Daniel Warren Johnson’s CHAINKATA #1 Explodes With 116 Retailer Exclusive Covers

Daniel Warren Johnson is coming off Transformers, Do A Powerbomb, The Moon Is Following Us and plenty more heat, and now Image Comics is loading up for the November launch of CHAINKATA in a big way. The publisher says CHAINKATA #1 has already generated 116 retailer-exclusive covers across comic shops and specialty retailers.

The hook is pure Johnson energy: chainsaws, space, violence and a warrior queen looking for something close to peace. Luma is a chainsaw-wielding queen searching the vastness of space for an unknown power, only to find violence and terror following her through every black hole. Image describes the series as a collision of the large-scale sci-fi energy of Beta Ray Bill and Space-Mullet with the character-driven punch of Extremity and Do A Powerbomb.

The retailer-exclusive lineup is ridiculous in scale. Shops and partners involved include 4Tress, 616 Comics, AC Pop, Beachside Hobbies, Beast Coast Comics, Big Clutch, Black Saber Comics, Comic Grail Vault, Comic Odyssey, Dynamic Forces, East Side Comics, KRS Comics, Third Eye Comics, Trinity Comics and many more. Artists represented across the exclusives include Rob Liefeld, Skottie Young, Brett Booth, Ken Lashley, Riley Rossmo, Clay Mann, Nick Dragotta, Laura Rubin and Johnson himself.

The standard release is no slouch either. Image has announced multiple Daniel Warren Johnson covers alongside variants by Riley Rossmo and Rob Liefeld, plus incentive editions including foil, raw-art and original head-sketch versions.

Johnson’s climb over the last decade has been wild to watch. From Space-Mullet, Extremity and Murder Falcon to the Eisner-winning Do A Powerbomb, his blockbuster Transformers run and work on titles including Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star and Absolute Batman, the man has built a lane where huge action and genuine emotion can live on the same page.

CHAINKATA #1 arrives in comic shops Wednesday, November 18, 2026, with digital editions also planned across major comics and ebook platforms.

The Crusade Never Ends!