Yesterday was a big day for Image Comics, as they celebrated their 20th anniversary of existence. 20 years is a long time for a independent publisher like them, but in my opinion, they’ve just gotten better and better throughout.
To celebrate this momentous occasion, MC EIC Matt and I put together our lists of our favorite ten Image Comics titles of their first twenty years. Both lists are way different and very diverse, just like you’d expect for fans of Image. That’s the best thing about them – they seem to offer something for everyone.
A couple quick notes before getting to the lists. First, the lists are in no particular order. Second, books were included as Image titles under the requisite of them being Image titles when you started reading them (meaning books like Casanova, Madman or Fear Agent could count on one of our lists and not on the other). Third, one love to Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara’s Four Eyes. You didn’t make either list, but man, if there were more than four issues of you, I’d have you on mine.
Check out the lists after the jump.
The Savage Dragon by Erik Larsen
You know, over the years, somehow Erik Larsen’s The Savage Dragon has become a woefully underrated comic. Granted, I’m saying that having only read the first 100 or so issues (I stopped reading comics for a few years and when I came back I never caught up with this book), but man, out of all of the launch books, it has been the most consistently good one. Really, at its core it is a badass, good time of a book, with Larsen’s massive and energetic art pairing well with his own storytelling. For me, out of the books I enjoyed as a young buck from Image, ranging from things like this to Gen 13 and others, this is the one I look back on the most fondly. Plus, bonus points for being a launch book!
WildCATs by Alan Moore, Travis Charest and others
I had a very difficult time choosing which iteration of WildCATs I wanted to go with. In particular, it was a tough split between this and the run Joe Casey and Sean Phillips put together on the second volume. When I considered everything, it all came down to which single point I enjoyed the most, and that was the beginning of Moore’s run as Savant and Mr. Majestic put their new team together. The bizarre blend of team members, in particular Ladytron and TAO, was the first time for me WildCATs felt like its own thing. This is all not to mention the impressive artistic contributions of Charest and many others, including creator Jim Lee himself.
Stormwatch by Warren Ellis, Tom Raney and Bryan Hitch
Fact: everyone loves The Authority from Ellis and Hitch. Odd other fact: many of those same people never read Ellis and Hitch’s Stormwatch work. A lot of the same things that you would love about their work on The Authority, you’d love here, and with all kinds of fun things like Henry Bendix being crazy to add, it’s in many ways on par with their work on The Authority. Tom Raney also proved to be a very capable artistic partner throughout, and I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t throw WildCATs/Aliens in here. Sure, it’s not explicitly part of the Stormwatch series, but it is effectively the transition book that tied Stormwatch to The Authority and it was taken on by Ellis when “he was told that he could kill any character he wanted.” How awesome is that?
Sam & Twitch: Udaku by Brian Michael Bendis and Angel Medina
Sam & Twitch went beyond “Udaku”, but not for me. “Udaku” was the moment where I became hyperaware of how talented Bendis was. While this was a series that stemmed from Spawn, it only featured that character for about one page (or panel) I believe. It was a ground level detective series with a supernatural twist, and it was an absolute stunner of an arc. I remember reading it in issue form at the tender age of…well, I was 15 or 16…and just thinking “wow, this is completely unlike anything else I am reading.” It was tense and filled with some of the best dialogue in the business, and when I look back on that first read and to recent rereads, I find it hard not to put up there with some of the best work Bendis has done. Even if it is for-hire work early on in his career. Just a fantastic and underrated book.
Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Who killed Retro Girl? I remember reading that question in Wizard Magazine years ago and thinking “I have no idea who Retro Girl is, but I like this Bendis guy.” So I picked up the early issues of Powers and was blown away. Not just by the stuff I knew Bendis did well – Sam & Twitch made me hyperaware of his skills at detective style crime books – but his integration of “powers” into the formula. It was just fantastic work. And Oeming’s art…well, the guy has always been gifted at mixing up his look to best fit a book, and Powers in my mind is where he has most excelled. In a lot of ways, at the time his work in the book reminds me of a softer, smoother version of the Bruce Timm directed art from Batman: The Animated Series. Not a perfect comparison of course, but for my super nerdy 16 year old self? That’s one hell of a comparison.
Wanted by Mark Millar and JG Jones
Say what you will about Mark Millar or the movie adaptation, but man, this mini-series from Millar and JG Jones was all kinds of badass. Sure, it was kind of opening the floodgates for everything everyone doesn’t like about Millar, but this book is an undeniable good time with Millar at his most maniacal in terms of idea creation and Jones just killing it on each and every issue, page and panel. It may not be one of the absolute best series that Image released, but it was impossible to deny for sheer entertainment value. And there’s something that has to be said about that.
