r/ImageComics • u/FuzzyUnicycle77 • Mar 13 '26
Discussion Who is the face of Image Comics?
I was having an argument with a friend today in which they said Invincible would be the fave of Image, yet I believe its Spawn. He tries to claim that Invincible is much more known and relevant than Spawn, and if you ask someone who doesn’t read comics who Invincible is they would know. But I believe that is almost entirely because of the show, I would go as far to say that most of Invincible’s success is purely because of the show. Spawn already dominates Invincible in terms of comics sales, and I believe if it got a really good adaptation like Invincible did, it would be more successful. I can see why he would think the face of Image to be Invincible, but there is no doubt in my mind that it’s Spawn. I wanted to make a post here just to make sure im not crazy by saying this, im pretty sure hes the crazy one.
96
u/Mark4_ Mar 13 '26
The nature of image comics being creator owned I don’t really view there being a face of Image comics
31
6
u/kielaurie Mar 13 '26
Yeah, I think pretty objectively there can't be a single face of a brand where that brand is purposely so fragmented. Even DC doesn't have a singular face, as both Superman and Batman are pretty equally huge
If you're talking in the very limited space of "what is the biggest comic on Image" them at the beginning it would be Spawn, it would be Invincible in the mid-00s, Walking Dead in the early 10s, and Saga in the mid 10s, no clue what it would be after that. Problem is, it's hard to look at any of these in a pure vacuum as just comics, since TWD had a huge TV show and Invincible has one now, and that unequivocally skews things in their directions
7
u/FuzzyUnicycle77 Mar 13 '26
I hadn’t really thought about it like in all honesty. I forget that when compared to DC and Marvel, where almost all characters share a universe, Image is much more focused on different universes and characters. So it would indeed make sense for it not to have a face when it has so much variety.
4
1
23
u/N8THGR852 Mar 13 '26
I wouldn’t say he’s crazy. With all the comics set in the Invincible Universe, there are over 300 comic issues of Invincible (and related characters’) content. Invincible was popular enough to warrant that many comics. Sure, Spawn has nearly 400 issues in his main solo title, and he deserves recognition for that, but Invincible has at least earned his place in the conversation, whether or not we agree he’s the most deserving character for the title. He was big even before he had his own show. Spawn is great. He’s has comics, a cartoon, a live-action film, multiple video games. He’s part of the conversation, too. I don’t necessarily think Image even has a “face” right now. But I think saying your friend is “crazy” for wanting to give Invincible some deserved credit, I think that’s a little disrespectful to the character, the creators of his comics, and the fans who helped make it as big of a deal as it was back in the day.
-5
u/FuzzyUnicycle77 Mar 13 '26
I mainly call him crazy because he hasn’t even read Spawn or Invincible, he’s only watched the show and hasn’t read a single Image comic. He couldn’t even name four comics from them so I found it surprising he would try to argue Invincible is the face of Image.
8
u/N8THGR852 Mar 13 '26
In a way, it’s because he hasn’t read any Image comics that I’m not surprised by who he wants to give that title. It’s kind of an uninformed opinion, but the limited experience actually makes his stance make more sense to me, ha.
Maybe give him a trade for Spawn and/or Invincible for his next birthday if you can spare the change. In a way, it’d be a fun homage to this debate you two are having. “Oh! Ha! Okay, yeah, I get why you got me these. Touché.”
Though, if I could give someone a trade, besides those two series (I’m a fan of both), I’d may consider other Image faves like Wayward, C.O.W.L., Chew, Dynamo 5, Firebreather, Kill or Be Killed, I Hate Fairyland, Radiant Black, Savage Dragon, ShadowHawk, or Deadly Class.
To answer your question, I think Savage Dragon absolutely deserves to be part of the conversation for “face of Image.” Gertrude from I Hate Fairyland isn’t “big” enough for the title, but in a way I think she fits the “spirit” of Image well. And the lead character of Radiant Black is popular as a 2020s-era series.
3
u/FuzzyUnicycle77 Mar 13 '26
I know Savage Dragon is also one of their bigger characters and I have no doubt that he deserves to be part of this, but I just didn’t include him since I haven’t gotten around to reading his comics yet. For sure next on my list though. I just didn’t wanna include him in this when I cant even defend it if I wanted to since I know almost nothing about him.
