The Official Image Comics Thread

[CConn]

Plus I kind of wonder if - with the success of Sin City, Kick-Ass, Walking Dead, etc. if retaining all the rights to their creations is now a big motivating factor for writers.

 

[Watchman]

Ha, same thought went through my head.

Be interesting to see what this will be about. I'm guessing it's probably another non-superhero work. I wasn't as impressed with his last as many (Murphy's art was outstanding, but the story was kind of dull overall), but everyone has an occasional misstep.

Also, kind this kind of got overshadowed by the Morrison announcement, but a new series by Spencer, Bedlam, was also announced. It doesn't sound like my kind of book, but with Spencer writing, I'm interested.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=37200

Definitely agree with you on Joe. I found the art to be amazing but the story really lacking. With Morrison, though, I expect something extraordinary or the wheel being reinvented each time. I have get the same feeling with his Action Comics. It's good so far but not Morrison reinventing Superman good. Morrison not being shackled by DC or Warner Bros. makes me extremely excited. I just hope he still finishes off Seaguy at some point.

I'm going to check out Spencer's new book where I find he does his best stuff when he's working on his creator-owned books. Also, hey Brian Wood has another book coming out, Mara, which is always a good thing.

Image to publish Teddy Kristiansen's The Red Diary as a flip book along with Stephen T. Seagle's The Re[a]d Diary.

Spencer talks Bedlam.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Plus I kind of wonder if - with the success of Sin City, Kick-Ass, Walking Dead, etc. if retaining all the rights to their creations is now a big motivating factor for writers.

Yeah, I think this is definitely a huge motivating factor coupled with the fact that, in my opinion, Image is really starting to become quite a heavyweight in the comics industry. For the past few years they have solidly been putting out the best work in the business.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Plus I kind of wonder if - with the success of Sin City, Kick-Ass, Walking Dead, etc. if retaining all the rights to their creations is now a big motivating factor for writers.

But Vertigo and Icon allow the creators to retain all the rights as well. I can understand Brubaker, Hickman, and Millar moving to Image because outside of Kick-Ass, Marvel never really gives Icon a chance. But DC pumps a lot into Vertigo, I am really curious to see why Morrison decided to go with Image instead of Vertigo with his next project.

 

[CConn]

I didn't know that about Vertigo.

Icon blows purely because, like everything that's not Spider-Man, the Avengers, or X-Men, Marvel doesn't give a **** about it.

 

[Tron Bonne]

But Vertigo and Icon allow the creators to retain all the rights as well. I can understand Brubaker, Hickman, and Millar moving to Image because outside of Kick-Ass, Marvel never really gives Icon a chance. But DC pumps a lot into Vertigo, I am really curious to see why Morrison decided to go with Image instead of Vertigo with his next project.

Though this is technically true, Brian Wood mentioned recently that Vertigo contracts have a stipulation where WB automatically auctions the IP in question for other media. You get paid extra, but outside comics, you basically lose control of that aspect of your material. For instance, with Wood, AMC came to him to adapt DMZ, but WB didn't let it go through.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Though this is technically true, Brian Wood mentioned recently that Vertigo contracts have a stipulation where WB automatically auctions the IP in question for other media. You get paid extra, but outside comics, you basically lose control of that aspect of your material. For instance, with Wood, AMC came to him to adapt DMZ, but WB didn't let it go through.

Well that would help explain things.

 

[Tron Bonne]

I think it's nice how big writers are doing more and more Creator-owned projects because i believe today's comic audience has alot of interests on writers instead of characters alone thesedays.

Nah, it's a third split: 1/3 creative team, 1/3 character, 1/3 hype and importance factor.

 

[Drz]

Well how does the "character" work if it's brand new? Or do you mean like how Millar rides off with "what if Batman was the Joker" ideas for example? Also what do you mean by Importance? Most comic book fans are all about mainstream Marvel and DC univrse, so i was pondering what you meant by the word importance.

 

[CConn]

You ask too many questions.

 

[Watchman]

Well how does the "character" work if it's brand new? Or do you mean like how Millar rides off with "what if Batman was the Joker" ideas for example? Also what do you mean by Importance? Most comic book fans are all about mainstream Marvel and DC univrse, so i was pondering what you meant by the word importance.

Importance means, "THE EIGHT ISSUE EVENT THAT WILL ROCK THE FOUNDATION'S CORE AND WILL CHANGE THE UNIVERSE FOREVER!"