The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard
This book has a very special place in my heart, because it was one of the books that got me back into comics. This, Y the Last Man and Fables. If it weren’t for these three, I doubt I’d ever have become a fan again. And The Walking Dead introduced me to Robert Kirkman, a guy who just flat out makes good comics. And this is his best book. For 90+ issues now, he’s been telling my favorite zombie story that I’ve ever read. The reason why it’s the best? No one is safe. Anything can happen. As a fan of comics, that’s refreshing. Also refreshing is the uniformly great quality of art. When Tony Moore left, I was horrified because I loved his work. But then, with each passing issue, it became more and more apparent that this will always be Charlie Adlard’s book. And it’s still great now, which is a heck of a thing.
Invincible by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley
Continued belowMore Kirkman! Invincible is something I like to call “the best Spider-Man book on the market.” Spider-Man was always known for being the younger, relatable hero. He was the guy that anyone could read and understand. That’s sort of what Mark Grayson became for a whole new generation of comic fans, except his stories could leave the Earth and become so much more than we could ever expect. By the time the Viltrumite War hit, Invincible sealed it: it was the best superhero book around. Of course, with Ryan Ottley or Cory Walker on art, it’s always been one of the prettiest.
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura
The funny thing about this book was when it was originally coming out, I found it incredibly frustrating. It didn’t have the most consistent release schedule, it was a little disjointed and crazy, and man…was it different. But by the end I had sort of fallen in love with it. And after rereads, I fell more in love with it. It highlights what Joe Kelly does so well – fresh feeling characters, pure imagination, superb dialogue – and pairs it with the kinetic and expressive art of Niimura to become a beautiful and touching story of grief and how one deals with it. Even if it involves smashing giants with hammers.
Chew by John Layman and Rob Guillory
The newest book on my list, but without a doubt a deserving member. A lot of times with the intensity of superhero comics, you forget that you’d like comics to be fun once in a while. And Chew is fun as all hell. It’s sick, depraved, violent, hilarious, bizarre and fiercely imaginative, and it has two incredible creators working perfectly in sync on each and every issue. Sure, it’s only 24 issues in (counting issue #27), but every issue has been gold. What more could I ask for? Well, I could appear in the comic…but I did that already too! Winner!
Matt’s List
Phonogram by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
When I finished reading Phonogram for the first time, I sat down at my computer and wrote an e-mail to the writer of the book expressing my absolute utter amazement at the comic. I wrote to him about how I used to think I had an appreciation for some music but had ultimately fallen out of love with music in general, yet reading his book reminded me why I ever loved music. I wrote about how fascinating the back matter of the comics were to me, as they were the first time I’d ever really stopped to read some of the write-ups hidden in the back of comics without pictures. I wrote a very long e-mail about how much I loved this comic, and then I went and re-discovered my love of music, exploring new bands and genres I previously hadn’t touched. Good comics will do that to you. (I wrote the artist too, but he never wrote back so we won’t talk about that one I guess.)
Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma
As a big proponent for the television show LOST (and I know everybody says this, but whatever), the book Morning Glories is an obvious pick for one of my favorites. Month in and month out, I explore the secrets hidden in the gutters of this book more than any other comic I currently read (and not just because I have to for a monthly column here at MC!), attempting to unlock the secrets Spencer and Eisma are keeping from me. I like a comic that challenges me, one that makes me work for it, and I like a comic that through this act introduces me to new ideas and things I may not have come across elsewhere (I saw the film Diabolique because of a quick and possibly throwaway reference in issue #6, and 20th Century Boys is on my list of things to read ASAP). Morning Glories came out during a time where I was looking for a book just like it, and it is essentially the perfect example of everything that I love about Image’s Creator-Owned BOOM that occurred in the last few years.
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(The Weird World Of) Jack Staff by Paul Grist
The other staff members poke fun at me for this (David especially), but I am a bit of a self-professed anglophile. That said, if you throw the Union Flag on a superhero, you’re going to bring my attention over to what you’re doing, and seeing as I was already a fan of Marvel’s Union Jack character, Grist’s re-imagined UJ pitch given life via Jack Staff is pretty much the perfect comic for me. Image collected both his self-released comics and have since had two brand new volumes of the book, and both have proven to be a great example of the wonder that independent superheroes can offer, with incredibly well paced storytelling, engaging visuals, and a lot of heart and clever references hidden beneath the surface.
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura
I Kill Giants is perhaps one of the single most heartbreaking comics I’ve ever read. It’s a beautiful mixture of art and story, as well as a great blend of East and Western storytelling, leading the reader down an adventurous path with no inherent promises of reward. I remember reading it one evening on a train ride home, and can vividly recall almost missing my stop due to not wanting to stop reading. It’s a perfect example of a tour de force comic, and was the book that moved Joe Kelly beyond “that guy who wrote that run of Deadpool I loved as a kid” and into one of a few writers whose work I will buy without any question.
