If you’ve been looking for a reason to revisit a surreal, boundary-pushing piece of comic history, Image Comics has you covered this November. Writer Joe Casey (Terminal, BEN 10) and artist Ashley Wood (Popbot, World War Robot) are bringing their 2002 cult classic, Automatic Kafka, back to shelves in a complete trade paperback collection for the very first time.
Originally released over two decades ago, Automatic Kafka was a subversive, mature-audience superhero series that arguably arrived ahead of its time. Described by Image as The Boys and Doom Patrol meets Mr. Robot, the series is a sharp, surreal satire of fame, celebrity culture, and the machinery of power.
The story follows the titular character, a washed-up android superhero and former member of the super-team The $tranger$. Now spiraling through a hyper-violent, media-saturated version of America, Kafka finds himself caught in the middle of weaponized nostalgia, shadowy government schemes, and a desperate, existential quest for humanity.
“This is a series that meant a lot, both for my career and for me, personally,” said Casey. “It was my biggest swing in comic books at that time, and laid the foundation for a lot of my work that came after. I’m psyched that Image Comics has stepped up to the plate to remind everyone just how gloriously deranged my creative partnership with Ash [Wood] really was. After all these years, maybe the world has finally caught up withAutomatic Kafka.”
Artist Ashley Wood also shared his excitement, reflecting on the artistic ambition behind the original run: “We set out to match Claremont and Byrne’s awesome X-Men run for its superhero greatness, did we make it? Who knows? But it was great fun to work with Joe, to discover colour and now we finally get the trade!”
For those looking to add this gem to their shelves, here is the release information:
- Local Comic Book Shops: Wednesday, November 25, 2026
- Bookstores/Amazon: Tuesday, December 22, 2026
The collection will also be available on major digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Google Play, Apple’s iBooks, and more.