 

[Tron Bonne]

Well how does the "character" work if it's brand new? Or do you mean like how Millar rides off with "what if Batman was the Joker" ideas for example? Also what do you mean by Importance? Most comic book fans are all about mainstream Marvel and DC univrse, so i was pondering what you meant by the word importance.

There are some exceptions, like some of Mark Millar's indie books, but characters still matter. If they didn't, Bendis's Moon Knight and Spider-Woman wouldn't have been low sellers despite him being a juggernaut in sales with mainstream titles. Using Millar again, for instance, remember his FF run? It didn't sell well at all, even initially it was a disappointment sales-wise, and it never really gained legs. And, to be honest, a lot of that just comes back to the fact that Four aren't the solid ground salers they use to be.

What I mean by importance is basically what Watchman said. Putting a spotlight on something and saying, "Woah guys, you got to read this!" It's basically how a writer like Hickman, who wasn't very known outside the indie circle, made the FF title a best seller when a much, much bigger creative team didn't come close (even though his run, too, started out pretty low in sales).

Like I said, there are expectations, of course. Sometimes certain things jive some way or another. For Millar, I think a lot of is just the fact that he's really, really good at grabbing people's attention with his indie stuff. He's kind of figured out the formula of what you do when you get a little of the spotlight: you scream, rant, bull****, and generally act like you're selling a chunk of God's balls, and people will pay attention to you. That's my theory on it, anyway.

And he is a pretty big exception at the end of the day. I mean, Morrison's Joe the Barbarian and Bendis's Scarlet sold pretty well for creator-owned/indie work, but neither really set the sales charts on fire or anything past their initial issue or two. I think it is undeniable that creator following is about on par with character following, but more important? I don't see that. Would Brain Azzerallo and Cliff Chiang writing Amethyst really sell as well as him writing Wonder Woman? Doubtful.

 

[Max J Power]

I didn't know that about Vertigo.

Icon blows purely because, like everything that's not Spider-Man, the Avengers, or X-Men, Marvel doesn't give a **** about it.

I've heard before that Marvel purposely keeps Icon small because a lot of its writers also work (or have worked) for Vertigo, and the editorial staff doesn't want to create conflict between the two. I don't know if that's true, though.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Um, doesn't sound like it. The only writer that's been published under Icon that had Vertigo work was Brubaker, and it's been quite awhile since he had. Bendis, Fraction and Millar have never done any Vertigo work.

 

[Drz]

What I mean by importance is basically what Watchman said. Putting a spotlight on something and saying, "Woah guys, you got to read this!" It's basically how a writer like Hickman, who wasn't very known outside the indie circle, made the FF title a best seller when a much, much bigger creative team didn't come close (even though his run, too, started out pretty low in sales).

Yeah i gets it.

Importance means, "THE EIGHT ISSUE EVENT THAT WILL ROCK THE FOUNDATION'S CORE AND WILL CHANGE THE UNIVERSE FOREVER!"

Yeah, but at the end of the day this is gladly alot less media hyped with creator owned titles or smaller publishers like Hellboy Universe or what happens in the latest Walking Dead arc and so forth. + It's real change most of the time too.

 

[Max J Power]

Um, doesn't sound like it. The only writer that's been published under Icon that had Vertigo work was Brubaker, and it's been quite awhile since he had. Bendis, Fraction and Millar have never done any Vertigo work.

I meant working on a Marvel universe book while doing one for Vertigo. Supposedly, Marvel wants to give its "big" creators an outlet for creator-owned stuff but doesn't want to move in on Vertigo's territory since it has had people like Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, and Brian K. Vaughan doing both at the same time.

I've got my doubts, though. There don't seem to be as many people working for both companies at the same time anymore. I think Aaron is the only these days, and Scalped is ending fairly soon.

 

[RockSP]

Icon blows purely because, like everything that's not Spider-Man, the Avengers, or X-Men, Marvel doesn't give a **** about it.

What does Marvel giving a @#$% about those creator owned books have to do with the quality of said books?

 

[CConn]

What does Marvel giving a @#$% about those creator owned books have to do with the quality of said books?

I wasn't referring to the quality.

I was referring to Marvel's willingness to support a larger number of Icon books.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Yeah, CConn is totally right on this. Marvel doesn't give two craps about Icon.

 

[Drz]

Skullkickers Volume 1: Treasure Trove by Jim Zubkavich

Skullkickers is a fantasy comedy by Jim Zubkavich starring two nameless merceneries who adventure around murdering whatever ”evil” they can find in hopes for money and fame, that’s the basic gist of the series, a buddy-cop fantasy series starring “Baldy” & “Shorty”.


