local Man, once the star recruit of the media sensation super-team Third Gen, Jack Xaver / Crossjack had it all. But when controversy sends him 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.
The series, which first launched in February of 2023, has served as an homage to (and at times, crossover with) Image’s various superhero books, particularly riffing on the 1990s aesthetic and tropes. Prior to this finale, it spanned a total of fourteen main issues and two themed specials, Local Man: Gold and Local Man: Bad Girls.
Local Man #25 jumped one year into the future (paying homage to the “Images of Tomorrow” initiative that some of the publisher’s books have previously used) to show the new status quo for Jack and his friends and family. After fighting in the generational battle between his former superhero team and a newer crop of heroes, Jack decides to find a new purpose as an art teacher. The issue ends with Jack speaking to his students about the power of art, all while his dog Pepper — who accidentally absorbed immortal galaxy-spanning powers in the series’ previous arc — galavants through a dimension showing a collage of previous Image titles.
“What you use is less important than why you make it,” Jack’s monologue reads in part. “I make things because I want to give part of myself to everyone else. I’m trying to show people my world. I want to invite them in, even just for a little while… Into my universe.”
Local Man #25 is now available wherever comics are sold.
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