Skybound and Image Comics have announced a new 25th anniversary hardcover edition of Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore’s Battle Pope.  The story of a hard-drinking, womanizing pope with ripped abs and training in martial arts from Bruce Lee himself was first published in black and white in 2000 by Kirkman’s publishing company Funk-O-Tron, reprinted in color by Image in 2005, and collected into four paperback volumes in the late 2000s.  The new edition, the first to collect the entire series in a single volume, features a remastered cover by Moore and bonus material including covers and sketches.  Battle Pope 25th Anniversary HC: The Immaculate Collection will go on sale in comics shops on September 10, 2025, and in bookstores on September 23.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Kirkman denied that the news was timed to coincide with the election of the first pope from the South Side of Chicago. “I swear we had this planned months ago!” he said.  "Full disclosure, we did try to time this announcement around the conclave but it happened so fast! And the first American Pope? Seems suspicious, right?... Battle Pope is where I first met and got to work with Matthew Roberts, Cory Walker and E.J. Su and all that work is collected here. The beginnings of The Walking Dead, Brit, Manifest Destiny, Invincible, Science Dog, Tech Jacket and Blood & Thunder... all started here... in this ridiculous comic."

Kirkman’s new comic, Battle Beast #1, which launches a new Invincible storyline, sold out at the distributor level this week (see “‘Battle Beast’ Orders ‘Nearly 400,000’”).