Image Comics has revealed Chainkata, a new, sci-fi action series by writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson, launching this November. The book follows Luma, a warrior queen who wields a chainsaw, as she pursues “an unknown power in the vastness of space. All she wants is to find peace, but violence and terror follow her through every black hole.” The title is a play on gun kata (Japanese: form), or gun fu.
Chainkata #1 cover A, by Daniel Warren Johnson
Johnson states, “Ever since my start in comics, I’ve wanted to make a science fiction book that truly felt different from everything already out there. It was 2017 when I drew the first sketch of Luma, Chainkata‘s main character. From that point, it took me NINE years to come up with a story that I felt was worthy of being on the stands, and Chainkata is the end result of that journey. I have pushed myself narratively and artistically further than I ever have before, and I believe it shows in the pages you’ll be reading this fall. Please join me for an epic like none other. The Chain awaits you.”
The book will mark Johnson’s first series since his Transformers run concluded with issue #24 in September 2025. More details will be revealed at this month’s San Diego Comic-Con, where “a full rollout of promotion and appearances” for the book will unfold. In the meantime, you can watch a trailer below. Additionally, a three-issue, black-and-white rerelease of Johnson’s 2022 wrestling series, Do A Powerbomb, will begin tomorrow.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from SDCC ’26.