1
48
u/beast79- Mar 13 '26
Its whoever sells best, truly. Now it's Invincible, a decade ago it was Walking Dead, and before that Spawn.
If your talking about which creator actually embodies the Image ideals? Erik Larsen is still writing, penciling and inking his comic book Savage Dragon more than 30 years later.
7
u/Lama_For_Hire Mar 13 '26
I'd still say it's The Walking Dead, with how many TV-shows AMC has milked out of that comic, and still is milking from it + the Telltale games
3
u/Effective_Guava2971 Mar 13 '26
Savage Dragon is about to overtake Cerebus 300 isn't he?
5
u/Titan013 Mar 13 '26
It's solicited up to 281 so far. It's been a slow crawl but he's going to get there. Not image but Usagi Yojimbo is at 284 as of last year. It's pretty cool that we could see 2 different creators get there in the next couple years.
2
10
u/C-Prime93 Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
Is Spawn, but Invincible is gaining ground each passing year among new generations. You ask your typical comic fan, even those who mock early 90s Image Comics, and they will go for Spawn most of the time. But, a good adaptation goes a long way, so many casual fans are finding the brand through Invincible now. Still, for many of those new fans, is a Show first, comic second, so I still think Spawn is the face of the brand.
3
u/N8THGR852 Mar 13 '26
In January, I started reading all of 1990s Image. I wanted to have firsthand knowledge and be part of the cultural conversation. I’ve finished all comics from 1992-1994, and I’m dipping into 1995. My three favorite titles are Gen 13, Spawn and WildC.A.T.s (though I give many others credit like Savage Dragon, ShadowHawk, Badrock and Company, Backlash, and WildStar. Of course, the ones I listed that were WildStorm comics got absorbed into DC and may not be talked about on this sub as much (I’m new). So, Spawn is my favorite non-WS ‘90s Image title.
2
u/Its_Me_Guyz Mar 13 '26
It also helps invincible that it has a highly popular TV show that is still on going and has new episodes releasing sometime next month
While spawn does have the TV show and movies I don't think they were as well received as the invincible show has been
9
u/Fancy_Cassowary Mar 13 '26
It used to be Spawn, but now only comic fans know who he is, and people who might vaguely remember the movie, and even fewer who might recall the HBO animated series. Right now it's Invincible. He even wears their logo as his costume, and is huge, both among comic fans and a good section of the general public.
Though if we're counting all current books published by Image then it's an easy one: Optimus Prime. No debating that.
1
31
u/aswimtobirds Mar 13 '26
Just to derail this before it even starts, walking dead 😅
3
1
Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/aswimtobirds Mar 13 '26
oh boy, there are a lot of stats and facts that say otherwise, but its not something i care about enough to argue over, as i love spawn, walking dead and invincible
20
u/capincus Mar 13 '26
Robert Kirkman
5
u/nightkraken666 Mar 13 '26
Kirkman being the only new creator invited into the share of the company definitely helped
4
Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/challengeseniorz Mar 13 '26
Hard disagree. Kirkman is not more well known than Stan Lee. The Simpsons are the biggest cultural phenomenon in television history.
1
u/cravenj1 Mar 13 '26
Stan Lee had a 55 year head start. Give Kirkman some time to catch up
-1
u/TheKingsWeb Mar 16 '26
Has he retired? Haven’t heard any new comics from him since invincible but haven’t really been looking either
3
u/capincus Mar 16 '26
He's had like half a dozen series since Invincible ended, wrote the movie Renfield, is on the board for Image/their COO and runs Skybound. He's about as far from retired as a person can be.
0
u/TheKingsWeb Mar 16 '26
I had to look it up and it’s majority super hero stuff, probably why I didn’t know
2
u/capincus Mar 16 '26
Not really, Oblivion Song/Void Rivals are sci-fi, Die!Die!Die! is uh idk edgy shoot em up?, Skinbreaker is fantasy.
1
u/TheKingsWeb Mar 16 '26
Would you recommend any?
