Prophet will be coming back home to Image Comics for the hero's 30th anniversary.
Rob Liefeld will bring back John Prophet in two comics that harken back to the hero's solo series ahead of the release of the Jake Gyllenhaal lead Prophet film. Liefeld, who also co-created Deadpool, Cable and X-Force over at Marvel, will partner with Image Comics for a facsimile edition of Prophet #1 by himself and Dan Panosian in Feb. 2022. Following that, the legendary creator will be joined by some of the biggest names in comics for a remastered edition that recreates the original comic with new art, due out in March 2022.
"Prophet is symbolic of the early 90's Image Comics that fans identify with and love as much anything released during that period. It electrified a generation of comic fans!" Leifeld said in a press release. He explained that while the facsimile "replicates the launch issue for fans who may not have experienced it," the remastered edition will shine a spotlight on other popular creators. The issue will featured a massive list of talents, including Panosian, Philip Tan, Ed Piskor, Dan Fraga, Marat Mychaels, Jim Rugg, Tom Scioli and Karl Altstaetter, with more names to be announced in the months to come.
John Prophet debuted in 1992's Youngblood #2. Like Captain America, he is a product of a scientific experiment that gave him the powers of a super-soldier in World War II. However, Prophet's mind was tampered with during the process, giving him the ability to speak multiple languages and a devout belief in God. He was put into stasis for decades before eventually being woken up in the modern day. The character was a fixture of the '90s and helmed multiple solo series throughout the decade, but aside from a brief cameo in Crossover earlier this year, has not been seen since the end of his last title in 2016.
Earlier this month, it was announced that John Prophet will be making the leap onto the big screen in a film starring Gyllenhaal. The movie is being developed by Jeff Robinov of Studio 8 and will be directed by Sam Hargrave, based off of a script from Arrow screenwriter Marc Guggenheim. Liefeld is also set to serve as executive producer on the film.
The return of Prophet speaks to a recent wave of nostalgia that has proven to be very successful for Image Comics. Earlier this year, Todd McFarlane expanded his line of Spawn titles with a new line called Spawn's Universe. The launches for King Spawn, The Scorched and Gunslinger Spawn set new records for the comic book industry and showed that there is a massive market for these beloved Image originals, something that Prophet's return aims to replicate.
Source: Image Comics