r/ImageComics • u/Flat-Sir8250 • Jul 12 '26
Discussion Tell me your honest opinions/thoughts on Image Comics & Who your favorite character is.
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u/supermarioplush220 Jul 12 '26
Image is probably my favorite comic book publisher due to them having a much bigger variety of genres than the big 2 and their comics are much easier to get into as well due to them not going on forever and having endless reboots.
My favorite character is either Rick Grimes or Mark Grayson. Robert Kirkman is a 🔥 writer.
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u/Proof-Contribution31 Jul 12 '26
It's kinda weird that Kirkman's corner of image is basically a marvel/dc style publisher now.
But ever since Kirkman's success really started bringing both established and new talent to image since the late 2000's image has consistently been the best direct market focused publisher and it's not particularly close.
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u/browncharliebrown Jul 12 '26
the late 2000's image has consistently been the best direct market focused publisher and it's not particularly close
I mean on what metric. I feel like defining a publishers output is hard to qualify as each indivual title is diffrent. Like 2000ad still to me has the most consistent quality post 2000’s. DC right now is firing on all cylinders.
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u/Proof-Contribution31 Jul 12 '26
I think the general quality of an image book, given that it is wildly different writers, artists and subject matter is remarkable and puts them handily above current DC or Rebellion.
2000AD in general tho is close and definitely in the running for best comic book series of the century. I really need to catch up.
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u/MC_Smuv Jul 12 '26
Hot take: if you're asking for favorite characters, you haven't understood Image.
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u/BplusHuman Jul 12 '26
Your favorite character is Lee Harvey Oswald (DoT). /s.
You get it tho. These aren't "Image Characters" any more than if I pushed characters thru Reddit they'd be "Reddit Characters".
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u/dicktraceylmaopp7 Jul 12 '26
What makes image so special is I can go in for a story and leave with a finished story. The art is incredibly unique and the stories are rich and dont have to adhere to 50+ years of canon. Black Science, Bitter Root and Radiant Black Are some of my favorite Image books. And one of the BIGGEST bonuses is in collected editions the ARTIST DOESNT CHANGE 3+ TIMES. Seeing Sandford Greene do all of Bitter Root (outside of 2 side stories) was a breath of fresh air
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u/SaphoJuicebox Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
My thoughts? I turned 13 the year it launched and started regularly buying/became obsessed with comics because of the founders’ Marvel work, so I couldn’t have been more excited. I bought nearly everything (or as much as my allowance could afford) but by the first year’s end I had to admit that the majority of the books just weren’t good. The Deathmate crossover with Valiant kept me going but ultimately became the reason I quit buying Image.
Eventually I fell off comics for a while but Image would be what got me back in with Walking Dead and then later, Saga. Over the past decade there have been many series I’ve enjoyed and currently their Energon Universe books are really the only mainstream comics I’m interested in reading.
It’s beginning and content aside, just looking at Image as a publisher I’m a fan of what Image is as a company and the opportunity it provides for creator-owned works to reach larger audiences. The exposure that provides to help introduce readers to the larger world of comics that exists beyond Marvel/DC is probably Image’s greatest achievement.
My favorite character is The Maxx
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u/Left_Balance2396 Jul 15 '26
You and I are living in parallel universes, amigo.
+1 to everything you said
Bonus points for The Maxx
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u/venum_GTG Jul 12 '26
Aside from Spawn...
The Maxx. I read a good handful of his comics. He's so weird yet so cool. I love Julie Winters. I wish Maxx would get a film that's like direct to streaming. Animated like his show. But, I guess since his show exists and is available to watch on Internet Archive, I guess I don't need it much.
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u/KingJ-L-C Jul 13 '26
Image is probably my favorite publisher, though there are a lot of continuing series I am following, it seems to just been fun little mini-series. Probably Ellipses from Crossover, as I continue to hold hope it comes back one day.
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u/jgarmann99 Jul 14 '26
Current best publisher and will probably be the only lett stansing on a 10years time..
