Rob Liefeld's Youngblood relaunch completely overshadows Image Comics

The Relaunch & the Big Picture

Liefeld is one of the founding forces of Image, and his return to Youngblood — writing and drawing the book himself — is being framed as a full‑on “comeback to his signature creation” moment. The new Youngblood #1 arrives November 5, 2025. Image Comics+1
Image’s own press materials make clear this is more than a simple relaunch:

• the “collector’s‑edition” Youngblood Deluxe launched earlier in 2025 (for example, Youngblood Deluxe #1 on April 16) as a remastered version of his original work. AIPT+1

• now, the 2025 Youngblood is coming with 27 retailer‑exclusive covers, 30 team‑up variant covers on other Image titles, plus black‑&‑white “manga‑inspired” editions and incentive ratio covers. Overstreet Access+3Image Comics+3The Beat+3

• Liefeld himself has been very vocal online about bypassing traditional retailers (at least initially) in favour of direct‑to‑consumer via his livestream presence on the platform Whatnot. Popverse+1

So what we have is: the “Youngblood return” as a vehicle for variant mania + creator direct‑sales hustle + a major cover rollout across a wide umbrella of other titles.

The Variant Cover Blitz

Magnitude

• Image officially states the relaunch will “dominate shelves” with team‑up variant covers across 30 different series. Image Comics+1

• One article calls it “a cavalcade of 27 retailer exclusive variants, 30 team‑up variants, black & white variants, incentive ratio variants.” The Beat+1

• Another piece confirms “Youngblood to appear on 30 variant covers in November” via a program across Image titles. Major Spoilers+1

That’s a huge number of variants for one series launch. It’s clearly intentional: the “event‑cover” strategy, the “everyone gets a Youngblood team‑up” covers, and the store‑exclusive covers all function as collector hooks.

Examples of the “team‑up across titles” list

Here are some of the titles that will get Youngblood team‑up covers (by no means exhaustive):

• The Walking Dead Deluxe #124 Cover D “Youngblood Team‑Up” by David Finch; Cover E B&W Virgin version. Image Comics+1

• Assorted Crisis Events #6 Cover C for Youngblood Team‑Up, Cover D B&W. Image Comics

• Author Immortal #2 Cover C by Jim Towe & J.P. Jordan. Image Comics

• Artificial #3 — Youngblood Team‑Up art by Maria Llovet. Image Comics

• Colossal Kaya (one‑shot) Cover B by Wes Craig. Image Comics

• Blood & Thunder #7 Cover G by E.J. Su. Image Comics

• Geiger #18 Cover E and F Youngblood Team‑Up by Gary Frank. Image Comics

• Spawn #370 Cover C & D Youngblood Team‑Up by Brett Booth. Image Comics+1

• Final Boss #1 Cover I & J by Tyler Kirkham. Image Comics

• Lucky Devils #6 Cover C & D by Ryan Browne. Image Comics

• No Man’s Land #3 Cover D by Szymon Kudranski. Image Comics

• Lost Fantasy #5 Cover I & J by Maxi Dallo. Image Comics

• Hector Plasm: Hunt the Bigfoot #2 Cover E by Derek Hunter. Image Comics

• Capes #1 Cover G by Mark Englert. Image Comics

• Lazarus Fallen #6 Cover B by Chloe Brailsford. Image Comics

• Ghost Pepper #5 Cover F by Ludo Lullabi. Image Comics

• Viking Moon #2 Cover E & F by Phillippe Xavier. The Beat+1

• Feral #18 Cover D & E by Tony Fleecs & Trish Forstner. Image Comics

• I, Tyrant #5 Cover D & F by Godfarr & Ryan Gajda. Image Comics

• Hyde Street #10 Cover E & F by Ivan Reis. Image Comics

• Radiant Black #39 Cover D & E by Daniel Bayliss. Image Comics

• Inferno Girl Red: Book Two #1 Cover D & B&W. Image Comics

• I Hate Fairyland #46 Cover D & E by Skottie Young. The Beat+1

• Free Planet #7 Cover D & E by Jed Dougherty. The Beat

• Sleep #7 Cover C by Zander Cannon. Image Comics

• Wrestle Heist #1 Cover D by Kyle Starks (on sale December 17) The Beat+1

The Youngblood #1 cover lineup

For the core Youngblood (2025) #1 itself:

• Multiple covers: Cover A by Rob Liefeld (polybagged with a collectible card) AIPT+1

• Cover C by Skottie Young. AIPT+1

• Cover D by Ryan Stegman. AIPT

• Cover E by Daniel Warren Johnson. AIPT

• Cover F by Ryan Ottley. AIPT

• Blank Sketch variant (Cover G) AIPT

• Incentive variants: Cover H 1:25 by Kael Ngu; Cover I 1:50 by E.M. Gist; Cover J 1:100 by Mark Spears; Cover K 1:500 signed Rob Liefeld foil; Cover L 1:2000 original art sketch variant. AIPT

• Cover M the black & white manga edition by Rob Liefeld. Image Comics+1

Store‑Exclusive Retailer Covers

One of the big hooks: each participating comic shop gets its own exclusive cover variant for Youngblood #1. For example:

• Nirvana Comics (Knoxville, TN) has an exclusive cover with art by Riley Brown. Image Comics+1

• Other shops listed: Big Time Collectibles (Rob Liefeld cover art); AnZ Comics (Kev Mallqui cover); Midtown Comics (Rob Liefeld cover); Countdown Comics LLC (Marat Mychaels cover); East Coast Comics (Franck Uzan cover); TenFwd Comics (Tyler Kirkham cover); Comic Inspiration (Jeff Monk cover); FURYCOMIX (kyuYong Eom cover); Windy City Comics (B. Ernest Williams cover); Third Eye Comics (Jim Rugg cover) — all part of the “27 retailer exclusive covers” program. Image Comics+1

In short: your local shop can “participate” and have its own version of Youngblood #1, driving a collector rush to various stores.

