Lion Forge Comics will launch its own superhero imprint next year, headlined by a lineup of creators that includes Christopher Priest, Joe Casey, Joe Illidge, Damion Scott, Alex DeCampi and Amy Chu.

Announced at New York Comic Con, Catalyst Prime will debut in May with a one-shot written by Priest and Illidge and illustrated by Marco Turini, followed by seven titles introduced over the next seven months.

"Basically the whole universe is started from an asteroid heading to Earth and a private corporation called the Foresight Corporation, which produced our teaser memo," Illidge explained to Graphic Policy. "They send four astronauts on a suicide mission to stop the asteroid. What happens leads to the emergence of superhumans on our world. After that, most of the books will take place one year after that."

He said Lion Forge is committed to creating a superhero universe that "invites everyone."

"Diversity is a buzzword that has become obsolete because it’s been used for a lot of PR," Illidge said. "Diversity should be intrinsic if you have an expanded mindset and worldview so when you’re going to creators they’re not all heterosexual, they’re not all Caucasian males. They might not all be from the United States. They’re from different industries. They have different political backgrounds. Diversity is automatic. But we want to create something new and exciting that doesn’t have a burden of decades of continuity. We want everyone to feel invited to this world and this world will evolve into a world that will more accurately reflect the demographics of the one that we live more than a lot of other fictional superhero comic universes."

Other creators involved with Catalyst Prime include David Walker, Larry Stroman, Jan Duursema, Pop Mhan, Todd Klein, Brandon Thomas and Ken Lashey.