Image Firsts: Velvet

Launched in 2014 from Image Comics, Velvet is a sleek, Cold War-era espionage thriller written by Ed Brubaker with moody, cinematic artwork by Steve Epting. The series reimagines the classic superspy archetype through the eyes of Velvet Templeton, a secretary at a secret intelligence agency who becomes a formidable operative in her own right after a shocking betrayal. Though this Image Firsts reprint collects only the first issue, the full series is celebrated for its elegant, slow-burn plotting and Epting's atmospheric visuals, which together revitalize the spy genre with a noir-inflected, character-driven focus.