Image Comics Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Brian K. Vaughan & Niko Henrichon’s Masterpiece,
“Pride of Baghdad” This Fall with Breathtaking Hardcover Edition Featuring New Cover Art
“Deeply moving.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review (Starred Review)
“Lavishly drawn, and devastating…” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“This is an important work, strongly recommended for all adult collections.” —Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Seems destined to cement the reputation of Brian K. Vaughan as one of the best writers to grace the medium in many years.” —Variety
“Lushly illustrated.” —The New York Times
“A brightly colored tragedy, Pride of Baghdad is as unblinking as the perils faced every day in the real Iraq.” —USA Today
“You can put it right next to Watchmen. It’s that good.” —IGN
PORTLAND, Ore. 04/22/2026 — The New York Times bestselling, award winning creative team Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, We Stand on Guard, Paper Girls) and Niko Henrichon (Spectators) will bring their beloved, contemporary classic, Pride of Baghdad back to shelves through Image Comics this September. This modern masterpiece celebrates its 20th anniversary this year with a new hardcover edition featuring lavishly hand-painted new cover art by Henrichon, on a gorgeous wraparound dust jacket, and will include never-before-seen extras as well as a new afterword by Vaughan.
There will also be a Direct Market Exclusive cover, available only at local comic shops, featuring the original first edition’s cover art.
Pride of Baghdad took the industry by storm when it was first published under the DC Vertigo banner in September 2006 and shortly thereafter gained spots on ALA’s “Great Graphic Novels for Teens: Top Ten” list, Booklist “Editors’ Choice: Adult Books for Young Adults” list, and was dubbed “Best Original Graphic Novel” of the year by IGN.
“Twenty years later, I’m as proud of this book as I am depressed by how relevant it remains,” said Vaughan. “Despite the harrowing subject matter, it was a pleasure to revisit the beautiful work of my collaborators: legendary letterer Todd Klein and astonishing artist/co-creator Niko Henrichon. We’re grateful to everyone at Image Comics for bringing this lovely new edition to life, and to all the readers who requested it, especially you cool English teachers who’ve shared our graphic novel with your students over the last two decades.”
Inspired by true events, Pride of Baghdad is a provocative, visually spectacular graphic novel that follows four lions who escaped from the Baghdad Zoo during the American invasion of Iraq.
Pride of Baghdad is a story layered with themes that still resonate in today’s politically uncertain, war-torn reality. Loss of innocence, the value of independence and freedom over safety and control, and the globally shifting perspectives on authority sit squarely at the center of this unforgettable story of bravery and survival.
“When I first read Pride of Baghdad 20 years ago, I was both moved by the story and impressed by Brian’s and Nikos’s extraordinary talents,” said Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics. “Imagine now the honor of re-presenting this towering achievement for a whole new audience. Absolutely essential in every respect.”
Pride of Baghdad: The 20th Anniversary Edition hardcover (ISBN: 9781534330917, Lunar Code 0426IM0483) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 23 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, October 20.
Pride of Baghdad: The 20th Anniversary Edition Direct Market Exclusive hardcover (Lunar Code 0426IM0484) will be available only at local comic book shops on Wednesday, September 23.
Pride of Baghdad will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of bestselling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States, and is the #2 graphic novel publisher in America. It is the publisher of such award winning titles as, Spawn, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Saga, Monstress, Deadly Class, Chew, The Old Guard, I Kill Giants, Criminal, The Department of Truth, W0rldtr33, Geiger, Descender, Gideon Falls, It’s Lonely At The Centre of The Earth, Do A Power Bomb, Stray Bullets, and more. The company currently has six individuals on the Board of Directors: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, Jim Valentino, and Eric Stephenson. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline Comics, Skybound Entertainment, and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit: http://www.imagecomics.com.
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