Image Comics Announces New Ongoing Series ‘The Forgotten Five’ — Superheroes With A Twist

by Olly MacNamee

Writers Alex Segura (Secret Identity) and Sara Century (Best Issue Ever podcaster) and artists Pat Kennedy (Archie) and Dean Kotz (Rocketeer) have a fresh new take on superheroes in the new ongoing series from Image Comics, The Forgotten Five, first announced exclusively at CBR last week.

And here’s the plot:

“Decades ago, five teens with strange powers barely managed to escape the clutches of a shadowy organization known as The Contingency. Aided by former Contingency agent Polly Napier and her partner Gilly Stokes, they became The Five: a team of freedom-fighting outcasts!

Years later, with the Contingency defeated, The Five have grown up and moved on, leaving the world-saving to new teams of heroes across the country. But when rumors of their old foes begin to resurface, can the Forgotten Five cast off their civilian lives in order to reconnect and resume the fight?”

Here’s what Segura told CBR:

“The Forgotten Five is a potent blend of all the kinds of comics and adventures Sara, Pat, Dean, and I loved growing up — with a decidedly modern twist. The kind of long-running series with simmering subplots, outcast teen angst, and terrifying powers that we were addicted to as readers ourselves. If The New Mutants were an indie comic, you’d have The Forgotten Five.”

Kotz added:

“Like most kids in the Eighties, I started with Marvel and DC superhero comics. Their sprawling, interconnected stories (and backstories!) completely captured my imagination. Then I discovered indie comics, and those quickly became my favorites. They were personal and raw, and you’d find the creators’ fingerprints in every panel. With The Forgotten Five, we’re bringing both styles of storytelling together. It’s an indie book infused with superhero DNA.”

Finally, Century told CBR:

“Superhero movies always make having super powers look so epic and heroic, but I assume having superpowers would be a monkey’s paw situation that would cause endless unforeseen problems. We wanted to use non-linear storytelling to show how being reluctant heroes sort of derailed these characters’ lives over decades. This whole creative team loves superhero fights, but we might love drama even more, so that makes The Forgotten Five basically a soap opera with explosions.”