TELEPATHY, POKER & TROUBLE: DEREK KIRK KIM AND JACOB PEREZ GO ALL-IN ON IMAGE COMICS’ ROYALS THIS FALL

Eisner and Harvey Award winner Derek Kirk Kim teams with rising artist Jacob Perez for a supernatural Seoul-set crime caper packed with brotherly chaos, crooked cards, and one seriously dangerous heist.

WEPA! Now this sounds like my kind of family bonding.

Image Comics is taking readers straight into the neon-lit back alleys of Seoul this fall with Royals, the upcoming supernatural crime graphic novel from Eisner and Harvey Award-winning writer Derek Kirk Kim (The Last Mermaid, Same Difference) and rising-star artist Jacob Perez (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).

Forget matching shirts and awkward family dinners. Twin brothers Paul and Castor have something a little more useful going for them. They can communicate telepathically, and like any two responsible gentlemen blessed with a supernatural gift, they use it to hustle poker games. Ay bendito, what could possibly go wrong? Plenty.

The brothers have built what looks like the perfect scam, using their mental connection to clean up at the tables without anyone knowing what hit them. Unfortunately, you can only play slick for so long before somebody slicker catches you. Paul and Castor eventually get busted by one of Seoul’s most ruthless criminal organizations, and suddenly their sweet little poker hustle comes with a debt that can’t exactly be settled with Venmo. Their way out? Pull off a dangerous heist.

Now the twins have to take the gift they’ve been using for themselves and push it further than ever before. The problem is, having a psychic connection doesn’t magically make sibling drama disappear. These two know exactly how to get inside each other’s heads, literally, and completing the job may depend on whether they can stop fighting long enough to survive it.

The early buzz has already been strong. The Comics Beat praised the book as something worth checking out even for readers who aren’t normally interested in casinos, sibling stories, or superpowers, while AIPT highlighted its mix of brotherly love-hate energy, crime-caper madness, slapstick humor, and neon-soaked Seoul atmosphere.

That’s the sauce right there. Royals isn’t coming at readers like another cookie-cutter superhero joint. Kim and Perez are mixing crime, comedy, supernatural abilities, family dysfunction, and Korean nightlife into something that feels built for readers who like their comics stylish, character-driven, and just a little dangerous.

Kim has also gone deeper into the creation and themes behind Royals in an interview published through Image Comics, giving readers more insight into the story before the complete collection hits shelves.

The Royals trade paperback, ISBN 9781534389045, collects issues #1 through #6 and arrives at local comic shops on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The book hits independent bookstores and major retailers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, December 8, 2026.

Digital readers aren’t getting left outside the casino either. Royals will also be available through platforms including Kindle, Google Play, Apple Books, Nook, Everand, Kobo, OverDrive, Hoopla, Comics Plus, and more. Telepathic twins. Poker scams. Seoul nightlife. Gangsters. A heist that could get everybody killed.

Yeah, familia. Image Comics might have just dealt us one hell of a hand.

The Crusade Never Ends!