Escape #1
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Daniel Acuna
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: August 20, 2025
Cover Price: $4.99
SERIES PREMIERE
SHOT DOWN. HUNTED. OUT OF TIME. THE NEW ONGOING TWO-FISTED WAR EPIC FROM REMENDER & ACUNA A STARTS HERE.
From the creative team of**_ New York Times_** bestselling author RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, Uncanny X-Force) and powerhouse DANIEL ACUNA (Captain America, Black Panther)-the duo behind Marvel's **Uncanny Avengers**-comes a savage, full-throttle wartime thriller where survival isn't given...it's taken. Milton Shaw is a battle-hardened bomber pilot, flying missions over a war-torn world ruled by a ruthless empire. But when his plane is shot out of the sky, Milton wakes up behind enemy lines-in the smoldering ruins of a city he helped burn. And in less than 24 hours, his own side is dropping the big one to finish the job. Now, injured, unarmed, and being hunted through enemy streets, Milton's only shot at escape comes from the unlikeliest place: a grieving father and his son-civilians shattered by the same fascist regime that rules this land with an iron claw. Enemies by blood. Allies by circumstance. Together, they'll have to fight their way out before the bomb drops and erases everything...and everyone. Set in a brutal, fully painted world of anthropomorphic animals-think Inglourious Basterds meets Blacksad-ESCAPE is a gritty, bullet-riddled journey through war's scorched aftermath. It's about the violence we inflict, the souls we try to save, and the courage it takes to crawl out of fire.
Score:
★★★★★ (5/5)
I went into Escape completely blind, knowing only the pedigree of its creators. Unsurprisingly, Rick Remender and Daniel Acuña deliver one of the strongest debuts of the week—if not the year. This riveting war story unfolds in the skies above enemy territory, where Milton Shaw and his crew embark on a bombing run that could end the war. What follows is a harrowing dogfight that evokes the tension of WWII combat, but with a bold twist: the combatants are anthropomorphic animals. It sounds like a gamble, but it works brilliantly. The result is a white-knuckle ride pitched as Inglourious Basterds meets Blacksad—and it absolutely delivers on that promise, while carving out something uniquely its own.
War comics have a long, storied tradition—from EC and DC’s classics to celebrated runs in British publishing—that have enthralled readers for decades. Escape honors that legacy while pushing it forward. Remender blends those influences with elements of his own history, strapping the reader into the cockpit beside Shaw and his airmen as they fight for survival. The script strikes a careful balance: sharp, poignant dialogue underscores the inhumanity of war, while the aerial battles ratchet up the tension with every turn of the page. Each moment of combat is as thrilling as it is sobering, capturing both the exhilaration of flight and the unbearable weight of conflict.
Acuña’s artwork elevates the story even further. His depictions of aerial combat are breathtaking—dynamic perspectives put you inside the chaos as the bomber takes damage and gunners fire back. Yet it’s the character designs that leave the deepest impression: dogs, bears, and apes rendered with grit, nuance, and startling realism. There may be no better artist suited to bring this world to life. And the choice of animals over humans isn’t a gimmick. As Remender explains in his notes, research suggests people often feel greater empathy for animals than for fellow humans. By filtering the story through this lens, he strips away bias and creates a more immediate, universal commentary on man’s inhumanity to man.
Escape is a stunning achievement—a gripping adventure that both thrills and provokes reflection. Remender and Acuña are working at the top of their craft, and together they’ve reintroduced war comics as a genre capable of equal parts spectacle and substance.
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Bonus:
Looking for the best in war comics? Check out Into the Weird's list of "The 16 Greatest War Comics Ever Published"
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