"Lost Fantasy: Image Comics Unveils Final Fantasy-Inspired Series"

Curt Pires, the acclaimed writer behind Comixology Originals hits like Youth and Lost Falls, is making a triumphant return to Image Comics with his latest project, Lost Fantasy. This new series draws significant inspiration from JRPG classics, particularly the iconic Final Fantasy VII. Pires' return to Image Comics promises to blend the best elements of Western comics with the rich world-building and thrilling action of JRPGs.

Get an exclusive sneak peek at Lost Fantasy #1 with our slideshow gallery below, featuring stunning interior art from the first issue and behind-the-scenes process art for Jae Lee's captivating cover:

Lost Fantasy #1: Exclusive Preview Art Gallery

10 Images

Lost Fantasy marks a reunion for Pires and artist Luca Casalanguida, who previously collaborated on Money. The debut issue of Lost Fantasy showcases cover art by Casalanguida, Alex Diotto, Darick Robertson, and Jae Lee. Additionally, the series will feature a serialized backup story titled Indigo Children: Exodus, which follows up on Pires' sci-fi series, Indigo Children.

Here's the official synopsis from Image Comics:

In Lost Fantasy, a magical world lies beneath ours, and first contact was made over a hundred years ago between the two worlds due to a natural disaster, resulting in a schism that allowed monsters to break through. Since then, secret monster slayers, known as The Great Hunters, have been working with global leaders to police the border and to keep our world safe from the creatures that lurk in the shadows. But last night, something broke through, resulting in a mysterious mass killing in Montana, and causing things to shift in a way that will ripple through both worlds. Now it’s up to rookie monster hunter Henry Blackheart to stop it…

In an interview with IGN, Pires shared his excitement about returning to Image Comics with Lost Fantasy. "I'm ecstatic to be back at Image Comics with Lost Fantasy—a series that merges my love of Western comics like East Of West and Something Is Killing The Children with the dense world-building and action of the JRPGs I grew up playing," he said. He also pointed out the homage to Final Fantasy, noting, "Games like the Final Fantasy series—with our lead character's Snow White spikey hair and Giant Sword being a direct homage to Tetsuya Nomura's amazing character design for Cloud."

Pires further elaborated on the title's inspiration, saying, "The 'Lost' in the title is also a homage—albeit a more subtle one—to the great Hironobu Sakaguchi's Lost Odyssey—which is his criminally underrated post-Final Fantasy masterpiece at Mistwalker. So the comic has a lot of JRPG love at its core."

Mark your calendars: Lost Fantasy #1 is set to hit the shelves on April 30, 2025.

For more insights into upcoming releases, explore what to expect from Marvel and DC in 2025.