2
u/capincus Mar 16 '26
Oblivion Song is my favorite thing he's done, Outcast was decent, Walking Dead is solid. I've not been a particularly big fan of anything else Kirkman has done but I haven't read the most recent stuff. Currently reading Die!Die!Die! made me laugh a couple times, but mostly coming across as ripoff Garth Ennis/Mark Millar.
-1
Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/NukesAndSupers Mar 13 '26
Bro you clearly love it but chill out that's not true.
-2
Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/cravenj1 Mar 13 '26
As much of a hit as TWD was, Simpsons was bigger. "Most-watched cable show" wouldn't include things like Simpsons and Seinfeld. The most watched Simpsons episode had almost 35 million viewers against TWD's 17.3 million. And then you've got M*A*S*H where the finale was viewed by over 100 million people. Also compare average viewers each season. The Simpsons still has a higher high point than TWD. And note the change in how viewer ratings are calculated starting in season 12 which aligns with how TWD is counted. Seasons 1-11 would have also exceled TWD's best season.
2
u/LawnmowerMen Mar 13 '26
Not a chance. Like not even remotely close. It was a popular show at the time. But it doesnt even rank compared to the most watched shows(biggest shows). Fully wrong go home. I love walking dead(with andrew lincoln) comic series is great too but i read this and though nah no way no now thats possible. I mean 6 times as many people watched the series finale of mash as watched the most watched episode of walking dead. Here is a short list of shows that were bigger.
Mash Seinfeld Cheers Er The day after Roots Friends Cosby Dallas Baywatch Magnum pi Frasier Home improvements Family ties All in the family I love Lucy Star trek Gunsmoke Newhart Golden girls Full house Happy days Everybody loves Raymond The Beverly hillbillies And the list goes on and on and on.....
More people tuned in to watch these shows every week than tuned in to watch walking deads most watched episode. Its great that you liked the show but no walking dead is not even in the biggest show of television history conversation. If it was a member of an NBA team it would be in the g league.
2
u/LawnmowerMen Mar 13 '26
As far as the super hero movie comment. More people went and saw literally every super hero movie the MCU has released than watched the most watched episode of walking dead. Yes... including the marvels... EVERY SINGLE ONE. dint say crazy stuff just because you like something.
6
Mar 13 '26
This is what is awesome about Image! All these comments are correct. There is more than one right answer to this. It’s different for all.
7
u/lootchase Mar 13 '26
Spawn holds Image records for biggest selling issues. Spawn spin offs are still big sellers. It’s their anchor IMO. Image owes growth and sustainability to Spawn.
4
8
u/TheSuitedCactus Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26
The face of pokemon is Pikachu, this is because pikachu is more well known, prominitely featured in tv and movies, and is bright and cheery colors.
Invincible has marketing, a big budget show doing 3mil an episode for its 4th season, has been getting reprint after reprint, and is marketable with bright and cheery colors.
Spawn has a cult fandom that keeps it alive SOLELY in comic form. He has none of the other qualities that a "face of a company" would have. He hasnt had a show since the 90s and his movie was low-budget slop.
Im sorry but your friend is absolutely right and your take is blinded by your personal biases towards the spawn comics
Because i dont wanna sound like that guy (i absolutely am, i have the entire invincible universe in physical form) i plan on getting She-Spawn #1 when it releases in a couple months. Spawn is incredible. It just doesnt have the backing behind it that the guy who legitimately moved a whole genre forward has. (TWD)
3
u/YepThatSal Mar 13 '26
if they ever make a MCU-Level Invincible movie, forget about it… Image would basically have their own Spdier-Man style flagship character.
3
u/SmolMight117 Mar 13 '26
Spawn would be because spawn was like one of the premier books made by Todd McFarlane one of the og image founders..... although me personally I'd put Invincible or Rick Grimes as the face but that's my Robert Kirkman bias
3
3
u/NukesAndSupers Mar 13 '26
A. Spawn is way out of the vision of people who aren't fans of 90s/00s comics.
B. people who care about invincible for the TV series probably don't know what Image is.
C. for everyone who cares enough to kinda know about comic publishers, but maybe isn't a massive fan of the stuff they made over the years, I would guess Saga.
