Image Publishers

Name: Image
Aliases: Image Comics, Inc.
Founded Date: 1992
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImageComics
Website: http://www.imagecomics.com/
Address: 1942 University Ave
City: Berkeley
State: California
Zip: 94704
Country: United States

Founders:

Erik Larsen owner of Highbrow Entertainment
Jim Lee owner of WildStorm Productions
Jim Valentino owner of ShadowLine
Marc Silvestri owner of Top Cow Productions
Rob Liefeld owner of Extreme Studios
Todd McFarlane owner of Todd McFarlane Productions
Whilce Portacio

Partner added as of 2010:

Robert Kirkman owner of Skybound

History:


Logo used in 2012 during their 20th anniversary year
A company founded by seven legendary freelance illustrators and writers of comic books on the idea that comics are owned by the creator rather than the company itself. Seven very popular and famous creators at Marvel Comics were unhappy that their artwork and even characters that they had created were being heavily marketed and exploited while they, themselves received little to no financial restitution in exchange.

Apparently they approached the company about this and when denied, they chose to leave and form Image Comics instead.

Image itself owns no intellectual property except the company trademarks: it's name and logo. Each Image partner would founded his own studio (Whilce Portacio published his Wetworks title through Jim Lee's Wildstorm imprint due to personal issues involving an illness in the family), which published under the Image banner but was autonomous from any central editorial control.

Initially, the comics were produced through Malibu Comics; a small but established publishing company that was sympathetic with Image's position on creator ownership. Malibu provided administrative, production, distribution, and marketing support until 1993.

While originally highly popular and generating sales numbers that surpassed anything that Marvel Comics, DC, or Valiant were able to achieve since the 1970s, few of the creators were able to keep to a strict publishing schedule due to their inexperience in business, management, and marketing fields causing titles to be shipped weeks to even months late.

The concept of creator owned comic books with no editorial control did result in a number of other comic book artists and writers to begin using Image to publish their own series such as Sam Kieth (The Maxx), Dale Keown (Pitt), Jae Lee (Hellshock), and the team of Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Alex Ross (Astro City) and a number of established self-published comic book series such as Jeff Smith's Bone and Colleen Doran's A Distant Soil also began using the company to publish their work.

While some studios have left Image (Wildstorm Productions and Extreme Studios) the company has grown to include a partnership with Robert Kirkman, the first partner to be added since the founding of Image.

Image has risen to challenge Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing for the position of the third largest publisher after Marvel and DC. As of 2011 the majority of titles Image publishes in a given month are non-studio productions.


It's best known series continues to be Spawn, the Savage Dragon, the Darkness, Witchblade, and the Walking Dead.

Image Comic Characters:

A:

Abbey Chase
Abigail van Alstine
Adrianna Tereshkova
Agent Orange
Albert Francis Simmons
Alessandra Fermi
Alexander Wahl
Allen the Alien
Amanda
Amanda Reed
Amber Bennett
Angela
Anissa
Antonio Twistelli
Aphrodite IV
Aphrodite IX
Apollo
B
Barney Runningbear
Battle Beast
Benjamin Dane
Bethany Black
Black Samson
Bomb Queen
Boss Yamamoto
Bridget Flynn
Brittany
Bronson
C
Caitlin Fairchild
Capris Castiglione
Captain Dynamo
Carin Taylor
Carl Grimes
Cassandra Burroughs
Cassandra Taylor
Cecil Steadman
Cecil Stedman
Chapel
Charles Flanders (Kid Supreme)
Chastity
Chloe Hampton
Christine Trelane
Cogliostro
Cole Cash
Condition Red
Conquest
Curtess Starck
Cy-Gor
Cyan Fitzgerald
Cyberface
D
D.A. Sinclair
Daniel Llanso
Daniel Tsuchida
Danielle Baptiste
Danny Fuller (Kid Supreme)
Dara Brighton
Daredevil
David Hiles
Deborah Grayson
Denny Atlas
Diehard
Diehard II
Dinosaurus
Doll
Dominique Thibaut
Donald Ferguson
Dracula
Dunford
D cont.
Dutch
Dylan Cruise
E
Eddie Collins
Eve
F
Flashpoint
Flint
Frank Blank
Freestyle
G
Gage Reinhart
Gem Antonelli
Glorianna Silver
Glory
God
Gretchen Culver
Grunge
H
Hannah Washington
Happy the Horse
Hector Chang
Hellboy
Hellstrike
Henry Bendix
Hershel Greene
Hestia
Hightower
Horridus
I
The Immortal
Impact
Ivana Baiul
J
Jack Hawksmoor
Jack Marlowe
Jackie Estacado
Jackson King
James Carey
Jason Sparks
Jason Wynn
Jenny Quantum
Jenny Sparks
Jered Hofman
Jeremy Stone
Jessica Priest
Jill August
Jim Downing
John Lynch
Johnny Barracuda
Jonathan Taylor Prophet
Justice (Spirit of Justice)
K
Kate Cha
Kevin Gorelick
Kh'ambt
Billy Kincaid
Knightsabre
Kregg
Kurr Dragon
L
Lady Death
Lady Zannah
Ladytron
Lara Croft
Lauren Pennington
Leon Carver
Angstrom Levy
Lina Juarez
Lord Emp
Lord Helspont
Lori Grimes
Lucan
Lucas Trent
M
Maddie Warner
M cont.
Malcolm Dragon
Malebolgia
Mammon
Man of Miracles
Marc Slayton
Mark Sebastian Grayson
Masada
Masika Zenda
Matthew Callahan
Michael Cray
Michael Finnegan
Michael Heller
Miles Craven
Mitchell Saunders
Mr. Majestic
Mr. White
N
Nautika
Nicholae Bulinski
Nicholas Rocca
Nicole Callahan
Nikolas Andreyvitch Kamarov
Nolan Grayson
Nyx
O
Olivia Lewis
Olympia Atreides
Oswald Leopold II
P
Paul Johnstone
Phantom Jack
Pike
Powerhaus
Priscilla Kitaen
Providence
Psi-Fire
Psilence
Purgatori
R
Rachel Goldman
Radar
Rebecca Hampton
Rebound
Redeemer
Redeemer (Jason Wynn)
Regiment
Reno Bryce
Rex Sloan
Richard Massullo
Rick Grimes
Rikki Shaefer
Riptide
Robert Berresford
Robert Lane
Rose Tattoo
Roxanne Spaulding
Rudolph Conners
Rus Livingston
S
S'Ryn
Sam Burke
Samantha Eve Wilkins
Samaritan
Sara Pezzini
Sarah Rainmaker
Satan
Savant
Scott Graves
Sentinel
ShadowHawk (Robot)
ShadowHawk (Silver Age)
Shaft
Shapesmith
Shrinking Ray
Siam Locke
Sideways Bob
Sister Mariella
Sister Rosalia
Spencer Bridges
Steven Rashell
Stryker
SuperPatriot
Suprema
Supreme
Swift
T
Task
Tech Jacket
Ted Cleaver
T cont.
Terry Fitzgerald
Thaedus
Thamuz
The Angelus
The Astounding Wolf-Man
The Confessor
The Darkness
The Deacon
The Fury
The Magdalena
Thomas John McCall
Thragg
Thula
Titan
Toshiro Misawa
Troll
Twitch Williams
U
Union
Unstoppable
V
Vampirella
Violator
Vogue
W
Wanda Blake
War Angel
Wesley Gibson
Widowmaker
William Clockwell
Winged Victory
Y
Yohn Kohl
Z
Zandale Randolph
Zechariah

Zera