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Posted March 20, 2015 by Paul Ramos in Comics
 
 

IMAGE COMICS: There’s an ‘I’ in ‘WIN’

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Independent comics (or ‘indie’ or ‘creator-owned’ for some) are on the march since the late 2000s, though they pick up pace in the 2010 up to this day. Still they are lagging behind in terms of overall commercial outputs that mainstream comics (Marvel Comics and DC Comics) boasts, creator-owned counterparts show the way in producing high-quality titles that many comic and even casual readers want to read, buy and crave in. Moreover, critical reviews on many of these titles are solidly positive, if not remarkable, and even won several comics-award giving bodies, such as Eisner, Harvey, Ignatz and others. Mainstream comics still dominates the public interest; and it is undeniably the fact that many readers are searching for more sophistication in the aesthetic sense, diverse topics/discourses/issues, and the promise of the closure that mainstream titles fail to provide. Furthermore, many indie comics are adapted to both the cinema and television/cable series, even to the point of be being critically and commercially received and succeeded.

The creators—writers and artists—benefit much and given more credit and recognition they definitely deserve. The independent comic publishers accommodate, if not facilitate or being instrumental, of fulfilling this visual literary reality. Dark Horse Comics is considered the pioneer in this respect; then followed by Image Comics, Valiant Entertainment, Dynamite Entertainment, IDW Publishing, BOOM! Studios, ONI Press, Avatar Studios, Fantagraphics, and Top Self Productions. I give focus on the second, Image, due to the fact that it creates the modern day template on how to attract mainstream comic geniuses, discover potential (and upcoming) talents, and catering the various demographic spheres that would suit their respective visual aesthetic sensibilities, preferences and overall, the quality that either matches or surpasses many mainstream comics. This is not to discredit other creator-owned comic publishers, most particularly Dark Horse Comics that is responsible for the releases of graphic literary masterpieces like Sin City, Usagi Yujimbo, Hellboy, Concrete, and Goon. It has secured its place and significance in the annals of comic book history. But, Image, since the 2000s and presently, shows the path towards independence, respectability, credibility, and most importantly, recognition of virtually everything that the competition and other publishers either fail or try to match.

I believe that Image Comics is responsible for the comics industry’s paradigm shift. For the past few years, Image Comics produces some of the best visual literature that it could offer so far. “So far” is just an understatement for we comic book connoisseurs and even new potential readers are yet to witness Image’s greatest moment—the Golden Age of Creator-Owned Comics. Perhaps we are now lucky we are going to see that moment for we already see how Image establishes a strong foundation that serves as the bulwark for future and current independent comics publishing and to the creator-owned comics as well.

We can trace this “revolution”, “phenomenon” or “trend” around the end of the 20th century where Image geared many of its superhero titles (since the founders like Jim Lee, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefield and Whilce Portacio were superhero or mainstream artists to start with) to more sophisticated audience/readers by releasing more complex and/or diverse titles. McFarlane had the gritty and crime-and-suspense neophyte Brian Michael Bendis to write Spawn titles – Hellspawn and Sam & Twitch. Other than Fire, Jinx and Bones, Bendis even started doing Powers that even earned him an Eisner award as the writer who deserved more recognition. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips were doing Lee’s Wildstorm universe titles like Sleeper and later, The Authority, while before that, Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch rejuvenated the superhero genre with Stormwatch and The Authority. Robert Kirkman pitched his George Romero-homage to Larsen’s Shadowline that later on become the smash successes The Walking Dead and earlier Invincible. Kurt Busiek delivered his one-of-the-kind optimistic perspective on the superhero genre by writing Astro City to Lee’s publishing house. However, Wildstorm went to DC Comics before the century’s end, so went its titles as well. But that did not diminish the fact of Image’s slow ascendance to true independent-niche.
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As a matter of truth here, some of the starters went on to become mainstream comics superhero-level scribes themselves. Brubaker’s Captain America run is now considered as one of the best series ever. Bendis’s Daredevil saga is arguably at par with Frank Miller’s character-defining run. Kirkman’s zombie series was further highlighted in the senses-shattering Marvel Zombies. Even Marvel anticipated the need of having independent titles around to keep its top caliber scribes happy or loyal that it set-up its own autonomous establishment, Icon Comics. Thus, creators-owned works like Criminals and Incognito (Brubaker), Powers and Takio (Bendis), Casanova (by rising star Matt Fraction), and later on, Kick-Ass, Supercrooks, Superior and Nemesis (Mark Millar – who had two Image titles then, American Jesus and Wanted) cemented their respective status as some of the best comics creations and series in recent memories. On the other hand, we cannot discount the existence and importance of DC’s Vertigo Comics line that unleashed high quality and award-winning titles like Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man, Pride of Baghdad, and Deux Ex Machina. Jason Aaron’s dark and hard-boiled gritty tale of a prodigal Native American son in the epic run Scalped resonates later in the superhero and creator-owned titles he works on. And, Brian Wood‘s politically-charged critique of the United States-9/11 geopolitics was seen in DMZ.