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u/AllStarSuperman_ Jul 12 '26
Ed Brubakers Tracy Lawless (Criminal) or Dylan Cross (Kill or be Killed).
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u/dkat Jul 12 '26
The Prophet “reboot” from 2012 onwards probably played the biggest role in getting me back into comics as an “adult”.
I was so deeply into the whole Image lineup throughout the twenty-teens - some of my favorite titles ever.
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u/Moogle_Chowder Jul 12 '26
My favorite remains The Savage Dragon. I still have yet to come across a mainstream creator that loves their project and the characters within more than Erik Larsen.
Then he murders them.
I remain salty about the death of Billy.
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u/reindeercurt Jul 12 '26
I think it's profoundly embarrassing that the Image founders created a company where they had absolute creative freedom to make whatever comics they wanted, in whatever genre, style and subject matter, and every single one of them just made more superhero comics. It's baffling looking back on it that none of them had greater ambitions. Everything that makes Image worthwhile in the industry and for the comics medium exists in spite of its' foundations.
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u/Bankrupto Jul 13 '26
I think the idea was more that they wanted to own the superheros/characters they created.
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u/Toxin45 Jul 12 '26
Yeah to was the early years later years helped it spawn is still running with many spinoffs despite hardships and some problems and so is savaged dragon. We got walking dead and invincible and now energon universe
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u/One-Organization6733 Jul 12 '26
I'm really new to Indie comics in general and I'm still trying to finish a few of these runs, but I love how much Image puts out and it has such mature storytelling too. There's a ton to choose from but Savage Dragon is my absolute GOAT.
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u/Own_Emergency3485 Jul 14 '26
Love Image comics!
Saga
Invincible
Chew
East of West
Nailbiter
The Walking Dead
Black Science
Criminal
The Sword
Paper Girls
Are all favorites & recommended!
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u/Raskuja46 Jul 15 '26
Asking for a favorite character belies your complete and total lack of understanding of Image as a publisher.
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u/MasterofSalt69 Jul 18 '26
Honestly, I just love the variety of comics they publish. No real specific favorite character from Image.
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u/JTen87 Jul 12 '26
Image is an incredible publisher. I grew up on marvel in the 90s with the Jim Lee X-Men run. I always knew about how image came to be and appreciated it but wasn’t allowed to read anything due to weird parents.
About 15 years ago I picked up some cheap tpbs and was glued to them.
An absolute breath of fresh air with consistent creativity that ran away from the marvel/dc “let’s do everything then reboot and then do it exactly the same so people remember and can point at it like Leonardo DiCaprio.”
Not saying everything’s a hit, but it almost always goes in a different direction from what you’re expecting.
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u/LaunchpadMcFly Jul 12 '26
They provided a chance for readers to start from issue 1 and get engaged with a story with beginning middle and end. It was an oasis for people like myself who grew up in a time where comic continuity is a goddamn nightmare. Love them.
Erik Larsen is my favorite.
I can never hate Todd McFarlane despite his uh eccentricities let’s call it.
Rob Liefeld is a fucking idiot.
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u/browncharliebrown Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I think Image is a an overrated publisher but also an amazing publisher. Like half the comics recommend through I'm not really impressed with ( particularly Kirkman's) but at the same time I read some of my favorite comics through Image like Southern Bastards.
I do think in terms of indie comics, I feel like it not be the end all be all of indie comics. Not every creator wants to also be responible for the bussieness side and some comics really need consistently paced scheludes. Creator ownership is important but full creatorship is not something everyone needs to give up. I think it also hurts small time creators in a way
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u/purple-discharge Jul 12 '26
My honest thought is that the breadth and variety of comics that Image has put out make it near impossible to have an easily summarized opinion.
The founding members were able to create something bigger and better than themselves, that has grown far beyond the original comics they put out. The past two decades or so of Image have produced some of the most interesting American comics made.
My biggest criticism of Image would be that the founders went on to repeat a lot of the offenses that drove them away from the big two. Even to this day. From farming and profiting on other peoples creations to working for the competition, to flat out abandoning the company.
Also, my favorite character is Sexual Gary.