Godland by Joe Casey and Tom Scioli
While I’ve found this (oddly) isn’t the case for everyone, one of my favorite things in comic books are active tributes to the King. So many company-owned books, especially at Marvel, have the influence of Jack Kirby pulsing through their veins, and yet so few take the time to truly appreciate or pay tribute to his limitless creativity and imagination. That’s why a book like Godland, which has nothing to do with any Kirby creations at all, is so charming and alluring to me. It is an ode to the King through the eyes of Casey and Scioli, and while it may not be the book Kirby would make if he were alive today due to some of the more modern content, it certainly is one the closest things you’ll find.
Invincible by Robert Kirkman, Casey Walker and Ryan Ottley
In the battle of “Which Robert Kirkman Book Makes The List”, Invincible is the reigning champion. For 80+ issues now, the book has been the most consistent effort from Kirkman, thanks in part to the tireless work of Ryan Ottley in making that book shine, and it was both great when it started and where it has ended up now. The book has always felt like the “better Kirkman” in that it is essentially the average comic fan wet dream given light: a superhero book (full of analogies to company-owned characters, mind you) in a vibrant shared universe having adventures that are still owned by the creator and aren’t limited to any editorial mandates. It’s this that lets Kirkman and Ottley (and Walker, for a guest story here or there now) truly let loose and do some incredible things with Invincible absolutely unimpeded. With a few spin-off books and minis here and there (Capes, Guarding the Globe, Astounding Wolf-Man), Invincible is to Kirkman as Hellboy is to Mignola, and it couldn’t be more exciting to still be part of the adventure.
Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Oeming
Brian Michael Bendis certainly has a rather large catalogue, and he – like many others – got his big break at Image Comics. This was, however, largely in part to a creator owned series called Powers, which saw Bendis and Mike Oeming crafting a crime-infused world of police procedural drama that revolved around investigating the powered sect. I’ve always found stories like this or Gotham Central highly entertaining, as they attempt to eschew the norm and focus in on the little guy who has to deal with the super powered people running around. While this idea has been played up quite a few times, I can only remember a small number of titles that did it really well — and with an issue dedicated to Warren Ellis, career-defining art by Mike Oeming (especially in the last arc) and a fantastic first volume finale that ties everything back to the first issue, Powers is definitely one of those books.
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Youngblood by Rob Liefeld, Joe Casey and Derec Donovan
When I first mentioned that Youngblood would be on my list, David raised his eyebrow at me. I’ll admit, in terms of various Image launch titles, this probably isn’t the popular book against titles like Savage Dragon (which David picked) or Spawn (which I was an avid fan of back in the day). Yet, Youngblood means something completely different to me. Youngblood is essentially the book that defines an entire era to me, a time where pure id reigned king. Everything I truly loved about muscled-up superhero comics is present in Youngblood, for better or for worse, and it is hard to find a book that doesn’t so much transcend time as it does purely define it. It’s also the second creator-owned book on my list to be born out of a rejected company-owned pitch, and for that alone the title earns a certain entertainment factor. Throw in the re-written series by Joe Casey for the Youngblood hardcover release (one of my favorite releases Image has ever put out) as well as a short-lived but entertaining run with the team by Casey and Donovan years later, and you’ve got a book that holds a special place in my library, muscles, pouches and all.
Casanova by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
It is had to write about Casanova in a way that I haven’t already done so on this site, but the simple fact remains that this is Matt Fraction at his absolute best. I’m quite a fan of the work he has done at Marvel Comics with characters like Iron Fist or Iron Man, but it will never be better than Casanova. This is Fraction doing everything right, and with Ba and Moon at his side for the two arcs that Image put out (later reprinted on Icon in fabulous technicolor or whatever), it is impossible to not love this transdimensional action spy-thriller genre mash-up. However, as I said in a much longer write-up on my thoughts about the book, it is at times difficult to write about the title without breaking down in a fanboy sweat and just screaming “this book is just so fucking cool!“
Madman by Mike Allred
Madman did not begin life at Image Comics, but it certainly found a fitting home there amongst a bevy of similarly great reads. It definitely wasn’t until Madman was reprinted on Image that the title entered into my library (thanks, in part, to the Gargantua and subsequent Atomica collection), but it never the less remains a staple. This is the Allred book, full of his pure pop comic sense and sensibilities, and as the book expanded and wrapped in the fun and the weird that makes comics wonderful. Each arc of Madman is something different, and the book(s) have seen Mike Allred truly play around with some “wild and crazy” stuff, from his irregular odyssey to an entire issue of single page tributes to other comics/artistic styles as Madman walks through multiversal shapes and spaces. Plus, it succeeds in the world where many comics hope to but few comics do, in that it gave birth to a cultural comic icon who, despite being written along a linear path, has adventures that can be picked up and enjoyed at any point in his story career, and that’s no small feat to accomplish.