Seriously, despite the known dominance of mainstream comics industry, Image Comics was actually undergoing a sort of a renaissance that only enhanced its status further. Continuing the initial steps of publishing more diverse-themed and unorthodox titles to maintain its original commitment of independence, Image top people Larsen, Silvestre, Valentino and one-time Liefield editor Eric Stephenson searched potential talents whose works were rejected by the mainstream establishment (particularly pitched in Vertigo), and those rejected pitches that might work or wanted to give these upstarts an opportunity in breaking the comic industry. We can pinpoint some of these personalities right now. The brothers-in-tandem Joshua and Jonathan Luna, whose works The Sword; Ultra: Seven Days; and Girls received critical accolades. Jonathan Hickman’s riveting The Nightly News was still considered as his break-out masterpiece. Matt Fraction’s Casanova actually started in Image before being picked up by Marvel. And Millar’s Wanted was among the first Image titles to be adopted and translated into a cinematic experience, and possibly, responsible of rising his confidence level to rise up to do more creator-owned titles and hiring some of the top caliber artists like Bryan Hitch, John Romita Jr., Steve McNiven, Leinil Francis Yu, Dave Gibbons, and Frank Quitely to do his bidding/pet projects which they are also equally benefited and acknowledged. Rick Remender had his comic writing years in Image like Sea of Red, Strange Girl, and Fear Agent before going (and finishing it) to Dark Horse Comics and being included to Marvel later on.

But the real kicker in Image history was when Stephenson ascended as publisher after Valentino stepped down, and before then, Kirkman’s prodigal return to Image and his assumption as one of Image’s top partners as Chief Operation Officer, the first of its kind. The former expanded his search for talents and even enticing mainstream writers and artists to have their titles released (like in Icon) with better offers they cannot simply refuse. The latter remains steadfast with his conviction of staying independent, for better or worse, which proves presently prophetic for his The Walking Dead books were responsible for making the fledging trade paperback market flourishing (and to that extent, the Diamond Distribution Inc.), releasing more indie titles that are successful and being pitched for future television/cable adaptations (like Thief of Thieves and Outcast), and the successful TV cable series –  The Walking Dead. And, Image Comics becomes the third strongest force in the comics industry in the last three years and even its titles are considered as more diverse and innovative than many of the mainstream comics available. The Walking Dead #100 was the best-selling single issue comics in 2013 and many current issues kept knocking the monthly Top 10 or so doorstep. The trade paperback and even the hardcover editions simply dominate the 2014 graphic novel category alone, and Image Comics keeps on printing multiple printings to satisfy new comic and casual readers. These seemingly simple strategies and Image’s vision of giving comic book creators/artists the independence they crave/demand/aspire and the total control of their properties truly make Image Comics a force to be reckoned with!


Paul Ramos