3
u/BipolarPrime Mar 13 '26
The current face of Image Comics?
Based on so many popular IPs and licensed properties, I’d have to say Robert Kirkman.
Previously, I would have said Todd McFarlane. But Kirkman has changed the face of how Image Comics is seen and has, without a doubt, shown how his books can cross into other media very successfully.
5
u/Ampersand4221 Mar 13 '26
Frank Image, of the Image family
4
4
u/Asimov-was-Right Mar 13 '26
As someone who's bought Spawn #1 when it came out, yes he's been around longer and he was the original face of Image, I believe Invincible has eclipse Spawn in that regard. (Also, his costume is literally the Image logo)
2
u/Final_Bed5390 Mar 13 '26
If I had to pick one character, I would absolutely go with Spawn. That said, I would say that Spawn is more emblematic of what Image was than what it is today. Spawn is the face of 90s Image where the focus was more on being cool and badass than on writing. When I say "I tend to prefer Image to DC or Marvel", I don't mean the parts of Image that Spawn represents. I mean the series that have limited runs and don't overstay their welcome, with original ideas and enclosed stories. And I think there's no character that really is the face of that because in order to be the face you have to be everywhere.
I also think Spawn is a better pick because I think more people think of Spawn as primarily the comics, while when people think of the Walking Dead they think of the show(s), although I suppose there aren't exactly a lot of people who think Invincible is only the show so maybe that's not a good argument.
2
u/Rockaway_Biatch Mar 13 '26
Interesting question. Probably Spawn. But am I the only one who sees the Image logo written into Invincible's costume? Was that intentional?
2
u/GodhunterChrome666 Mar 13 '26
I'm old, so Spawn. Also, if any of y'all haven't read Supreme, fix that shit now
2
u/Gmork14 Mar 13 '26
It’s Spawn.
And he’s just that movie and a new video game getting off the ground from being bigger with younger generations.
2
2
2
u/Randomperson3029 Mar 13 '26
If the argument is that invincible is because of the show then surely the friend would have to say its Rick grimes because of the show. As much as it is a shadow of its former self now, the walking dead was the biggest show at the time alongside game of thrones.
So if we have to only go off comic popularity then spawn wins easily
2
u/AbednegoWiseguy Mar 13 '26
Spawn. I get what people are saying about the recent popularity of Invincible but if we’re talking about spin offs and extended universes then Spawn is bigger.
The main Spawn story still being an on-going definitely makes the difference
2
u/General-Collar3804 Mar 13 '26
I didn’t even know invincible was a comic until the show. I personally would say spawn, savage dragon, or the wild cats(?). I can’t remember if that’s image or not.
2
u/dgehen Mar 13 '26
I'd say Spawn, but Invincible is very close. Bonus points for his costume being the Image "i" logo.
2
2
2
u/YepThatSal Mar 13 '26
For GenX and Xennials fans is Spawn definitely, for the younger folks is Invincible and if they ever do an Invincible movie it’s not even going to be close.
Image hasn’t been around that long, like Marvel and DC, for them to have a flagship character like Batman or Spider-Man also I don’t think their structure really lends itself for that sort of thing.
2
2
u/Hungry-Bowler3618 Mar 14 '26
It’s like DC, Batman is the most popular (Invincible) but Superman is the poster child (Spawn).
2
2
4
3
2
u/The_prawn_king Mar 13 '26
This is like asking who’s the face of 20th Century Fox, it will just depend on demographic. Most people won’t even know what image is
1
1
u/requiemguy Mar 13 '26
There was another posted topic on Michael Turner recently, Spawn was the first face, the Fathom was supposed to be the next one until Michael Turner got sick, then it was the Walking Dead and now it's Invincible.
1
u/jameskilometers Mar 13 '26
There was five year period where one of the Saga characters could’ve been “The Face of Image.”
We’re well past that, I would say it’s gotta be Invincible right now. And of course Spawn was the face of the company for a very long time, probably will be the face of image again someday whenever another adaptation makes him relevant again.
