Author: Newsroom
LOS ANGELES 05/12/2025 — Today Skybound and Image Comics revealed the full contents of the groundbreaking Blind Bag program for the record-breaking Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1, from co-creator/writer Robert Kirkman (Void Rivals, The Walking Dead) and co-creator/artist Ryan Ottley (The Amazing Spider-Man), reuniting the longtime Invincible creative team for the first time since 2018. The debut issue of this new series is on sale Wednesday, May 14 at comic book shops.
While fans already knew that Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 featured a first-of-its-kind blind bag program that allows readers a chance to get ANY of the solicited covers from A through I, today they learned there were not one, not two, but THREE intermixed secret covers including:
- A new printing of Invincible #19, the first appearance of Battle Beast!
- A special advance edition of Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #2, allowing fans to read the next shocking issue in its entirety
- And, in partnership with Marvel Comics, a reprint of Marvel Team-Up #14, the historic first meeting of Invincible and Spider-Man—and features art by Invincible co-creator Cory Walker!
“With every launch we do at Skybound we always try to roll out the red carpet and do something special, but I’ll be honest, I never knew we’d be able to do something THIS special!” said Robert Kirkman. “Reprinting Invincible issue #19, cool. Releasing an advance version of Battle Beast issue #2 on the same day, crazy! But actually reprinting a Marvel comic, especially one as rare and sought after as Marvel Team-Up 14… well, it’s so amazing I can hardly believe it actually happened!”
Even with nearly 400,000 copies ordered by fans worldwide, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 sold out at the distributor level well in advance of today’s release. A new printing will be released in June and feature three new covers by superstars Ryan Ottley, Jason Howard, and Ryan Sook.
Perfect for longtime fans and new readers alike, the new ongoing series promises to reveal the secret story of crowd favorite Battle Beast in what is the most demanded Invincible story of all time!
Cursed with an unquenchable thirst for violence that threatens those he loves, Battle Beast searches the universe for the one warrior mightier than him…so that he may die before harming anyone else. But even in a universe of mighty Viltrumites like Invincible and Omni-Man, it seems that no one may be able to stop the galaxy’s deadliest warrior…unless he does the unthinkable.
Created by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, Invincible #1 debuted to critical acclaim on January 22, 2003. Ryan Ottley joined soon after on issue #8 in late 2003 as the new series artist and contributing creator. Throughout its fifteen-year run at Image Comics, Invincible not only continued for a historic 146 issues, but also spawned multiple spin-off series and even an inter-company crossover with a certain friendly neighborhood superhero. In 2021, the Invincible animated series arrived on Prime Video and quickly became one of the most popular new streaming series, earning praise worldwide for its fresh storytelling that has now continued through its third season. With a fourth season on the way, Invincible remains a cornerstone of the pop culture landscape that continues to grow in popularity every year.
The critically acclaimed adult animated series co-produced by Skybound Animation and Amazon MGM Studios recently wrapped its third season and has a fourth on the way. Invincible is available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world. Each season of the animated series received “Certified Fresh” rankings on Rotten Tomatoes and the show was awarded Rotten Tomatoes’ Golden Tomato Award for Best Animated Series in 2023. Invincible follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson as he inherits his father’s superpowers and sets out to become Earth’s greatest defender, only to discover the job is more challenging than he ever imagined.
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 (Lunar Codes Below | SRP: $3.99, unless otherwise noted) is available Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
The full list of covers is below:
- Battle Beast #1 Cover A by Ryan Ottley & Annalisa Leoni (Lunar Code: 0125IM287)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover B by David Finch (Lunar Code: 0125IM288)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover C Blind Bag: Various (Lunar Code: 0125IM289)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover D (1:10 Incentive) (Connecting) by E.J. Su (Lunar Code: 0125IM290)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover E (1:25 Incentive) by Kael Ngu (Lunar Code: 0125IM291)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover F (1:50 Incentive) by Arthur Adams & Tanya Lehoux (Lunar Code: 0125IM292)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover G (1:100 Incentive) (Foil) by Jonboy Meyers (Lunar Code: 0125IM293)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover H (1:1000 CGC Signed/Graded) (Foil) by Ryan Ottley & Annalisa Leoni (Lunar Code: 0125IM294)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover I Blank Sketch Cover (Lunar Code: 0125IM295)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover J (Battle Beast Die Cut Mask Cover) (Foil) ($4.99) by Ryan Ottley, Andres Juarez & Annalisa Leoni (Lunar Code: 0125IM296)
- Battle Beast #1 Cover K (1:2000 Ryan Ottley Original Art Sketch Cover) by Ryan Ottley (Lunar Code: 0125IM297)
And fans can pre-order copies of Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 Second Printing (Lunar Codes Below | SRP: $3.99), which will hit comic shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
- Battle Beast #1 Second Printing Cover A by Ryan Ottley (Lunar Code: 0125IM940)
- Battle Beast #1 Second Printing Cover B by Jason Howard (Lunar Code: 0125IM941)
- Battle Beast #1 Second Printing Cover C by Ryan Sook (Lunar Code: 0125IM942)