The art by Edwing Huan, Chris Stevens & Misty Coast is like the art from a Saturday morning cartoon with very bright colors, cute facial expressions (and hilarious reaction faces) and very children fantasy alike from its stout dwarves, muscular men and cuter than cute fairies, who happen to act like human bullets and slit throats in the name of spirits and forests, cute and fun! The basic concept with its art and storytelling is to have this really fun bright colorful cartoony vibe, with a bit of blood now and then, so it’s not quite the most dark fantasy universe out there, but it’s not flowers and sunshine at all, but a comical mixture of the two, the best example would be something like the Warcraft series.


The hardcover collection collects the first eleven issues and tons of extra material, which I’ll get to later on. The main series works as a wonderful introduction to both our nameless heroes and the setting around us. You got the killer fairies I’ve mentioned, mages, necromancers and warlocks and even a fat werewolf. The overall plotline is pretty much surrounding Baldy’s & Shorty’s desire to become filthy rich & famous, and they’re not the most kindest heroes out there, but neither are they truly villainous, but they are the mixture of good and evil to the point it’s truly their charm that makes you want to root for these goofballs to save the day from the great evil, which usually has been caused by their own foolishness. The book also seeds some subplots that will carry on to the next book, so not only are there bigger stories untold, but the charm that Zubkavich provides with these characters is more than enough reason to anticipate for the next volume, after enjoying the hilarity from this one. I’ll also add that this book has a rather clever way of using sound effect text in comics.


The extra content includes these anthology stories that began even before the series was launched, so we see the initial designs which practically remain unchanged, but the tune here is actually much more darker, almost like today’s dark fantasy series like Dragon Age, Game of Thrones or Demon Knights, so it’s a bit fun seeing these loveable heroes suddenly being much nastier and greedier than on the actual ongoing. There are also character designs, crossovers, puzzles and whatnot an unusual extra in this comic book hardcover, but that just simply makes it even a more fun gift to your teenage child/cousin/friend/relative.
Rating: 83/100 – A solid introduction to the genre as there aren’t that many fantasy comics going on, much less comedic ones. I would say however the book maybe gets a bit too tongue-in-cheek? Can the fans truly take all the great hordes of evil that seriously, when we’re supposed to be laughing at it at the same time? I guess what I’m saying is that this is very comedic, but perhaps it was too comedic for me? Did I expect a different comic? All I want to say is I highly recommend this, if you’re a fan of fantasy, you don’t even have to be a fan of fantasy to get into this book, the real charmer are the mercenaries with their simple quest for fame and fortune, what’s not to like?

 

[Drz]

Severed by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft

Severed is a well fashioned horror story that does its job right, telling horror where it’s character driven instead of your usual slasher gore festivals that you’re bored with from television to movie to video games, this is the kind of horror that comes from mastering the suspenseful of the reader, like the horror movies from John Carpenter himself.

It’s the year 1916, a quite strange year in the history of America one might consider. Unusual shark attacks that inspired the inevitable movie Jaws, the first women elected to the House of Representatives, the opening of the first US birth control clinic, the record for greatest temperature change in a 24 hour period, the hanging of an elephant, and the year America prepared for World War 1, it’s quite the year that makes one ponder how history can truly be stranger than fiction, and we are here entering a fictional story of 12-year old Jack Garron, who runs away from his adoptive mother in search for his true father, while a menacing sharp toothed cannibal is hunting down little children.

Jack is lifted by his dreams of meeting his biological father whom he has been exchanging mails with, during his travels he meets new friends and finds himself in amazement with the wonders big cities can provide you, but as the sharp-toothed killer lurks around, no one is truly safe and how is Jack connected to all of this? Are he and his friends safe? What drives the sharp toothed killer to eat human flesh? Is there a happy ending to any of this? It’s such a wonderful suspense driven story with its strong dialogue and characters.

Attila Futaki is the artist of the series and he really oozes life into this, not to mention the shadows and the eerie atmosphere, the shadows of the dark room with only a single candle lit, the panel work here is almost like watching at a single still frame of a movie that just keeps moving from panel to panel like real moving motion picture, that’s how powerful I felt of its story telling.

Rating: - 90/100 Overall this is a short story, not only about the terrors of a cannibalistic madman, but the story of fear that comes from within; Deceits, loneliness and the idea of pure evil bei

 

[CConn]

Now at we're a few issues in, how is Thief of Thieves?