Image is Everything (Or at Least, Something)
Someone over on Millarworld asked something that we all ask at some point or another, "what happened to Image?"My response didn't address that (although the answer, in a nutshell, is "egos"), but rather, "what if...?"
What if the Image founders didn't start bickering and kept together all these years? I said if Image stuck to their original publishing philosophies, we'd have a Big Three right now. Image wouldn't be the niche publisher they are right now, and would be right up there in the mainstream with Marvel and DC. I said that was a good thing.
Of course, some people disagreed with me. And they had good, valid points. Image as it is today publishes some of the best comics around--The Walking Dead, Sea of Red, Fell, etc, etc.
However, my feeling is this: Image had a chance, a very real chance, to shake up the Marvel/DC duopoly that's been dominating the industry for the past four decades. Nobody has come as close as they were, and I doubt if anyone will come as close anytime soon.
By today's standards, 90's Image published some of the worst comics ever. Flashy art, juvenile plots, laughable scripts. Still, compared to 90' Marvel and DC comics, Image wasn't so bad. Image had superior production values, flashy art (it's both a plus and a minus), more creative leeway, and some decent concepts.
Okay, fine, WildCATS was about as thought-provoking as X-Men. But Spawn had some depth, dealing with issues such as race and religion. Youngblood introduced the government-team-as-celebrities concept to a wide audience. Savage Dragon dealt with the consequences and lifestyle of being a celebrity law-enforcer. This wasn't Sandman, but compared to JLA Task Force or Secret Defenders? Not bad, really.
Imagine if all the Image creators were still around doing their thing when Jemas kickstarted the industry. They would have taken a hit (like DC), but I have a feeling they would eventually have been able to respond (like DC has) and improve the quality of their product.
Yes, this would have meant more superhero comics. But it would also have meant more choice. If you didn't like what Marvel or DC was doing, you had a third alternative mainstream universe to escape to. The Big Three would check and balance each other, preventing any abuses or marketing gimmicks that could corner the fans.
Meanwhile, your favorite books like Invincible or Godland? They'd still be around, either as part of Image or another publisher (Dark Horse, IDW, AiT, take your pick).
Wouldn't that be a better world?
posted by butch @ 1/10/2006
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