- The Author Immortal #1
- Image Comics
- Written by Frank J. Barbiere
- Illustrated by Morgan Beem
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Design by Sasha E. Head
- Edited by Arden Ripley
- Published: October 1, 2025
- Lunar Code: 0825IM0274
- Page Count: 48
A story about the stories that shape us — and the power they still hold.
Hector Ramirez is a failed writer who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: to help reboot the fantasy book series that defined his childhood. But when he discovers the original author has mysteriously vanished into his fictional world, Hector is pulled into a realm where stories are alive, and some are willing to kill to stay in control.
From acclaimed writer Frank J. Barbiere (Five Ghosts, Violent Love) and rising-star watercolor artist Morgan Beem (Swamp Thing: Twin Branches, You Belong Here) comes a literary fantasy for fans of Locke & Key, The Magicians, and Saga with an oversized 40-page debut issue.
The Author Immortal is a bold new ongoing series about legacy, imagination, and reclaiming the power of storytelling.
Anyone who enjoys reading has got a book or an author that not only stuck with them but also established their personal reading “baseline”. Maybe not a “classic” or bestseller, but it made you realize what writing, and by extension reading, was supposed to be. For as long as I recall, horror and fantasy have been my mainstays and I’ve explored the staples from each, Lovecraft to King, Tolken to Salvatore.
In 2015 I reviewed Five Ghosts, also written by Frank Barbiere, also from Image Comics. An outstanding blend of pulp & supernatural action, it was about the power of literature in the form of a hero who could manifest the abilities of five fictional archetypes. The concept was outstanding and nudged me back into reading some of the classics it drew from. Barbiere is back with another series from Image and is again pulling inspiration from the written word.
Instead of literary figures inhabiting the living, The Author Immortal starts with a mystery, in a prelude set in 1953, revealing the last day of pioneering fantasy author E.L. Vossler. A jump forward introduces the reader to Hector Ramirez, professor of literature and aspiring author, Deborah Luckwell, best-selling author now fallen from grace, and Al, Hector’s trans son who’s going through some tough times. Through all these intros, Barbiere gives the barest glimpses of something… dark. The pace is a near perfect slow burn, like something seen from the corner of your eye for both reader and characters. Then, before either can consider what they’ve seen, the story moves on to the next panel as the world spins on.
Artist Morgan Beem keeps the visuals moving along in time with the script, sharp lines and watercolor palette filling the world in with bright colors and deep shadows. Given the way Beem uses bright washes of color in the backgrounds, a less attentive reader could be caught off guard when the story sharply turns and we’re reminded that this is, at least in part, a horror story. The effect is a little off-putting in all the best ways.
There are flavors of Lovecraft wrapped into the core of The Author Immortal, the story presenting as a slice of life before flipping to show the lurking black underneath. The methodical build lets a reader amble along, making their own connections as they take in the personalities on display. Some of those connections may be more topical, more personal than others, but I’m going to leave that to the individual to decide.
That’s how good stories are supposed to work.
Final Score: 11/13
