Ascender back on track leading towards finale at Image

Ascender #16 cover
(Image credit: Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics))

Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's Ascender is back on the schedule, with Ascender #15 now scheduled for a May 26 release.

(Image credit: Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics))

Originally launched in 2019 as a sequel to their limited series Descender, Ascender went on hiatus after issue #14 back in late 2020. Ascender #15 and Ascender #16 were initially announced for a January and February release, but Image Comics canceled these orders completely in early January with no word on the series continuing.

At the time, Newsarama learned that the decision to cancel orders came as a result of a member of the creative team having to take time off from work to deal with a personal matter. 

The series is now back on track, with Ascender #15 scheduled for May 26 - the first part of the series' final arc, titled 'Star Seed.'

(Image credit: Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics))

"What are the twin hearts of the galaxy? As our heroes reconvene, the origins of man, machine, and the unknown are at last revealed."

Lemire has said that Ascender #15 and #16 were completed back in January, so assuming things are back on track it should be able to resume a monthly schedule leading to its finale with Ascender #18.

Lemire and Nguyen have already made plans to continue working together after Ascender, with a small project and then a second, larger one nicknamed 'Project Pavement' that is penciled in for a 2022 debut.

Ascender #1 - 14 is available now on all major digital comics services. Check out Newsarama's list of the best digital comics readers for Android and iOS devices.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)