The Direct‑to‑Fan Sales Strategy

Liefeld isn’t just relying on the Direct Market (comic shops) anymore; he’s going direct to fans via Whatnot. Highlights:

• He states that “comic shops are too unreliable” in ordering his work, and that he’s selling direct to readers via Whatnot livestreams. Popverse+1

• On Whatnot, Liefeld’s “store” (seller name “robliefeld”) lists launch editions of Youngblood #1 (Goldfoil variant, Virgin variant, Sketch variant, Trade Dress variant) all signed, e.g.:

  • “Youngblood #1 Launch Edition ‘Premium Premier’ Goldfoil variant – $160”

  • “Launch Edition ‘Virgin’ variant – $60”

  • “Launch Edition ‘Sketch’ variant – $60”

  • “Launch Edition ‘Trade Dress’ variant – $60” Popverse+1

• One article (First Comics News) says: “Youngblood 2025 is available only in Premium or Premiere editions exclusively online, via livestream, for 6‑7 months before making their way to the Direct Market. Maybe longer.” First Comics News

So: the strategy appears two‑fold — heavy store exclusive cover programs + creator‑direct online drops via livestream. It’s a recipe for collectible scarcity mania.

How Skottie Young & Others Are Profiting

• One of the cover artists on Youngblood #1 is Skottie Young (Cover C). That alone ties his name into the collectible hype machine. AIPT+1

• The “team‑up cover” program taps a wide roster of artists (Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, Bryan Hitch, Dave Finch, etc) to draw Youngblood characters on other major series — each variant cover is a new revenue opportunity and collector incentive. AIPT+1

• Shops doing the exclusive variants (like Nirvana Comics) effectively get a “store exclusive” draw, which can increase foot traffic and sales.

• As for the direct‑to‑fans via Whatnot — Liefeld is the primary seller, but the platform itself (and any collaborators) benefit by enabling high‑value collector sales, signed editions, special variants, etc.

In short: the hype machine is spread across creator, artist, shop, and platform.

What This Means for Comic Shops & Collectors

For shops

• If you’re a comic shop, you can opt into being part of the “retailer exclusive” program (like Nirvana did). That gives you a unique variant to draw collector demand.

• But there’s risk: with 27 retailer exclusives + 30 team‑up variants + myriad variants, the spectrum gets saturated. Shops may need to carefully manage inventory so they’re not overcommitted to every variant.

• Liefeld’s stated “direct‑to‑consumer first” strategy may leave shops later in the cycle — which could impact order peaks.

For collectors

• If you’re collecting, be prepared: this is one of the most variant‑heavy launch strategies in recent years. To “own everything” means dozens of covers across multiple titles.

• Value is uncertain: high print runs or oversaturation of variants can affect long‑term resale value. The formula — signed editions, very limited ratio incentives (1:50, 1:100, 1:500 etc) — is meant to drive scarcity appeal. For example, the Youngblood #1 Cover J 1:100 by Mark Spears. AIPT

• If you’re chasing the “store exclusive cover,” go early (e.g., Nirvana Comics’ Riley Brown cover). These could become the harder to find variants.

• If you’re fine with reading rather than collecting, you might choose the standard covers and skip the 20+ variants.

Focus on Nirvana Comics (Knoxville, TN)

Nirvana Comics is specifically mentioned as one of the participating retailers with a unique variant for Youngblood #1: the art is by Riley Brown. Image Comics
Here are a few key highlights about Nirvana:

• Located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nirvana Comics

• They describe themselves as “a modern comic book store… we have thousands of back issues, trades, manga, all levels of collector.” Nirvana Comics

• Having their own exclusive variant for Youngblood #1 gives them a collector hook beyond standard stock. For collectors, if you want that Riley Brown exclusive variant, you have to go through Nirvana or pursue via secondary market.

• This also demonstrates how even local shops can play a role in the larger variant strategy — not just major big‑box comics retailers, but smaller shops like Nirvana get in the game.

So: if you live in the Knoxville area or are interested in that particular cover, Nirvana is a key stop.

My Take & What to Watch

• This is arguably one of the most aggressive variant strategies in recent years for a creator‑owned relaunch. The formula: cover overload + store exclusives + team‑up crossovers + direct‑to‑fan sales.

• The hype is clearly being amplified: the “Youngblood everywhere” variant campaign across 30 series means you’re going to see Youngblood characters plastered across many titles — driving awareness.

• From a business perspective, Liefeld is taking control of his distribution: bypassing parts of the Direct Market he feels have “failed” him, going direct to fans initially. That’s a bold shift.

• However: variant saturation has risks. Too many variants can dilute collectible value, confuse customers, anger retailers who feel bypassed, and make stock management a nightmare.

• For collectors: pick your lane. If you’re in for the fun, this is exciting. If you’re speculating on value, you may want to be selective (signed variants, ultra‑limited ratios, store exclusives) rather than chasing 30+ covers.

• For shops: being a participating retailer (with an exclusive variant) is an opportunity, but you’ll want to cap orders and manage expectations. The “cover geddon” strategy may bring foot traffic but also chaos.

• Key things to watch: how large print runs are for each variant, how long the direct‑to‑fan sales window lasts (since some of the books are “exclusives online for 6‑7 months” before Direct Market). Will stores be disappointed by stock or timing? Will collectors react the way the hype assumes?