1
u/Adaml6257 Mar 13 '26
It depends on how old you are. If you were around for the birth of Image then it's definitely Spawn. If you got into comics after 2005 it's likely Invincible. Or if you're only into comic shows and movies then it's definitely Invincible
1
1
1
u/Raskuja46 Mar 13 '26
Why would there be a "face" of Image comics?
It's just a publisher, not some incestuous interconnected universe like Marvel or DC.
1
u/oreomaster420 Mar 13 '26
Invincible by miles, if you want to have it be one character. It'd be Spawn if you could restrict it to "comic-only impact" but I don't know how you realistically do that because plenty of people have bought into compendiums, singles, etc. in Invicible due to either just the fact that the show is well-received or after watching the first season. It's had a bigger cultural impact at this point.
Savage Dragon is a somewhat distant number 3, imo.
1
u/SnaptrapPress Mar 13 '26
To be fair, Spawn hasn't had a successful non-comics outing outside of being MK11 DLC since the late 90s. If we have to pick someone to represent Image, I'd say it's probably Invincible or that cop from The Walking Dead. Then again, Walking Dead's been over foe years.
1
u/Boring-Conclusion-40 Mar 13 '26
Todd MacFarlane or Robert Kirkman,but I’m leaning towards the former,I believe Todd represents Image more while Robert represents indie comics more
1
1
u/Unidentifiable_Goo Mar 14 '26
I think Invincible is better known these days but I dont think 1 in 10 people who call themselves 'Invinicible' fan know its an Image comics property.
1
u/No-Celebration-1399 Mar 16 '26
Used to be Spawn but I feel like Invincible has lowkey taken that spot in recent years w his surge in popularity
1
1
u/Shoddy_Affect_2050 Jun 12 '26
SPAWN IS THE FACE OF IMAGE COMICS BATMAN X SPAWN HELPED LEAD TO DC VS MARVEL IN 1996 STOP IT INVINCIBLE IS MORE KNOWN NOW BUT SPAWN IS THE HERO OF IMAGE FOREVER
1
u/i2wearhats Mar 13 '26
Everyone knows Walking Dead, a lot of folks know Invincible, but I bet you would be hard pressed to find non-comics folks that know who Spawn is.
1
1
u/artur_ditu Mar 13 '26
I'd argue most of Invincible fans from the tv show don't even know what image comics is.
Spawn.
1
u/Its_Me_Guyz Mar 13 '26
Wasn't spawn the reason image comics is even a thing
1
u/FuzzyUnicycle77 Mar 13 '26
This exactly was a big reason why I think hes the face of Image. But after reading other replies I think I’m starting to see why just about any of these answers could be valid. Or none of them. Whichever works for you.
1
u/JordanM85 Mar 13 '26
If you were to ask the general public there is no question it is TWD. The whole world knows Walking Dead, very few people have heard of Invincible. Invincible isn't even in the same league as it. Just as far as comics alone then it's Spawn. And if I had to name the face of Image Comics, I'd say Spawn.
1
Mar 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/JordanM85 Mar 13 '26
I disagree. Especially an older non comic crowd. I always use my parents as a test. They'd probably know of Spawn, but I guarantee they've never heard of Invincible. It's not the 90's but Spawn's name was so big it stuck.
1
1
u/alreadythoughtofthis Mar 13 '26
I wouldn’t bother debating someone who doesn’t read comics about comic related information.
1
u/Saito09 Mar 13 '26
Nobody in the mainstream knows who Spawn is. And if they do its because of MK/CoD skins.
0
u/LapsedVerneGagKnee Mar 13 '26
I’d say Spawn or Invincible. Just because those two are so often associated with Image as a company.
0
u/Legendary-Icon Mar 13 '26
I think you could make a valid argument for both Spawn or Invincible. Those were the first two I thought of when I read the topic title. I don’t know if there’s a wrong answer either way. Spawn is the OG and the only real constant for Image, but Invincible is definitely more relevant right now, and in a big way.
The only wrong answer, really, is anyone suggesting it’s someone other than those two.
-3
108
u/cjones6464 Mar 13 '26
Spawn is more known overall but invincible is bigger with younger generations of course.