HUMBUCKER: NYC Music, Bad Debts and One Killer Creative Team Crash Into Image Comics!

WEPAAAAAAAA! CRUSADERS, TURN UP THE VOLUME—BECAUSE NEW YORK CITY’S UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT MORE DANGEROUS!

You know what I love? A comic that sounds like somebody tossed a stack of dusty vinyl, a busted recording contract and a crime thriller into a Brooklyn basement, locked the door and said, ‘Good luck getting out!’ That’s the energy behind Humbucker, the upcoming graphic novel from Image Comics and Tiny Onion.

The book marks the graphic-novel writing debut of veteran comics editor Eric Harburn, who teams up with artist Simon Gane, colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Aditya Bidikar. Now THAT is a creative lineup with some serious wattage, baby!

Meet Denny, an independent record-label owner buried in debt and running out of chances. His last big hope is to record Connor Markes, a once-influential underground musician who has spent decades out of the spotlight. If the session works, Denny might save his business. If it doesn’t? Well, his creditors aren’t exactly sending friendly reminder emails.

Everything converges at a legendary New York recording studio. Connor struggles to deliver the comeback performance everybody needs, and Denny’s loan shark arrives to collect. Suddenly the music business isn’t just cutthroat in the metaphorical sense.

Tell me that doesn’t sound like a pressure cooker! You’ve got an artist wrestling with his past, a businessman gambling on one final shot and a dangerous outsider who doesn’t care whether the perfect take is finished. Somebody better hit RECORD before the whole thing explodes.

Harburn’s editorial background includes work connected to Something Is Killing the Children, BRZRKR and Exquisite Corpses. That’s a lot of experience helping other storytellers sharpen their visions. Now he gets to step into the writer’s chair and take his own swing.

And the collaborators matter. Gane’s artwork, Bellaire’s colors and Bidikar’s lettering have the potential to give this music-soaked crime story a visual rhythm of its own. Comics about music face an especially fun challenge: the pages can’t literally play you a song, so the art, pacing and lettering have to make you feel the sound. If this team pulls that off, we’re in for something special.

As a Brooklyn kid who loves music and comics, I am absolutely here for a story where the underground scene isn’t just a cool background. It’s the engine driving the desperation, ego, ambition and danger. There are a million superhero books on the rack. Give me a sharp, character-driven crime story with an original hook and I’m listening!

Humbucker arrives in comic shops April 14, 2027, followed by a bookstore release May 11, 2027. The trade paperback’s ISBN is 9781534331204.

Writer: Eric Harburn
Artist: Simon Gane
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Image Comics / Tiny Onion
Comic shop release: April 14, 2027
Bookstore release: May 11, 2027

Music, crime, New York attitude and a creative team with serious chops? Humbucker has my attention. Now crank those amps, lock the studio door and let’s see who makes it out with the master tapes. WEPAAAAAAAA!